When we stepped out of Mireya's tent, I felt that the air of the camp had changed. I couldn't explain exactly why, but everything seemed to be watching us with silent attention. The fires burning between the old wagons crackled with a low, steady sound, and the crows trapped inside the hanging cages followed us with their black eyes, as if they knew something we had not yet begun to understand. No one stopped us as we walked toward the edge of the camp. The gypsies simply stepped aside as we passed, allowing us to move along the damp dirt paths between the tents. Some murmured quietly among themselves. Others simply watched. Those looks held something strange. They weren't hostile. But they weren't friendly either. It was the way one looks at someone who has already been marked by fate. The words of the cards continued echoing in my mind. The Tower. The Fool. The Hanged Man. Death. Judgment. Five warnings that seemed to have been spoken by something far older than the woman with the black braids. We walked for a long time in silence before Aldric finally decided to break it.

  —I don't like any of this.

  His voice sounded rough in the stillness of the forest. Maelor walked beside him, idly spinning one of his rings between his fingers.

  —Which part exactly? —he replied with a tired half-smile. —The part where one of us is a traitor, or the part where one of us has to die?

  Aldric didn't answer immediately. Instead, he slowly turned his head toward me.

  —That woman knew too much.

  I felt Serah's gaze turn toward me as well.

  —Yes —she said at last. —Too much.

  The mist drifted between us like a silent witness. Eldran walked a few steps behind, leaning on Maelor whenever the ground became too uneven. The black wound continued spreading slowly across his torso, though it was now covered with fresh bandages the gypsies had wrapped around him before letting us leave.

  —She called you Captain before you said a single word —Aldric continued. I didn't stop walking.

  —It could have been a guess.

  —It didn't sound like one.

  Serah spoke with a calmness that felt more unsettling than Aldric's open suspicion.

  —She looked at you like she knew who you were.

  I stopped. The mist slid slowly between the trees, creeping across the damp ground.

  —I don't know her —I said.

  No one answered. But it didn't seem like my words had reassured anyone either. For a few seconds, silence returned. Finally, I took a slow breath.

  —If you have something to say to me, say it to my face. Otherwise this isn't going to work.

  —What isn't? —Aldric asked with a frown.

  —This! —I gestured toward the group. My voice remained calm, but firm. —The distrust. If every step we take is going to be filled with suspicion and sideways glances… then the most sensible thing would be for each of us to go our own way.

  Serah studied me carefully.

  —Are you saying you're leaving?

  I nodded slowly. Eldran let out a small groan as he tried to adjust himself against the trunk of a nearby tree. His breathing was heavy, and sweat shone across his brow. Serah knelt beside him to check his bandages. I turned around. And began to walk. The mist swallowed me quickly. After a few minutes, I heard a voice behind me.

  —Curious.

  I stopped. Mireya stood among the trees. I hadn't heard her approach. It was as if the forest itself had allowed her to step out from its roots.

  —I thought you would go a little farther before stopping.

  I looked at her in silence.

  —You followed me.

  She shook her head softly.

  —No —a faint smile appeared —, I simply knew you would come this way.

  I crossed my arms.

  —You called me Captain before I said a word.

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  —Yes.

  —Do we know each other?

  Mireya let out a quiet laugh.

  —I hadn't yet had the pleasure.

  Her black eyes studied me calmly.

  —Then explain how you knew who I was.

  She tilted her head slightly.

  —The valley is always speaking —the wind stirred the branches above us —. And some names echo louder than others, Captain.

  I said nothing. For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

  —Your companions won't survive long without you —she finally said.

  —They won't survive long with me either.

  —That may also be true —she replied with a smile. Then her expression grew thoughtful. —Captain… there is something you still haven't understood. Something the valley returns to you when the darkness of your mind reflects in the night —she hesitated for a moment, as if weighing the cost of her words —. Time here is not what it seems. Not everything you remember has already happened… and not everything that is yet to come belongs to the future.

  I didn't know what to say. By the time I reacted, the old woman's figure was already dissolving into the mist. When I returned to the clearing where I had left the group, I found them arguing.

  —Where is the captain? —Eldran asked weakly.

  He had just finished changing his bandages. Serah looked up. Aldric answered before anyone else.

  —He left.

  Eldran frowned. He tried to move forward, but Maelor held him.

  —You can't walk.

  Eldran shook his head.

  —We can't let him go —his eyes moved urgently across the group. —We need him.

  Aldric crossed his arms.

  —We need a man who might be hiding things from us?

  Eldran looked straight at him.

  —We need to survive!

  The silence that followed was long. Then I let them see me. I stepped out of the mist and stood in the center of the group. I looked at each of them in the face. One by one. None of them returned my gaze. All I saw were guilt… and resignation. Before I could speak, Mireya's voice cut through the air. None of us had heard her arrive. Not even Aldric or Serah.

  —Before you continue arguing —she said calmly —there is something you should know.

  Aldric looked at her with open distrust.

  —Another card reading?

  Mireya slowly shook her head.

  —No —her eyes moved across the group —. Something more certain. There are two ways to leave the Devil's Valley. The first one is easy to explain: Kill the Devil.

  For a moment the forest itself seemed to stop breathing. Then Aldric let out a short laugh.

  —Easy?

  Mireya ignored him.

  —Many have tried —none have succeeded, she paused —. Not even the great Wishper Wizard.

  Maelor opened his mouth as if to interrupt, but the old woman continued.

  —The second way is different from what your group expects.

  —How? —Serah asked. Mireya's gaze darkened.

  —Make a deal with him —silence fell instantly —. Some have done it. Some have managed to leave. But the Devil always remembers those who accept his help. And sooner or later… he calls them back to play again.

  The next morning the mist was even thicker. We walked for hours. Eldran was still weak, but he could remain on his feet. No one spoke much. When I finally returned to the path where they were walking, none of them seemed surprised to see me. I simply joined the march. Serah was the only one who broke the silence.

  —Where are we going?

  I looked at the path disappearing into the fog.

  —To the bridge.

  Aldric frowned.

  —The Bridge of Souls?

  I nodded.

  —If we want answers… We go to the Devil.

  The mist swirled ahead of us as if hiding something enormous beyond it. In the distance, while the gypsies were already taking down their tents and the children gathered their scattered toys, Mireya watched us leave. And for a brief moment… I thought I saw sadness in her eyes.