43_ The boy in the hill

Two months had passed since the final battle, and the last month of summer had begun.

Elyes was training with Zaki.

After a brief exchange between them, Zaki managed to knock Elyes to the ground.

Zaki looked at him.

“Elyes... You’re distracted.”

Elyes stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes.

“Sorry... Let’s continue.”

Zaki refused and remained standing in front of him.

“You won’t get stronger if you can’t clear your mind and fight at your full potential. What’s on your mind?”

Elyes lowered his gaze for a moment.

“Ever since the last battle, I’ve been thinking about what happened... I just don’t know...”

Zaki sighed.

“I’m the same. None of us has gotten over it... But if we want to prevent something like that from happening again, we have to move forward and stay focused during training.”

Elyes looked at him.

“You’re right... But what about...”

Zaki interrupted him immediately.

“Wail?”

Elyes’s eyes widened before he lowered his gaze.

“Just thinking about it bothers me... I wonder what he’s feeling.”

Zaki remained silent for a moment before answering.

“I haven’t seen him since that day. Do you think he’s still affected by what happened?”

“I don’t know... I want to talk to him, but I’ve searched everywhere. I even tried calling him, but there was no answer.”

Zaki thought for a moment.

“He’s probably at the mountain hill. After Yassin’s death, we all lost the Golden Symbol needed to enter it... except him.”

Zaki stood up and slowly exhaled.

“We’ll talk to him when we find him. We’re his friends, after all, and it’s our duty to help him and stand by his side.”

Elyes nodded.

“You’re right... Let’s continue, then.”

---

Elsewhere, Mark and Raouf were sitting on the beach after swimming.

Mark drank some water, then turned toward Raouf.

“So... Dill is still searching for his brother?”

“Yes... He hasn’t stopped since the day he disappeared.”

Raouf looked out toward the sea.

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“That Bahaa... I don’t know what he was thinking.”

Silence fell for a few moments.

Mark remembered Bahaa’s expression before he entered that portal.

He also remembered his words:

“Spare me this nonsense... Let’s finish the fight first.”

Mark’s expression changed, concern appearing in his eyes.

“I think we should search for him too.”

Raouf’s eyes widened.

“I don’t mind, but where do you want to look? Dill has searched the entire world and hasn’t found a single trace.”

Mark answered without hesitation.

“We won’t stop until we find him, no matter how long it takes. Bahaa is one of my closest friends, and I can’t live without knowing what happened to him.”

Raouf looked at him for a few moments.

“Then... when do we start?”

Mark’s eyes widened.

“That easily? I thought you’d refuse.”

Raouf shook his head.

“No, I won’t. Bahaa is my friend too, and I have to help you find him.”

Mark smiled.

“Good. We’ll discuss it with the others tomorrow and see what we can do.”

---

Meanwhile, Adam and Noah were monitoring the situation around the world, prepared for the possibility of Dark appearing again after his unknown fate.

Elsewhere, Sif continued training his healing techniques, while Zino was helping his family with their work...

---

One day, Amira was watching the sunset from the hill where Wail used to sit.

She was thinking about him...

And about Bahaa.

Suddenly, she heard a voice behind her.

“I come here every day too, hoping to find him.”

Amira quickly turned around, thinking it was Wail.

But it was Elyes.

He smiled at her.

“Hey... I haven’t seen you in a while.”

He then sat beside her.

Silence lingered for a moment before Amira leaned her head slightly toward him and spoke quietly.

“I miss them...”

Elyes didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.

Amira continued.

“I wanted Bahaa to return to me safely... And I wanted to thank Wail for keeping his promise this time, as compensation for what happened before.”

She paused for a moment, then smiled sadly.

“And I wanted so badly to see him happy with Sara...”

Tears began falling from Amira’s eyes.

“But none of that happened... Why did it have to...”

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

Elyes hugged her without saying a word as Amira continued crying.

After she had calmed down a little, she wiped her tears and gave a sad smile.

“You know... Wail’s birthday is in two days.”

Elyes’s eyes widened, and he clenched his fist.

“Do you think he’ll show up?”

Amira looked toward the sunset.

“I really don’t know...”

Elyes remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“And if he does?”

Her eyes widened.

He continued.

“If he comes back, would that make you happy?”

“Yes, of course... But...”

Elyes interrupted her.

“I’m talking about Wail. Then he and I will search for Bahaa for you.”

Silence fell as tears began flowing from Amira’s eyes again.

She quickly wiped them away.

“You and Wail... You’re always doing everything you can for me...”

Elyes looked at her with a gentle smile.

“It’s our duty, Amira. We’re like family, and we have to stand by each other.”

Then he added:

“I also want to count on you to help Wail get through what happened, even if only a little.”

Amira looked at him.

“Yes... If he comes back.”

Elyes smiled confidently.

“He will. I’m sure of it... And if he doesn’t, I’ll make him come back.”

Amira smiled through her tears.

“Thank you, Elyes... I owe you.”

“You don’t have to.”

The two exchanged a quiet smile as the sunset continued before them.

---

The following day, Elyes was training with Zaki again.

Elyes dodged Zaki’s successive punches, then took advantage of an opening and kicked him in the side.

Zaki took the hit, but quickly wrapped his arm in green energy and drove a punch toward Elyes’s stomach.

Suddenly, Mark appeared between them.

He struck Elyes and knocked him to the ground, then grabbed Zaki’s arm and tried to throw him toward Elyes.

But Zaki regained his balance just before touching the ground and landed firmly on his feet.

Elyes and Zaki looked at Mark.

Mark smiled.

“Oooh... You’ve gotten stronger, Zaki.”

Elyes stood up angrily.

“Damn you! You caught me off guard!”

Raouf’s voice came from behind them.

“Failing to watch your surroundings during a fight is a weakness, not being caught off guard.”

Elyes became even angrier, but Mark quickly stepped in to calm things down.

“Relax. I have something I want to discuss with you.”

---

Some time later, Sif and Zino arrived as well, and everyone gathered together.

Mark looked at his friends.

“I want to go search for Bahaa.”

Elyes was surprised.

“Are you sure?”

Zaki said:

“Don’t you think it’s a waste of time?”

Mark immediately became angry.

“Searching for a friend is not a waste of time! Besides, I intend to get stronger and train during the journey.”

Elyes nodded.

“I won’t stop you.”

Raouf said:

“The two of us will go, and we’ll find Dill so the three of us can work together.”

Sif raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t you need a healer?”

Zino immediately placed a hand on his head.

“You’re staying here and continuing your training. You still have a lot to learn.”

“Get your hand off me...!!”

Mark intervened.

“No. Just the two of us will go. We’ll rely on you to deal with any danger... Especially you, Elyes, since you’re currently the only one who will be staying with them.”

Elyes answered confidently.

“Count on me. Don’t worry. Continue your journey, and don’t you dare come back before finding Bahaa.”

Mark nodded.

“Yeah.”

After saying goodbye to their friends, Mark and Raouf left.

---

Elyes sighed as he looked at the others.

“Alright. Since you’re all here... We’ll train.”

Then he turned toward Sif.

“Sif, I’m counting on you.”

“Me? Why?”

Elyes gave him a faint smile.

“The fights will be serious, and you’ll have to heal us afterward.”

Sif and Zino both panicked at the same time.

As for Zaki, he smiled excitedly and took a fighting stance.

“Oooh... Finally, Dawnlight is going to fight seriously.”

Zino looked at him in confusion.

“Dawnlight?”

Elyes sighed.

“Just ignore him... He’s been calling me that since we started training together.”

Then he activated his Golden Transformation, and energy spread around his body.

His eyes locked onto Zaki.

“Come on, Zaki... I’ll get revenge for every fight you’ve beaten me in.”

---

The scene suddenly changed.

Night had fallen somewhere.

The nearly full moon hung in the sky, illuminating the surroundings with a pure light.

The sound of a nearby waterfall blended with the flowing river, while the wind swept across the grass.

The grass moved with the wind.

Then the breeze passed through the hair of someone standing beneath the nearly full moon.

Only his back could be seen.

But his identity was unmistakable.

It was Wail.