Chapter 71 - What They Took, I Will Reclaim
They led the newly rescued women back to the village.
The morning sun cast golden rays over the horizon, but it could not wash away the horror of the night before. The villagers watched in stunned silence as the Shadow Guard returned, silent and graceful like wraiths. The rescued women—battered, dirty, and hollow-eyed—walked with shaky steps, clinging to each other for strength. Some wept silently. Others simply stared forward, numb.
But their eyes—oh, their eyes held a strange mix of fear and awe when they looked at the warriors in black.
The memory of the previous night’s battle was still fresh. The way the shadows moved with terrifying precision, how they slipped through darkness like whispers, and how their weapons found flesh with absolute certainty—it felt like watching the impossible.
The men the women had once feared—those Adal monsters with guns and twisted grins—had been slaughtered with terrifying ease.
Guns meant nothing in the face of sheer will and mastery. The monsters who once seemed untouchable had died like dogs.
As the group approached the edge of the village, many of the rescued women hesitated. Not all of them were from here, but even so, the smoke curling from warm hearths and the scent of maize flour stirred tears. It was a step away from home. A promise of safety.
The villagers rushed forward, bringing water, food, wraps, and first aid. They took the women in their arms and held them like family. There was no judgment. Only pain, and the quiet beginning of healing.
"They’ve been broken," whispered an elderly woman, tears trailing down her cheeks as she handed a scarf to a young girl. "They had given up on life. But these warriors... they came like angels in the dark."
Near the village center, Khisa stood quietly, surveying the scene. His axe rested on his back, but his eyes burned with fury held in check. The toll of the mission hadn’t been just physical—it had cracked his heart open.
A sudden movement drew his attention.