Chapter 22 --22
Maru looked at Kaya with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.
"What about your tribe? Aren’t they looking for you?"
A bitter laugh escaped Kaya’s lips—quiet, self-deprecating.
"Looking for me?" she scoffed. "They’ve probably already been told I’m dead. Maybe even helped spread the news themselves."
And that... wasn’t a lie.
Kaya wasn’t the patriotic, flag-waving type. She never wanted to be a soldier, never dreamed of dying for her nation. All she ever wanted was to study. To become a doctor. To help people. But dreams didn’t grow well in a house like hers.
Her parents—barely out of their teens when she was born—had resented her from the start. To them, she wasn’t a child. She was the thief who stole their youth. They blamed her for everything that went wrong in their lives, treating her like a mistake they could never erase. Not quite a daughter. Not quite a person. Just... a burden.
If it weren’t for the shame of society, they probably would’ve tossed her out years ago. She survived thanks to kind-hearted neighbors who threw her leftovers and old clothes. If not for them, she wouldn’t have made it this far.
She joined the military not out of pride or duty—but because it was the cheapest option. It paid, it fed her, and it didn’t ask questions. When she told her parents she was enlisting, they were thrilled—but not for her. They were happy because it meant one thing: money. Her earnings could support them. Help her sister.
Sometimes... Kaya wondered if her parents ever prayed she’d die in service. That way, they’d get a lifetime of compensation, insurance, and subsidies. Her life was worth more to them dead than alive.
Maru looked at her. This time, he really saw it—the truth in her eyes. That sadness... it wasn’t fake. It had been there for a long time, hidden deep inside. But now, it was starting to come out. People could lie with their words or even their smiles. But not with their eyes. Her eyes showed real pain.