"So, what’s the plan?" Izuna asked, his voice low as they huddled in the damp shadows of the cave. "We don’t know this forest well, and that gives them the advantage as long as we keep playing hide-and-seek. But we can't face them directly, either. If we fight them out in the open, the Royal Guards will just see two soldiers brawling with criminals and treat us all like targets. It gives the snake-tattoo man the perfect opening to slip away."

  Kale leaned back against the jagged rock, his eyes cold and calculating. "First, we have to find Kevin’s mother. If we don’t, this entire mission is a failure, and we’ll be branded as deserters—or worse. But judging by that man’s strength, taking him down won't be easy. We need reinforcements, or I don’t think we’re going to complete this mission alive."

  "Reinforcements?" Izuna let out a grim, dry laugh. "The only people coming for us are the ones who think we’re the kidnappers. Going back to the barracks to explain is impossible in this situation. We’d be arrested before we could even salute."

  Kale was silent for a moment, watching the way the light flickered in the cave. "Then here is the plan. We leave Kevin for the Royal Guard to find. Once he’s with them, they’ll stop hunting us as aggressively. They’ll think we escaped and focus on his safety. That gives us the opening to go straight after the tattoo guy."

  Izuna’s eyes widened, and he stepped forward, his face reddening. "Hey! Don't you think that’s too dangerous? Leaving a little boy behind in a place like this, hoping the Guards find him? I disagree with you this time, Kale. It's too big a risk."

  "No," Kale countered, his voice firm. "If they came all this way to rescue Kevin, they won't harm him. He is safer with a platoon of Royal Guards than he is running through a forest with two fugitives. Can you do that for us, Kevin?"

  Kale knelt down, looking at the boy with a rare, soft smile. "As for your mother, I give you my word: we will bring her back safely."

  Kevin looked up at Kale, his small frame trembling. He looked terrified, the shadows of the forest looming large around them, but he looked into Kale’s eyes and saw a strength that calmed him. Slowly, he nodded his head.

  Izuna still looked uneasy, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. But I’m telling you, Big Bro, I’ll kill you myself if something goes wrong with this kid."

  "Fair enough," Kale replied.

  Suddenly, the silence of the woods was shattered. The rhythmic thud of heavy boots hitting the forest floor echoed through the trees.

  "Hey, Captain!" a soldier’s voice rang out from the brush. "The child! The child is running towards us!"

  "Quick!" the Captain’s command thundered through the clearing. "Rescue the boy and get him to safety before those kidnappers get their hands on him again! Form a perimeter!"

  From the shadows of the vines, Kale and Izuna watched as Kevin ran toward the steel-clad men. The gamble had begun.

  "Now, our only job is to find that man and Kevin’s mother," Kale said, his eyes narrowing as he watched the Royal Guards retreat with the boy. "Are you ready, Izuna?"

  "Yeah," Izuna replied, tightening the straps on his gear. "I’m always ready."

  With a silent nod, both of them turned and began sprinting into the heart of the thick forest, pushing deeper and deeper into the tangled overgrowth.

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  "They won't have gotten far," Kale called out over the sound of crashing brush. "If their true intention was Kevin all along, they’re likely lurking nearby, waiting for us to get arrested. They probably want to wait for the perfect moment to snatch Kevin away from the Royal Guards once the heat dies down. If that happens, the blame for his disappearance will fall entirely on us."

  Izuna’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. "I see. So, the plan is for us to get caught, and while the Guards are busy hauling us away, that man slips in and takes Kevin back. By the time the Guards realize Kevin is gone, they won't bother searching for the real kidnappers—they’ll just torture us to find out where we 'hid' him. It gives the tattoo man all the time he needs to escape while we’re being broken in a cell."

  Kale glanced sideways at his partner, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Yeah, that’s exactly it. I didn’t think you were smart enough to figure all that out from what I said."

  "Hey! What do you mean I'm not smart?" Izuna argued, his face flushing with indignation. "Are you calling me an idiot?"

  "Heh... I didn't mean it like that," Kale chuckled, though his eyes remained fixed on the trail ahead. "Let’s just keep moving. We can talk about your brain cells later."

  "What do you mean, 'talk about my brain cells later'?" Izuna huffed, struggling to keep his footing as they dodged low-hanging branches. "Our first goal is rescuing Kevin’s mom! Focus, Kale!"

  Kale didn't slow down, his eyes scanning the dense treeline for any sign of a trap. "I am focused. But this enemy we’re hunting... I have to give him credit. He’s a genius in his own twisted way. He’s smart, he’s manipulative, and he knows exactly how to use us as decoys in his own game. He even left traces of himself on purpose just to lead the Royal Guards exactly where he wanted them."

  Kale leaped over a fallen log, his expression darkening. "We have to be incredibly careful, Izuna. We don’t know what move he’ll pull next. If he’s willing to leave a trail, it means he’s leading everyone—us and the Guards—exactly where he wants them. What do you think his next move is?"

  Izuna cracked his knuckles, his face set in a grim mask of determination. "Well, I don't know exactly what he’s planning, but I know one thing for sure: the next time I see him, I’m going to beat him so hard he forgets his own name."

  "I knew that was going to be your answer," Kale mumbled, shaking his head. He looked back at his friend, his voice turning dead serious. "Do whatever you want, but remember: the moment we find Kevin’s mother, we retreat. We don't want any more trouble with him than necessary. Facing him head-on is a nightmare as it is, but with those men in black suits backing him up? It’s a suicide mission for the both of us."

  "First of all, how do we even know their exact location?" Izuna asked, his voice low as he struggled to keep his breathing steady against the humid forest air.

  Kale offered a faint, knowing smile, though his eyes never left the path ahead. "I know exactly where they are. Just follow me."

  Izuna followed, but his mind was racing. He looked at the back of Kale’s head, feeling a growing sense of confusion. How does this guy act like he already knows the future? he wondered. Is he a genius, or is he actually reading the forest itself? It was as if Kale could feel the very pulse of the nature around them, understanding the broken twigs and shifted dirt like a map only he could see.

  Suddenly, Kale came to a dead stop. Izuna froze instantly, his hand instinctively tensing. "What is it, Big Bro?"

  "We're here," Kale replied quietly.

  Izuna peered through the thick curtain of foliage. Ahead of them, the dense trees opened up to reveal a wide, rushing river. Beached on the muddy shore sat a large wooden boat, partially hidden by overhanging willow branches.

  "They can't escape through this forest on foot while dragging a prisoner," Kale explained, his eyes fixed on the vessel. "Just like I predicted, they’re planning to use the boat to make a fast getaway as soon as they have Kevin in their hands."

  Izuna let out a low whistle of respect, his doubts finally vanishing. "You really are a genius, Big Bro. Alright, leave the rest to me. I’ll create a loud enough distraction to draw their attention, and you sneak in to rescue Kevin’s mom while they're looking at me."

  Kale looked at him, his expression softening just an inch. "Okay. But remember what I said earlier—and don't get yourself killed."

  Izuna grinned, slamming his right fist into his open palm with a resounding thud. His face was lit with a fierce, predatory energy. "Got it," he said, his eyes sparking with the thrill of the coming fight. "I'm already excited to give them a piece of my mind."