Chapter 31. Unanswered Questions

  — Why did you give me this note? — Leonel asked, staring directly into Beligor’s empty eyes.

  The puppet remained silent. No gesture, no glance, no hint of emotion.

  — Do you even know what this means? — Stan interjected, gripping his dagger tightly. — If this is a trap, you’d better tell us now.

  Beligor didn’t move. He simply stood there, as if their words didn’t concern him at all.

  Ethan sighed.

  — He doesn’t even understand why he did it… Does he?

  Beligor looked at him. There was no anger, no fear, no understanding in his gaze. Only emptiness.

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  Leonel clenched the note.

  — Then say something. Anything. What do you remember?

  Silence.

  — What do you feel?

  Silence.

  — You’re not just a puppet, are you? — Leonel asked in a quieter voice.

  Beligor looked at him again. And for the first time, ever so slightly, he frowned.

  But no answer came.

  Trust?

  They continued their journey toward the rift between worlds. They walked for a long time.

  Ethan quietly approached Leonel from behind and gestured for him to follow.

  Leonel started to understand the situation and, without asking questions, stood up and followed them.

  When they arrived at the meeting place, Stan was already waiting for them.

  — Finally, you’re here, — Stan said seriously.

  Leonel glanced at his friends and asked:

  — Why did you call me?

  Ethan was the first to speak.

  — Can we trust Beligor, the puppet of the Third Lord of Darkness?

  Stan continued:

  — He has been watching us all this time. And we don’t fully understand—if he’s a puppet, then he might still be under the Dark Lord’s control. We can’t take that risk.

  Leonel was given the responsibility of deciding whether to trust Beligor.

  Could they bring him back—restore the person he was before he became a puppet? If they trusted him, would he betray them? And if they didn’t, what if he was truly on their side, wanting to seal the rift between worlds?

  It was a difficult choice. Leonel considered every detail, every clue that might help him.

  After much thought, he returned t

  o his companions.

  Approaching Beligor, he made his decision.