How many more families would he have to look into the eyes and tell them that their son, brother, grandson had disappeared? How many families had Stefan faced?

Those were the moments that made him understand the heavy burden of a leader, it was as if he was losing the members of the resistance, his friends, once again.

There's still hope, he kept reminding himself. They might be alive somewhere in the village, he could still do something to save them. Momotaro kept his last chance saved as if it were a treasure. He clung to it with all his might and sometimes he presented it to the families of those who had disappeared.

That day he showed it to Gina's mother.

"We're doing everything we can to find your daughter and if you ever need anything don't hesitate to contact us."

Mrs. Viera wiped her tears with a handkerchief, with her other hand she held a picture of Gina. The room they were in was littered with photographs of the young woman, on the table between them, on the green walls, on the nightstand next to the chair, and the last one on the television cabinet.

"Thanks," she said. "I know you're looking for her, Gina always told me that the members of the Protectors treat each other like family. I have more faith in you than in the police. They never listen to me, the last two times I went to the police station they sent me back home without hearing a single word of what I had to say."

"Do you have anything we can use to find her? Something you can think of. Maybe she told you something that caught your attention."

"No, I don't remember that she told me anything out of the ordinary. She came home more tired, but that was to be expected with how much you work to defend the village. He never talked to me about the details of what you do and I understand, there is information that you have to protect."

"What about the police? Did they tell you something? Could they find any clues?"

"Someone sent me the clothes that Gina was wearing when she disappeared. I gave it to the police, they told me that if I didn't hand over the clothes I was interrupting the investigation. But I saved something, for me, if you promise me that you will take care of it you can take it."

"I'll take care of it myself, I'll bring it back as soon as I can."

"Alright, give me a second."

Mrs. Viera got up from her chair and went into the hallway.

In the presence of loneliness Momotaro allowed himself to be honest and his fake smile broke. The dark voice that lived in his mind reminded him that he was never alone, his shadow was always with him, whispering his most hidden desires.

We have to find them all and make them suffer. We're going to tear them apart so they learn not to mess with our family.

Darkness began to fill the room. The walls were swallowed up, the following were the armchairs and the furniture. It continued advancing, eating everything in its path. Momotaro didn't move, he waited, sitting, watching as the shadow was about to touch his feet.

"I found it."

Mrs. Viera's voice casted away the darkness.

Momo shook his head and focused on the woman's figure, getting used to the light one again. She had a small locket in the shape of a heart in her hand.

"Gina never took it off, she has the last photo she took with her father before he died. She couldn't let the police take it away, she's going to need it when she gets back," she explained, offering the locket to Momotaro.

A peculiar smell reached Momo once he took the object in his hands: gunpowder. He wrinkled his nose and, ignoring the smell, carefully put the piece of jewelry in his pocket.

"Thank you for giving me something so important, I'll protect it with my life."

"There's something else, the police found Gina's cell phone two days ago. They told me they didn't find anything else in the place, that someone probably threw it away to mislead them. They're still checking the cell phone. I thought that perhaps you could find something that they overlooked." 

"Everything's helpful, if you can write down the address I'll go check it out."

A new promise was added to the endless list of oaths that Momotaro dragged with him wherever he went. He had become a vessel of false promises, and he hoped that that time he would be able to keep his word.

Determined to find answers, he said goodbye to Mrs. Viera and started the long walk to the location she had pointed out.

He was forced to cross the entire village on foot, his car out of commission since the windows had crossed paths with Miles's scream. At least he would have enough time to plan his next actions. 

Momotaro reached the center of the village sooner than expected, perhaps his steps were faster than he had anticipated. The heat caused by the sun's rays lashed out at his body with greater intensity. He glanced at the watch on his left wrist, it was already five in the afternoon.

The young man raised his gaze once more to observe his surroundings, the shops and Liberty Park were almost empty. Strange, considering that the students were already on vacation, he expected to see the center full of life. The only place where the movement didn't stop was the hospital. 

It no longer seemed like the Umbra that he adored so much, all that was left was the shadow of what had once been a happy village. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.

I can't see this anymore. Thought Momotaro.

He needed to get out of the center before impotence completely froze him. He opened his eyes and quickened his pace. He didn't have time to remain in his suffering, if he wanted to see any change he had to take action.

The scenery changed, lifting the young man's spirits. At least the beauty of the flower-filled meadows remained immune to the horrors that plagued the village.

The only company that Momo found in that place was that of the birds that didn't stop singing and that of the insects that fluttered through the green space. It was a good place to commit a crime, the chances of a villager passing through there were quite low.

Momotaro activated his power, the tranquility of the place allowing him to use his heightened senses without suffering from overstimulation.

Gunpowder.

The aroma seized his nostrils for the second time that day, only this time it didn't come only from the locket. He followed the smell, trusting his instinct. The young man crossed the dirt road and through a grove of trees until he found a building.

Not a single sound came from between the great corroded walls. He approached slowly, careful not to make a sound as he stepped. He reached one of the two windows and took a quick peek inside. Rows of dusty machinery filled the room. An abandoned factory.

He walked around the building to the entrance. Above it, a rusty sign announced "Delay Fireworks Factory." That explained the smell of gunpowder.

With one hand he opened the metal door, with the other he held his knife. If anyone was inside the building, they would already have been aware of a visitor by the loud creak of the door.

Momotaro took a few seconds to analyze his surroundings. There was no one else inside, he was sure, otherwise he would have heard their breathing by then. What did catch his attention was a new smell that defeated that of gunpowder: the scent of blood.

The young leader crossed the room, dodging the machines. He found another entrance that led to a dark corridor, the only light coming from a tiny window in the center of the ceiling. There were three doors, one to his left and two to his right. He opened the one that was alone first.

Empty cells. It was a small jail. Despite the fact that no one was there, traces of good food were still on the single wooden table attached to the entrance.

The first door to the right was next. That was where the smell of blood came from. Momo didn't know what to expect to find, but still what he found was worse than any idea he could have had.

The floor and the wall opposite to the door were tainted with fresh and old blood. In the center of the room was a wooden table, on it lay a battery and several bare wires. Beside him was a bucket of water and a sponge.

And worst of all. Xavier's sneakers.

It was impossible for him not to recognize them because, the day before he disappeared, the young member of the Protectors had been showing off at the headquarters the design that he himself had painted on the shoes.

With a swipe of his hand, Momotaro knocked over all the objects on the table, except for the shoes. Then, he kicked the chair next to him and let out a cry of pain.

It was no coincidence that Gina's cell phone was left near the factory. Whoever is torturing the Protectors wanted them to find the place.

"We will hunt them down", the darkness inside his mind whispered. "And they will suffer a fate worse than our family suffered."