Noah was lost.

Not physically, he knew exactly where he was and it was the place he wanted to be. His path in life is what he had lost.

He didn't know where he was going, he didn't even have a clue what he wanted to achieve. Surviving became his only goal, living another day was what kept him going.

But what's the point in continuing to live without knowing why he lives? It had been so long since the war began that everything became meaningless for him. One day after another, all of them seemed the same, always fighting and killing to live a life he didn't even enjoy.

"Are you at least resting wherever you are?" He asked the tombstone in front of him. "You're not missing anything, things are exactly as you left them. Actually, they're worse. Now we have missing children, hellhounds and more than half of the village hates us for some reason."

His legs had grown numb from sitting in the same position so he stretched them out and leaned back on his hands. He turned his head to the side. No matter how many times he read the name, every time he saw Zygmunt Cheaney written on the stone he was reminded of his friend's last moment.

"Flora said you like to talk about the stars, I like them too. You could have told me something about it, perhaps we could have seen them when you were with us." Noah raised his gaze toward the night sky. "Better late than never, my dad says that all the time. I guess that's one of the few things we agree on. What do you think? Should we dedicate tonight to stargazing?"

A small breeze caressed the young man's hair. He always loved it, the soft wind that refreshes the body and soul on a hot summer night.

"To be honest, I'm not giving you a choice. Classic me, isn't it? Being rude and stubborn."

The Umbra's Cemetery never had decent lighting, anyone passing by at night wouldn't be able to make out even the large trees that surrounded the area.

Sometimes, that could be a negative aspect, especially when it comes to thieves and demons. Other times, it had its positive side, one of them being the good view that one could have of the sky.

"No clouds tonight, luck seems to be on our side."

Under the gaze of the stars, Noah's worries diminished in size. What used to be a tangle of complications with no beginning and no end, had come apart into little knots that he could work to unravel.

Lying on the ground, he began to release his fears and shared them with his friend.

"I'm not sure I can keep going. Hell, I don't even know what I'm doing. But I don't want to be like those cowards who left the group. The others are in the same shitty situation as me but they keep trying, I can't leave them behind in their worst moment."

He put his arms under his head and took a deep breath.

"At first I didn't even care about the village. I joined the Protectors to feel important, you know? I guess I wanted to be the person in charge for once, I thought somehow I could show my father that I was capable of making good decisions. Being the hero was perhaps going to make up for the fact that I chose to study astronomy instead of focusing on inheriting the family business. I was stupid, he doesn't even care about anything I do outside of his goals."

His body relaxed, it felt wonderful to voice out his confessions out loud and let them fly with the wind.

"At first we were all special, strong people doing what no one else was up for and I liked having power. I don't think I need to explain to you how arrogant I was, you did a good job putting me in my place the first time we met. I forgot it wasn't a game. Then the dead start piling up. I watched them die, I watched their families suffer, shit, I even saw innocent children slaughtered."

Tears began to fall. Noah hurried to wipe them.

"The new recruits remind me of myself, even after what happened during the eclipse they think they're going to be the new heroes of the village. They're too excited for their first watch, I can see the illusion they're forming in their minds because I did the same. I don't want them to repeat my history. Somehow this has to stop. And I don't know how to stop it."

The silence of the cemetery, always welcoming, without asking for anything in return or demanding further explanations, supported the young man's weak body.

Until the abrupt sound of rushing footsteps broke the magic.

Noah sat up immediately, making sure not to leave a trace of his tears. During his nocturnal visits, which by then had become a habit, no one had kept him company. With the demons turning around, the inhabitants didn't think about walking at night, much less in an area full of corpses.

It was for sure suspicious.

Following the voices that mingled with the air, he passed through the tombs toward the north. Not so far from his initial position he found a group of six people. Most of them were tall, but he couldn't identify their faces or the build of their bodies because of the large hooded overalls they were wearing. Four of them were carrying shovels.

Even so, there was a detail that caught his attention the most: the wheelbarrow that they carried with them.

The size was considerable, the kind you would expect to see in a large construction site. The content was overhanging the limit of the cart and was covered with a tarpaulin. They were trying to hide something, Noah had no doubts of it.

"Why do we always have to do the cleaning?" The one pushing the wheelbarrow said. "We've been doing this for months, Peters should have promoted us by now."

"I don't know dude. Do I look like that old lunatic? I don't like this shit either but if we don't do it we could end up being demon food."

"I really don't mind, I'd rather walk through the cemetery than go out and fight the Protectors." A woman's voice added.

"Your idea of taking a walk disturbs me," replied the one who had started the conversation.

"Quiet down all of you. We're supposed to be discreet, idiots."

"Who's going to hear us at this hour? The dead ones?" The woman defended herself.

Noah walked over, walking in a crouch toward the statue of an angel. He hid behind the structure and stuck his head out to continue watching.

What could a group of Peters's followers be doing in the cemetery at that hour? It didn't take a genius to guess a part of their plans, if they brought that many shovels they would surely do some digging. What he wanted to know was why they would do it.

"You know what to do, start working." ordered the leader.

They separated into groups of three, each selecting a tomb. And they began to dig.

The wheelbarrow was left behind them, forgotten. Perhaps he could run, take a look at what was inside, and bring some of it with him if necessary.

"Paul, what are you doing? You're supposed to stay behind with the cargo." The woman got in the way of Noah's plan.

"Why is it always me?" The young man grumbled as he returned to his post.

Shit, now I have to get rid of him. Noah waited for Paul to turn his back to come out of hiding. He ran straight for him, wrapped his arm around his neck cutting off his breath, and returned to his place behind the statue in a matter of seconds.

The Man punched at his captor's arm trying to escape but his strength slipped away from his body.

Putting a little more pressure on the hold, Noah knocked him out. Then he arranged the body on the ground, taking care to keep it out of sight of others.

Noah didn't have much time, he had to act before the group realized the disappearance of his partner. It would be too much effort to carry the wheelbarrow while using his power, so he decided to go with the second option: use the tarp to carry a part of what they had hidden.

He didn't know what to expect. Actually all the signs led him to think that he didn't want to see what they were carrying. Noah had several scenarios in mind, and the worst of them was the one he found when he lifted the cloth that covered the wheelbarrow.

A pile of human bones.

Probably the bones of his family, the Protectors.

The unbridled desire to attack those who were preparing the graves to bury his friends seized his being. He wanted to rip them apart until they begged for mercy, but they outnumbered him and he had to make sure he brought as many bones as possible with him.

"You're too quiet today, Paul. Did you fall asleep?"

They would find out. Noah picked up the stuffed tarp and improvised a bag out of it. He looked once at the wheelbarrow, he had to leave half the contents behind. I'm sorry. He thought before loading the bag onto his shoulder.

"Where the fuck is Paul?"

"What's that blurry thing?"

It was time to run out.

Balancing the weight of the load on his back, he headed towards the exit of the cemetery.

"Stop that damn stain!"

An avalanche of thorns flew towards his back, he managed to dodge most of them, still some stuck in his right arm and ear. Noah had barely escaped the first attack when rocks of ice and long metal tubes barreled toward him.

Four more steps before crossing the exit.

One of the rocks hit his head as he stepped into the street, knocking him off balance. He slowed down to avoid the fall, adjusted his position and returned to action.

A burning pain spread through his head. His vision started to blur, he depended on his muscle memory to reach his destination.

Noah fought to keep his eyes open until he reached headquarters. He didn't get past the entrance, as soon as he saw the door he stopped running and fell to the ground.

Everything became dark, he could no longer avoid the force that dragged him into unconsciousness.

The door opened.

"Noah? Someone bring Celina!"

He was already home.

He could close his eyes.