Undercover

Disha woke up when she felt her toe being bitten by something. She slept so soundly that it was difficult to wake up from her sleep. She saw sunlight coming in from the cracks in the cave, making her realize that it was time for her to wake up.

"My child,"

Unfortunately, every time she returns to the real world, the only thing she remembers is the existence of her child. She had been searching for days, hoping to be reunited with the man in the iron mask who took her son away.

Her heart always felt pain and every day all she could do was cry while going from one place to another looking for her child. Right now she didn't even know where she was anymore. Hell valley was too vast, almost encompassing two different dynasties.

Disha shivered, the morning breeze blew carrying the aroma of late summer leaves. She stepped carefully, realizing that she no longer had any footwear she could wear.

The sound of the calm river flow led her to step towards the river which was only 10 steps from the mouth of the cave where she stayed all night. Disha felt her body weak with hunger, she remembered that the last time she ate was when she entered the small village behind the valley in the north, that meant it was two days ago and she hadn't eaten anything since that day.

"My stomach is so hungry, isn't there anything I can eat? Oh my child, I promise I will definitely find you, baby. Whatever happens, the two of us will definitely get together." Her voice was shaking. Hunger made her footsteps so slow.

She sat on the river bank, scooped up water with both palms and drank the water hastily. She hoped that drinking lots of water would reduce her hunger a little. However, she actually found something strange on the other side.

There was something that looked like a human lying on the river bank, his clothes caught on tree branches and rocks. His eyes widened, she didn't expect that she would find a human corpse around here.

Disha glanced at the situation around her, there was no one but her. It made her afraid to approach the person and check whether the person was alive or dead.

"What should I do?" She thought. Since deciding to leave her hometown, Disha has put aside all her care and sympathy for anything and anyone. She doesn't want anything to do with anyone and the only wish she has is to see her son again.

But even though she tried not to care, her conscience forced her to do something. Disha stepped along the river and approached the man. With all her strength, she dragged the man's body to the river bank.

His body was cold, his eyes were closed, he didn't move at all. Disha removed the heavy clothes that were stuck to his body, pressed his chest while blowing air through his mouth.

"Hang in there! I'll definitely save you-"

She thought that what she was doing would work. However, when she realized that there was a gaping bite wound on this poor man's shoulder, she realized that this man's life could no longer be saved.

There was a huge rumble in her chest, her heart was beating very fast. She felt sad and somehow regretted that she couldn't help this man. She touched his cold face with her hands, trying to apologize because she couldn't do anything.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I couldn't save you, I'm really sorry." She said. Tears dripped from her eyes, she felt so useless.

She laid this man on the ground and looked for large leaves to cover his lifeless body. The clothes he wore clearly showed his status as a knight. However, before Disha covered his face with a large leaf, she saw a roll of paper tied to his waist.

The scroll looked wet, but the iron rope wrapped around it kept its shape intact. Disha is curious about the scroll, it might reveal the identity of this mysterious man.

Even though she was a little doubtful, her curiosity made her decide to take the scroll and read it.

Greetings, Your Majesty

The great King Ellios of Paradise

I am Gordon of Silsila, hereby assigning one of the best knights we have to protect you.

This brave young knight is Sapphire, it has been two years since he joined as a knight and he managed to help the Paradise army survive attacks by the Almaric Empire.

I really hope that Sapphire and his three colleagues who have already come to the palace can carry out their duties well. That is the letter I convey, I hope that Your Majesty and Paradise will always be under God's protection.

Greetings

Gordon of Silsila

***

Disha kept looking at the letter in her hand for minutes. She didn't know what to do with the letter that clearly indicated where she was at the moment. The valley of hell is in the territory of the Kingdom of Paradise.

She had already walked that far and if she was truly in the Paradise Kingdom, that meant she was in danger. She was a subject of the Almaric Empire, the eternal enemy that Paradise hated so much. If the Paradise knights found her in their territory, she would definitely be considered an intruder.

"What should I do? If I've walked this far there's a possibility that the man who took my child is a resident of Paradise. No, I won't be so reckless as to enter their territory. I don't want to die again, I've already died twice since decided to leave home, I don't want to die again."

Disha held her head, she really didn't know what else she should do and where she should go. She had no place to lean on and currently the only thing she could do to survive was to rely on herself.

Disha looked back, looking at the body of the knight named Sapphire .Sometimes she felt that this knight might still be alive, but seeing how his body didn't move made her believe that this knight was dead.

Disha approached the body which was lying on the ground and covered with large leaves. Disha took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She had thought of one possible way she could do it and she hoped that this method would work.

"I'm really sorry, I promise I will restore your name again if I succeed in finding my child. Sapphire, please allow me to replace you for a moment. Just for a moment until-" Disha couldn't continue her words. Her tears flowed freely down her face. Her chest felt so tight, she thought back to Leonidas's face, the faces of her father and her family. She started to miss them all. It had been almost six months since she decided to leave her home and family, she didn't know what happened to them there.

She saw a sword stuck in the branches of a tree in the river, she was sure that the sword most likely belonged to this Paradise knight named Sapphire. She held the sword and looked at her face at the river flow. She decided to cut her beautiful long hair short until it reached the base of her neck. She feels this is the right size for Sapphire's haircut.

She took off Sapphire's clothes which felt quite heavy and exchanged them for her own. She didn't know whether this method would work to trick everyone she would meet if she managed to get out of the forest and valley of hell.

Disha rolled over Sapphire's assignment letter and baked it. She was really in a pretty good state to go undercover. Before deciding to leave. She covered his body with dozens of leaves she had collected and hoped that no animals would eat his body.

"Sapphire, I'm sorry. I know what I did was wrong. But I really didn't have a choice. I had to find my child, no matter what. May you rest in peace."

***