Kim''s eyes slowly opened. She was lying on a double bed in a giant room. Her vision was still not perfect, but her ears were already working.


    She heard the sound of talking and giggling. She distinctively heard two people''s giggle, one was like a goblin, the other was a girl''s.


    With a groan, Kim tried to sit up, but her body felt unbearably weak. The sound got the attention of the two other people, and soon they were on the bed next to her.


    Her eyes were still a bit foggy as she looked upon the child and the goblin.


    Vicky was watching Kim with a concerned expression, which was nothing compared to the face Sam was making. He was borderline exploding from joy and excitement.


    Kim looked between the two individuals, then spoke in a scratchy voice...


    "What the fuck is wrong with your hair?"


    She smiled as she spoke. Both of their hairs were braided tightly, with a bunch of flowers placed on it. It looked normal on Vicky, but Sam''s long blackish-green hair looked ridiculous.


    The goblin and the girl looked at each other in confusion, then back at Kim. Their dumb expressions caused Kim to laugh, which soon turned into a cough.


    They rushed towards her. Sam lifted her up as gently as possible, while Vicky brought a large cup of water over, which Kim downed in seconds.


    Afterward, she took a few minutes to collect herself. Her breaths came heavy, like she was exhausted. Vicky said it was normal for the rapid healing Bea had done.


    The two of them told her everything that had happened after she got knocked out, and in the past two days. It shouldn''t have taken that long, but it seemed the strain on her body was too much, and it took a brief break.


    The past two days were much better than Sam had hoped for. They got teleported into this very room, where they put Kim into bed.


    This was actually Vicky''s room, and she was staying here with Sam, watching over her. The two of them were anxious about Kim, but Bea reassured both a lot of times.


    Kim also asked them about Astrid, which angered Sam a bit...


    "That brute got taken away by that young married couple with the blond hair. The small girl sent her to sleep, while her husband carried the brute away. We haven''t heard of her since," said Sam, his voice containing a lot of pain and anxiety.


    The picture of Kim''s broken body was still very fresh in his mind. He was terrified at the thought of meeting her again.


    "Don''t be so harsh on her. She had suffered at the hands of goblins for years, before getting rescued..." while speaking, Kim trailed off.


    Her words came from the right place, but sounded fake, even for her. That rage in Astrid''s eyes was something she would never forget.


    She wasn''t just angry, but straight up, lost her mind. She wasn''t even able to recognize her best friend and nearly killed her.


    The three of them stared at the door with concern, but as Vicky was about to teleport them away, a large shout shook the room.


    "HEY! What the fuck are you all doing here? This is a restricted area!"


    It was a man''s sound, and his voice made the angry screams stop. Through the door, Kim clearly heard the answer of the enraged Order member.


    "We do what''s right! We will take revenge on our fallen Brothers and Sisters! Goblins are the enemy of humanity, and we will eradicate them!"


    Many others shouted in unison, and Kim felt Sam''s trembling increase. Her anger grew, but sadly, her body wasn''t well enough to act upon it.


    "The Angelic Order doesn''t stand for petty revenge! Our Lady leads us into a better future, one that has nothing to do with our horrible past! How can we make that future happen if we build it upon war and corpses?"


    Silence momentarily fell over the angry crowd, but the voice''s owner wasn''t finished.


    "We have to put past are differences! We don''t fight the goblins because we hate them, but because they want to enslave us. The man inside that room isn''t one of them. He was just at the wrong place at the wrong time and had suffered more by the goblins'' hands than any of you!"


    Kim gave a reassuring squeeze to Sam''s arm. His eyes were turning teary, and he sniffled.


    "But don''t take it from me, because I have a leader bias! Take it from one of your Sisters. She has already met Sam. Come on Astrid, tell them your opinion!"


    There was a bit of shuffling outside, and the sound of large footsteps, followed by Astrid''s booming voice.


    "A lot of you know me! I have suffered under the hands of these creatures for years, before our Lady rescued me and many more people! I have also fought and killed these monsters for the past two years, and let me tell you, the one inside is nothing like the barbarians we fight!"


    "All of you have already heard about what Kim, our Sister, had done. She would''ve died if that goblin hadn''t saved her. And when I found them, he wanted to sacrifice himself, because he thought I was there to kill my friend..."


    Her voice choked a bit at the end, which was something Kim had never heard. It took her a few seconds to continue.


    "I''m ashamed... When I save him, my anger took the better of me, causing me to nearly kill my best friend... But... But, I have learned from my mistake, and tried to put the anger behind me. A good soldier moves on instinct, not emotion!"


    As her speech went on, Kim began to cry, too. She never knew that Astrid held her in such a high regard.


    "We are not savages! We are highly trained soldiers of the Angelic Order! We are fighting for a better future, which is only possible if we are better than our world! Violence is never the solution. It''s only a means to an end!"


    "Now, all of you! Leave to the temple and ask for forgiveness!"


    Not a single angry comment was said. The shuffling outside grew in volume as the crowd dispersed.


    Soon a knock came on the door, and Vicky let Astrid and Adam inside...