VOL 2 Chapter 65: Where’s my brother?

With a worried expression, Sofía ran to her room, where she grabbed her pocketknife and a black veil that she used to cover her head, making sure her face was hidden, since going out at that hour of the night was already dangerous, and if she showed her beauty on the street, she would only be asking for trouble.

Once she was ready, Sofía ran toward the entrance of the house, where she saw Clara approaching with slow steps, leaning against a wall. Clara's face was filled with worry as she bit her lips, trying to keep her frustration in check.

"Be very careful, Sofía. The street is dangerous at this hour, and even more so in this neighborhood. Please be very careful…" Clara spoke in a worried and remorseful tone as she looked Sofia straight in the eyes, one of her hands on the wall for support.

"I know, Clara. I'll try to be as careful as possible, but you take care of yourself too—don't overexert yourself."

Sofía nodded and spoke in a serious tone, then approached her sister to help her sit on a nearby chair. But just at that moment, three knocks sounded on the door, making the twins' hearts tighten because Martín had a key to the house—he wouldn't be knocking.

While settling Clara into the chair, Sofía looked straight into her eyes. Clara responded with a solemn nod. Quickly, Sofía hurried to the door, lowering the veil over her head as she picked up a sturdy-looking stick to one side. She fastened the chain on the door so that only a small gap could open.

Upon opening the door, what Sofía saw made her heart tighten painfully and filled her with panic. Standing there was José, one of the people from the neighborhood who worked in the mine with Martín. But what truly panicked Sofía was seeing him battered, blood covering his head and arms.

"What happened, José? Why are you alone? Where is Martín?" Sofía asked through the small opening in the door, her voice anxious as she tried to look around.

Hearing her sister's panicked voice made Clara, inside the house, go pale. She clenched her fists tightly, praying and begging with all her might that what she feared was not true. Meanwhile, José, a sturdy man who looked to be about thirty years old, with bronzed skin and dark hair, showed a troubled expression on his face and spoke with difficulty.

"Sofía, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid a tragedy has happened…"

José's words nearly caused Sofía's legs to give out beneath her. But not wanting to surrender to despair, she quickly bit her lips. Then, after dropping the stick in her hand to the side, she shut the door to remove the chain. A moment later, she flung the door open and pounced on José like a wild beast, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt as she questioned him, panicked.

"What happened to Martín? Where is he? Why hasn't he come back?"

"Calm down, Sofía…"

José, who was much taller than the young woman clutching his collar, spoke in a tense tone, his face showing pain and pity. That only made Sofía's face grow paler, and she couldn't stop herself from screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to drive away the fear gripping her.

"HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?! TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHERE MARTÍN IS!!!"

"I suggest you calm down because what I'm about to tell you is serious…" José said, his expression dark. Those words only made Sofía's panic increase tremendously, and she screamed even louder.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!!!"

"There was a collapse in the mine just as we were about to finish our shift. Some of us managed to get out in time, but many didn't make it, and there are already thirty confirmed dead…" José answered in a gentle and pained voice, since among those thirty people was his partner in crime, his closest friend.

The news fell on Sofía like a bucket of cold water. Her arms went limp, and she stumbled backward, completely devastated, feeling her strength leave her entirely. Inside the house, Clara felt her heart shatter into a thousand pieces, an immeasurable guilt washing over her. Tears of pain, sadness, and overwhelming remorse began streaming from her eyes like waterfalls, while her nails dug into her palms so hard that blood splattered onto the floor.

"Martín… died?" Sofía's voice escaped almost in a whisper, her face devoid of life. José responded sadly.

"We still don't know for sure, but he was still inside working, so it's the most likely outcome…"

José's words ignited a glimmer of hope in Sofía. She asked urgently while pulling herself together, feeling a furious blaze of hope flare up in her heart.

"But doesn't that mean there's a chance he could still be alive and just trapped?"

"It's certainly a possibility, but even if that's the case, Martín was assigned to one of the deepest tunnels today. Only a very powerful earth mage could reach him in time to rescue him, but I highly doubt the Rivera family will be willing to hire one to do it…" José shook his head, filled with sorrow, yet his words, instead of extinguishing Sofía's hope, made it flare up like a raging fire. She shouted with conviction.

"Maybe they won't, but I will!!"

After speaking, Sofía tried to run off as she adjusted the veil on her head, but she was stopped by José, who grabbed her arm and asked in a serious tone.

"What are you planning to do? Don't do anything crazy. Earth mages are very expensive, especially one capable of rescuing Martín. Even if the entire neighborhood pooled their money, we wouldn't be able to pay someone that important. Don't do something foolish."

Refusing to be stopped by anyone, Sofía yanked her arm free from José's grip and quickly shouted into the house.

"Don't worry, Clara, I SWEAR I'LL BRING MARTÍN BACK!!"

"WAIT, SOFÍA!!!"

Clara's pleading cry was cut off by the slamming of the door as Sofía rushed out, leaving José behind, looking sorrowful. Shortly after, he left for his own home, walking slowly with a pronounced limp, clearly injured.

…

As though her life depended on it, Sofía ran with all her might, trying to reinforce her legs with every last drop of her meager mana. She wiped away the tears streaming uncontrollably down her face, fighting with all her strength to keep the flame of hope in her heart from going out with each passing second.

Soon, a panting Sofía arrived at an open area that contrasted starkly with the splendid harmony with nature the capital city was known for. Here, there was nothing but a barren plain filled with dust and arid stones, riddled with countless holes and scattered tents everywhere.

Hundreds of people were crying and running about in all directions, while a little farther off, dozens of bloodied and disfigured corpses lay in different places. The sight chilled Sofía to the bone, but she quickly shook her head and sprinted toward the largest tent in the center of the area.

Upon arriving, Sofía found the foreman in charge of the mine, Foreman Hernández, seated on a simple wooden bench with blood covering several parts of his body. He was yelling orders in every direction, his expression grim, while a young woman tried to tend to his wounds, her face filled with panic.

"Foreman Hernández, where is my brother?!!!" Wasting not a second, Sofía ran directly to the man in the chair and asked him in an urgent voice.

The foreman, a man of around forty with black hair and bronzed skin, turned to look at Sofía, who had revealed her face, allowing him to recognize her immediately. He quickly spoke with a touch of scorn, barely paying her any mind.

"Sofía, I'm sorry to tell you this, but your brother is dead. I have a lot to do trying to get the machinery out of the collapsed tunnels, so move aside and let me work."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT?!!!!"

Sofía shouted, enraged, only to receive a harsh slap from the foreman that sent her to the ground, her mouth filling with blood. However, she managed to soften the blow slightly by using her mana to fortify her face just a moment before the impact.

"HOW DARE A BEGGAR BASTARD LIKE YOU SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY?!!! Your brother is dead—now get out of my sight before I lose my patience and make you disappear myself!"

The foreman shouted in fury as he glared at the young woman on the ground with a nearly murderous look. The sight made the young woman tending his wounds tremble in terror, but with one glance from him, she returned to her work, tears filling her eyes.

For her part, Sofía glared at the foreman, full of hatred, covering her bloody mouth with one hand while clenching the pocketknife with the other, preparing to give that bastard what he deserved. But after thinking it over briefly, she decided not to do anything and instead focused all her energy on rescuing her brother. Later, she could settle the score with that motherfucker. So, she got up and left the area swiftly, the foreman watching her go with contempt and lust in his eyes.

After leaving the central area, and determined to refute the foreman's words, Sofía used what little strength she had left, struggling to breathe, to reach the area where the corpses were gathered. Although the sight terrified her, she steeled herself to do it anyway—she had to confirm for herself that the foreman's words were false.

Forcing herself to ignore her fear and the urge to vomit, Sofía quickly walked through the area filled with corpses of all ages, from youths her brother's age to much older men, all in terrible condition. Some were missing limbs, others even had only half a body, and in the worst cases, it was impossible to identify them. But by examining their clothing, physique, and other details, Sofía was able to confirm that none of them were her brother.

After scouring the entire area of corpses, Sofía breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing that her brother was not among the unfortunate deceased carelessly scattered on the ground. With renewed hope, she ran toward a tent where injured people were entering and exiting.

Although she didn't find her brother Martín in the tent either, Sofía did manage to find another one of Martín's companions whom she knew—a classmate of Martín who had also been forced to leave school and start working. He was being treated for several moderately deep cuts on one of his hands, so she quickly headed toward him.

"KEVIN!!" 

Sofía called out loudly as she walked quickly to the young man seated on a simple wooden bench while receiving treatment. He turned around to look at her in surprise and exclaimed incredulously.

"Sofía?!!!"

"Kevin, where's my brother?!"

***

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