January 2027.

  About a month later, a ten-day, hellish winter training exercise began in the White Mountains near the base.

  Although his home in Boston was only a little over an hour’s drive away,

  leaving the base was not allowed during the training period.

  The ten-day ordeal of winter training had begun.

  The preparation time had been short, but the morale of Chazra and his troops was higher than ever.

  Whenever a day of training ended and he had a moment to catch his breath,

  Chazra called Asha, just as he always did.

  That brief time—

  sharing warmth through their voices even while apart—

  was the only heater that kept him going in the freezing cold.

  “You said you’re going to worship tomorrow, right?”

  Chazra asked, covering the receiver with his hand to block out the sound of the wind.

  “Yeah. I’ll go to the service around eleven like usual, have a meal, chat for a bit, and probably be home around four or five.”

  “You see them every week—do you really have that much to talk about? It can’t be easy putting up with Grandmother’s grumbling.”

  “I told you, talking with Grandmother is fun.

  She hardly ever gets annoyed with me. Ahmadi is there, and Mother too.”

  Asha’s voice was bright.

  Feeling relieved, Chazra asked the question that mattered most to him.

  “How’s our Little Love? Is the baby growing well?”

  Three months pregnant.

  It wasn't yet time to feel Little Love’s movements—the baby’s nickname—but to Chazra,

  there was nothing in the world he was more curious about.

  “The baby is doing great. Apparently, there’s a lot they want to eat. They say it’d be nice if Dad came home soon and bought something delicious.”

  “Haha, got it. I’ll run straight home as soon as training’s over. Oh—has Zaydan been taking good care of you?”

  “Zaydan? Taking care of me? Please. You can really tell you’re brothers—he’s exactly like you.”

  “Everyone at the company says they’re exhausted trying to read his mood.

  As if things weren’t bad enough,

  they’re already stuck in overtime hell making a new program for a big contract with a Chinese company,

  and they can’t even complain because they’re too busy walking on eggshells around him.”

  “Really? Should I have a word with Zaydan?”

  “You? Forget it. Just make sure you don't get hurt and do your job well.”

  “Yeah. Got it. I love you, Asha.”

  The call ended.

  Chazra tucked his phone deep inside his jacket,

  savoring the warmth of the conversation they had just shared.

  An ordinary life, family, and the unborn child—his Little Love.

  These were the things he had to protect at all costs.

  “Alright! Everyone, break's over. Let's move out.”

  At Chazra’s energetic command, the soldiers,

  who had been enjoying a sweet rest,

  gathered their gear and stood up while grumbling under their breath.

  “Just one more hour! One more hour and we'll hit the base camp. It'll be a bit warmer there. Hang in there a little longer!”

  Chazra encouraged the exhausted soldiers, patting them on their shoulders.

  “Yes, sir!” “Yes... understood...”

  The responses came back vague and lifeless.

  Normally, he would have shouted, “Listen to your voices!”

  but Chazra didn't.

  Everyone knew.

  They had to save every bit of energy, even the breath it took to shout.

  During a winter night march, even opening one's mouth was a form of pain.

  Every time the biting wind pierced through the gaps in their uniforms, a surge of pain followed, as if their flesh were being torn away.

  The weight of the 30kg rucksack crushing their shoulders was numbing everything from their traps down to their spine.

  Even rest was an ordeal.

  The moment they lowered the heavy rucksacks,

  their compressed blood vessels expanded as if they might burst, bringing a rush of pain.

  And the cold sweat they’d shed while walking cooled rapidly in the wind,

  bringing a chill so sharp it made them prefer to keep moving.

  Some soldiers were seen staggering.

  This training was exceptionally cold and the terrain was rough.

  But there was hope.

  The next destination was the base camp.

  Hot food, heaters, and tents prepared by the advance party would be waiting there to thaw their frozen bodies, if only for a moment.

  “Alright, it’s downhill from here! We’re almost there once we pass this.

  Hang in there. You all know this, but keep your ankles firm on the descent.

  You’ll twist them if you’re not careful. Got it?”

  Chazra shouted, meeting the eyes of his exhausted soldiers one by one.

  In truth, everyone knew. Base camp wouldn't appear immediately even after the descent.

  It was the ‘kind lie’ commanders told during every march.

  But even if it was a torture of hope, right now, those words were the fuel that kept their feet moving.

  The magic worked.

  At the words “It’s downhill!”,

  the soldiers squeezed out every last bit of strength and eventually achieved the feat of arriving at base camp seven minutes earlier than scheduled.

  “Everyone, drop your gear and thaw out your hands and feet first. Take it slow, don't rush. I’ll head over to report, so get your equipment organized and stand by for meal prep.”

  Chazra dropped his 30kg rucksack with a thud.

  A surge of pain hit him, as if his shoulders were being ripped out.

  His frozen muscles seemed to scream, and even rotating his arm was a struggle.

  He forced his stiff body to straighten and headed toward the tent that served as the battalion commander’s office.

  “Captain Chazra Al-Muradi reporting. Arrived with the company.”

  Stepping into the warm barracks, Chazra gave a crisp, disciplined salute.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Hahaha, you made it?”

  Jerome, now a major in the battalion commander's seat, didn't look up from his papers but flicked a hand and laughed.

  After confirming no other officers were nearby, Chazra immediately relaxed his posture and hunched his shoulders.

  “Ugh… it’s freezing. I really thought I was going to freeze to death.”

  Chazra wrapped his arms around himself, shaking like an aspen leaf.

  The cold from outside had pierced through to his very bones.

  “Good work. If you’d worked hard sooner and gotten promoted, you’d be sitting here by this warm heater too, wouldn't you?

  You would’ve pinned it on before I did.”

  Jerome grinned mischievously, pulled a couple of hand warmers from his desk drawer, and tossed them over.

  “Go sit over there. It’s right in front of the heater, so it’ll be warm.”

  A cup of hot cocoa Jerome made was placed in Chazra’s hands.

  With one sip of the steaming, sweet cocoa, his frozen body began to melt away.

  He wondered why this cheap sweetness, which he wouldn’t have looked at twice in the civilian world, tasted so piercingly delicious in the military.

  “Hey, you really seemed driven this time, didn't you? Three days left?

  At this rate, your company is definitely taking first place in the evaluation.”

  “Is that so? That’s a relief...”

  Chazra cupped the mug with both hands and blew on it.

  “But do you have any of this to spare? I want to bring some to my guys.”

  “You idiot, look at you shivering while still worrying about your men.”

  Jerome let out a short laugh, took some boxes of cocoa from a shelf, and stacked them next to Chazra.

  “Take them when you go. Is three boxes enough?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  “I thought you’d be the first among our intake to get promoted.”

  Jerome pulled out his cigarettes and offered one to Chazra.

  “Me?”

  Jerome put a cigarette between his own lips and handed another to Chazra.

  Chazra’s hands were still shaking so much that it wasn't even easy to hold the cigarette.

  Jerome flicked on a silver Zippo lighter carved with a horse ornament and lit the end of Chazra’s cigarette.

  “Phew…. I really thought you’d be the first among our intake to reach for the stars.”

  Jerome tossed the words out casually as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.

  “Me? What are you talking about? There were so many guys better than me. You, for instance, are doing much better than I am.”

  “No, it’s a bit different. Your eyes were different.”

  “My eyes?”

  “Yeah. Most of the other guys were here just for a job, or to make money, or because they were drunk on the honor and glamor of being a soldier.”

  Jerome stared intently at Chazra.

  “But you… you looked like you were struggling.

  Whether to survive or to prove something to someone,

  I didn't know the reason, but you were always so desperate.

  Yet, at the same time, you looked after the people around you incredibly well.”

  Chazra gave a bitter smile.

  “I’m nothing special either.

  I just ran away because I had nothing I could do compared to my brilliant brothers.

  My oldest brother is an MIT PhD,

  and my second brother was a star football player in college;

  then that fool who only knew sports suddenly said he'd start a business, and now he's doing great.”

  “Well. That’s why I decided I had to become friends with you among our peers.

  Usually, the ones who climb to the top are determined and tough bastards like you with a clear sense of purpose.

  Whether it’s for good or evil, I felt like as long as I stuck by your side, I wouldn't die a dog's death on the battlefield.”

  “Die? What are you talking about? It’s not like there’s a war.

  You think someone would die during training?

  It’s weird hearing that from the most tenacious guy in our intake.”

  Chazra dismissed it lightly, but Jerome’s eyes remained serious.

  “Hehe, no. Never mind. If you’ve warmed up, get going. Your men will be waiting.”

  “Ah, right. Thanks, Jerome. I’ll be pinning on major soon to join you, so just you wait.”

  “Hahaha, sure. Just finish this exercise in one piece without any accidents.”

  Chazra gave Jerome a light wave and stepped out of the battalion commander’s office.

  In both hands, he precariously balanced three boxes of cocoa for his men.

  The cold night air hit him again, but he felt encouraged.

  Ring—, ring—.

  He hadn't even cleared the headquarters building when the phone in his pocket rang loudly.

  “Ah, I should’ve asked for a plastic bag.”

  Chazra grumbled, forcing the cocoa boxes under his arm.

  There was the sound of cardboard crushing.

  Struggling, he managed to pull the phone from his pocket and check the caller ID.

  The name on the screen was unexpected.

  “Oh, it’s Ahmadi?”

  His surprise was quickly overtaken by a sense of welcome.

  He propped the boxes with his chin to keep them from falling and barely managed to press the call button.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Chazra. Do you happen to remember the Treasure Hunt?”

  Over the line, Ahmadi’s voice was trembling ever so slightly.

  “Treasure Hunt?”

  Chazra blinked at the sudden word.

  The moment he heard it, forgotten childhood memories flashed by like a panorama.

  His father’s smiling face, the memories of searching through the house with his brothers.

  A pang of nostalgia hit him in a corner of his heart.

  “Yeah, that. Remember what Karida told us the day Father was arrested?

  She said as he was being taken away, he shouted, ‘I found the treasure!’”

  “Uh... yeah. I heard it, but I didn't pay much attention back then because things were so chaotic.”

  At the time, he had thought the words passed on by his brothers were just gibberish born of shock or a lie meant to comfort the family.

  Just hearing that word brought his father's face to mind, making one side of his chest ache.

  At the same time, he thought of Asha and his child—his Little Love—whose face he didn't even know yet.

  “I started thinking that maybe we overcomplicated the meaning because we were so focused on finding him.

  What if—just what if—it was actually a message he left for us?”

  Ahmadi’s voice was filling with conviction.

  ‘The words about finding a treasure? He meant that game we played as kids?’

  “I just... found something very important.”

  “Huh? What do you mean? You found something?”

  Chazra’s steps came to a halt.

  The cocoa boxes tucked under his arm almost slid out.

  “Is it related to Father’s whereabouts?”

  His heart began to pound.

  It felt as if a pinhole of light was finally piercing through the wall that had been blocking him for over a year.

  “Yeah, I found it... but I don’t know yet if it’s directly related to Father’s whereabouts.

  But this—it’s something massive. It’s too dangerous to talk about over the phone.

  I’ll tell you more when your training is over. Come home then.”

  “There are still three days of training left. I’ll be able to go the day after that.”

  “Alright, then I’ll contact Zaydan so we can all meet that day. Until then, I’ll hide it back where it originally was.”

  “Okay, I’ll be there no matter what. Brother, really... thank you.”

  Chazra swallowed his rising emotions.

  “But where did you hide it? Is that hard to say over the phone too?”

  “It’s the place where we used to hide things most often. I’ll only tell you this much.”

  With just those words, a certain place vaguely surfaced in his mind.

  After hanging up, an uncontrollable smile spread across Chazra’s lips.

  Asha’s pregnancy, and now a clue about his father.

  Hope for life was returning.

  He readjusted the cocoa boxes in his arms and headed toward the barracks with a light step.

  As Chazra entered the barracks, the resting soldiers jumped up in surprise and snapped to attention.

  “At ease. You can relax.”

  There was a much softer tone in Chazra’s voice than usual.

  “Sir, what’s that?”

  Michael quickly approached and took the boxes from him.

  “Ah, this? I shook it out of the battalion commander.

  I brought a little ‘bribe’ because you all worked so hard today.

  Anyone still frozen? It’s not much, but have a warm cup.”

  “Whoa! Cocoa!”

  “Maybe because it’s the battalion commander’s, but it looks even tastier.”

  The soldiers cheered, bringing out paper cups and hot water.

  The sweet aroma of cocoa and warm steam filled the barracks.

  “Great job today, everyone.

  Only three days left to endure.

  Let’s wrap this up without anyone getting hurt.

  Is everyone okay? No injuries?”

  “None, sir!”

  At the roaring response of his men, Chazra nodded with satisfaction.

  “Alright, help each other work out the knots in your legs. I’ll try to bring something even better tomorrow.”

  “Hahaha!” “Salute! Thank you, sir!”

  Leaving behind the hearty laughter of his troops, Chazra crawled into his sleeping bag after roll call.

  Although the camouflage cream on his face was poorly wiped and felt sticky,

  it was a night where even the fatigue wrapping around his body felt good.

  ‘As I thought, it’s dangerous outside the sleeping bag.’

  Curled up in the warmth, Chazra closed his eyes.

  ‘What on earth did Father hide? And what exactly did Ahmadi find?’

  Anticipation tickled his chest.

  That night, Chazra had a dream.

  A dream of holding his father’s hand as a child and playing treasure hunt.

  In the dream, his father hugged him with a bright smile, and beside them, a pregnant Asha watched them with a loving gaze.

  ‘Father… where are you and what are you doing? You’re alive, aren’t you?’

  In the dream, Chazra whispered to his father.

  ‘I’m becoming a father now, too. You have to see your grandson’s face. I’ll definitely come find you.’

  Thank you for being here.