"Take me with you, please," he had pleaded.
But the Silver Warrior had crouched down to his level, gently placing a hand on his head, and had whispered in a calm tone, "Step by step, little one. Become strong first, and one day… maybe."
When he asked how to become strong, she replied with a slight smile, "Stay with these people. Protect them. If you can save them, then you will become strong."
The boy returned to the present, still kneeling, his fists clenched on his thighs. He awaited the wounded woman's response, his heart pounding with hope and fear.
The woman looked at him for a long time. But her mind was still too clouded to find any answers.
"And the others?" she finally asked, her voice softer, almost hesitant. "The travelers… did they survive?"
Matthias looked away, a heavy silence settling in the cart. His hands tightened slightly on his knees.
