There was no way we could survive like this any longer. Starvation had become our constant companion. Food was rarely found in the village under the hill, and we could barely buy food in exchange for the wood we cut.

 Living with this worn set of clothes we have worn for years, we can't change them until now, in this freezing, unending winter.

Gale is lost in his thoughts as he looks at the worn clothes he wears on top of each other, which can't warm him in this biting snow.

Gale continued walking on top of their family hill, that filled with trees that grow without leaves in the middle of snow, trees that didn't need water but still grew despite the temperature that goes below zero with short days and long nights making them suffer never end.

Gale walking through the snow in the early morning made him stutter while trying to go away from home, but he continued walking Despite how early and how low the determent was to make what he believed was a good decision for his family as he thought to be better with or without him.

 Till he reaches their family spot, he sees the old stump that had been trimmed in the middle of space. It reminds him of his childhood memories when his dad couldn't pull the stump out of its roots, that huge tree's stump, for the first time like he pulled the rest of the tree's stump with his bare hands.

Ian (his father) cut the log hardly then he tried to pull the stump for firewood as he always does but couldn't do it.

 He tried multiple times before Neva (hero's mother) pointed out to Ian when she went to see her husband while he worked, how it would be the best spot they hang around near the house on the family hill Ian overlooked cutting that stump and clean around the stump where the tree falls.

 After Ian cleaned the space and started to trim the stump turn to the table and collect some good rocks around it as chairs so they can gather around to have a picnic or stroll or to see their children playing around.

 After some days it's become the perfect place for them to gather and go outside the house every day as it isn't far away from home nor dangerous for kids to play there near the house, so Ian and Neva (The parents) feel relieved leaving them there to play.

 But for Gale especially it is the best place in the world where he played with his brother (Dmitri) away from home without their mother or grandparents yelling at them for playing in the house about to smash everything around them.

 But there alone they could do whatever they wanted away from home made them feel like the paradise they wished to become as kids, so they did everything they couldn't do in their home from racing from one point to another to wrestling outside, role-playing as magician throws powerful spell(rocks) or knights cut through monsters with an enchanted sword (stick cover with dirt and snow), emperor fight to rule his big empire.

So, they play to their heart's content from sunrise in the morning till near sunset at night all of this in their beloved spot where their family sits at night around the stump to eat or for Ian and Neva to go there and rest while their kids play around them.

 They play nonstop until their parents or grandparents start to gather at the family spot at night and see them playing roughly someone yells at them so they go back to sit on stone with grim expressions on their faces while see grandpa going around the clean area in a circle leaving fire behind him while mumbling some words, they ask grandpa to teach them(Gale, Dmitri with Anya) but he laugh and say as always with his booming voice: you are still young to learn magic. So they make the same grim face with Anya (their younger sister).

 But time after the moment of boredom they ask someone to tell them a tale about magical things so they sit quietly listening to their father Ian talking about how great he was in his youth and how all the people from the village love him cause he helps them all time and fear his strong strikes they see saying how powerful he never disbelieves him no matter how his story gets exaggerated even if he says 'he kills dragon'.

 While Neva looks at him with admiration with a smile on her face and listens quietly.

 Or the children listen to their grandpa's magnificent stories that are more interesting and realistic than their father's, stories about the capital and its beauty and magical invention and unimaginable ancient sights or about nobles in the capital and their facial looks and weird habits and their power that raise them above others people, how they could demolish big buildings to dust or beat tens of people with ease.

 How dangerous is capital from the newly established noble system within the new empire where big families rise and fall, and goes on and on till grandma hears him talking with excitement about what they promise to not talk about, forcing him to stop telling his stories, what made the kids whining loudly?

 Till they hear how dad talk about how he used to live with grandpa and grandma lived alone on the hill in his childhood how grandpa dug days tans of holes to find water to make a well after the old one dried and seeing grandma butcher dear or some rabbit smoothly and the bad meals she cooks for them (grandma looks to him frustrated but before she can say anything)

Ian continues but she gets used to cooking amazing food slowly but still, she makes weird food now and then (she cooks with unknown plants or mushrooms) for her family they may be getting sick but she doesn't care as she is top tier healer who can purify any poison in someone with ease) Grandma looks at him and Grandpa feeling betrayed by her family while the children gasp looking at them and asking for more stories with big smiles on their faces hearing and talking to each other filled with joy.

 Gale smiled at his happy memories and said with a hopeless smile: ough! It may be the farewell, his eyes tearing, he took a deep breath and assured himself that would be the best for us (his family), he took out the revolver from his worn jacket trembling in fear can't raise the revolver about to cry for help, fearing what might be the end for him doesn't want his life to end.

 After minutes of struggling with fear holding it tight can't raise it above his chest, trembling, sweating, he sits on a rock around the stump near the same spot where he used to run around without concern as a kid there with joy.

 But today is different Gale doesn't feel joy but is terrified as his body gets numb doesn't want to go back leaving his family to stay in starvation and doesn't dare to do it.

Gale wants to shoot, one shoot, all he needs desires to awaken a power within himself like his grandparents and father awaken their magical powers, but he doesn't dare to do it, fighting himself to do it.