Morgan took a deep breath and let it out, managing to calm down a little. Then, he looked around, observing all the destruction he had caused.

"What... what happened?"

(Morgan asked, his voice filled with confusion.)

As he analyzed everything around him, his gaze finally landed on Zorath’s lifeless body. The state in which that being had been left completely shocked him.

The impact was so strong that Morgan, terrified, quickly crawled backward to get away from the body. With a trembling voice, he asked:

"What happened? Who did this?"

"Don't you remember? It was you."

(Iliana replied, confused.)

Morgan's face turned pale upon hearing that he was the one who had left Zorath in such a horrible state. With some fear, he asked:

"Was it me?"

"Do you really not remember what happened?"

Iliana didn't understand how Morgan could claim not to remember what he had done, but when she looked at his face, she realized he wasn’t lying. He truly didn’t know what had happened. So, she approached him, sat beside him, and tried to calm him down.

"What is the last thing you remember?"

(Iliana asked, trying with all her sweetness to soothe Morgan.)

Morgan held his head, desperate, trying to recall what he had done.

"I... I only remember sitting on the rock. Then, the ground started shaking, and I ran to see what it was. I saw Adam and Ariel about to be crushed by that monster, and I ran to try to help them. But when it was about to crush us, everything started moving slower. I just thought that I had to help them, that I had to save them... and then... nothing. I don’t remember anything else, everything went black."

Once again, Morgan started getting agitated. It seemed like he had done something terrible, but he couldn't remember it. At that moment, Iliana’s father suddenly appeared, and upon seeing the young man’s state, he approached to check on him.

"What happened?"

(Adam asked, concerned.)

"I don't know... he woke up and says he doesn’t remember anything."

(Iliana said, unsure of what to do.)

Adam touched Morgan’s forehead and noticed his temperature was rising. He also realized that he couldn’t stop staring at Zorath’s body in horror.

"We’d better get away from here."

(Adam said as he lifted Morgan.)

Adam quickly picked up Morgan and carried him away to help him calm down. The three of them went deeper into the forest. Ariel, who was collecting water, saw her husband carrying Morgan, who looked terrible, so she quickly approached to help. They sat him on a rock, and Ariel offered him some water.

"Here, drink this."

(Ariel said in a calm voice.)

Morgan, with trembling hands, took the container and started drinking slowly.

"What happened to him?"

(Ariel asked, worried.)

"I don't know, he just says he doesn’t remember anything, and he got like this when Iliana told him he was the one who killed it."

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(Adam responded, confused.)

Ariel took Morgan’s hands and noticed how strongly they were shaking.

"Hey, look at me... look at me."

(Ariel said firmly.)

Morgan lifted his head and met her eyes.

"Take a deep breath and exhale... look at me and do the same."

(Ariel ordered, breathing slowly.)

Ariel began inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. Slowly, Morgan started to imitate her.

"That’s it, like that... slowly... slowly."

(Ariel said kindly.)

Little by little, Morgan regained his composure and calmed down. It took some time, but he finally managed to relax.

"Good, well done."

(Ariel said, smiling.)

The whole time, Ariel never let go of Morgan’s hands, only releasing them when she saw he was feeling better.

"I’ll be right back. I need to talk to my husband about something."

(Ariel said, standing up and taking Adam a bit further away so they wouldn’t be overheard.)

Iliana approached Morgan, sat next to him, and in a sweet voice asked:

"Are you feeling better now?"

Morgan looked at her, and despite her voice conveying warmth, she showed deep concern. Not wanting to worry her more, he simply smiled and said yes.

"I didn’t thank you before for letting me rest on your lap when I lost consciousness... so, thank you very much, Iliana."

(Morgan said, smiling.)

Iliana didn’t seem happy about this—on the contrary, she looked frustrated. In a low voice, she responded:

"No!... You’re wrong."

Morgan, confused, asked why. Iliana stood up, positioned herself in front of him, and knelt down. Then, she lowered her head and pressed it against the ground.

"Thank you, truly... thank you."

(Iliana said, sobbing.)

"Eh... what are you doing? Raise your head!"

(Morgan said, worried.)

"No! Really, thank you for saving us, for saving my parents... for saving me."

Morgan didn’t know what to do in this situation. He didn’t even remember doing it. At that moment, Adam and Ariel appeared.

"Ah, look, your parents are here. Come on, get up, please."

(Morgan said, embarrassed and nervous.)

"Come on, come on... Could you tell her to get up?"

(Morgan said, looking at Adam and Ariel.)

Both Adam and Ariel understood what their daughter was doing. After exchanging brief glances, they both knelt in front of Morgan and pressed their foreheads against the ground, imitating their daughter.

"Thank you. There are no words to express how grateful I am for what you did for me, my husband, and my daughter. Forgive me for treating you so badly. I truly regret it... I don’t know how to repay you for what you’ve done."

(Ariel said through tears.)

"Yes, despite telling you what I did and accepting that this was my punishment, you still decided to help us. Even when we didn’t deserve it, you risked yourself for us. I will forever be in your debt."

(Adam said, also in tears.)

Morgan felt deeply embarrassed. He didn’t know what to do or say. He simply extended his hand and, with a warm and kind voice, spoke to Adam.

"Even if you did unforgivable things in the past, and maybe you deserved what could have happened to you today, I am different. I will not abandon anyone in need. I will never leave anyone behind or look away. So please... lift your heads. There’s no need to thank me. Even if today repeated itself 100 times, I would choose the same thing and help you again."

Morgan stood up and climbed onto the rock where he had been sitting before. With a big smile, he said:

"And do you know why I would do it? Do you know why I would choose to help you again? Because once, a great man said that everyone deserves to be saved... and that includes you and those around you. So, stand up, hold your head high. Never forget what you did. Live with it and atone for it. From now on, if someone needs help, you must help them, no matter who they are or what race they belong to. That will be the price you pay for what you did. Agreed?"

"Yes, I will. I definitely will."

(Adam responded, crying.)

"Good, that’s how it should be."

(Morgan said, proud.)

"So, what will you do now? Your house was destroyed."

(Morgan asked, somewhat saddened.)

"I know. We can’t stay here. Ariel and I decided to flee to the northern forests. We’ll hide there and start over."

(Adam replied, wiping his tears.)

"I see."

(Morgan said, smiling.)

"And what about you? What will you do?"

(Ariel asked, a little worried.)

Morgan fell into deep thought at this question, as he hadn’t considered it before.

"Would you come with us?"

(Iliana asked timidly.)

"Yes! Come with us. We’ll have a great time. You can stay with us forever if you want... What do you think, my love?"

(Adam asked excitedly, looking at Ariel.)

"Yes, of course. Come with us, you can be part of our family. You won’t lack anything—neither food nor a roof over your head."

(Ariel responded, smiling.)

"Yes, yes, yes! Come, Morgan, come!"

(Iliana said, very excited.)

Morgan smiled at the idea of staying with them. They truly reminded him of his mother, father, and sister. But he also thought about the stories he had been told about this world and what Adam had experienced. He couldn’t believe a world could be so cruel. He had to see the truth with his own eyes.

"Thank you, truly. I would love to go with you, but I need to learn more about this world. I need to understand what’s happening here."

(Morgan said with determination.)

The three of them looked saddened by his response. When Iliana seemed about to say something, her mother stopped her.

"It’s okay, we understand what you’re saying."

(Ariel said with a melancholic tone.)

"Just... take care of yourself, okay?"

(Adam said, trying not to cry.)

"Yes, I will."

(Morgan replied, smiling.)

The family began gathering their belongings to take with them. When everything was ready, they spoke to Morgan one last time.

"We have to leave now. Someone from that Zorath’s family might come after us."

(Adam said seriously.)

"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one follows you."

(Morgan replied confidently.)

"You’re definitely different from anyone I’ve ever seen before."

(Adam said with a wry smile.)

Ariel approached Morgan, took his face in both hands, pressed her forehead against his, and closed her eyes. Morgan was surprised by this sudden act, but after a few moments, Ariel pulled away.

"What was that?"

(Morgan asked, confused.)

"A prayer, so she may protect you on your journey."

(Ariel replied with a warm smile.)

Iliana stepped forward, took off a silver bracelet from her wrist, and handed it to Morgan.

"Take this. I’m giving it to you so you never forget me and so that we can see each other again."

Morgan took the bracelet, smiled slightly, and put it on.

"I promise I’ll take good care of it."

(Morgan said cheerfully.)

"If you follow this path in a straight line, you’ll be able to leave the forest."

(Adam said, pointing the way for Morgan.)

"Alright, thanks."

(Morgan replied confidently.)

The family began walking away, going deeper into the forest. When they were already quite far, and Morgan started walking in the opposite direction, he suddenly heard Iliana calling his name.

"MORGAN, I PROMISE WE’LL SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN ONE DAY!"

Morgan turned around and saw Iliana waving at him from a distance. He smiled and, in his mind, thought:

"You really remind me of her..."

The family kept waving for a while before disappearing into the forest.

"Alright... I guess it’s

time for me to go too. What kind of world awaits me?"

The young man ventured into the forest, walking among the trees, searching for the exit... and seeking the answers to this mysterious world.

End of the chapter

Next chapter: The Cruelty of the New World