A small hand, so small that it needs the support of an adult to stand out from that sea of people. At the moment in which Ezer recognizes the person who gave him hope is, another one rises, the father's hand joins that of the child he had saved the night before. Ezer watches in disbelief, noting the boy's teary eyes and his father's red, puffy eyes that clearly conveyed a message.

"I have returned the favor.”

Little by little more hands are added to the two, at first doubtful until more and more are added. In any case, Ezer despairs to see that despite the large number who supported him and believed that death was too severe a punishment, they were not enough to overshadow those who refused to do so.

Although suddenly a large number, practically all the people, raise their hands almost in unison, all looking in the same direction. Ezer shifts his gaze to the right, following the people, and sees how Utrecht has his arm raised with a stoic face. The old man on the opposite side smiles imperceptibly and also raises his hand.

Ezer releases the air in his lungs feeling that he breathes for the first time in minutes, his heart continues to beat at a frantic rate, but even so a smile can't help but break his nervous face. He feels that he can throw himself on the ground and shout with joy, but he chooses to suppress his emotions and thank with his eyes the people who supported him, especially the boy and the father who gave courage to others by being the first to take the initiative.

Although all his happiness vanishes in a matter of seconds upon hearing Utrecht's next words.

“The vote ends with the people's support for the alleged spy. Tomorrow at noon, the accused of treason, Lyaria Adargar, will be tried.”

Ezer takes a cloth dipped in cool water and uses it to cool the boiling forehead of the man lying on the bed. His stomach was incredibly swollen, so much so that the stitches that held his wound together seemed about to fall apart. It was the same man from the night before whose entrails had been removed to be cleaned and then returned to their place, although it was clear from his condition that the treatment had not been very effective.

The old man, before leaving to find whatever he had to look for, expressed his concern. The chances of his survival were slim, all depending on how his body responded in the next few days.

Ezer didn't think it was possible for someone to live in those conditions and he didn't care much about it either since his mind was somewhere else. He kept remembering the words of Utrecht a few hours ago after being saved by the votes of the people.

“Betrayal? What kind of betrayal could she have committed? In addition, his own father...” His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door opening followed by the old man's entrance.

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“How is it going?” The old man asks quickly putting away the things he was carrying in his arms, it seems that these days he didn't stop moving for a moment and the dark shadows under his eyes proved it.

“He is breathing heavily and although he is unconscious, seems to suffer.”

"Maybe he won't make it... But that's not what you want to know, right?"

"Why will Lyaria stand trial for treason?" Ezer asks it directly and with a severe tone forgetting, without realizing it, the cordiality.

“Helping each other is in our nature just like hurting each other, we must find a balance between the two. We cannot live rescuing each dog that we find on the road, just as we cannot kill them for the common good. Many times, finding that balance is more difficult than it seems and that is exactly what she failed to find. She saved you from the first time they met and kept doing so at the expense of a medicine that could have saved one of our people. She did it because you wouldn't survive a week without the medicine, while the other person would last until winter.”

“That's why we set out to find it, we failed, but there's still time until the deadline.” Ezer rushes to argue having understood what the old man meant.

“There is no more time, she died. It was before his time, his body began to slowly fail... she suffered until her last breath.” One could hear the pain in the old man's voice and eyes.

Ezer hits the nearest wooden wall, not caring about the pain. He felt bitter that he had made a trip for nothing that only resulted in Lyaria getting hurt.

"The girl is dead and they blame Lyaria for that?" Ezer was beginning to understand why.

“That's how it is. For the people, children are a precious asset, they are the next generation. The inhabitants treat each other like brothers, for many years they fought and bled together, for that reason if someone hurts others, they will not let it go either.”

"Even if it's indirectly?" At no time does he loosen his fist.

“Even if it's indirectly.”

"Isn't there something I can do?" Ezer resigns himself and tries to support Lyaria in whatever way he can.

“Nothing but sit and wait. You may have been saved from the gallows, but that doesn't mean you have complete freedom. Also, Lyaria isn't hated by the town, she helped a lot of people in the past just like in your case, just not to that extent.”

“But even her father announced it without caring…”

"Utrecht? That man is more pragmatic than you imagine and also loves his daughter more than you think. He is also partly to blame or at least it is because of him that many demand punishment for breaking the rules. After all, if the Alpha doesn't play by the rules, why should anyone else?”

“So, Utrecht's hands are tied too.”

“We'll see that. You should see her, she's already awake.” The old man changes the subject of the conversation, noticing that Ezer was just getting in the way.

The hospital was less busy than the day before allowing passage through the corridors without the need to be careful where you stepped, though it was not completely empty anyway. Several people could be seen, as well as Gretka who showed eyes as tired as the old man's.

While the silence and darkness of the house behind produced a sudden contrast as he crossed the door that separated them, the same books in the same places they were the first time he saw them, and who knows how long they stayed like that, they replaced the patients occupying most of the rooms.

Ezer stops in front of the door that led to Lyaria's room and takes a deep breath, momentarily hesitating whether to go in or not. However, a voice that invites him to come in is heard on the other side, removing his doubts.