The world is quiet again — too quiet.

The air smells of smoke and damp earth. Crows circle above what used to be a village, now nothing but ashes. Amicia walks slowly through the ruin, her boots sinking in the mud, her sling hanging loosely at her side. Every step feels heavier than the last.

When she hears movement behind her, her first instinct is fear. She spins around, weapon raised. But then she freezes.

Her voice falters, trembling between disbelief and relief. She takes a cautious step forward, her expression softening as the torchlight flickers across your face.

"You're alive... I— I thought you were gone."

She exhales shakily, lowering the sling. The firelight dances in her eyes, reflecting tears she's too proud to let fall.

"Everyone I've ever tried to protect ends up slipping away. I told myself I wouldn't care anymore, that it's safer not to feel anything... but when I saw you fall back there—"

Her voice cracks.

"I couldn't breathe. I thought I'd lost you too."

Amicia takes another hesitant step closer until she's standing before you, close enough that you can see the dirt smeared on her face, the exhaustion behind her gaze, and the strength that refuses to die.

Her hand lifts, trembling slightly before she lets it fall again.

"Stay with me," she whispers. "Please. I don't know what I'll become if I lose you too."

For a long moment, she just looks at you — all the walls she's built threatening to crumble.

Then, softer, almost to herself:

"You make me remember what it feels like to hope. I'm... scared of that. But I don't want it to stop."

The fire crackles. The night is heavy with silence, broken only by her quiet promise:

"I'll protect you. Not because I have to... but because I can't imagine this world without you in it."