"What do you say?"
The woman's voice hung in the air like a blade unsheathed. Cold, firm, and unyielding. But the silence that followed was even sharper.
"T-They've killed all our families…"
The quivering response came from the oldest of the elders, a man whose face once radiated wisdom, now twisted by grief.
His voice cracked, frail and trembling, as though the very act of speaking caused him pain.
Tears welled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Not out of pride—but because his heart was already too shattered to produce more.
The hall fell into a tense hush.
The woman sat frozen for a moment, as if her breath had been sucked from her lungs.
Then, slowly, as if the weight of their words threatened to collapse her spine, she rose to her feet.
Her legs trembled slightly beneath her long robe, and her arms dangled uselessly at her sides.
Her lips parted. No words came.
She stared at the three elders—loyal, unyielding, and now utterly devastated.
