Her gaze softened, carrying a weight I couldn't read.
"She cares for you, young totem," Flogga said quietly.
"Isn't that obvious?"
I frowned, but she pressed on before I could respond.
"The more you speak as though your life is nothing, the more she hears it as if hers — and ours — are nothing too. That is not an easy burden for anyone to carry, no matter how strong they may appear."
Her words lingered long after her voice had fallen silent, echoing in the space between us. They carried more weight than I wanted to give them, yet I couldn't deny their truth. I hadn't thought about it that way.
For all my certainty, the reality was simple: their lives were tied to mine in ways that couldn't be severed. If I died, their chances of surviving would plummet.
It wasn't just a matter of leadership — it was about trust, about the hope they placed on me.
To dismiss my own life so casually was, in their eyes, especially hers, was the same as dismissing theirs.
