A Dream

Zero stepped out of the small house with the little girl at his side. She walked slowly, one hand clutching her worn teddy bear while the other held tightly to the metal forearm of his armor. Her fingers were so small they could barely wrap around the steel.

The moment they emerged, silence fell over the entire square.

The kneeling villagers slowly raised their heads. Some of the soldiers stopped organizing the prisoners. Even the old elder turned away from the wagons to watch the impossible sight before him.

The Hero of Mezi was walking beside a child. A blind child.

Seven frowned for a brief moment, as though trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

"What is he doing?"

Three followed Zero with her eyes. Her usual calm expression gave way to quiet confusion.

"I was just asking myself the same thing."

The King's Tax Collector hurried toward them, adjusting the many layers of silk that draped over his robes.

"Hero, what does this mean?"

Zero kept walking without so much as turning his head. The man quickened his pace to catch up.

"Put that girl with the other slaves. She's part of the shipment as well."

"..."

Ahead, the soldiers finished securing the first two wagons. One of them slammed the wooden latch shut and called out:

"This one's full!"

Another answered from the opposite side of the square.

"The second one too!"

Only the last wagon remained empty. One of the prisoners let out a mocking laugh.

"The king truly is merciful... He'd rather cram everyone into two wagons and leave an entire one empty."

The Tax Collector shot him an irritated glare.

"Then put the girl in the third one. At least she won't take up space meant for those who are still useful."

Zero stopped in front of the empty wagon. The little girl stretched out one foot to climb aboard but failed to find the step. She lost her balance and stumbled before she could even reach it.

Without saying a word, Zero caught her before she fell. Then, with effortless ease, he lifted her into the wagon and gently set her down.

"You said my family was here..." she whispered, reaching into the darkness of the wagon with her hands. Hugging the teddy bear tightly against her chest, she waited for him to climb in after her.

Outside, the Tax Collector gestured impatiently.

"Close the wagon."

A soldier reached for the door. But before his hand could touch it, Zero placed one foot on the wooden step and climbed inside. The movement was so unexpected that no one reacted.

The soldier froze. Seven looked at Three. She simply shook her head.

Then, for the first time since the mission had begun, the Hero of Mezi closed the wagon door from the inside.

(...)

A few minutes later, they were already on the road to the capital of Mezi.

In the distance, they could still see the village being crushed beneath the footsteps of creatures so enormous they nearly reached the clouds. It was a cruel portrait of the world they lived in. To escape the Colossi was only to become property of the Crown.

The wagon swayed with every bump in the road. Its wooden wheels creaked over the dry earth while the horses kept a steady pace. Outside, the clinking of chains and the rattle of the soldiers' armor accompanied the journey.

The little girl sat beside Zero. Every now and then, the wagon lurched over a rut, causing her small body to lose its balance. Without realizing it, she would lean against the warrior's arm before quietly steadying herself again.

For several minutes, neither of them spoke. She was the first to break the silence.

"You don't talk very much."

Zero kept his eyes on the wagon's closed door.

"Everyone talks to me." A brief pause. "You don't."

"..."

She smiled to herself.

"That's okay. My mother always said some people prefer listening to talking."

Silence settled between them once again.

After a moment, she tilted her head slightly.

"Do you have a name?"

"Zero."

She repeated it softly, as if testing how it sounded.

"Zero..." She wrinkled her nose just a little.

"That sounds like a number. Not a name."

No answer came.

She hugged the teddy bear a little tighter.

"That's a shame." She lifted the stuffed bear in front of her face. "Even he has a name. Want to know what it is?"

Zero looked away.

"I picked it myself." She gently stroked the bear's soft head before continuing. "You should have a real name too."

Zero remained silent, his expression as unreadable as ever. Yet, for some reason, those words lingered in his mind far longer than they should have.

The wagon lurched again, and she grabbed the wooden bench to keep herself from falling.

"Do you know where they're taking us?"

"To the capital of Mezi."

"My mother and my brother too?"

Zero took a few seconds before answering.

"Maybe."

His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

"Do you think..." She spoke more to herself than to him. "...we'll ever get to go home?"

He lowered his head ever so slightly. For the first time since stepping into that wagon, he genuinely didn't know how to answer. The little girl continued.

"Do you work there?"

"Yes."

"What do you do?"

He hesitated for a moment.

"I fight."

She fell silent, thinking.

"Then... you protect people?"

The question struck Zero in a way he couldn't explain. His mind immediately returned to the old man from the village.

You have eyes... but you do not see.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Sometimes."

The little girl smiled.

"I knew it."

He looked at her.

"How?"

"You gave my teddy bear back."

Zero stiffened. Could returning a simple toy really have meant more than all the battles he had fought?

After a few quiet minutes, she spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you think..."

She hesitated.

"...I'll ever be able to see?"

Zero kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

"I don't know."

She showed no sign of disappointment. She kept smiling, gently swinging her legs back and forth.

"I really hope I can. Not for my own sake..."

She paused for a moment.

"I want to see my mother's face... and my brother's." She lowered her head. "I've only ever known them by their voices."

Something unfamiliar tightened in Zero's chest. She continued speaking as naturally as if she were sharing the simplest dream in the world.

"I always imagine what they look like. Sometimes I think my mother smiles all the time. My brother must be really tall."

A soft breeze stirred her hair as she turned toward him.

"And you..." A gentle smile spread across her face. "I bet you have a beautiful smile too."

Zero remained perfectly still. The little girl let out a soft giggle.

"When I can finally see..." She hugged the teddy bear against her chest. "The very first thing I'll do is look at everyone I love."

And with that, the conversation came to an end.

Without realizing it, the little girl's dream had taken root in the Hero of Mezi's mind. For the first time in his life, he found himself wishing that a child condemned by fate could achieve something so simple.

Time passed, and at last they reached the capital of Mezi. Its towering walls rose high above the road, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.

White stone towers pierced the sky, crimson banners embroidered with Mezi's golden crest fluttered above the rooftops, and rows of soldiers stood watch at the gates with the stillness of statues.

Within those walls, there was no sign of the misery consuming so many villages across the kingdom. The streets were spotless, the gardens meticulously maintained, and the people went about their lives in peace, as though the war existed only beyond the city's walls.

As the wagon passed through the great iron gates, the little girl tilted her head.

"Are we here?"

Zero watched the city in silence.

The stone houses. The fountains scattered throughout the squares. The castle overlooking everything. Then he answered.

"Yes."

"Is it beautiful?"

His eyes remained fixed on the castle.

"It is."

A faint blush spread across the little girl's cheeks. The wagon came to a stop in the fortress courtyard. Soldiers immediately approached to unload the prisoners. Chains clinked as orders echoed from every direction.

Zero stepped down first. His black cloak swayed in the breeze sweeping through the courtyard. Then he turned back and held out his hand.

After searching the air for a brief moment, the little girl found it. Holding tightly to him, she carefully stepped down from the wagon, still clutching her teddy bear.

The moment her feet touched the ground, a soldier approached and bowed respectfully.

"Great Hero... we'll take care of her from here."

Zero remained silent.

"She'll be taken to the other prisoners." The soldier stepped forward, ready to guide her away.

That was when Zero released the little girl's hand and took a few steps forward. Behind him, she remained exactly where she was. She didn't follow the soldiers. She simply stood there… Waiting for him to take her hand again.

The world around him faded away. For a single moment, there was only one voice.

I Forgive you.

The memory pierced his mind once again. Then came another voice. The old elder's words echoed through his thoughts.

You have eyes... but you do not see.

His body remained motionless. The soldier waited. So did the little girl.

Then Zero drew a slow breath. He turned around. Silent as always, he walked back and took the little girl's hand once more. She smiled immediately. As though she had never expected any other outcome.

The soldier frowned.

"Hero...?"

Zero walked past him and headed deeper into the fortress. It took the soldier several seconds to understand what was happening.

"Hero... the prisoners are taken the other way."

Zero kept walking.

"But the throne room is in that direction!"

"..."

The soldiers exchanged confused glances. The Tax Collector, who had been finishing the inventory records, noticed the commotion from afar and called out:

"Hero! Where are you going?"

Zero finally answered.

"To the King."