"Miss?" She asks slightly indignantly.

"It's a respectful honorific, isn't it?" Did I say the wrong word?

I learned Clyfern pretty much on my own. It wouldn't be hard for me to get a word wrong.

"I just got scared," she retorts. "I feel old when people call me that…" I should have known.

"You probably hear this every day," I say good-naturedly.

"It's different when I hear it from a civilian," she says.

"Well, that's the price you pay, I guess." Honestly, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

"I think you better rest. Tomorrow we can continue talking." Zoe stands up as she turns to leave.

I'm exhausted; I'd better rest now. But will I be able to sleep with so many thoughts I'm having?

"See you tomorrow then." Whether I get any sleep or not, I might as well have a moment of peace. We say our goodbyes, heading the other way. Miss Zoe is probably going to help Rodic and the other soldiers.

Getting up from where I am, I go looking for the tent where William entered. It would be nice if I could talk to him alone.

On the way, I pass wounded people and empty sheets. The survivors are mostly helping at other gates. I would love to help; if it weren't for my muscles, every part of my body hurts.

It doesn't take long until I find William's tent; I still remembered where he was.

Entering his tent, I notice two makeshift beds, with William lying on one of them. He is lying face up, and his arms are covering his eyes.

"William..." I say with concern.

"I'm fine." He answers me.

"I…" What to say to him? "I'm sorry…" That's the best I can say right now.

"…" William just stays silent.

"I'll just sit here," I say. "If you need anything, just let me know." Sitting down on the bed, I can feel that it's not as comfortable as it looks. I think it's best to let him absorb everything that happened. I'm not in the best moment either.

And then, the minutes keep passing; my mind is so submerged that I don't even notice the passage of time in a normal way, it's as if I'm floating in my thoughts. The ambient sound, all calm, is a moment of comforting peace.

Suddenly, I hear small sobs coming from beside me. When I look at William, I notice that he is trying hard not to cry, as tears run down the side of his eye and dry on the sheet.

"It's not fair." I get out of bed and walk over to him.

He takes one of his arms off his face and looks at me confused.

"It's not fair that she leaves without being able to say goodbye peacefully..." My eyes fill with tears, but I don't want to cry anymore.

"I..." William says something. "I'm weak... WEAK!" He exclaims as he raises his torso. "If I were better, she would be alive!" His lamentations continue. "If I had acted at that time..." His eyes are filled with regret; his fists are clenched, and his teeth are gritted.

"It's painful; I've never felt this way before." My voice trembles to say. "There's nothing we can do now but move on." I finish.

"I swear I'll be stronger…stronger than anyone…" He's still going to pursue that dream of his.

"William, maybe it's best to… put this dream aside for a while…" I need to try to fix at least a little of what I did.

William doesn't respond; he just looks down.

"I know you think I'm not capable." No, that's not it. "I'm your older brother, and yet I'm weaker." William… "But I can't give up, because I know Yanma trusted me!" That… is true. "I wish I was just a little stronger, just a little more…" William's voice trembles.

Yanma said that William would surpass her one day. She believed that this was the natural path for him.

Before he can keep his tears to himself, I hug him.

"Maybe you're right; maybe that's what she wanted after all." I say with tears in my eyes. "We'll become stronger, I'm sure." A brotherly hug, something I never thought would happen under these circumstances.

Alright, Yanma, if that's what you wished, I'll support my brother no matter what.

After all the commotion, I lay down again and waited for the moment when sleep would come and I could rest. To my dismay, my mind could not stop for a moment and sleep.

I hope I don't have any obligations tomorrow, because I'm going to catch up on my sleep.

How many hours have passed?

My perception of time is terrible when I can't sleep.

I need to get up and do some activity; hopefully I'll get sleepy.

With that in mind, I get out of bed, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake William, and carefully proceed to leave the tent.

However, before I leave, my ears hear two familiar voices nearby—two people talking in the early hours of the morning.

These people speak softly, but I can hear them if I concentrate.