Selia and Slash glared at each other for a couple of seconds before forgetting about their grudges and focusing on Leran. Both of them and Protector wrapped the boy in a delicate embrace.

They didn’t want to smother Leran, but they knew that the nightmare would haunt his sleep whenever he believed himself to be alone.

The night passed peacefully until it wasn’t. Despite Slash’s bushy tail tickling Leran’s leg and Ryman’s hand on his shoulder, he was once again forced to relive the day of the kidnapping attempt.

This time, however, the nightmare didn’t start from the last seconds of the fight but from the collapse of the roof of Zekell’s house. Leran saw the Awakened try to kill Raaz and kidnap his friends, only for Aran and Leria to foil their plan.

He remembered the screams of the triplets, the desperate cries of Surin, and the primal force that those voices had aroused in him. The desire to protect those who were weaker than him, even if it meant engaging in a losing battle.

Leran killed the Awakened man over and over, uncaring for who he was or what he wanted. Leran could only think about the danger the Verhens were in and how his father was endangering his life to shield Leran from harm.

Even worse was the memory of the days that followed the murder. Leran knew that what he had done was wrong and foolish. He knew that he was supposed to feel guilty for taking another man’s life.