Morgan finally managed to return to the farm. He walked with his head down, silently replaying everything he had experienced since arriving in this world. When he looked up, he saw the woman lying on the ground, completely unconscious. Then, his eyes shifted to the stable where the other humans were being held.
He stood there, motionless, observing in silence, a quiet melancholy spreading through his chest as he imagined the horrors those people must have endured.
After a few moments, Morgan took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, lightly slapping his cheeks with his hands.
"Alright."
(He said firmly.)
He approached the woman, knelt down, and carefully picked her up, gently wiping the mud from her face.
Morgan wanted to help her, but he didn't know how. He still didn't fully understand how his new abilities worked. All he could do was carry her over to where the other imprisoned humans were.
Everyone looked at him with fear and uncertainty.
When he reached them, he softly laid the woman down on the ground. The little girl, who also appeared injured, stared at Morgan intensely, her eyes filled with confusion.
Morgan noticed the shackles on the girl's hands and feet. Curiously, although the shackles were still in place, the chains that should have connected them were missing.
Without saying a word, Morgan slowly approached the girl, extending his hands to remove the shackles.
The girl, frightened, instinctively backed away.
Seeing her reaction, Morgan smiled gently, though inside, a bitter struggle raged within him.
Patiently, he extended his hands again, but once more, the girl stepped back in fear.
Morgan then took a step back, lowering his hands so as not to intimidate her further. He thought about how he could earn even a little bit of her trust.
So, in silence, he knelt down and began removing the shackles from the unconscious woman's wrists and ankles, slow and patiently. Once he had freed her, he held the shackles in his hands, showing them to the girl before setting them aside, far away.
The little girl, confused, watched him closely.
Morgan approached again, this time even more slowly.
The girl, though still wary, allowed him to come close enough to remove her shackles.
With a melancholy smile, Morgan carefully took them off.
All the prisoners in the stable watched the scene, stunned. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
One by one, Morgan approached the others and, with the same tenderness, removed their shackles.
The humans looked at each other, unable to understand why this young man with pink hair was offering them freedom.
A deep silence filled the stable... until it was broken by a weak whisper.
"Ah... ah... what happened?"
(Said the woman, still exhausted.)
The girl, upon seeing her wake up, ran toward her and hugged her tightly, crying inconsolably.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
(The woman asked, holding her tightly.)
When her eyes landed on Morgan, fear overtook her. Despite her injuries, she stood between the girl and him, shielding her with her body.
Morgan, seeing her reaction, could only murmur, his voice trembling with emotion:
"I'm glad..."
(He said, barely audible.)
Without waiting for a response, he turned away and left the stable. He headed toward another, a third stable that was not far off.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
(The woman asked the girl.)
"Yes... I'm okay..."
(The girl sobbed.)
The woman lowered her gaze to her hands and feet. That's when she realized she no longer wore shackles.
She looked around: not only she, but everyone else was free. The shackles now lay scattered on the ground.
"Eh... why?"
(She asked, bewildered.)
A man, trembling, answered her:
"He... he took them off all of us..."
(He said, still in disbelief.)
The woman, confused, tried to make sense of it. She briefly remembered how that young man had seemed to protect her earlier, and now he had set them free.
The thought of not understanding that pink-haired zorath scared her...
But her worry was interrupted when she remembered the third stable: the one that housed the children.
Limping, she rushed as fast as she could toward its door, fearing the worst.
When she arrived, she stopped dead in her tracks.
There was Morgan, smiling sweetly, removing the shackles from the children one by one.
The woman's strength gave out, and she collapsed to her knees at the sight.
The young man's smile... was different. There was no malice, no hidden agenda. Only sincerity.
Morgan finished his task, stepped out of the stable, and walked a few steps forward.
The children timidly followed him, and soon the adults did as well.
Everyone was confused, not knowing what to do. They had never known freedom.
Morgan looked at the scene and sighed.
Then, without saying a word, he turned around to continue on his way.
The woman, seeing him leave, shouted with all her strength:
"Why?! Why did you set us free?!"
Morgan stopped, looked over his shoulder, and with an expression of deep sorrow, replied:
"Because no one deserves to live like that..."
The woman didn't understand. This young man was a mystery.
Summoning her courage, she asked again:
"What... what should we do now?"
(She said, placing a hand over her heart and holding the girl with the other.)
Everyone waited. They were used to waiting for orders.
But this time... it was different.
Morgan remained silent for a moment.
The sun, rising behind him, bathed the scene in golden light.
With a warm smile, illuminated by the dawn, Morgan answered:
"I don't know. That's for you to decide. Your lives are your own now... You are free."
"We're... free?"
(The woman asked, tears welling up in her eyes.)
"Yes. You are free. Live however you want from now on."
Morgan turned and began walking away, taking the path that would lead him to the nearest kingdom.
As he walked, he heard the woman's sobs: a heartbreaking cry, born from the depths of her soul.
Others joined her. Some fell to their knees and, through tears, began thanking him over and over again.
Morgan, feeling a lump in his throat and a sharp pain in his chest, placed a hand over his heart, clutching it tightly.
With a serious expression and a cold voice, he murmured to himself:
"This place... this world must change."
End of the chapter.
Next chapter: Fallen Crown