At first, the girl named Kira had been lively, circling around Sian with a bright smile and joy. But suddenly, before the eyes of everyone present in the hall, she burst into tears for no apparent reason, clutching desperately at Sian's clothes.
She even fell to her knees. Sian froze for a moment, allowing the girl to collapse and cling to his legs.
Then, slowly, he knelt down and embraced her with obvious affection. One hand wrapped around her back, the other gently patting her hair as he murmured comfortingly with a tender, moved expression:
"Don't worry. It's over now. Stop crying, Kira—you'll ruin your pretty face."
The girl only cried harder. Between her sobs, her beautiful, innocent face revealed glimpses of the torment she had endured. Yet no one could have imagined how a girl, not even in her twenties, could carry such a heavy burden of sorrow and scars.
"Leader… Leader… we—we failed. Everyone was slaughtered after you left."
