The world had changed…
It no longer resembled anything William had once known.
And among all people, he was one of those who had taken the hardest blow.
His job… his studies… his future… even the roof over his head—everything had become uncertain, on the verge of disappearing.
Yet despite all of that, the spark in his eyes had not faded.
That reckless determination that pushed him to rise every morning and walk through the ruined streets, searching for any opportunity he could grasp—anything that might keep him from falling.
Three full weeks of relentless work.
Three weeks of sweat… of effort… of pain buried deep in the heart so that no one else could see it.
And in the end…
he managed to gather enough money for both himself and Victoria to take the test.
That evening he returned home, his steps heavy yet steady.
There was something in his eyes…
something that looked like a beginning.
"Mom… Dad… I want to take the test with Victoria. I've gathered the money."
The girl slowly raised her head toward him.
Victoria…
with her silver hair that looked like a strand of moonlight escaping from the night, and her shining eyes that carried within them a thousand stories no one truly knew.
She looked at him as if the entire world had been reduced to a single person—
him.
Suddenly, memories flooded her mind like a merciless tide.
That night.
The tears that would not stop.
The sound of ambulances.
The rain-soaked street.
Her trembling body as she lost both of her parents in a single moment… while even her closest relatives refused to give her so much as a room to sleep in.
She ran that night without knowing where to go.
Eventually she found herself standing before the door of the neighbors' house—
William's home.
Maria… the woman who embraced her without hesitation and said with a stern yet warm voice that somehow revived a shattered heart:
"You silly girl… from now on, this is your home. This is your father, I am your mother… and this is your older brother."
Jack looked at her with a gaze she had never seen before—
the gaze of a man making a promise without speaking a word.
And William…
looked at her as if she were a treasure that had fallen into his hands—
a treasure that had to be protected, no matter the cost.
And at that moment…
she cried.
Because for the first time, she had found a place where she truly belonged.
A few days later…
When William announced that he would move out to live on his own and work independently, she said nothing.
But she understood.
She was thirteen.
He was fifteen.
And she understood.
Every step he took was for her sake—even if he never said it out loud.
But Maria did not accept it.
Not at all.
She shouted at him, her voice filled with anger and fear.
"Don't you understand, you idiot? Those people can't be trusted! Do you want to put your sister in danger?!"
He froze for a moment before answering with a calm but firm voice.
"Mom… nothing will happen to her while I'm with her. I just… want to hear her opinion."
The air froze.
Everyone's eyes turned toward Victoria.
And she spoke, her voice quiet yet firm, without hesitation.
"I… agree."
She wanted to do something.
To contribute.
To repay even a small part of the debt that weighed heavily on her soul.
But Maria could not hide her fear.
She grabbed her shoulders tightly and said,
"Vic… my daughter, we know you feel guilty. But this is not the way. We don't want you hurting yourself. Be patient a little longer… let the world calm down… then you can go."
Then Jack's voice came.
Calm… but stronger than all the shouting in the world.
"You will wait. This decision is final."
And neither of them could do anything but obey.
And so…
everything remained suspended.
Hope.
Fear.
And the test that might change their fate forever.