Finally, Logan's raging heart calmed enough for him to think clearly again. The moment his fists unclenched, he turned around and rushed toward Sarah.
"Mom… are you alright?" he asked hurriedly. His voice wavered despite his effort to sound steady, betraying the fear he had been suppressing all along.
Sarah nodded softly, though her face was still pale. Her gaze drifted past Logan and landed on Sage, who had settled nearby, quietly watching the room with sharp, intelligent eyes.
"Is that your Nightmare, Logan?" she asked gently. There was no fear in her voice, only curiosity and a faint trace of awe. "He is a brave one."
Logan nodded.
Almost immediately, Sage fluttered over and landed on Sarah's shoulder with surprising grace. His chest puffed out as he spoke in an exaggeratedly noble tone.
"Do not worry, milady. As long as I am here, no misfortune shall ever befall you!"
Logan froze.
'…The pervert Sage is acting nice?' he thought, staring at the owl in disbelief. For a moment, he genuinely wondered if the adrenaline had finally made him hallucinate.
Sarah let out a small, relieved chuckle at Sage's words and reached up hesitantly, gently touching his feathers. Her hand trembled slightly, not from fear of Sage, but from everything that had just happened.
Sarah was not a Walker.
And Logan's father… he had disappeared long ago. He had gone out one day and never returned, leaving behind nothing but silence and unanswered questions.
In a world ruled by Walkers, that absence had weighed heavily on Sarah's shoulders.
She had raised both her children alone. Without power. Without backing. Without protection. She took on any job she could find, cleaning, sewing, assisting at small shops, working late into the night and early into the morning. She endured insults, exhaustion, and humiliation, all so her children could eat and sleep safely.
For years, she had managed without borrowing money.
But everything fell apart when Kylie got sick.
Logan's elder sister had collapsed one afternoon while playing outside. She was only thirteen. She fell… and never woke up.
Logan had been nine years old then.
The image of his sister lying motionless haunted him even now. Tubes. Machines. Endless hospital corridors that smelled of disinfectant and despair.
Sarah had fought like a cornered beast after that.
She dragged herself from hospital to hospital, begging doctors, signing papers she barely understood, drowning herself in debt she knew she could never repay. She worked nearly twenty hours a day, surviving on two hours of sleep, sometimes less, just to keep Kylie alive.
Yet no cure ever came.
All they could do was preserve her fading life while her condition worsened day by day.
Remembering all of this, Logan clenched his fists slowly.
"Do not worry, Mom," he said firmly, forcing confidence into his voice. "Now that I have become a Walker, I will pay off all the loans. And I will find a cure for Big Sis too."
He glanced at Sage, who was still proudly perched on Sarah's shoulder.
"My Nightmare's name is Sage. He is a very high potential Nightmare."
Logan knew he was lying.
Sage was not high potential. Not even close.
But he could not let his mother worry. Not when he was about to enter the First Expanse. Not when she had already carried too much fear for a lifetime.
Logan's fist tightened at his side.
"Oh? Really?" Sarah smiled softly, her tired eyes lighting up with genuine pride. She reached out and held Logan's cheek, her touch warm and familiar. "I am really proud of you, my son."
She did not understand the dangers of the world beyond. She simply believed in her child.
And that belief hurt more than any wound.
Logan lowered his head slightly, hiding the turmoil in his eyes.
He hated lying.
But if a lie was the only way to keep his mother's heart at ease, then he would bear it.
She had already suffered enough.
"Let me cook something for you. You must be hungry after such a long day," Sarah said as she stood up, gathering her brown hair into a loose bun. Her brown eyes softened as she looked at Logan, and he felt warmth spread through his chest at her words.
Logan nodded. "Yes, Mom. I have been waiting all day. Also, the ten thousand dollars I gave earlier was the new Walker bonus they handed out."
Sarah paused mid-step and looked at him in surprise. "That is a lot of money."
Logan smiled lightly, trying to sound casual. "It is, but now that I have become a Walker, it is nothing but chump change."
Hearing that, Sarah hesitated.
She was not sure if she truly wanted to send her child into the Vast Expanse. According to everything she had heard, that place was unimaginably dangerous, a realm where millions lost their lives every single day. It was not an exaggeration or a rumor. It was simply the harsh truth of the world they lived in.
She had already lost too many important people in her life, and she did not know if her heart could endure another loss. Yet at the same time, she knew Logan had always dreamed of becoming a Walker. It was his goal, his hope for a better future, and as his mother, she understood that it was her duty to support him rather than bind him with her fears.
After gathering her scattered thoughts, she finally spoke.
"I know you want to enter the Vast Expanse, Logan," Sarah said softly. "But you must take care of yourself. Do not go to places that are too dangerous, and if you ever feel that it is becoming too much for you, you can always come back."
Her words did not stop there.
She continued speaking for nearly half an hour, reminding him to eat properly, to rest whenever he could, to avoid unnecessary risks, and to value his life above everything else. It was the kind of nagging only a truly caring mother could manage, and Logan listened to every word without complaint.
Because beneath all those warnings and worries, he could feel only one thing.
Love.