After the decision had been made, the lady led them back to a weathered cottage in the village center—once the main hall, now their last refuge.
They had spent the day constructing savage wooden fences with razor-sharp edges and building makeshift catapults to hurl stones at distant targets. Though primitive, Lucien found himself impressed.
Seeing so many huddled at the gate, one might think they had all surrendered to despair and chosen to flee, scavenging for scraps within the Federation's walls.
However, more people were fighting back in the village, and Lucien was deeply impressed by that.
He saw no need to run from challenges like this—in life or in games. Confronting such dangers was the very essence of existence, the reason we live and breathe.
What good is life if everything unfolds exactly as expected?
