After days, Leo had fully recovered. He could think clearly.
He studied the forest: where lakes held water, which trees grew apples, how to pick blueberries without thistle cuts, how to hunt rabbits before they fled, and most vital how to survive a bear attack.
The huge sword dwarfed Leo's small body. He strained to lift it, muscles trembling.
How did the horseman wield this? The thought burned.
But after countless failed attempts... he adapted.
Finally, he started training swinging the massive blade. At first, just gripping it made him stagger. His stance wavered; his hands slipped. Every swing tore fire through his arms, but he gritted his teeth.
He didn't stop
...because it didn't hurt as much as the injustice of those past days.
Two things anchored him every morning:
His little sister,
And his promise to the horseman.
He trained relentlessly unfazed by pouring rain or scorching sun. He never stopped.
Butterflies hovered around him, never leaving since that day.
Sometimes Leo wandered, lost, with no path home. He stayed, hoping his sister was safe.
Seven years passed. Leo grew up.
He could now hold his sword with two fingers and hurl it like an arrow just as the horseman once did
He settled into his new routine: meditating, eating well, sleeping well.
But one day, something strange happened.
The butterflies began leaving the forest a thing they never did
"W-What?! Wait!" Leo started following the butterflies.
He didn't think about where or how just followed them with a wide smile.
When he reached his house, familiar warmth washed over him: the worn wooden floor, light filtering through cracked windows like his childhood. For a moment, he almost heard laughter... voices echoing from his mother's room. But silence loomed deafening over every memory.
"No way..." Leo's eyes widened.
He looked in every room for his sister. No trace
A small laugh escaped him
"No wonder... It's been years. I'm the one to blame here."
He entered his mother's room and collapsed onto the dusty bed.
His hand moved across the sheets—then touched cold metal.
_The bracelet._
"The bracelet! Thank God." Leo hugged it to his chest, then slid it onto his wrist.
He stayed in the house, lost in thought: _Where to go? What's my next destination?_
Butterflies fluttered through the rooms
then suddenly darted outside.
Leo followed immediately, hoping they'd lead to his lost sister.
As he stepped onto the path, a young woman's scream tore through the air
"Please! Anyone!! HELP!!"