For several seconds, Efra didn't move.
Her hand remained suspended above Harun's chest, her eyes fixed on him as though she had just encountered something that contradicted everything she had ever learned about healing.
Zoya noticed immediately.
"Efra?"
No response.
"Are you alright?"
Still nothing.
Zoya stepped closer, her expression tightening.
"What did you sense inside him that scared you so much?"
Zefer had also turned his attention toward her.
Even the villagers who had remained nearby were watching in silence.
Everyone was waiting for an answer.
Efra finally drew in a long, shaky breath.
"Huh…"
She swallowed.
"My… my power…"
Her voice trembled.
"It… it…"
Zoya frowned.
"Go on."
Efra opened her mouth, but the words refused to come.
She looked back at Harun.
Something about him unsettled her.
Not because he was frightening.
Because, somehow, his body was doing something that her healing ability could not understand.
Efra took another deep breath.
But before she could explain—
Thirty minutes passed.
The room had become quieter.
Efra still hadn't given them a proper answer.
Instead, the villagers had slowly begun gathering around the house, and one after another, they started talking about what had happened.
Not about themselves.
About Harun.
An elderly man was the first to speak.
"I saw him fighting Anwar."
His voice carried a strange mixture of disbelief and admiration.
"He was barely old enough to be called a man, yet he stood against him."
Another villager nodded.
"He didn't even know most of us."
"He had every reason to leave."
"But he stayed."
One woman wiped her eyes.
"He protected my child."
Her voice trembled.
"When everyone else had already given up on us…"
She looked toward Harun.
"He didn't."
The stories continued.
Some remembered the way Harun had spoken to them despite their coldness.
Others remembered how he had stepped forward when everyone else hesitated.
Several villagers admitted that they hadn't trusted him when he first arrived.
Some had even treated him with hostility.
Yet when Bhouldera needed someone—
Harun had still fought.
Zoya listened quietly.
She hadn't interrupted once.
Neither had Efra.
The more they heard, the more difficult it became to look at the unconscious boy simply as another injured person.
He had entered this place as an outsider.
Yet somehow, in such a short time, he had become someone the villagers couldn't stop talking about.
"He didn't have enough experience," one man finally said. "That's why he couldn't defeat Gautam."
Another nodded.
"He was powerful, but Gautam was on another level."
"And his generals…"
The man's expression darkened.
"Anwar alone was a nightmare."
"Psycho Devil."
The title passed through the room like a whisper.
Everyone knew what it meant.
Anwar had been feared throughout Bhouldera.
Yet Harun had defeated him.
A villager shook his head slowly.
"I still can't believe it."
"He killed Anwar…"
"And then Gautam came."
The room fell silent.
Even the villagers who had been praising Harun lowered their voices at the mention of that name.
Gautam.
The man who had appeared after the battle.
The man who had taken Aqsa away.
The man who had left Harun lying unconscious on the battlefield.
Zoya's expression hardened.
She had already understood that whatever happened here was far more serious than a simple village incident.
Then—
A small voice broke through the silence.
"Miss…"
Zoya looked down.
A young boy stood in front of her.
His clothes were dusty, and his eyes were filled with fear.
He looked like he had been running.
"Please…"
His voice trembled.
"Please save my friend."
Zoya crouched slightly.
"Your friend?"
The boy nodded rapidly.
"Aqsa."
Zoya's expression changed.
"Who is Aqsa?"
Before the boy could answer, Ruhi spoke.
"Aqsa is one of the children from this village."
Her voice softened.
"She lost her parents when she was young. She's been living here alone ever since."
Zoya listened carefully.
Ruhi continued.
"When Omair first came here as an investigator, Aqsa allowed him to stay in her home."
A faint smile appeared on Ruhi's face.
"They became close over time. Almost like siblings."
She paused.
"And then, when Omair brought Harun and the others here…"
Her expression became more emotional.
"Harun met her too."
The boy nodded.
"I remember."
His voice became quieter.
"There was a fight that day. Harun saw Omair fighting and realized that Omair had protected his team."
He looked up at Zoya.
"So he decided that he had to protect Omair's sister too."
Zoya understood.
"Aqsa."
The boy nodded.
"That was when she started calling him…"
His eyes softened.
"Big bro."
Efra's expression changed.
She had been listening silently until now.
The boy continued.
"I remember when Aqsa gave him food."
His voice became smaller.
"Big bro had tears in his eyes."
Efra lowered her gaze.
"He promised her something."
"What did he promise?" Zoya asked.
The boy looked at Harun.
"He promised that no matter what happened…"
His voice shook.
"He would protect Aqsa."
He swallowed.
"And he promised that he would make this village normal again."
Silence.
The words settled heavily over everyone in the room.
Ruhi closed her eyes for a moment.
"And when Aqsa was taken…"
Her voice cracked.
"Harun fought Anwar."
She looked toward Harun.
"Anwar was Gautam's strongest general. Harun defeated him while trying to protect this village."
Her eyes became wet.
"But then…"
She stopped.
"He collapsed."
A painful silence followed.
"And Gautam came."
Ruhi wiped away a tear.
"He took that little girl away with him."
Efra's eyes filled instantly.
"No…"
Her voice was barely audible.
She looked toward Harun.
"He did all of that…"
Her voice trembled.
"For people he barely knew?"
The boy nodded.
Then Efra's tears finally fell.
"How can someone be that kind?"
She looked at Harun with disbelief.
"He risked everything for strangers…"
Her voice broke.
"Why would anyone do that?"
Zoya remained silent for a moment.
Then she looked at the boy.
"So…"
Her voice became gentler.
"You want me to help you?"
The boy nodded immediately.
"Yes."
Zoya studied him.
"Before I agree, tell me your name."
The boy straightened himself.
"My name is Veer."
His voice still shook, but there was determination beneath it.
"I know I'm weak."
He clenched his small fists.
"That's why I couldn't save Aqsa."
His eyes began to water.
"But I don't care if I'm weak."
He looked directly at Zoya.
"I just want her to be safe."
His voice cracked.
"Please…"
"Bring her back."
Zoya stared at him.
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she slowly stood.
Her eyes moved toward Efra.
Efra understood immediately.
Zoya's decision had already been made.
"I'll help," Zoya said.
Her voice was calm, but firm.
"I'll bring Aqsa back."
Veer's eyes widened.
"You will?"
"Yes."
Efra wiped the tears from her face.
Then she looked toward Harun.
"And I'm not leaving him behind either."
Zoya glanced at her.
Efra's expression became strangely determined.
"I'll heal that handsome idiot no matter what."
A small smile appeared through her tears.
"He risked his life for people he didn't even know."
She looked around the room.
"How could I just walk away?"
Her voice softened.
"Someone like that deserves a chance to wake up."
For the first time, Zefer stepped forward.
"I'll help too."
Everyone turned toward him.
Zefer looked toward the doorway.
"I owe this village more than I can explain."
His eyes briefly settled on Harun.
"And perhaps…"
He paused.
"I owe that boy something as well."
One villager stepped forward.
"Then I'll go."
Another raised his hand.
"So will I."
"I'll help too."
"Me too."
"I won't stay behind."
Slowly, the room changed.
The fear that had dominated Bhouldera for years was still there.
But something else had appeared beside it.
Resolve.
People who had spent years believing that resistance was pointless were finally stepping forward.
Not because they suddenly became stronger.
Not because they had forgotten what Gautam was capable of.
But because someone had shown them something they had almost forgotten existed.
Hope.
One by one, more villagers volunteered.
Eventually
thirty of them stood together.
Zoya.
Zefer.
Ruhi.
And thirty villagers of Bhouldera.
Their destination was clear.
They were going after Aqsa.
Efra remained behind.
She returned to Harun's side and carefully placed her hand near his chest.
The faint green glow of her Dravillian Stone returned.
Her expression was serious now.
"I'll stay here."
Zoya looked at her.
Efra nodded toward Harun.
"Someone has to keep him alive."
She looked down at him.
"And I'm not letting him die after everything he did for this place."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Outside, the people of Bhouldera prepared themselves to leave.
Inside, Efra remained beside the unconscious Harun.
Her healing aura slowly illuminated the room.
And somewhere deep within Harun
something remained awake.
Something that had no heartbeat.
No voice.
No form.
Yet somehow…
it refused to let him disappear.