The decision changed something fundamental.
I felt it immediately.
Not in the village.
Not in the council.
In me.
For weeks, I'd been chasing answers.
Following clues.
Digging through lies.
Learning truths other people had buried.
Everything had happened to me.
For the first time, I was choosing what happened next.
The realization settled deep inside my chest.
Steady.
Certain.
Mine.
The courtyard remained silent after I spoke.
No one argued.
No one told me I was being reckless.
No one ordered me to stay behind.
For a moment, that alone felt like a miracle.
Then Father sighed.
The sound carried years of exhaustion.
Years of fear.
Years of mistakes.
"What exactly are you proposing?"
The question surprised me.
Not because he asked.
Because he asked instead of comman
