The sun was beginning to sink behind the high ramparts of the stronghold when Reinhardt slipped away from the group and approached the children gathered near the central courtyard. An almost tender smile lit up his weathered face—a striking contrast to the warrior's shadow he usually cast.
"You know," he said to the youngest among them, "you've survived hell… but real life begins now."
He then turned to Varnov, who was overseeing the laying out of mattresses and blankets in Darius's old outbuildings.
"Varnov," Reinhardt continued, "you mentioned opening an orphanage here. What if we went even further?"
Varnov hesitated a moment, arms crossed. His features, worn yet resolute, betrayed an inner struggle.
"I… I want to give up my illegal dealings. Behind all that traffic, I was just a pawn. Darius manipulated me for years. Today, I want to make amends."
He locked eyes with Reinhardt, then widened his gaze to take in all of us.
