The boy moved close enough to be just a few centimeters from the young man, advancing with unsteady steps while the improvised cane barely managed to support the weight of his still weakened body.
The sack he was wearing, too big for him, dragged slightly over the snow, almost completely covering him, though even that was not enough to stop the constant trembling that ran through his limbs.
It was not just the cold that made him tremble, nor the pain that still lingered in his body, but something much deeper, something that had settled inside him long before he had arrived in that white, silent, and seemingly infinite place.
When he finally stopped beside him, the young man barely turned his face enough to notice his presence, watching him in silence for a few seconds that felt longer than they really were, as if he were evaluating something that not even the boy himself could understand.
Then, without saying a single word, he extended his arm and wrapped it around him naturally, pulling him slightly closer to his body, in a simple, almost instinctive gesture, but one that for the boy was completely unexpected.
The warmth he felt in that moment was not only physical. It was different. It was something his body recognized before his mind, something he had forgotten existed for far too long.
He said nothing, did not react immediately, but his body gradually stopped tensing, as if that closeness had extinguished, even if only for an instant, all the fear accumulated inside him.
Silence settled between them without the need for words, but it was not an uncomfortable or empty silence, but one dense, charged with a strange calm, as if the entire world had decided to stop just for that small moment.
They did not know each other, they knew nothing about one another, there was no trust nor real reasons for it to exist, but still they remained there, together, united only by something that needed no explanation: the loneliness both carried.
The night advanced slowly, dragging itself with the same heaviness as the cold that covered the landscape. The wind blew strongly, lifting small particles of snow that struck their bodies, while the constant sound of the river remained like a distant murmur that never disappeared.
At some point, without realizing exactly when, the boy closed his eyes. It was not a conscious decision, it simply happened. His exhausted body finally gave in. And although his rest was not completely peaceful, since fragments of memories and uncomfortable sensations crossed his mind like blurry shadows, he still managed to sleep, something he had not really been able to do for a very long time.
For his part, the young man remained awake for much of the night, his gaze fixed on the dark horizon, as if waiting for something that never came, while in the depths of his red eyes hid a weariness that did not seem to originate in the body, but in something much older and difficult to describe.
When the sun finally began to peek over the horizon, its light barely managed to illuminate the white landscape that stretched in all directions.
It brought no warmth, it did not change the atmosphere, it simply revealed what was already there, as if the world continued to be the same regardless of the hour or the passage of time.
The boy opened his eyes slowly, blinking several times while his mind tried to locate itself, gradually reconstructing the memories of what had happened.
For a few seconds he did not understand where he was, but when reality returned completely, his body reacted immediately. He sat up quickly, looking around with an expression of alert, but the place was empty.
The young man was no longer there.
Silence enveloped everything again, but this time it felt different, heavier, more uncomfortable, as if something that had been there no longer existed.
The boy turned on himself, searching with his gaze, hoping to find some sign, some trace, but there was nothing. Only the wind. Only the river. Only that endless landscape that never seemed to change.
He took one step, then another, leaning on the cane while his body still responded with difficulty, although he no longer felt the sharp pain from before, which felt strange to him, but at that moment he had neither the energy nor the clarity to question it.
He advanced without a fixed direction until he reached the riverbank again, and it was then that he saw him.
The young man was there, sitting exactly as if he had never moved, observing his reflection in the water with a calmness that completely contrasted with the boy's state.
He did not seem surprised, nor worried, nor even interested in his presence. He was simply there.
The boy stopped for a moment, hesitating whether to approach or not, but finally advanced, this time with even slower steps, as if fearing to break something invisible between them.
However, as he took one of those steps, a stone crunched under his foot, breaking the silence. The young man turned his face slightly, just enough to acknowledge that he was not alone, but then returned to looking at the water, as if it were not important.
The boy hesitated, but finally spoke, with a low voice that revealed the fear that still had not disappeared.
—Hey... what's your name?
The answer did not come immediately, which made the wait feel longer than it was. Finally, the young man spoke without changing his posture.
—I don't think you're interested in knowing my name, little one.
The boy lowered his gaze slightly, but still continued.
—Well... my name is Agnitus... it's a pleasure... —he made a pause, as if the words were hard to get out—. The truth is... I thought that when you arrived last night... you were going to kill me... or sell me...
His hands tensed as he said that, as if reliving that fear in the moment. The young man remained silent for a few seconds before responding.
—And why would killing a child like you serve me? Or doing anything to you? It makes no sense. It would only be a waste of time. I only saw something burning in the distance, I approached... and there you were. Nothing more.
The words were simple, without intention of softening them, but neither of hurting. It was just the... truth. The boy tried to respond, but something inside him broke before he could do so.
—But even so... I... thank you...
His knees gave way, falling to the ground as tears began to flow uncontrollably. His breathing became irregular, broken, as if everything he had been holding back had finally found an outlet.
—Everyone is dead... my brother... my mom... my friends... everyone... —his voice broke more and more—. Because I was weak... I couldn't do anything to save them...
The young man watched him in silence, without interrupting him, without looking away. Then, slowly, he stood up and walked until he was in front of him.
—No.
The word was firm, direct.
—That is not true.
The boy stopped speaking, but did not raise his gaze.
—It was not your fault. You had no power, you had no options... you were not strong. But that does not mean it has to continue being that way.
The boy clenched his teeth, trying to hold back the crying.
—Then... what can I do...?
The young man extended his hand toward him.
—Make yourself stronger. Learn to protect. Because you are going to meet people again, you are going to love again... and when that happens, you will be able to decide not to lose them again.
The wind blew harder, moving the snow around them, while the boy slowly raised his gaze.
—If you want... I can teach you.
There was a moment of doubt, an instant in which the boy did not know what to do, but finally, with trembling hands, he took the young man's hand. At first his grip was weak, uncertain, but little by little it became firmer.
The young man closed his hand around his.
—Then listen well...
His voice was calm, but firm.
—From now on... you will no longer be weak.
The boy did not respond, but in his eyes appeared something that had not been there before. It was not happiness, nor relief, nor even complete hope... it was something smaller, more fragile, but real.
A reason to keep going.
And this time... it did not seem to break so easily.