The fire crackled softly in the center of the cave, casting flickering shadows across the rocky walls.
The others were still huddled in their corner, either asleep or too tired to bother with conversation.
I sat beside Henry, his back leaning against the cool stone as he stared into the flames.
For a moment, I wasn't sure if I should break the silence.
He'd been quiet for a while, even more so than usual.
But then, without warning, he spoke.
"I lived outside the wall when I was a kid," he began, his voice low and rough, like the words were being dragged out of him.
I glanced at him, surprised.
He didn't look at me, his gaze fixed on the fire as if the flames held the memories he was trying to unearth.
"Outside the wall?" I asked, leaning forward slightly. "You mean, no protection? No military? Just... out there?"
He nodded, his jaw tight.
"Yeah. My family, a few others... we had nothing. No guards, no fortifications. We had to protect ourselves. Every day was a fight to survive."
The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy blanket.
I tried to imagine it, living out there, surrounded by monsters and danger, with no one to rely on but yourself.
It was hard enough to survive inside the walls sometimes.
"How did you manage?" I asked quietly.
He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.
"Barely. We ate whatever we could find. Plants, scraps... monster meat, when we were desperate enough."
I recoiled slightly at that.
Some type monster meat was dangerous poisonous, even.
Eating it was a gamble, one that could end in a slow, painful death.
"It wasn't just the monsters," he continued. "People were just as dangerous. Maybe more. When food got scarce, survival came first. Morality didn't mean much out there. People turned on each other, killed each other... just to get by."
His hands tightened into fists on his lap, the knuckles white.
The firelight cast sharp shadows on his face, highlighting the hard lines of his jaw and the tension in his expression.
I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent, letting him continue at his own pace.
"And then... there was the day it all ended." His voice dropped, so soft I almost didn't hear him. "The day the Orc Lord came."
In the novel.
The monster is a legend, a walking nightmare, leading an army of goblins and other creatures in a trail of destruction.
"They hunted us like animals," Henry said, his voice trembling with barely contained rage.
"Our camp, our homes... it didn't stand a chance. My parents tried to protect me, but..." He trailed off, his jaw working as he fought to keep his composure.
"They didn't make it," I finished for him, my voice barely above a whisper.
He nodded, his head bowing as if the weight of the memory was too much to bear.
"No one did. Not really. They slaughtered everyone. Men, women, children... It didn't matter. I was just a kid, barely old enough to hold a weapon. But somehow, by some stroke of dumb luck, I survived. I hid, crawled through the mud and blood while the Orc Lord and his army tore everything apart."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry.
"And then what?"
"Sergeant Thomas found me," he said, his voice steadier now. "I don't know how long I wandered before he came. Days, maybe. Weeks. I don't remember. But he saved me. Brought me to the wall, to the base."
He turned to look at me then, his dark eyes burning with an intensity that made me sit up straighter.
"But I never forgot," he said. "Not the Orc Lord. Not what he did. Every day, I think about it. About my parents, my friends, my home... all gone. And every day, I remind myself of the vow I made. I swore I'd kill that bastard. No matter what it takes."
The raw emotion in his voice was like a punch to the gut.
I didn't know Henry well.
Hell, I barely knew him at all.
But in that moment, I felt like I understood him better than anyone.
"I get it," I said softly. "I really do. And for what it's worth... I'll help you."
Damn, what the hell did I just say.
He blinked, caught off guard.
"What?"
Well I have already said it, no turning back.
"I'll help you," I repeated, my voice firmer this time. "The Orc Lord's a menace. It's not just your fight, it's everyone's. And if you're going after him, I'm not letting you do it alone."
For a moment, he just stared at me, as if trying to figure out if I was serious.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Thanks," he said, his voice barely audible.
I grinned, leaning back against the cave wall.
"Don't thank me yet. We've got a long road ahead of us."