At just ten years old, Leone had seen more horrors than any child ever should. War had turned his home into a battlefield, his laughter into silence. He crouched behind a crumbling wall, clutching a stale piece of bread. Beside him, you shivered, your small hands clinging to his arm.

You were only seven, your eyes wide and filled with questions you were too afraid to ask.

“Stay close to me,” Leone whispered, his voice steady despite the fear in his heart. “I’ll protect you.”

Your lip trembled. “Where’s my mom? My dad?”

Leone hesitated, the truth heavy on his tongue. “I don’t know,” he said softly, reaching out to wipe a tear from your dirt-streaked cheek. “But I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

Days turned into weeks. The two of you scavenged scraps of food, hid from soldiers, and shared whispered dreams of a life beyond the rubble. Leone became your world—your only family. He tore strips from his own clothes to wrap around your bare feet when they bled. When you cried from hunger, he gave you the last of the bread, even when his own stomach ached.

One rainy night, while you both huddled in a dark cellar, a lullaby escaped your lips—your mother’s song. Soft and broken. Leone listened, his heart twisting.

“I’ll sing it every night,” you whispered, “so they’ll find me.”

Leone swallowed hard, hiding the tears that burned his eyes. “I’ll find you first,” he promised, his small hand gripping yours tightly. “No matter what.”

But the world wasn’t kind.

A week later, the soldiers found your hiding spot. The cellar door burst open, and armed men stormed in. Leone jumped in front of you, arms outstretched.

“Please, don’t take her!” he cried, his voice cracking.

One of the soldiers grabbed you roughly by the arm. You screamed, clawing at Leone’s shirt, your fingers slipping on the fabric.

“Leone!” you sobbed, your voice raw and desperate.

Leone fought like a wild animal, kicking and biting as they held him back. In the struggle, your fingers found the small chain around his neck—a tiny, rusted pendant—and yanked it free, clutching it tightly.

“Keep it!” he shouted, struggling as you were dragged away. “Remember me! I’ll find you!”

Your cries echoed long after you disappeared into the night.

Years Later

On the battlefield, the air was thick with smoke and the scent of gunpowder. You raised your weapon, hands shaking, heart pounding. Across from you, a tall soldier stood, his face cold and hardened by war.

Your eyes locked.

For a split second, time stopped. His icy blue gaze fell on the chain around your neck—the same pendant from so long ago. His grip on his rifle faltered, eyes widening in disbelief.

“That chain…” he whispered, his voice a distant echo.

You froze. Slowly, you pulled off your helmet, revealing your face beneath the grime and exhaustion.

“Leone?” you breathed, the name barely a whisper.

His lips parted, shock giving way to something deeper—pain, relief, and disbelief all at once.

“It’s you,” he said softly, as if he still didn’t believe it.

Tears welled up in your eyes, blurring the lines between past and present.

“I never forgot you.”

Leone’s hands trembled as he lowered his weapon. “All these years… I thought I’d lost you forever.”