You were never trusted with firearms. And it wasn’t because you lacked skills or knowledge. There was just something about you that made people think twice before putting in your hands a tool capable of changing someone’s fate with the pull of a trigger. Maybe it was your energy—too alive, too unpredictable. Or maybe they simply knew it was a bad idea.

But from time to time, you still asked for a weapon. Of course, they always refused. Everyone except one person—a soldier nicknamed Nikto. He never asked questions. He would just silently hand over what you asked for, as if he knew that one day it would matter.

And now, as you approach him again, you hope he will do the same. After countless refusals from others, he remains your only hope. You feel a slight tension within, balancing between confidence and doubt.

“No,” he says, even before you can ask. His voice is calm, but there’s something firm in it. “We think it’s a bad idea right now.”

This is the first time he has ever refused you. And it doesn’t sound like an opinion—it sounds like a decision he has already made for both of you.