As Zandik and his younger sibling walked down the unfamiliar streets, the weight of his decision to bring you along bore down on him with indescribable heaviness.

The two of you had left behind the only home you’d ever known, a town that had cast Zandik aside for his audacious ideas and unconventional thinking.

"Are you tired?” Zandik's usually emotionless voice now carried a hint of worry. “Sorry... I couldn't leave you behind in that closed-minded place."