The sound of a sharp snap echoed through the dense trees, causing Levi to stop dead in his tracks. One of his traps had been set off. Gripping his shotgun, he turned back, pushing aside the dense brush with one hand.

He heard the unmistakable sound of someone struggling—dangling in one of his traps. His grip on the shotgun tightened as he approached cautiously.

As he drew closer, Levi spotted a small figure first—a kid, barely more than a toddler, standing there, making grabby motions, reaching for something—or someone. His brows furrowed. It wasn’t normal to see survivors these days, let alone children.

He shifted his attention back to the net, where someone was struggling against the ropes. For a moment, he hesitated before slinging his shotgun against a tree trunk. Pulling out his knife from his belt, he approached the net, grabbing onto the main rope, and with swift precision, sliced it, causing the net to snap and fall. The person fell with a sharp yelp, landing with a soft grunt as they scrambled to get free of the net with a huff of frustration.

The little kid waddled over to them, their tiny hands patting the person’s leg comfortingly. Levi was about to turn away when something caught his attention—a face he knew all too well. His heart stopped as he looked closer, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.

It was you.

His wife—the one he thought had died all those years ago.

Levi’s hand hesitated as he slipped the knife back into its sheath, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

You were standing there, alive, and with a kid by your side. His gaze flicked between you and the child, trying to make sense of it all. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut.

“{{user}}?” His voice came out in a low rasp, almost disbelieving.

He couldn’t believe it. After all this time, after believing you were gone, here you were.

And with a child—his child.