The flickering light of the small campfire flame cast dancing shadows on Simon's mask. His silent gaze rested on the woman sitting across from him. She held a cup of coffee in her hands, her fingers lightly gripping the warm mug as if she were holding on to this simple moment. But her eyes told a different story, one that spoke of a pain that was burned deep into her soul.

"Why did you really join the military?" Simon's voice was calm, almost quiet, but it broke the silence like a knife.

She was silent for a moment, the darkness of the night seemed to grow heavier. Finally she spoke, her voice hesitant, almost brittle. "It wasn't... planned. I never wanted to live like this. But sometimes life leaves you no choice."

Simon said nothing, he waited. He had patience. Patience learned through pain, loss, and struggle.

“It was a few years ago,” she finally began, her gaze lost in the flames. “Someone broke into my house. It was the middle of the night. I remember waking up and hearing the sound of footsteps. I thought I had imagined it... until I saw him.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He had a knife. He wanted... I don't even know exactly what he wanted. But he enjoyed scaring me.”

Simon clenched his jaw, but he stayed still, his eyes on her.

“I thought that was it. I thought I was going to die.” She closed her eyes as if trying to keep the memories at bay, but they came anyway. “But something inside me... wanted to fight. I managed to fight back, to hurt him. Somehow I managed to escape, but... I wasn't the same after that."

She took a deep breath, as if she was regaining control of herself. "I chose the military because I never wanted to be so helpless again. Because I wanted to learn to be strong, to defend myself, not only myself, but others too."

Simon nodded slowly, his gaze seemed heavier, more thoughtful. "It takes a lot to survive something like that. But even more to not let it break you."