The man shifted his grip and carried him gently, cradling him like a baby in those strong arms.
Nansich was too stunned to fight anymore. He didn't even flinch when he felt the dried, crusted blood from the alien staining his clothes. The man didn't say anything—just walked slowly toward the barn, footsteps soft against the grass.
And that's when it hit him.
This man… he had killed that monster. Not out of rage or bloodlust. He had done it to protect him.
He had saved him.
Nansich blinked, staring up at the man's unreadable face. His heart, which had been pounding in terror moments ago, was starting to settle. He didn't feel so scared anymore. Even though this guy was drenched in alien blood. Even though those arms holding him had just ripped through a creature twice his size.
Somehow, none of it mattered.
That smouldering gaze—the one that had paralyzed him with fear at first—now melted it away. All of it.
