Zarek held his mother's warm hands as they gently wrapped around his tiny ones.
"Zarek," she said softly,"someday in the future, when you fall… I might not be there to help you stand. But when that time comes—when you feel alone—you must find the strength to rise on your own.
Because one day, others will depend on you. And when that moment arrives… you must stand, and you must fight."
Zarek looked up at her with a cherry-bright smile and nodded, his little heart swelling with something he couldn't yet name.
His mother smiled back, warm and full of love, a familiar fragrance clinging to the moment—like blooming flowers.
***
Zarek's breath grew heavy as memories flooded back.
"Mother…" he thought, words echoing through his mind.
"Get up, Zarek. You can't die here—not after everything you've survived."
The voice in his head grew louder. "Get up, Zarek!"
