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  The house stood at the top of the mountain as if it had been forgotten there.

  It was far too simple for the view it offered. Dark wooden walls, few pieces of furniture worn down by time, and a veranda open to the sky, a sky so filled with stars it felt unreal. The surrounding nature breathed in silence: tall trees, wind slipping through the leaves, the cold scent of damp earth.

  Iter was sitting near the open window.

  He wore elegant black clothes, almost too formal for such an isolated place: a long coat tailored to his body, matte fabric, subtle details that hinted at something custom-made. The sleeves covered his thin arms, and beneath it he wore a simple dark shirt.

  His black hair fell in a messy yet controlled way, stopping just above his ears. His eyes, brown with a faint, faded golden hue, were fixed on the sky, as if searching for something he had already given up on finding.

  He took a deep breath. The cold air helped keep the cough at bay.

  “Iter?”

  The small voice called out to him.

  He slowly turned his head.

  Zara was sitting on the floor near the door, playing with a piece of wood she had found outside. Her green hair was tied into a crooked ponytail, a few strands slipping free and falling across her face. Her clothes were simple and childlike, too loose, comfortable, made for someone still growing.

  “Zara, are you playing outside again at this hour? I already told you it’s dangerous.”

  She puffed out her cheeks.

  “But I’m strong. I can handle it.”

  Iter laughed softly.

  “I know you are. After all, you’re… different. But still…”

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  “You’re looking at the sky again,” she said. “It’s prettier up here than down below.”

  Zara stood up and walked over to him, sitting on the floor beside him and leaning her back against the wall.

  “Yeah,” Iter replied. “Up here, the stars feel… closer.”

  Zara waved the little stick in her hand while she thought.

  “Hmm. You always talk about that other world when you look up,” she commented. “The world you came from. I never understood, are you an alien, Iter?”

  Iter fell silent for a few seconds.

  “I was summoned when I was thirteen,” he said at last.

  Zara’s eyes widened slightly.

  “Summoned?”

  Iter let out a short laugh. There was no humor in it.

  “Yeah. To be a hero.”

  He sighed, letting out a small, dry chuckle.

  “You have been summoned to save this world,” he said with an almost theatrical, hollow tone. “You’ll become very strong. You’ll receive many skills. You are the salvation of this kingdom.”

  Zara tilted her head, curious.

  “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  Iter shrugged.

  “It seems like it. Especially when you come from a world where none of that exists. Where no one tells you you’re important. Where you just… live.”

  He ran a hand over his face, exhausted.

  “All heroes are like that. Ordinary people. Torn from their homes and thrown into something bigger than themselves. And when they gain power… they believe they’re part of something grand.”

  Zara pulled her knees up to her chest.

  “But they help, right?”

  Iter closed his eyes for a moment.

  “They’re used,” his voice came out lower. “Soldiers who don’t realize they’re soldiers. They fight, they win, they break… and when they’re no longer useful, they’re replaced.”

  The wind slipped in through the window, making his coat sway lightly.

  “It’s a never-ending cycle,” he continued. “Always a new hero. Always a new promise. Always the same fate. I don’t even know how long I’ve been here anymore, one hundred years? Two hundred? Three hundred? I stopped counting.”

  Zara fell silent, thinking.

  “But you were never bad,” she said suddenly. “You take care of me. You give me food and teach me lots of things.”

  She looked down with a faint smile.

  “Ever since I started living with you, I… I feel happy. It was a strange feeling for me. But now I understand, you’re my hero. I want to be a little like you when I grow up.”

  Iter felt his throat tighten.

  He slowly leaned forward and opened his arms. Zara approached without hesitation, far too small within that embrace. Iter held her carefully, as if she were made of something the world could easily break.

  His body trembled.

  “I’m sorry…” he murmured, his voice breaking. “Please forgive me, Zara.”

  She lifted her face, confused.

  “Why?”

  Iter squeezed his eyes shut, tears spilling down despite himself.

  “Because I won’t be able to save you…”

  The words came out broken, far too heavy for the silence that followed.

  Zara didn’t respond. She didn’t pull away. She simply stayed there, held in his arms, thoughtful, gazing at the star-filled sky beyond the window.

  The stars kept shining.

  As always, very far away.

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