Chapter 12: Dying Wish XII
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John stood in the silence, the pistol still warm in his hand. The System pulsed gently in his mind.
[One charge remaining. Mana stone reload required after next use.]
He slid the weapon into the cloth belt around his waist. It did not need a holster. Not yet. The others waited for him to speak.
He looked at them, again. "You have seen what I can do"
They nodded.
"This world has power. But it is ancient and arrogant. It refuses to change. I will change it. And you can choose whether to follow or return to the lives you lost before you came here."
The oldest man stepped forward. The one who had spoken to him before. "You carry something different," he said. "Not just in your hands. But in your eyes."
John met his gaze. "I carry hopes of a different world. Of things you have never seen. And I am not done."
The man dropped to one knee. The others followed. John felt no pride. Only silence.
He turned back to the tunnel and looked toward the exit. The path out would be long. Maybe guarded. But it no longer mattered.
He began to walk. His legs were stiff. His ribs ached with every step. Dried blood clung to the edge of his sleeve and the gun still rested in his belt, heavy with everything it now meant. The air down here in the mine was thick with dust and the scent of stones. Faint echoes clung to the stone walls like ghosts. Footsteps behind him multiplied as the miners followed without a word.