"…The cost of a brighter future"
Silence followed. Long, uneasy, stretching into seconds that felt like minutes. None of them seemed to understand what he meant, even Elaria and Thalia exchanged uncertain glances.
"...A brighter future… sir?" one of the group finally asked.
"Yes," Taufik replied, his tone steady but not unkind. "The cost I ask is a promise. If I grant you the chance to wield Mana again, then you must swear to create a brighter future, for your descendants, and for all of humanity in Midgard"
The group hesitated, exchanging wary looks.
"If… if we can't?" one of them ventured cautiously.
Taufik's faint smile didn't reach his eyes.
"If you can't…" He paused, letting the silence fill the space between them. "Then forget it. You can imagine what will happen"
The air seemed to thicken with the weight of his words. None dared to speak, their gazes flicking between one another and the three strangers before them.
