The old man waited patiently.
He did not speak, nor did he attempt to pressure William. He simply stood before him, arms behind his back, his gaze fixed like stone.
His eyes remained locked on William's, as if reading beyond the wounds and bruises.
The silence didn't last long.
William's lips finally moved, and his voice came out tired but clear:
"First… my name is William."
He paused for a moment, as if speaking required an effort he barely had left.
"Second… thank you for saving me."
His voice dropped slightly as he added:
"Could… you… untie me?"
The old man exhaled slowly.
He did not seem annoyed, but his expression remained unchanged.
"This is not what I asked you," he said, in a calm but firm tone.
He paused briefly, then added:
"Yet… I will allow it… for now."
He stepped slowly toward William.
A sharp, final glance passed between them, a look that made William feel as if the man was measuring his soul, not his body.
Then he extended his hand and unlocked the metal cuffs from William's wrists.
A faint metallic scrape echoed as the chains dropped onto the stone floor.
William's hands were finally free.
But the sudden rush of blood into his wrists after the release of pressure made him close his eyes for a moment.
He rubbed his hands slowly, trying to bring feeling back to them.
The old man… meanwhile, turned calmly and sat on the worn wooden chair.
Under the dim light, his features appeared even stranger; the face of a sage worn by time… yet his body remained firm, as if weakness had never touched it.
His gaze fixed on William.
"Listen carefully, boy," he said.
He paused slightly, then continued in a deep voice:
"Do not ask how… but I know you have been tortured."
His tone didn't change as he added:
"I do not know who did this to you.I do not know why."
He shrugged slightly, as if it mattered little to him.
William's gaze hardened at those words.
Yet the old man continued, unbothered:
"So tell me the truth."
He leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with William.
"On a scale of one to ten…"
"How would you rate your pain now… compared to the pain at the beginning of your torture?"
Then, in a quieter, more dangerous tone, he added:
"And do not think of lying to me."
Silence filled the cabin once more.
The wind outside the stone walls whispered softly, while the old man's eyes never left William's, scarcely blinking.
William felt that this question was not random.
It was a test.
A test he didn't yet understand.
But an important one.
He clenched his fists slightly, then lifted his gaze to meet the old man's slowly.
The small ember that had been born within him days ago… still burned.
It had not died out.
The old man's stare remained unyielding.
He waited for an answer, showing no impatience, as if accustomed to such silence.
William inhaled slowly, then spoke, his voice weary but sincere:
"If I had to describe the pain on a scale of one to ten… it would be twenty."
He paused briefly, as if even recalling the memories hurt.
Then he added, quietly, with even heavier weight:
"But compared to what I endured there… I'd say eight."
The old man's expression didn't change much at the answer.
He nodded once, as if he had received the response he expected.
"Very well… then you are partially fine," he said simply.
He paused, then added:
"Shall we begin the healing phase?"
He remained silent afterward, watching William for a long moment, as if studying something hidden within him.
William… hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"First…"
He paused slightly, then continued:
"Can you… tell me who you are?"
Then he glanced around the cabin again before asking:
"And where… am I now?"
The old man did not answer immediately.
He leaned back slightly in the chair, as if contemplating something distant.
Finally, he spoke:
"Forget about my identity for now."
His tone was calm… yet carried a weight that allowed no argument.
"What matters is that I harbor no ill intent toward you."
He made a subtle gesture toward the stone walls surrounding them.
"As for the place…"
"It is a dilapidated cabin, deep in an isolated forest."
He paused briefly before adding:
"And do not worry."
Then he looked William directly in the eyes:
"Your family… is safe."
The moment those words left his lips…
William suddenly sprang to his feet.
His body moved with an unexpected speed, despite the pain still tearing through him.
He took a step back, adopting a cautious stance, shoulders tense, muscles coiled.
The pain in his back and hands flared immediately, but he ignored it.
His eyes widened as he stared at the old man.
"How…"
He did not finish the sentence.
But the question was clear.
How does this man know about his family?
The old man… did not move.
He remained seated in the chair as if William's reaction did not surprise him at all.
He observed him quietly for a moment, then said in a low voice:
"Sit."
The word was not loud.
But it carried a strange weight, making the air in the cabin feel heavier for a moment.
"If I had wanted to harm you… I would not have removed you from that place in the first place."
He added, watching William's tension:
"Calm yourself, boy."
He paused briefly, then continued in a slower tone:
"If this is the speed at which you panic… you will not survive long in the world that is beginning to form now."
Silence filled the cabin once again.
But this time…
It was no ordinary silence.
It was silence full of questions that had not yet been asked.
And William realized only one thing in that moment.
This man…
Knows far more than he says.