** Poof. **
Robin let his body fall to the ground, not in surrender but in contemplation. He slumped where he stood, lowering himself until he sat cross-legged at the base of the towering palm tree.
With a weary groan, he leaned back against its bark and rested his hands atop his raised knees.
Then, he simply… breathed.
A long, tired breath that escaped his lungs like smoke from an old battlefield.
Since this conversation with the old man had begun, it felt like his entire understanding of the world had shifted. He had stepped — no, been dragged — into a domain of knowledge that felt far beyond him.
He'd uncovered truths... secrets so old and vast they echoed like legends.
And yet, the strange irony was... he still knew nothing.
Nothing he could use. Nothing that gave him an edge, a direction, or even a sliver of clarity.
Just the overwhelming weight of the unknown pressing down on his shoulders.
Time passed in silence.
