Isiah's exhaustion had reached a severe breaking point, and without warning, he collapsed onto the cool ground.
There, standing quietly beside him, was the young boy he had encountered earlier; Ciel, still wearing that same endearing, radiant smile.
It quickly became apparent that Ciel had nowhere left to go, and the mysterious Katarina he had mentioned was nowhere to be found .
Isiah, gathering what little physical strength he had left, patted the earth with his palm and addressed the persistent child: "Aren't you tired from all this walking?"
Ciel remained standing, his innocent gaze fixed on Isiah. With a subtle hint of hunger in his voice, he replied, "I'm not tired, sir. I'm just hungry."
Isiah nodded in silent understanding, recalling the boy's earlier confession. Ciel's eyes wandered, scanning the dark forest surrounding them, and Isiah noticed that the boy had resumed walking toward a nearby thicket.
