Sequoia Coast Ocean of Stars

Wraen was not lying, but Elfie did not want to believe it. Surely there was a selfish reason for them not to want to save themselves. And that idea was so deeply ingrained in his brain by now that he voiced it aloud too: "I think that they just gave up and did not want to fight. Adults do that. Mom gave up and Colt gave up too."

There was a defiant tone in his voice, when he said this. It was a truth that he had learned by himself and it had grown into unshakeable belief. If you worked hard enough, if you fought, you could not lose. Never. Failures happened, when people did not have courage.