"I'm not!" William's voice cut through the despair like a honed blade. He shook his head firmly, his expression shifting from a carefree smile to one of intense, focused gravity.
He lifted the spear, the flickering yellowish light on its tip casting long, dancing shadows across the faces of the stunned youths.
"This little toy here," he said, gesturing to the weapon, "will make all the difference, precisely because of those facts you all find so terrifying."
The silence that followed was heavy with scepticism. William looked at the faces surrounding him—Kong, Berry, and the others—and he could see the walls they had built. He knew they wouldn't take his words at face value.
To them, he was a talented youngster, perhaps lost in the delusions of a hero complex. He didn't have the time to sit them down for a lecture, nor did he have the intention to coddle them.
