The days were passing one after another.

  As time went on, a strange but peaceful order had settled within the silent stone walls of the cave.

  At first, I was only trying to survive, but now I realized that, in some way, I had become a part of a community.

  The goblins were learning.

  As I showed them, they tried, made mistakes, and then tried again.

  Small accidents, burned fingers, broken sticks...

  But they didn't give up.

  And over time, they began to master the skills.

  Starting a fire was now a routine task for them.

  Their hunting techniques had improved, and they were better at catching fish than I was.

  They cleaned and cooked the animals they hunted — some of them even discovered how to crush salty stones to make a simple seasoning.

  The most surprising thing was that they had learned to stockpile food.

  The big goblin acted like a leader, observing everything from a distance and directing the work.

  The smaller goblins had begun to create food stores in the hidden corners of the cave.

  Dried meat, fruits, fish hidden in their skins...

  And the interesting part was that they brought the excess food to me.

  At night, while sitting by the fire and sharpening my weapons, the small goblins would quietly approach me.

  One of them would gently leave a fish wrapped in its arms beside me, then immediately look into my eyes before backing away.

  Another would quietly place a handful of dried fruit at the corner of my bed, silently retreating without a word.

  At first, I was surprised.

  Why were they doing this?

  But then I understood: it was a thank you.

  I had taught them how to survive.

  How to feed themselves, how to protect themselves. And now, in their own way, they were responding to me.

  One night, while sharpening my iron blade, I noticed small pieces of stone left beside my bed.

  Iron ores.

  Volcanic stones.

  Where had they found these?

  That's when I realized: they had been watching me.

  The stones I collected, the ores I paid attention to — the goblins had learned this. And when they returned from hunting, they gathered as many of these stones as they could and silently placed them beside my bed.

  It was a bond that couldn’t be expressed in words.

  The cave no longer felt like a place of loneliness.

  When I went out to gather materials, the goblins guarded the camp.

  When I sat by the fire, weary from the day's work, the small goblins ate their food quietly beside me.

  Sometimes, they would approach as if they wanted to ask something, but since they couldn't speak, they just looked at me.

  But their eyes told me everything.

  The big goblin still did not leave the depths of the cave.

  But he remained vigilant, constantly on alert for the safety of the small goblins. I still didn’t fully understand his relationship with me, but his aggressive demeanor towards me had almost entirely vanished.

  Sometimes, he would silently come to the fire, squat down, and watch the flames dance.

  He wouldn’t speak.

  He would just watch.

  But in his eyes, there was a careful observation — as if he was still weighing whether or not to trust me.

  Still... I was sure he hadn’t forgotten the word "no touching."

  Sometimes, as I lay in bed at night, I would think:

  What was I doing?

  As a human, teaching a group of "monsters" how to survive?

  It didn’t make sense. But it still felt right.

  Were they really monsters?

  Or were they just other creatures trying to survive?

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  Maybe the real monsters were the humans themselves.

  Maybe what was right and wrong was more complicated than I had thought.

  But no matter what, one thing was certain:

  If there was a threat that stood between me and my survival in this cave...

  If they stood in the way of rescuing my mother...

  I wouldn’t hesitate to destroy them.

  Though this thought weighed heavily on my mind...

  Though I felt a heavy burden in my chest...

  When tomorrow came, I would continue teaching them how to fish.

  I woke to the deep crackling sound that tore through the silence of dawn.

  As soon as I opened my eyes, I instinctively jumped up, my heart racing wildly in my chest. My instincts were on high alert.

  The sound coming from the cave...

  Something had happened.

  I immediately grabbed my axe and, barefoot, ran toward the cave.

  My breath was quickening, my pulse ringing in my ears.

  My footsteps echoed on the stones, the sound bouncing through the narrow passage, amplifying my fear.

  When I arrived at the cave, the sight before me tightened my chest.

  The big goblin was writhing on the stone floor of the cave.

  His massive body was twisted in pain, his strong arms trying to push himself up, but he couldn’t.

  Sweat was dripping from his forehead, and with every movement, deep, guttural groans escaped him.

  Around him, the small goblins had gathered.

  Their eyes were wide, filled with fear...

  Some had their hands over their faces, crying, while others clung desperately to the big goblin.

  I felt a tightness in my chest.

  Seeing them like this... defenseless. Fragile.

  These small creatures, who had sought refuge in their leader's arms, did not attack me as the monster they feared.

  They were waiting for me to do something.

  I steadied my breath.

  Now was not the time to panic.

  I quickly knelt by the big goblin's side, looked at his knee — and immediately noticed his swollen, bruised leg. The bone must have been broken.

  I scanned the area quickly; my bag had been left outside, but I always carried a small pouch of herbs with me.

  I knew the Chira flower and steep moss I gathered from the forest had anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties.

  My hands were shaking, but I had to focus. I chewed the plants, crushed them, and when it became a paste, I applied it to the wounded area.

  The big goblin groaned in pain, but didn't pull away. He stood still with incredible patience, not moving an inch.

  Then I quickly scanned the surroundings — I found a few sturdy branches and a small piece of fabric.

  I splinted his leg.

  With each movement, he clenched his jaw, his claws dug into the stone floor, but he didn’t scream. It was impossible for him not to scream, but instead, he kept growling.

  His endurance... amazed me.

  When I finished, I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

  My hands were covered in blood.

  Just as I was about to compose myself and take a deep breath, my eyes caught a glimpse of something in the corner of the cave.

  A stone of average size...

  It was shattered.

  It weighed around 40-50 kilograms, so it wasn't something the big goblin couldn’t carry.

  Then... how had it fallen?

  I looked up at the ceiling of the cave, but there were no signs of a collapse.

  As questions spun around in my head, the small goblins were still looking at the big goblin with fearful eyes. But the big goblin, with a painful yet warm smile on his face, made a growl to let them know he didn’t want them to be scared.

  The small goblins slowly dispersed, but there was still worry in their eyes.

  The big goblin struggled to sit up, but couldn’t take a single step. His muscles trembled, his breathing became irregular.

  I immediately slid under his arm and helped him up. I leaned him against one of the rocks in the corner of the cave, making sure his legs were straight.

  He was making soft growls, but despite the pain, he didn’t complain.

  Then he looked at me.

  And with great difficulty, he managed to say a meaningful word with his deep voice:

  “Human... thank you.”

  I froze.

  For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I just felt like I had swallowed my tongue.

  But I quickly recovered and answered in a soft voice:

  “It’s nothing. You’re welcome.”

  The big goblin took a deep breath, then slapped his hand on the ground next to him.

  “Human... sit.”

  I stared at his eyes in astonishment.

  But then I slowly sat down next to him.

  We both silently watched the fire. Only the sound of our breathing and the distant drip of cave water could be heard.

  In the depths of the cave, the flickering light of the fire cast shadows dancing on the stone walls.

  The small goblins had quietly pulled away to the corners, watching us with fearful eyes. The big goblin was leaning against the rock, breathing deeply and unevenly.

  His chest rose and fell as he clenched his jaw to suppress the pain, but despite knowing how strong he was, I could still feel that his massive body was slowly wearing out.

  And then he spoke those words:

  “I... am dying.”

  My heart clenched. Something inside me broke.

  Those words echoed through the cool air of the cave, as if piercing through me.

  It hadn’t been long since we first met, but the time we spent together, the meals we shared, the small pieces of knowledge I taught, and the trust they showed me... all of that wasn’t just simple memories.

  We had become like a family.

  My throat tightened. I wanted to say something, but the words caught in my throat.

  The big goblin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he slowly turned his head to me and continued:

  “I... am weak.”

  “You... are good.”

  Those words stroked my pride, but it made my heart ache even more. He trusted me. He truly trusted me. If I wanted to harm them, I could have done so long ago, but I had chosen to protect them, to help them grow, to make their lives better.

  But... why?

  Why did I feel this way? Why had I found peace with these little creatures?

  Maybe it was because I saw myself in them.

  Weak but eager to learn. Small but growing stronger together.

  The big goblin's voice grew more serious:

  “Goblins are small, weak.”

  “You are strong...”

  “I will die, but you... will live.”

  With those words, the helplessness inside me grew.

  Why did I feel this way?

  Why couldn’t I stop this creature from dying?

  Maybe I could save him. Maybe there were more healing plants in the cave. Maybe I could find a solution in the forest outside. But with each passing minute, the big goblin’s dwindling energy slapped the truth into my face:

  He already knew.

  He had accepted it.

  And now, he was telling me his last wish.

  “Goblins, you... leader.”

  With those words, my knees gave way, and I sat down where I was.

  He trusted me.

  He wanted me to protect his people.

  He was entrusting me with their future.

  But who was I?

  A blacksmith struggling to survive on his own.

  A man wanting to heal his mother and avenge his father.

  Someone barely managing his own life... how could I be a leader?

  The small goblins were looking at me.

  With fear, hope, and helplessness...

  The big goblin’s hands trembled.

  Slowly, he reached for my arm. His fingers were weak, but there was still strength in them.

  Then, in a faint but sincere tone, he spoke again:

  “You... family.”

  Hearing those words, my eyes welled up.

  I wasn’t just a teacher or protector to them. They had truly accepted me.

  As one of them.

  Like a family.

  No matter how frightening it was, no matter how heavy the responsibility, I couldn’t refuse.

  I slowly nodded and, in a soft but determined voice, I spoke:

  “I promise.”

  “I will take care of them.”

  The big goblin's eyes slightly lit up. A small smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

  After a while, his face grew serious again, and he spoke these words:

  “Raulo Alvis.”