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Leo shook his head, pressing the wooden disc back into Elias's palm. "I already know where I am, and I know where you're going. You're the one heading into the fog, Elias. You take it. As long as you have it, I'll know you’re coming back. That's how I'll find my way—by waiting for you."

As dawn began to bleed through the gray clouds, Elias shoulder his pack. He didn't wake Leo. He knew he couldn't handle the goodbye. But as he reached the gate at the end of the lane, he heard a frantic patter of boots on the gravel. "Elias! Wait!"

"No, Leo, that's for you. To find your way," Elias said softly.

Quietly, Elias took the compass and tucked it under Leo’s pillow. It was more than a gift; it was a promise.

His younger brother, Leo, was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with the effortless peace of someone who didn't yet know they were leaving. Tomorrow, Elias would head to the coast to find work, a journey that meant leaving Leo behind with their aunt in the valley. It was the only way to keep them both fed, but the guilt felt like a physical weight.