Heart of stone
“I am useless! I can’t even walk across a room without feeling like I’m being torn apart! How am I supposed to lead this fight? How am I supposed to protect anyone when I can barely protect myself?”
His voice cracked, and for a moment, the tough exterior he had maintained for so long crumbled. He dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders shaking—not from pain alone, but from the fear that he had become a burden rather than an asset. The conflict within him was brutal: the mind remained sharp, determined, and hungry for justice, but the body refused to obey.