Conrad and Tom had returned to their everyday routine.
They continued training.
They continued searching for ways to earn money.
After all...
Strength alone wasn't enough.
They also needed money if they wanted to survive in the Land of Cruelty.
One morning, as they were walking through the streets, they noticed a familiar face.
It was the young man who had thrown old Thomas out of his house.
He was crying.
As Conrad and Tom walked closer...
They froze.
Lying beneath a tree...
Was Thomas.
He was gone.
Just yesterday...
He had been laughing with them.
Today...
He was dead.
There were no wounds.
No signs of violence.
He had simply passed away from natural causes.
Neither Conrad nor Tom spoke.
A single tear rolled down Conrad's face.
Tom couldn't hold himself together.
To him...
Thomas wasn't just a teacher.
He had become the father he never had.
After a long silence, Conrad finally asked,
"How did he die?"
"And why did you throw him out of the house?"
"Why would you ever do something like that to Thomas?"
The young man looked down.
"He died from cancer."
"And..."
"He wasn't my father."
"He was my grandfather."
Conrad and Tom looked at each other in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"None of this makes any sense."
The young man closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Gramps..."
"I promised you I wouldn't tell anyone."
"But I can't carry this burden anymore."
He took a deep breath.
"My father died when I was very young."
"After that..."
"Gramps became the only breadwinner in the family."
"He worked as a cleaner in a hospital."
"Mostly around laboratories with radioactive elements."
"The pay wasn't much."
"But somehow..."
"He managed to feed my mother, my little sister, and me."
"There were days..."
"When he didn't eat a single thing himself."
"He also had a disability."
"His left leg had a serious walking problem."
Conrad and Tom were stunned.
They had never noticed.
Thomas had hidden it so well.
Even during training...
He barely moved unless he absolutely had to.
The young man continued.
"When he turned sixty..."
"He retired."
"With no income left..."
"My mother started working in other people's houses."
"I was twelve."
"My little sister was five."
"She was about to start school."
"We desperately needed money."
"So..."
"Gramps sold one of his kidneys."
The two boys stood frozen.
"That money kept us alive for almost three years."
"But then..."
"He was diagnosed with cancer."
"He never told anyone."
"Treatment would've cost too much."
"He didn't want us wasting our money on him."
"So..."
"He came up with a plan."
"He told everyone that he had started stealing the money my mother earned..."
"...and spending it at brothels."
"My mother became furious."
"Then..."
"It was my turn."
"I had to throw him out."
"It was all an act."
"My body listened to him..."
"But my heart never did."
"I only did it because..."
"Gramps made me promise."
Silence.
The young man reached into his pocket.
"He also left something for you two."
Tom slowly opened the envelope.
Inside...
There was 1,000 dollars.
540 dollars for Conrad.
460 dollars for Tom.
Conrad couldn't believe it.
Thomas had secretly saved every dollar they had ever given him.
He had never spent it on himself.
He had been sleeping beneath that tree...
Barely eating...
Yet he continued helping them.
In that moment...
Conrad and Tom realized something else.
Shelby...
Was Thomas.
Everything.
Every job.
Every dollar.
Every lesson.
Had been planned by him.
Tom completely broke down.
For the second time in his life...
He had lost a parent.
His final memories with Thomas...
Were fighting beside him.
Laughing with him.
Sharing a simple meal together.
Conrad quietly smiled through his tears.
"What a man..."
The two of them returned every single dollar to Thomas's grandson.
"As a token of our gratitude."
"As repayment..."
"For everything your grandfather did for us."
The young man gently pushed the money back into Conrad's hands.
"I can't."
"I promised Gramps that if you ever returned it..."
"I had to give it back."
"He said this was his final gift to both of you."
"Please..."
"Accept his last blessing."
"He'll rest peacefully if you do."
"And don't worry about us."
"He left enough money for our family to survive for years."
Conrad looked at Tom.
Tom nodded.
Together...
They accepted the envelope.
Not as charity.
But as Thomas's final lesson.
They gave the old man the farewell he deserved.
Not as a teacher.
Not as a mentor.
But as family.
As they walked away...
They carried two things with them.
The golden memories Thomas had given them...
And a promise.
To become strong enough...
To honor the man who believed in them when they had absolutely nothing.
Now...
More than ever before...
Conrad and Tom had a reason to climb higher.
A reason to enter the Land of Cruelty.
And a reason...
To rise above everyone.