...
...
Looking at his disciple who was now crying—no, like literally he was crying—the Master sighed. The kid had tears streaming down his face, looking at him in utter disbelief, devastated by what he'd just heard.
"What kind of reaction is that, Master!?" the boy cried out, his voice cracking with raw disappointment.
The man blinked lazily, clearly unfazed. "And what exactly did you expect me to say?" he asked, his tone flat and mildly annoyed.
"You want me to lie and say, 'Whoa! Amazing! I'm so impressed!' with sparkles in my eyes or something? Cringe."
"Ugh!"
The boy winced, physically recoiling as if his soul took another direct emotional hit. He clutched at his chest like he'd been stabbed.
But the Master wasn't done. He kept going with his cold, stoic tone.
"Or maybe you'd prefer I say, 'Hmm, interesting,' while stroking my long white beard like some kind of wise sage?"
The boy paused. The Master didn't have a white long beard, but still. That sarcasm stung.
