Two days later
Sometimes, I wonder:
Why can't we all just live in peace?
Help each other. Grow. Laugh. Thrive.
I want that. Truly, I do.
But it's a fantasy.
The duality in us — the craving for danger and the longing for safety — tears us apart.
We chase thrill, flirt with chaos, then beg for peace when it turns on us.
To satisfy the itch for excitement, we often ignore the price it demands.
And sometimes, that price is everything.
Ryo's mind drifted to the clans' wishes to fight the demonic sect, and the Church of Order's push to make everyone join the Faith of Acceptance.
One thing was clear: within a week of battle, the losing side admits defeat and calls for a truce.
But if you're truly ready to die for your cause, why give up so easily?
If I had a cause I believed in wholeheartedly, would I give up so easily too?
Ryo shook his head and closed the book titled History and Its Lessons.
"Ryo, what have I told you about reading before school? It's your cultivation exam today. Get up and go!"
Ryo's head dropped onto the desk at the mention.
"Ryo!"
His mother's firm tone snapped him back. He finally shouted back an answer.
"All right! I'm coming!"
He stepped away from the desk and threw on his usual school robes — grey silk with matching loose pants, all sewn by his mother's careful hands.
Stepping out of his room, Ryo opened a clay jar and chugged the water inside.
"Brother, don't drink too much—you'll need to pee!"
His sister giggled, playing with the dolls Ren gave her for her last birthday. Ryo still remembered when he accidentally stepped on one. She cried for two days, and even after he went to the market to buy a replacement, she cried for another. Only after that did she finally calm down.
Ryo stopped drinking and burped.
"Manners, boy!"
His mom yelled, tossing a spoon at him. He barely dodged as it clattered against the wall.
Placing the jar back on the shelf, Ryo darted out the door before the madness of the house drove him mad.
Outside, a bucket of water waited for washing faces and hands. Ryo dipped his arms up to the elbows and splashed his face clean.
The basement door snapped open as his dad emerged, staff in hand, sweating and slightly out of breath.
"I heard you've got a physical exam today, boy. Don't waste time — unless you want 24 hours of training for your mind and body."
Ryo froze for a moment, then glanced up at his dad's grinning face before sprinting off.
"I'm good! See ya!"
Running through the crowded streets, Ryo side-stepped passersby.
"Young boy Tanaka! Boiled lizard egg?"
An old man called out.
Ryo caught the egg just in time. The man smiled and waved. Ryo nodded and kept running.
"Over here!"
Ryo called out. A boar-type beast stood nearby — usually a defense type. This one seemed rank 1, given its small tusks.
The beast wielder waved him over. "Seven bronze, young man."
Ryo smiled and handed it over.
That's a fair price.
He stepped into the carriage, eating the boiled egg, jolted by the rough dirt path.
I hope I pass this exam... Ryo thought of the instructor who seemed to hate him just for being a peasant.
Unless I want to do a walk of shame back home.