Juluis and Sora walked together under the pale morning sun.
The valley stretched out around them, empty and quiet. Stones jutted from the ground like broken teeth. Wild grass swayed gently in the breeze, and the distant mountains rose like forgotten giants watching over the land.
Sora's small feet made soft crunching sounds on the gravel as he walked. His white hair caught the sunlight, and the faint half-moon mark under his right eye glimmered for a moment. He kept glancing at the rugged man beside him. Juluis's cloak flowed with each step, the sword at his side swinging slightly, and Sora couldn't stop staring.
"Do you like swords?" Juluis asked suddenly, his calm voice cutting through the quiet.
Sora blinked, startled. "I… I don't know," he admitted. "I'm just curious… how it's used."
Juluis tilted his head slightly. "Curious, huh?"
Sora nodded. His gaze shifted back to the sword. "It looks… so heavy. But I guess someone can make it feel light if they know how."
Juluis's eyes softened just a little. "Strength is not about making the sword feel light. It's about knowing yourself. Knowing what you can do and what you can't."
Sora frowned. He didn't quite understand. "So… if I'm not strong… I can't fight?"
"You can," Juluis said quietly. "But it will take patience. And time. And you will fail many times before you succeed."
Sora thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "Then I'll just keep trying."
Juluis allowed a small nod. "Good. That is a beginning."
Sora kept walking, his eyes wandering across the valley. Broken stones. Tiny streams cutting through the grass. A butterfly landed on a piece of moss-covered rubble. He reached out, and it fluttered away, leaving him staring at empty air.
"Everything here… it's strange," Sora said softly. "I've never seen anything like it."
Juluis said nothing, only walked beside him. His sword glimmered faintly in the sun, though Sora didn't know it yet—there was magic in it, a flow of energy called Aether that Sora himself had yet to discover.
"I wonder… why did I come here?" Sora asked suddenly, his voice almost a whisper. "I don't even know where I came from… or why I'm here."
Juluis's expression remained calm, but his eyes flicked to Sora's half-moon mark. He said nothing, letting the boy ponder the question himself. Some answers, he knew, could only come with time.
Sora crouched down to touch a small stream, letting the water run through his fingers. It felt cold and alive. "It's… beautiful," he murmured. "I've never seen water like this. Or wind. Or… sunlight like this."
Juluis's lips twitched, almost like a smile. "Then notice everything. That is the first lesson. The world is not only something to fight in—it is something to understand."
Sora's eyes widened as he looked up. "Do you… think I can understand it all?"
Juluis didn't answer right away. He only adjusted the sword at his side and kept walking. "Perhaps," he said finally, "if you're willing to learn. And willing to endure."
Sora followed quietly, glancing at the ruins, the streams, the sky above. Everything felt new. Everything felt alive. He didn't know that the half-moon mark beneath his eye marked him for destiny. He didn't know about kings, wars, or immortals waiting in the shadows.
For now…
For now, he was just a boy.
Curious.
And ready to explore the world.