Chapter 24: Arc 2.13

-Break-

Φ “Why can’t they both understand? Is it because they are young? Is it because they were born without fear? I want them to be safe, but they strongly reject my wish. Am I supposed to let them jump into an abyss I know ends with them falling to their deaths?”

Sequoia has been rambling on ever since Orb left, as if trying to convince himself of something.

“Cole, may I ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“As someone who has lived in the outside world for most of your life, am I wrong? Is what I believe incorrect.”

“The world is too big for anyone to have a comprehensive opinion on it, that includes myself, so I can’t tell you whether you or Orb are correct. Still, we all act according to some form of justice, so if you believe with all your heart that the outside world will only bring harm to your daughter, then don’t let her go no matter what, and keep her safe, but that’s simply my opinion.”

“Thank you for that, Cole,” he says while looking relieved.

“CHIEF,”, Aea says as she runs into the room.

“Aea, why are you in such a panic?”

“The warriors you sent earlier found the king walking close to the village. It was angry and hurt the scouts badly, but we also realised that Willow and Maple had left the village.”

Sequoia, upon hearing this runs full speed out of the room. I saw his face as he left, and the chief was terrified.

-Break-

Φ The first thing I remember was my father taking to me around the village. He was telling me about all the different people and what they do.

“That is Throne he oversees all the cooking in the village, and that’s Oren, the village doctor he was the one who delivered you, which was the happiest day of my life.” We would always end our walks by visiting moms grave.

As soon as I could read, he started teaching me all the different names of the people and the history of all their lives. It made my father extremely happy to talk about and share the village with me, so I tried to love it as much as he did, but it bored me.

Whenever I saw the village, all I could think was, is this all there is? Is there no more than this? By the time I turned five, I didn’t want to go for walks with dad anymore, but I still did because, from the bottom of his heart, it made my dad happy.

One day when I turned seven, my father started to teach me the most important facts about the village: its formation. I learned about the world outside, and Magnolia the founder, it made my heart beat so fast that I thought it would explode. There is so much beyond this village. I loved learning about this more than anything, though it was the thing dad disliked teaching me the most.

And one day, while looking in my father’s room, I found what I later was told was a photo. Seeing it sent my mind for a loop. The people in the picture had a different way of dressing than me, another way of doing hair. What else was different? Did they have other houses and different animals? What if they have figured out stuff we haven’t, like how to cure specific diseases? If we had all that, we could also enhance life in this village. There must be infinite things in this world; I can’t stay here for most of my life.

But my father eventually returned to his room and saw me. After looking at me, he ripped the photo from my hand and said, “From now on, you are ban from learning anything outside the village”, he said with a horrified face.

“What, why dad,” I pleaded incisively, but my dad ignored me. “Dad, this doesn’t make any sense; please listen to me.”

“THAT’S ALL YOU HEAR ME”, my father shouted at me. He had never done that before. You could say that is the day our relationship started to deteriorate.

From that day, I asked him repeatedly to tell me about the outside world, but he refused and told me, “There is no reason for you to know that since you’re going to be spending the rest of your life here, I will simply fulfil the duty by telling your husband.”

“Dad, but if we had things from the outside world, it would only help us.”

“MAPLE, my word is final. Now leave me be. I don’t want to hear this anymore. Now be a good girl and listen.”

I couldn’t understand why my father was like this, so to retaliate, I pulled away from everyone in the village. I wouldn’t talk with them or go near any of them. Due to this, I was never able to make friends. I was able to infuriate dad, who loved the village above all else with my actions, and I became a warrior as soon as possible, so I could leave the village whenever I wanted.

So, I used to sneak out of the village to see how close I could get to the outside, but without fail, I was always caught by a pest and brought back where my dad punished me.

I hate being in the village. I have no one who understands me, my dad doesn’t care for my feelings, all the adults always tell me to behave better, and I have no friends, the only thing that gives me happiness is the brief time I can go outside the village.

But when I came across two people outside, this was my moment to learn about the outside. Finally, maybe they would even take me with them, so when I heard one was about to leave, I had to do whatever I could do to get Orb to tell me what I wanted, but just like always, my dad tried to get in the way, but this time I didn’t take his nonsense lying down.

So I told him all I have been thinking all this time, and he hit me, he rejected all my feelings, so all I could do is run as far away from the village I couldn’t be there anymore.

“You’re always so unfair to me for no reason. I hate you, dad. I won’t ever forgive you for this. I will never forgive you,” I say, as I sit curled up like a ball in the forest.

“FOUND YOU!”

Hearing this voice, I look up to see it belongs to Willow. “I thought I lost you way back. How did you find me, pest.”

“Every time without fail, whenever you left the village, I always found you. I am a master of this.”

“Yes, that is the very reason I call you pest. Now leave or are you embracing your true nature as a pest.”

“Why would I come here to leave? Let’s go back to the village.”

“NO, I am never returning. Now leave me alone.”

“Oh, I see that how it is,” Willow says as he takes a seat beside me.

“What are you doing, pest,” I say moving slightly to the side.

“I just decided that if you refuse to come back, I need to keep my eyes on you to ensure you are safe.”

“I have enough sense to look after myself, so you don’t need to be here.”

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“Oh, you mean the sense you used to talk to your father.”

I click my tongue at Willow. “I would like to be alone.”

“And I would like to follow you.”

“I can just use force.”

“The last time you saw me in action was almost a year ago, so if you want, I can show you how that would end up.”

“Whatever, then I don’t care. Do what you want. You should celebrate; you seemed to have evolved into a super pest while I was being punished.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

So, after a moment of silence, Willow asks Me, “So do you want to talk about what happened at the village.”

I look viciously at Willow and then puts my head back between my knees.

“Ok, I will say things out loud if you don’t want to talk. What a certain someone said to the chief was extraordinarily cruel and unfair, and when such a person received a fitting punishment for her actions, she ran away to the forest to wine.”

“It was his fault, what I said was true.”

“Oh, so you can respond.”

Irritated by Willow, I return to her former position.

“You don’t seem to understand the gravity of what you said. You told Sequoia that the death of his wife, Buloke’s parents, Pine’s children, and everyone who died in the village were his fault, especially when all these things weighed heavily on the chief’s mind, back when he had all the sick executed.

I always see him visiting their graves every day. He must have wished that there was a way out not to that. I can tell you the guilt of feeling you killed people close to you is almost unbearable, and hearing that from the person he loves the most must make it so much worse.”

“But he wouldn’t listen to me.

“That doesn’t matter. It isn’t ok to do horrible things just because you have an issue with the chief doesn’t mean that you can start blaming him for this. He was simply the chief at an unfortunate time in the village. You could blame any of the chiefs before him or even Magnolia for making this village, but you choose to blame your dad and hurt him.

The chief has constantly put up with your rule-breaking and insults, but this was too much. What if you have done so much damage to his heart that he doesn’t want to talk to you anymore? Have you thought about that”

Φ “I don’t want that”, Maple says while crying.

“What going on,” I say, completely taken aback with a blush. I didn’t even know Maple cries. She is cute.

“I don’t want him to hate me. I just wanted him to listen to me, but he refused, so I had no other choice, but I don’t want him to hate me,” Maple says while weeping profusely.

“Please come down a bit, Maple.”

“I don’t want him to give up on me. I don’t know what to do anymore,” she says, tears flowing even faster.

“Maple listens to me. You and the chief are both horrible when you talk to each other, I never see the chief as irrational as when he is talking to you. He looks and acts like everything he tells us not to do, but you are also not the best at communicating, so I think you both need a fresh start to talk.”

“I don’t know how to do that, dad, and I haven’t had a conversation in years.”

“Ok, then why don’t we both get on our hands and knees and apologise with all our might if you want a fresh start? It’s good to apologise for all past mistakes; I can even get Orb to help us.”

As Maple starts clearing the tears from her eyes, she asks me, “Why are you doing this for me? I have only been mean to you.”

Getting up from the ground, I say, “When I was in a horrible place my friend saved me, and now I want to pass that on the someone I have known and spent time with for as long as I remember, so Maple let us go apologize.” I say as I stretch my hand out.

“Thank you,” Maple says as she grabs my hand.

So, as they walk back to the Village, Willow says, “So that you know, I don’t want you leaving the village either.”

“Why not.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Tell me, it might help me understand dads reasoning.”

“I refuse.”

“Come on.”

“No.”

“Please,” Maple says cutely.

“Ok, I will tell you if you can fix your relationship with your dad.”

“Promise.”

“I promise.” as the world leaves my mouth, a beast almost as tall as the tree breaks from the forest and swings its large tail at us. I grab maple and shield her as it smashes into me.”

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