The wood of the sword scrapped across the floor as Owen walked forward, his head lowered. An old man looked up from his newspaper and raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going with that, Owen? You don't have sparring class today, do you?"
Owen grimaced. "I'm going to get my bracelet back."
He took a sip of his mug that said Number 1 Grandpa and then set the paper down. "What happened to your bracelet?" This is Owen's adoptive grandfather, Odius. He took Owen in ever since he wandered into the village ten years ago and has raised him like his own ever since.
"Some punk from my class stole it from me yesterday." Owen gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. "So I'm going to get it back."
"By using that?" Owen's Grandpa looked down at the wooden blade.
"So what if I am? Are you going to try and stop me?"
Odius just shook his head before taking another sip of tea. "My dear boy, we all make our on choices. The only one who could stop you is yourself. All I can do is simply tell you what I think."
Owen looked over toward the door, then back at his grandfather. He let out a light sigh. "Fine. Tell me what you think then, Grandpa."
"Do you know for sure if this person stole your bracelet? Did you see it happen?"
"It had to be him," Owen said, crinkling his nose. "He's always picking fights with me and doing whatever he can to piss me off."
"But did you see it happen? Can you say for sure that it was stolen and not just misplaced? And if you are sure it was stolen, are you positive it was him?"
Owen clenched his teeth and his grip on the sword loosened. "It…has to be."
Odius gave his long gray beard a few good strokes. "If I wasn't one-hundred percent certain that this wasn't the case, then I would not jump to violence. Especially if people already fancied me a criminal in the first place."
"I'm not a criminal," Owen snapped. "That's just a label they forced upon me. Because of my father's crimes…But I'm not him."
Odius nodded. "Then don't prove them right. Don't give them a reason to justify their prejudice to themselves."
The sword shook in Owen's trembling hands. "What else am I supposed to do…Grandpa?"
"Face your fears. And simply talk with this person you're so afraid to. Who knows? They just might be willing to listen. But you'll have to open your heart first."
Owen nodded in understanding. "You're right. Thank you."
"Hey, what are grandfathers for? I do more than just read the news and drink tea all day, you know?" Odius winked at his grandson.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed," Owen said with a chuckle.
"You little punk. Don't forget whose roof you're under." Odius grabbed his cane and stood up before walking over to Owen.
Owen flinched and closed his eyes as Odius raised his cane. A warm, soothing feeling endowed his entire body. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see his grandfather embracing him. A small drop of water dripped onto his shoulder.
Odius sniffled as tears flowed down his face. "I know it's hard right now. But if you just keep it up. I promise, things will get better. You just have to keep having faith, alright? In others…and in yourself."
***
Owen set his sword back down in the pile where he got it from and smiled to himself. "Sorry, Alyclysa. Guess I don't need to use you just yet."
"Might as well think about what I'm going to say to Gyra." Owen rubbed his chin in thought. "Hm, how should I ask him if he stole my bracelet though?"
Owen ran through his thoughts but couldn't come up with an idea on how to best handle this. After all, Gyra wasn't exactly the diplomatic type to begin with. Even so, Owen wanted to heed his grandfather's words.
Ever since he was a child, his grandpa had always given him some very useful and wise advice. Of course, he didn't always follow it right away, but eventually Owen would realize that he was right. So this time, he wanted to try and make him proud.
"Agh, it's no use. I'll have to sleep on it," Owen said as he started to take his shirt off.
The door creaked open and Emelia walked in. "Hey, Owen, I just wanted to…" Owen's shirt landed right on Emelia's head and draped over her face.
"Whoops! Sorry, Emelia!"
"Owen!" Emelia threw his shirt down on the floor. She crossed her arms and huffed. "That was disgusting!"
"I said I was sorry, geez…"
"Why don't you watch the door, dummy?!"
"Why don't you knock?!"
Emelia paused for a bit then itched her cheek. "Well uh, I…"
Owen folded his arms and cocked his eyebrow. "Mhm?"
"Listen, that's not important right now!"
"It's pretty important to me," Owen said. "But whatever. Why did you come here? It was just to sneak a peak at me, right?"
"Oh, haha. Real funny, Owen." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I came here to remind you to register for the Scouting Festival. You still haven't done it, right?"
"Maybe. So what?"
Emelia groaned, placing her hands on her hips. "So what? Owen, didn't you want to join a guild and become a High-Ranking Adventurer. You used to talk about it all the time."
"Back when I was a kid, yeah. But I'm sixteen now." Owen looked out the window to see the violet and azure moons shining brightly. "I understand what the world is like now."
Emelia frowned as she walked up to Owen. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't tell me you've given up on your dream?"
Owen shook his head. "No, that's not it. I'm just…considering different options now. That's all."
Emelia watched Owen as he continued to stare wistfully out the window. She nodded and watched the two moons with him. "If that's the case, then the guilds are still an option. So don't forget to sign up tomorrow, alright? It's the last day for registration."
Truthfully, Owen did still want to follow his initial path of joining a guild and becoming a High-Ranking Adventurer. If he could do that and become a famous icon like the Tetra Guardians, then surely he would get the respect he deserves.
Yet, there was still this scathing feeling on his back that told him people would never change. And that feeling had only gotten stronger and stronger over the years. But still, deep in his heart, he wanted to follow that initial path oh so badly. And so, he turned to face Emelia and smiled. "Alright. I'll do that."
She smiled in return. "Glad to hear it. Goodnight, Owen. And good luck." With those parting words, Emelia started to walk out of the room. "Oh, and put on a shirt." And then she was gone.
"Goodnight to you, my friend." Owen turned around, ready to jump into bed. Then, he jumped back in shock.
A petite girl with long wavy black hair and shimmering golden eyes stood in front of Owen. She patted down her frilly pink dress and waved. "Hello there. Nice to finally meet you in person like this."
"What the hell are you talking about?! How did you get in here?! Owen reached for his sword and pointed it towards the girl. "Who are you?"
The young girl pursed her lips. "You sure ask a lot of questions, don't you? Respectful people would start by introducing themselves, don't you know?"
"Forgive me if I'm not exactly eager to show respect to someone who just broke into my room."
"How rude!" The girl placed her hands on her hips and bent forward. "I didn't break in. I've been here from the start."
"Say what now…?"
"My name is Solina," she said, a haughty grin coating her face. She brushed a hand behind her hair, revealing a pointy ear. "And I'm an elf that's been living in your soul for the past ten years."