The sun rose as it did every morning, and with it, the forest, bathed in its rays, came alive with color. Birds launched their morning symphony with fervor from the tall trees that thickened the woods, while streams flowed gently, accompanied by their favorite inhabitants who leaped with energetic bounds as if performing an impressive acrobatic show. The mountain proudly displayed its contours, as though affirming yet another victory over the darkness of the night that had swallowed it whole. It made the countless trees covering it dance in the wind like a shimmering mane. Like many forests, this one was also dotted with small clearings where the sun showcased its charms, sheltered from the canopy formed by the trees and their leaves. In one such small clearing, deep in the heart of the forest, stood a rustic yet cozy cabin. Inside, the voice of a middle-aged man with a nearly shaven head and a scar on the left corner of his lips could be heard.
"Nate, come down. Breakfast is ready."
"Alright, Zad, I'm coming."
At that moment, a lively young boy dashed down the stairs, arriving in the kitchen to help serve breakfast. However, Zad, far from letting it slide, decided to scold him.
"Nate, how many times have I told you not to run in the house, especially down the stairs?"
"Ah, sorry, Zad. It's just... I'm so hungry."
Zad thought for a moment, then finally decided to let it go this time.
"Fine, just finish setting the table."
With a smile on his face, Nate obeyed and began setting the table as Zad had asked. A few minutes later, breakfast was served to Nate's great delight. As they ate, a candle burning on the table suddenly caught the young boy's attention. He paused for a moment, stretched out his finger toward the candle, and…
Wooooouuuuvvvv
Part of the flame from the candle floated toward his finger and gathered in the palm of his hand. Nate began to stare at the flame, playing with it as if it were just any ordinary object. Watching this, Zad allowed a slight smile to cross his face before saying:
"Good, I'm glad to see you're in good shape today. Hurry up and finish your plate so we can start training."
Nate replied with a guilty and hesitant tone.
"What?! T-training again?!"
"Yes, again! And we'll keep going until you're..."
"'... Strong enough to fulfill your destiny and face Mesophagia when it returns.' Yes, I know all that already."
"If you know that, then try taking your training more seriously."
Upon hearing these words, Nate took a deep breath and blew out the flame he now held on the tip of his finger, extinguishing it. With a weary expression, he replied, "It's just that your training is so exhausting. Seriously, we keep doing the same thing over and over again."
"It is through repetition and perseverance..."
"'...That a warrior attains wisdom and masters self-control.' Yeah, yeah, I know that too."
"You're being quite cheeky this morning!" Zad shot back.
Nate stood up from his chair and calmly said, "You know what? You're right. I'll go gather some wood from the forest. Once I'm back, we can pick up your precious training where we left off yesterday."
The young boy headed for the door under Zad's watchful eye, suspicious that Nate was up to no good. And it seemed Zad's fears were justified, as Nate closed the door quietly behind him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Once outside, Nate muttered to himself with that same grin, "He can forget about training today. I'm taking the day off."
Without another word, Nate sprinted away from the cabin, darting into the forest. Agile and quick, he leaped from tree to tree, branch to branch, like a forest creature. Once he was far enough from the cabin, he spoke aloud, "And if he's so keen on training, well, he can do it by himself!"
He stopped on a branch and continued his monologue, "Honestly, he's always telling me: Do this, Nate. Do that, Nate. Don't do this. Do it this way instead. I've had enough! I'm twelve years old; I don't need someone telling me what to do all day long!"
Just then, a new thought crossed his mind. "Hmm, speaking of which... what am I going to do with my day?"
Barely had the question crossed his mind when a stroke of inspiration hit him. With a new goal in mind, Nate took off again, this time heading toward the mountain. The mountain soon became the stage for a series of wild adventures such as scaling cliffs, outrunning wild animals that saw the boy as a potential snack, and facing other dangers. After this challenging journey, Nate finally arrived at the base of a tree and exclaimed, "Finally, I made it! For a second there, I thought I wouldn't survive this."
Catching his breath, his eyes gleamed with determination as he said, "Alright, come to me, my little beauties."
He was, in fact, talking about the fruits hanging from the tree in front of him, the very ones he had risked so much to collect. Once he finished gathering the fruit, Nate descended the mountain and, after a few more minutes, reached a river. Still thirsty for adventure, he decided he would catch some fish for his lunch.
"I'll need a fishing rod," he mused.
As soon as he said it, he sprang into action, improvising a fishing rod from a stick and some vines he found nearby. However, it didn't take long for him to realize that catching anything with that contraption was a long shot. Changing tactics, he opted to set a trap instead. After some hard work, his trap was finally ready. But since it was already past noon and the heat was becoming unbearable, Nate placed the trap in the river and retreated to the shade of a tree to rest.
Once sheltered from the sun, he pulled out the fruits he had gathered earlier and began to eat, letting the trap do its work. He popped one of the berries into his mouth and exclaimed as it burst under his teeth, "Mmm, these are so delicious!"
Nate thought he would spend the rest of the day quietly enjoying the fruits of his labor, but the fatigue from his adventurous morning began to creep into his body, making him drowsy. As he felt himself nodding off, he muttered, "These fruits really are delicious. I should probably take some back to Zad... I'm sure he'd like that."
After a brief struggle to stay awake, the young boy finally succumbed to sleep, drifting off with a berry still clutched in his hand.
_______________________________________
*Opens eyes*!!!
Realizing he had fallen asleep, Nate jumped up abruptly:
"WHAT?! I fell asleep?!"
He looked around in a panic before coming to a conclusion:
"Damn it! It's almost nightfall; Zad is definitely going to kill me today. I need to get back, NOW!"
He quickly got up and began sprinting toward their cabin, taking large strides. As he rushed to get home as fast as possible, something caught his attention along the way:
"What's that threatening light in the distance? It looks like it's coming from our house. I don't like this; not at all!"
Worried, he accelerated his pace even more, wanting to confirm if his fears were real or not.