The early morning sun filtered through the dense canopy of the forest, casting dappled shadows across the ground. Kiyoshi sat beneath the towering oak tree, his back pressed against its rough bark, gazing thoughtfully at the village below. His training had sharpened his abilities, but something beyond physical skill was eluding him—an understanding of the undercurrents that shaped the village and the world beyond its borders.
Today, it wasn't about refining his magic or honing his reflexes. As he sat beside Rajieru and Celosia, the conversation shifted toward a realm he barely understood: the shifting alliances and subtle tensions rippling through the village. These complexities had always been there, lurking beneath the surface, but now they were starting to break through in ways he could no longer ignore.
Rajieru, leaning casually against the tree, folded his arms as he spoke, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had seen more than just the village's peaceful routines. His time spent beyond their familiar world had given him insight, and Kiyoshi found himself more interested in listening than contributing.
"You've probably noticed the change in the air, haven't you, Yoshi?" Rajieru asked, his usual smirk not quite masking the frustration in his voice.
Kiyoshi nodded, feeling a knot form in his stomach. "Yeah… but I don't get why. What's going on?"
Celosia, sitting quietly beside him, traced patterns in the dirt with her fingers, her eyes avoiding the conversation but her ears clearly tuned in. "There's more happening than meets the eye," she murmured softly.
Rajieru sighed, glancing toward the horizon. "That's putting it lightly. While I was away, I learned that villages like ours are scrambling to survive in a world that's growing more unstable by the day. It's not just about mana or resources anymore—it's about alliances. Everyone's panicking, trying to make ties before it's too late…"
Kiyoshi furrowed his brow, sensing the weight behind Rajieru's words. He had known the village was restless, but the idea that there were broader tensions, alliances and politics at play—those were things that always felt distant to him, almost irrelevant in his daily life. He realized now how naive that was.
His eyes flicked toward Celosia, whose usually calm and warm demeanour now seemed clouded by a quiet storm. She kept her focus on the patterns her fingers drew in the earth, as if that connection to nature was the only thing grounding her in this moment.
Kiyoshi cleared his throat. "So, with everything going on... what exactly does the village have planned to handle all of this?"
Rajieru's smirk deepened, but there was no humour in it. He leaned back against the tree and crossed his arms, as if preparing for the impact of what he was about to say. "Well, for one, they've got Celosia's marriage lined up as part of the plan."
Kiyoshi blinked in surprise, feeling a sudden rush of disbelief. "Wait… marriage? What are you talking about?"
Rajieru shrugged, his tone casual but laced with frustration. "You know, the usual stuff—strengthening ties, securing the future, keeping traditions alive. Apparently, tying Celosia down to some arranged marriage was part of that grand plan."
Kiyoshi turned to Celosia, who remained silent, her fingers slowing in their delicate tracing. "Is that true?" he asked, his voice softer now, unsure how to process what he was hearing.
Celosia's hands stilled completely, and for a moment, the only sound between them was the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze. She sighed, finally looking up from the ground but not meeting Kiyoshi's gaze. "My father thinks it's for the best... but it's not what I want."
The sadness in her voice struck Kiyoshi deeply. He had always admired Celosia's calm resilience and her ability to find peace even in the most uncertain moments. But now there was a vulnerability there he hadn't seen before. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of frustration. "But that's not fair to you. You should be able to decide your own future."
Rajieru let out a dry, half-hearted laugh, shaking his head. "Tell that to the village elders. It's all about tradition with them. But don't worry, Celosia's not going down that road without a fight."
Celosia managed a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I just want to focus on what comes next in my life. The marriage... it's something my father's been planning for a while, but I don't see myself following through with it."
Kiyoshi's frustration grew, his fingers digging into the dirt beside him. He could feel the injustice of it burning in his chest—the idea that Celosia—a person so full of potential—was being reduced to a tool in the village's political game. "An arranged marriage to fix the village's problems? That's ridiculous."
Rajieru tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable for a moment as he studied Kiyoshi. "Ridiculous or not, that's how things are done around here. You think the elders care about what's fair? To them, it's all about the bigger picture, preserving the village's traditions, keeping things in order."
Kiyoshi shook his head, the anger still simmering just below the surface. "But what about what she wants? Doesn't that matter?"
Celosia's hand lightly touched Kiyoshi's arm, her voice gentle but steady. "It's alright, Kiyoshi. I know my father's intentions aren't entirely selfish. He believes he's doing what's best for me and the village. But…"
She trailed off, her eyes drifting back to the patterns in the dirt. "I just wish he could see that what's best for me might not align with his plans."
The weight of her words hung between them, and for a moment, none of them spoke. The forest, usually so alive with the sound of birds and rustling leaves, felt unnaturally quiet.
Kiyoshi's mind raced. This was more than just tradition. It was about control, about the way the village saw its people as pieces in a larger strategy, rather than individuals with their own hopes and desires. And that, more than anything, frustrated him.
He glanced at Rajieru, whose usual playful smirk had been replaced by something more serious, more contemplative. For all his teasing, Rajieru cared deeply about Celosia's fate too. "What do we do now?" Kiyoshi asked, his voice quieter, the fire in his chest still burning but tempered by the weight of the situation.
Rajieru shrugged again, though there was a hardness in his gaze now. "We do what we've always done, Yoshi. We look out for each other. The village might have its plans, but that doesn't mean we have to follow them."
The conversation lulled into a heavy silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. The shadows from the trees shifted with the morning light, as if the world itself was subtly changing around them, just like the village and the lives they'd known.
Kiyoshi's hands curled into fists. He wasn't the type to sit back and let things happen, not when it came to the people he cared about. The thought of Celosia being forced into something as important as marriage—something she clearly didn't want—burned in his mind like a hot coal. But what could he do? He was still figuring out his own place in the world, let alone how to protect someone else from its demands.
"Rajieru's right," Kiyoshi finally said, breaking the silence. His voice was low but filled with conviction. "We can't let the village decide everything for us. We have to make our own choices, even if it means going against tradition."
Celosia looked at him, a small flicker of hope in her eyes, but it was fleeting. "It's not that simple, Kiyoshi," she said softly. "The village... my father... they're not just going to change their minds."
"I know." Kiyoshi's gaze drifted over the treetops to the distant edge of the village. "But that doesn't mean we stop trying."
Rajieru pushed himself away from the tree and stretched, his usual nonchalance creeping back into his posture. "Well, looks like we've got our work cut out for us, don't we? But hey, I've never been one to back down from a challenge. Especially when it comes to messing with the elders."
Kiyoshi smirked at that, feeling a strange mixture of tension and camaraderie settle over the group. Whatever came next, they'd face it together. He wasn't sure what the future held, but for the first time in a long while, he felt ready to take the next step.
The wind picked up slightly, rustling the leaves and bringing with it a sense of foreboding. The calm before the storm, perhaps. But Kiyoshi wasn't afraid. Not anymore.
"We'll figure this out," he said, his voice steady now, as if speaking the words out loud solidified them. "No matter what."
Celosia gave him a small, grateful smile, and Rajieru chuckled, patting Kiyoshi on the shoulder. "Now you're talking, Yoshi."
As the three of them stood together, the morning sun rising higher in the sky, a quiet resolve settled between them. They didn't know what obstacles lay ahead, but they knew one thing for certain: they would face them together.
And whatever plan the village had, they would find a way to forge their own path.
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