Chapter 106 Chapter 106 - The Masters Woes (1/2)
CHAPTER 106
THE MASTER'S WOES
A bright, golden sun cast its shining rays freely over the basin surrounded by charred and ancient cliffs and stones. Through it ran a thin stream, barely visible from distance, with vain, yellow grass rising up from dry rock surrounded by thick, leafless shrubs. Eternal wind blew through the basin, one barely strong enough to sway the few grasses as though it was a mother singing lullaby to a rocking baby.
Within basin's depths, beneath an out-stretching cliff which appeared like an umbrella for land below, shielding it from the scorching sun, was a small pond, full of clear, slightly chilly water. It wasn't terribly deep, perhaps up to knees of a grown adult, and it was the size of an average house. It was bereft of any form life, plant or animal alike, and was steady despite the wind.
Surrounding it was a rather tranquil-looking scenery, with flowers seemingly specifically groomed to follow a certain pattern winding around into a strange, spiraling shape with several empty circles in-between each. Flowers were all of equal height, much like pond up to a man's knees, and sported a gradient-like shade of rainbow colors with white and black at the very edges.
Further back were few trees that the basin had, forming a wall-like structure, seemingly barring anything from passing through and reaching the flower field and the pond. Pine trees glistened in light green, rising upward of four meters, though incredibly thin in their structure.
It was the basin's most special and unique corner, one which set it apart from the rest of the world; it was hidden away from the world, hidden away from the eyes of the curious and shielded by numerous runic formations, though none which were of advanced stage.
That was the sole reason Felix was able to immediately spot the special corner and move past its basic barriers. He stealthily followed his strange Master over, as latter never spoke of himself, making Felix know little to nothing about the man he respected the most.
Yet, the moment he stepped inside, he had regretted his decision greatly. The entirety of land beyond the forest was flat, blending further into a rising cliff, which made it easy to spot the beggar-dressed man. He was currently standing outside the field of flowers, his shoulders appearing sunken from behind, his form lacking that transcendence Felix was used to seeing.
In those shoulders, the young Felix saw pain; he saw sorrow and grief his Master never even showed a hint of elsewhere. It was a tempered sight, as the image of a perfect, other-worldly being in Felix's mind slowly crumbled. Yet, replacing it was something much closer to him; a living, breathing person with a heart and soul just like he himself.
Casting his gaze past the sunken shoulders and looking at the rhythmic, circular openings in the field of flowers, Felix quickly understood the source of it all. Numerous gravestones stood erected in those circular openings, each made of gray rock, with somewhat rugged carvings littering their surfaces. Yet, it was those rugged carvings that oozed emotion which he'd rarely seen when visiting gravestones of his ancestors.
It was then that his revered Master suddenly turned around and looked at him. It was an uncomfortable gaze, perhaps not so much in and of itself, but because of Felix's regret and guilt for following the beggar here. The man's eyes were still clear, though now appeared far more complex than Felix had ever seen them as.
”... you're a cheeky disciple, aren't you?” the man asked shortly after, turning back toward the field of flowers and entering one of the circles upon which he began to clean the place up of stray grass and rocks carried on by the wind.
”... I... I'm sorry...” Felix mumbled feebly, lowering his head in shame. ”I... I didn't mean to...”
”Yes you did,” the man said. ”Don't ever undermine your desires. Even if they are wrong, at least acknowledge them. That's how you keep your heart strong.”
”... yes.”
”Are you curious?”
”...” Felix wanted to say yes, though his shame wouldn't allow him, keeping him silent.
”Every life is beset with blemishes,” the man said, getting back up onto his feet and looking at Felix yet again. ”I always truly believed that, as my childhood wasn't exactly full of honey falling from the sky. So, I did my best to steel my heart; if you never care, you can never be hurt, no?”
”...”
”It's futile, though,” the man continued, smiling faintly as he glanced at the gravestones. ”One way or another, others, so long as they are honest about it, find their way inside. It's not through some grand words or gestures, not through saving your life from utter collapse, strangely enough. It's most-often through the simplest of things: a gentle touch when words are worthless, a beaming smile, that look in their eyes. It's irresistible.”
”... w-were... were they Your friends?” Felix finally gathered enough courage to ask as he noticed that his Master wasn't so terribly averse of talking about it.
”... yes, friends a man can only hope but never search for,” the man said, sighing faintly. ”Do you have any friends, Felix?”
”... I... I think so?”
”Then you don't,” the man shook his head. ”But, don't worry. They'll come. They always do. I think it's high time I told you about why I'm doing the things I'm doing at the moment.” Felix's ears perked up as he was incredibly interested in his Master's reasons for causing so much chaos in the City of Sun. ”I hope your expectations aren't too high, because my reasons are mainly selfish.” the man smiled yet again. ”I'm looking for a friend.”
”... ah?”
”Haii, what's with that stupefied expression? Didn't your Master always teach you to, no matter what you feel inside, keep your expression placid?”
”Ah, I'm sorry!”
”I've made promise with her, many years ago,” his Master said. ”That I would find her, no matter where she may be. Unfortunately,” he quickly scratched his head in frustration. ”My endeavour didn't go... as well as I had planned, I suppose. So I had to resort to a bit more of a chaotic method. I had hoped that, by now, she would hear rumors about the guy causing chaos in the City of Sun, under Emperor's eyes, seemingly indifferent to it all. Perhaps she did... and just doesn't care enough to come looking for me.”
”...” Felix, indeed, was stupefied; he imagined numerous reasons as to why his Master was causing so much trouble, but even his wildest one - with his Master coveting the throne itself - flattened when compared to the actual one. He imagined all those Ministers and Courtiers and Nobles brainstorming day and night trying to guess the odd beggar's intentions... yet, they are so... pure and innocent at the end of the day.
”Seeing as it hasn't paid off even when I've gone so far, it's time to stop,” the man said. ”You can go back to your former life now.”
”:.. I... can I say something, Master?”
”... you appear to be ignoring literally everything I teach you.” the beggar said, frowning. ”Speaking your mind in front of everyone... that 'everyone' includes me as well!”
”Y-yes, sorry!”
”...”