Date: Final Month Before the Academy
Location: Central Town Visit, Edge of Valewind
---
Today, I almost cried.
Not from pain, or fear, or joy —
But something quieter.
A moment when I realized: even if I change,
they will still hold me.
My mother saw it first.
The way I pause before speaking,
the way my eyes linger on old books instead of games.
My father trained me harder — not to test me,
but to meet me where I was going.
I thought maybe they'd feel like they were losing me.
That I was becoming someone they couldn't raise.
But when we sat together after dinner, fire warm and eyes tired,
they simply smiled.
> "You're still our boy," my father said.
"Even if the stars gave you a second soul."
I couldn't speak.
I just leaned forward and held them.
I haven't done that since I was eight.
---
We traveled to the Central Town to visit the Church of the Seven.
A holy place carved in moonlight and marble.
Each god with their own altar. Each prayer with its own silence.
When I placed my hand on the stone of the War God,
it lit — faintly, but steadily.
The priest's breath caught.
"A warrior's resolve," he whispered. "But not for blood. For duty."
Then I stepped before the Moon Goddess's altar.
The light was different this time.
Cool. Gentle.
Not a blaze — a bloom.
> "She walks with you," the priest said. "The Flower of the Moon sees something in you."
I don't know what it means.
But something shifted in my chest.
Like tides under a still surface.
---
Before we left, I saw a merchant selling imports from the Asahi Kingdom.
Silks. Spices. Trinkets.
And a Shogi board.
I don't remember ever learning the game.
But when I touched the pieces,
my fingers knew where to move.
Strategy sparked in my mind like lightning across a dry plain.
I bought it.
That night, I played myself.
And lost.
Then won.
---
And he returned today — Leander.
My childhood friend. Our homes are far apart,
but he visits once or twice a year.
A blur of laughter and sunshine.
Even now, he hasn't changed.
Still jokes about everything. Still somehow beats grown men in swordplay.
He said I've gotten "scary quiet" and called me "Commander" for fun.
I told him to shut up. He only laughed harder.
He'll be attending the Academy too.
Said we'll be dormmates.
Gods help me.
---
The year is ending.
The past me is almost gone.
And the one I'm becoming is finally looking forward.
Next — the Academy.
And whatever waits in its shadow.