Vast fields of greens and endless golds, flowing gently as the wind blows like the azure sea in its calmness, and scattered across this shimmering gold, are people, workers, farmers who tend to these golden fields of wheat.
If one were to follow where the path, a paved road that also serves as a guide through the entirety of the farming fields, guides, and continue until they hit an end to the road, they will find themselves right in the heart of a not too big, yet well developed and lively town, complete with all sorts of shops and stalls that tends to everyone's needs.
Scanning around this town, one might just find themselves, their attention, pulled towards a neat and clean, yet unassuming manor just a few streets away from the heart of the town, its pure white outer walls showing faint traces of yellow stains, something that some workers inside work with quite the dedication to wipe out such traces.
Within the confines of this manor, peering through a glass window on one of the higher floors of this noble residence, is a middle-aged man sporting a head of lush, ashen gray hair falling down his shoulders, his face, despite the sharpness, is hidden beneath a thick layer of moustache and beard, making him appear like a travelling warrior rather than a noble managing his own earldom.
This warrior-like demeanor becomes more evident with the body of this man, sporting a tall, muscular build, broad shoulders that made him appear extremely reliable, the sword sheathed in the scabbard tied around his waist, cementing this idea of him being someone used to the battlefield all the more.
As his eyes bearing a pure crimson for a pupil stared down quite sharply, he opened his mouth as a deep, powerful voice resounded, seemingly enveloping the entire room he's in with a mystical strength.
"Like I said, there's no need to worry about crossing the threshold for now, boy, I've seen you putting in all the hard work you can and that's more than enough for me…."
He reminded as he took a step beyond the table he was previously sitting behind of, standing in front of the young man and moving one of his rugged, callus-filled hands to give a firm pat on the shoulders before he spoke once more.
"Son, are you listening?"
He asked with a concerned tone to his voice as he watched the young man in front of him staring in his direction, but not at him, with a dazed expression on his face, and who wouldn't worry? After all, despite his noble position, he's still just a father worrying for his child in the end.
Hearing the concern in the middle-aged man's voice, the young man snapped out of his reverie, twitching a bit as he felt quite surprised by the towering figure casting a shadow in front of him, a figure that still makes him feel small despite his stature already being past any of his peers.
Almost failing to identify who this middle-aged man is despite what he just called him, the young man reeled in shock and attempted to pull himself away, managing to stop before he could enact such thoughts, as an immense flow of information started flooding his mind, causing him to wince in quite some pain before he managed to recover himself.
Thinking that he just hit somewhere that probably took damage earlier, the middle-aged man immediately withdraws his hand from the young man's shoulder, still observing his expression as he wonders whether his child has already recovered from the injuries he acquired earlier.
'This…' as the influx of information starts subsiding, the young man, still in extreme shock yet now for a different reason, just had his mind ringing in silence as he couldn't think of anything else, his instinct, honed from countless experience he had gone through for several decades, centuries, probably even millennia, kicking in as he lets out an assuring smile before he speaks.
"I'm fine, old man…"
Standing in front of this figure who had supported him all by his lonesome even as a child, the young man couldn't help but feel an extreme rush of emotion seemingly wanting to escape out of him, something that he suppressed as he felt like even the middle-aged man in front of him won't be able to process whatever it is that he wants to talk about in such a short notice.
Hence the reason why, despite wanting to tell the middle-aged man so much more, he opted to act and speak in a concise manner, a manner that his father, and he himself, are so used to acting with.
Hearing the reply from his child, the middle-aged man couldn't help but feel a bit of worry at first, and yet, before he could even follow through and speak, as he gazed at his son's expression, he couldn't help but wonder if his worry was something that was completely unfounded.
With clear burning fervor fueling the flame of will in his eyes, the young man made his father felt like he was on the battlefield again, looking at the soldiers he once commanded, a feeling quite strong that he couldn't help but clench his fist on the handle of the sword on his waist, a smile forming on his face as he waves his hand in dismissal as he returns to his seat behind the table.
"That's a relief, do what you want to do now, there's no need to worry about anything anymore, let nature take its own course, boy."
The father said with a tone of encouragement as he returned to the papers he was previously dealing with, now in relief as he felt like, if this is the kind of expression that his child has despite such a major setback, there's just no way he wouldn't find something that he would succeed in later in life.
Meanwhile, seeing the smile on his father's face, the young man couldn't help but feel a little bit more motivated to meet his expectation, bowing before the towering figure before politely closing the door, but not before he heard yet another experience-filled word from the middle-aged veteran.
"With that kind of expression, I don't think there's any need to worry about your future, boy…"
The man behind the table said, his vision not only as the young man's father but also as a veteran of war, as well, a sharp, piercing gaze landing on the young man, seemingly laying bare any and every single thing that he is capable of in front of the middle-aged man.
"There are many more paths than the academy, so all you have to do now is try to find whatever path it is that suits you the most, and once you find it…"
Pausing for a while as he turns around, peering through the windows once more, taking a good, long look at the domain that he acquired for himself for the sake of his sole remaining family, the father smiles before he returns his gaze towards his previously departing son, before he continues his words.
"This father of yours, I, will even lay off my own life so that you can see through your own path."