Chapter 5: A Premonition of Departure
I was raised with love by the finest fathers and mothers.
I was trained rigorously by the strongest fathers and mothers.
And so I grew up steadily and splendidly.
Without ever falling ill, I reached the age of twelve.
In this world, fifteen is considered adulthood, but by twelve most children have already decided whether to inherit the family trade or pursue another path.
Children who inherit farmland learn how to repair hoes and plows.
They memorize the seasons for sowing seeds.
Children who inherit territories begin martial training and swear to become honorable knights.
Merchant children master reading, writing, and arithmetic.
As for me, I was uncertain about my future.
Because my fathers’ and mother’s opinions were completely divided.
Sword God Ronin naturally entrusted a sword to me.
“It’s ridiculous for a man to fuss over healing or magic. A man should hold a sword.”
Goddess of Healing Miria called that barbaric and handed me a potion.
“Will is a gentle child. He should master the path of healing and become a sage of the mountain.”
God of Magic Vandal declared that both were foolish.
“The truth of magic is what humans should pursue. Only by exploring the abyss of magic can one taste the true value of life.”
Each insisted on something different.
Their temples twitched.
Ronin reached for the sword at his waist, Miria wrapped her body in magic power, and Vandal grasped his staff.
It was not merely differing views, they were practically at each other’s throats.
As for me, I loved all three of them and could not choose just one.
I loved Ronin, Miria, and Vandal dearly.
Not only did I love them, I loved each of their specialties as well.
I loved swinging a sword.
I loved brewing potions.
I loved reading books of magic.
I wanted to master them all.
I had learned many foundations, but I wanted to delve deeper into each of them.
When I confessed this atop a tree, away from the three of them, someone appeared to praise me.
He was in the form of a bird.
His name was the Almighty God Reus, the benefactor who had picked me up when I was an infant.
He is known as the Faceless God, the deity of a thousand incarnations.
He can transform into any form.
In the shape of a brown-eared bulbul, my fourth father praised me in a solemn voice.
“Will, you are splendid. You are meeting the expectations of your selfish three parents.”
I replied with a wry smile.
“That’s not true. All of their training is genuinely fun.”
“Even so, one day you must choose one path.”
“I guess that’s true?”
“It is. You have talent, but mastering everything will be difficult. In swordsmanship you will not surpass Ronin, in healing you will fall short of Miria, and in magic you will not defeat Vandal. That would make you impressive at the start yet disappointing in the end.”
“I think becoming the head of a dragon is already impressive. And I thought you said that would be fine, Father Reus.”
“I have changed my mind. Your talent is the strongest. Therefore, I want you to become the strongest man.”
“If I become the strongest, is there something good about it?”
“There is. You can protect your companions. You can protect your family. You will not need to bow your head to unpleasant people.”
“The first two sound appealing.”
“Do you wish to become a strong man who can protect companions and family?”
“Yeah. I want to protect the animals of the mountain. I want to help Father and Mother. …But.”
“But?”
“You might not need protecting. You’re too strong.”
“That is true.”
Reus laughed grandly, and I found myself smiling as well.
“However, I want you to have a broader perspective.”
“A broader perspective?”
“Yes. Protecting family and companions is important. Many cannot even protect that much. But I believe you possess the power to save far more.”
“Far more?”
“Yes. Look at the scene spread out before your eyes.”
“Before my eyes?”
I gazed at the familiar landscape.
Mountains stretched out before me.
Trees filled my vision.
Beyond them stood structures made of stone.
“That’s a town, right? Humans live there?”
“Correct. Humans live there. They are your kind.”
“But I’ve never met them.”
“That is because we forbade you from descending the mountain.”
“Yeah, it’s full of danger.”
“It is. For a child like you, there are many dangers. Many temptations. Many enemies. But one day, I want you to journey there.”
“There?”
“Yes. Many humans live there. Some good, some bad. If you meet them, you will grow. They will open new possibilities for you.”
“New possibilities…”
I looked down at the town again.
To be honest, I had always wanted to visit at least once.
“And one day you will depart. It is your destiny.”
“Destiny—”
“It is a fate that has been set. When I picked you up as an infant, a revelation came to me.”
“A revelation? Even though you’re a god?”
I could not help but smile at the unexpected word.
“I am called a god, but I am not an absolute being. In this world there may exist an overwhelming transcendent entity who created even gods. Or perhaps a regulator.”
Reus spoke thoughtfully, though he did not seem inclined to elaborate further.
“In any case, when I picked you up, a voice arose within me. Something whispered that this child would one day become the one who saves the world. That he would become the savior of our world.”
“Savior…”
I murmured the word, though naturally I felt no real sense of it.
But Reus told me not to worry.
Even if I did not feel it now, the appointed time would come.
Like a prophet, Reus declared.
“One day a messenger will come to release you into the great sea. That will be the day we, parent and child, bid farewell. But it will not be a sad thing. Departure is also the beginning of new encounters. And the bond we have forged cannot be torn apart by the tyranny of distance nor the devil of time. No matter how far we are separated, no matter how much time passes, we will always be the finest parent and child.”
When Reus, in the form of a bulbul, said that, I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Then we returned home together.
Today, Mother Miria was putting extra effort into cooking.
Incidentally, although Mother Miria is a goddess, she was the worst cook among the five of us.
Even so, she tried harder than anyone, and that was why her cooking was my favorite.