After donning the usual faded tunic and putting on the leather gloves, I headed to the place of my training for the last time. By now, it had become a sort of ancient memory, something you remember with nostalgia but have otherwise forgotten. I felt the same way I did about school: a nice memory, but one I would never want to relive. The same was true for my woods, at the edge of the village, and that rock I used as a seat when I was tired and needed to rest.

As I moved away from the Great Star and wandered among the tents, each with a different color, I looked up and saw something unusual. The barrier that protected us from the outside had a crack. It was about to break.

Just kidding, that's not true, but I did wish my village would be wiped out. I don’t know why I started thinking such things on that particular day—philosophical thoughts, I suppose. The idea crossed my mind that if that barrier, which covered the entire village like a sort of transparent, yellowish dome, were to disappear, no one would survive. I thought, "I wonder if we could still survive without the protection of the Great Star." It seemed like a fundamental thought that everyone in their life had pondered since we lived right under that protective dome - a trivial concept for a village resident - yet I only thought about it at eighteen.

Training for all those years, I had only one goal in mind. Now, however, my thoughts were forced to wander, rediscovering in myself something I didn’t know I possessed. A sharp introspection that questioned the most disparate things. The fact that I only then wondered what was beyond that barrier shocked me. I knew there was nothing out there, that was for sure, not even the ancient scriptures spoke of a "before" the birth of Progonos. Yet, according to the legend, the founders of the village were wanderers. Where could they have come from? Who were they? But most importantly, was that story true?

Without even realizing it, lost in my new existential questions that distracted me from the worries and uncertainties I had to face, I arrived at my destination.

I admired that mass of trees extending beyond the village boundaries, and the grass that clashed with the dark brown of the soil, arid and devoid of green, with not a single blade of grass. The edge of that barrier was the only thing we were not to cross to survive, but something, a thought, kept gnawing at my mind.

"What if... I crossed it?"

An endless horizon of possibilities opened up before me.

"What would happen if I did? Would I die? Could I leave this place? Would I reach the world's edge?"

Anything could be waiting for me outside those transparent walls. I could clearly see the fog surrounding the lowest circumference of the barrier, above the treetops, and higher up, a circular hole in the sky that pierced the clouds, allowing everyone to see the bright morning sun. Out there, there could be death, life, or both. There was no reason to leave that paradise. Because yes, I was aware that Progonos was a sort of Eden, an earthly paradise where the Great Star had allowed us to live. But how could it be? Why did the Great Star, the barrier, and everything else exist? That was the most incredible and simultaneously terrifying question.

"Why...?"

I found myself wandering aimlessly in the forest surrounding the entire village - serving as a barrier for the barrier - in search of answers, or perhaps death itself. I didn’t know what I was looking for, and even if it could be dangerous, I didn’t care. I wanted to reach the outside, or at least see it with my own eyes; see what could await me out there. It could be a new future, a new possibility, a plan B if I failed to become the village chief, a dream that was becoming more distant and faded.

I made my way through some not very dense bushes, and the path seemed to become less tortuous the further I went. I thought, "Why has no one ever thought of leaving this place?" A perhaps stupid question yet I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

No one would leave that paradise.

I kept walking, and although the sunlight completely disappeared among the thick foliage of the trees, I could still continue. The tree roots seemed to grow larger until everything became dark. The trees, their canopies, the ground, the roots, seemed painted pitch black, growing darker the further I moved away from the village center. Perhaps it was just the lack of light that made me perceive all that darkness.

The birds' songs, which until a moment before seemed happy and full of energy, disappeared. I hadn’t gone deaf; I hadn’t been deprived of hearing. Everything ceased to make noise. Even the wind seemed to stop. A new sound crept into my ears like a slithering snake. It was a low, deep sound that made the hairs on my body stand up and my legs tremble (only for a moment), similar to the wind’s whistle, but those three off-key notes it produced were truly unsettling, something that didn’t seem very natural. It wasn’t a common, familiar, obvious sound. It could simply have been the wind, a storm, or something similar, but instead of having a mossy smell, it smelled of ashes, and that deathly silence didn’t help.

I regretted venturing into the forest, even though it wasn’t dense and was said to present no great dangers. That sinister background noise, however, made me want to retreat and return to the village. I wasn’t curious to see what it was. It terrified me to know what surrounded Progonos that had such an ominous sound. Was it a creature? A monster? A simple snowstorm? None of these. Even though I was young, I knew what limits were not to be crossed. There’s always a reason when someone tells you not to do something, and laws are created specifically to protect people from themselves and their curiosity.

I couldn’t continue. I saw nothing but the outlines of trees. And that silence, it gave me chills.

I went back, didn’t go further. I wasn’t myself that day, I knew it well. I had never been the type so curious as to approach death. I had, and still have, a terrible fear of death. I say I wasn’t myself because I realized that what I had done was madness: entering the circular forest, pushing myself to the barrier’s edge. I needed to return to my senses, I knew it, I was sure.

There was something, or rather someone, who had changed me. I liked to think it was all her fault: that girl who promised me that day to become my teacher and help me achieve what I thought was my dream at the time. I no longer knew what I wanted.

Leave the village? To go where? Go talk to Malia and convince her to take me as her apprentice? No, I couldn’t...

"Wait!"

As if an illumination had struck me, I began running toward the village center. I understood something I was passively accepting like a dumbass. I wasn’t myself, and in fact, my behavior seemed to have changed radically. I had become so convinced of the idea that I had to wait for Malia, like I could not do anything, that I hadn’t thought about the possibility of turning the situation around.

“Since when have I been so passive? I usually decide what to do with my life. Why did I leave my future in the hands of that bitch?”

Maybe I liked the idea of relying on someone more competent - a master who would teach me the secret martial art of “Kung Fu” (an enlightening way of teaching) - but I hadn't realized how much I had become a spectator in my own life. It was as if I was waiting for someone else to fulfill my dream for me. I had never been like that and never wanted to change. That was one of the first certainties of life I clung to until the moment I died.

When I arrived at the training field, I had one goal in mind: to find Malia and reprimand her for not keeping her promise. How long did she expect me to wait? I kept an eye on the movements of the chosen ones and those of Malia, whom I found instantly since I knew she always rested in the same spot before starting the afternoon training sessions. She relaxed in the shade of the main tent, the one near where they had lunch.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I stared at her with a look of disdain, hoping she would notice, but she didn't see me at all. I needed to think of a way to get into the dormitory, maybe at night, when everyone was going to bed.

“Damn, I really feel like a stalker,” I thought.

Before it got dark, I had to find a way to get in, and knowing the field well, I headed to the other side of the area. There, the fence was right next to the dormitory, a large tent whose peak could be seen even from afar. At that point, I could climb over and try to sneak into the dormitory. There were no guards or people protecting the area; everyone in the village knew you couldn't enter the training field of the chosen ones, much less the dormitory, so that was my first advantage. The only disadvantage was the structure of the dormitory itself, as with all the houses in the village. The fabric walls were practically transparent to sounds; any noise could be heard from many rooms away. I would have to be quiet, be silent, and immediately find Malia's room.

Perhaps my goal was never to become the village leader. All I wanted to do was forget everything: what was outside the village, my father, my uncertainties about the future, and dedicate myself blindly to a goal. By then, that was my identity; it was too late to change it. Moreover, quitting at that moment would have meant abandoning what I thought was my dream just before it came true.

However, my goal was no longer to become the village leader, or rather, it was until a short time ago, because something had just changed. I no longer needed to become the village leader. All I needed to do was win a fight against a chosen one and prove my worth. Proving it to myself was enough; I no longer cared about the others, and even if I lost, it wouldn't matter. At least I would have tried. I would have accepted any outcome.

If I was sneaking into the dormitory at that late hour, it was because I wanted to talk to Malia and understand her thoughts on many things. More than training, first of all, I wanted to know what was behind her commitment to her training so that I could understand more about myself, having someone “like me” to compare myself with.

It wasn't difficult to get close enough to hear the whispers coming from the various rooms. I instantly understood they had no windows, but from the walls, being made almost of velvet, if you got close enough, you could hear all the words coming out of their mouths, though faint.

It was late, but no one seemed to have fallen asleep yet; there were many whispers, and from it I understood I was passing from one room to another. I was looking for her voice, Malia's voice, or at least something that reminded me of it. The last time we had spoken was brief, and the whispers, coming out of the big tent, were confusing my perception.

Yet, in the silence of the night, trying to sneak around, outside, as close as possible to the last near bed, I heard a voice that reminded me of her. I couldn't understand right away what she was saying, but someone else was with her. I pressed my ear against the rough fabric, remembering not to press too hard against the paper-thin wall.

“…you’ll have to go soon. The master will be here any minute.” she said, with soft whispers.

“Wait, at least answer me one more question.”

It was definitely a male voice, deeper compared to Malia’s. I frowned and thought about which of the five boys could be, though something told me he was one of her kind. They were talking about training, and at that point, I realized it was “Dylan,” the other boy who, like her, possessed the power of adaptation.

“…do you think it’s wrong for the master and her student to be together, in the same bed?” he said, with a different tone from the previous conversation, which seemed more admiring.

At that point, my brain, thanks only to that decontextualized phrase, went numb, seeking answers to questions I couldn’t answer.

“What the hell is happening?! She’s his master? So she already has a student then,” I thought, confused.

I wasn’t angry that Malia had a boy in her bed, but it gave me a strange feeling that she had taken another student, even though I wasn’t one yet. However, having a student with her same powers only explained that she was much more skilled than him in using them, and thus the mastery she had in that field was such that she could teach.

She responded with her usual tone, almost mocking, but strangely serious, “Robby, I already told you that it doesn’t matter if you’re my student. You’re free to love your master as much as you want.”

She seemed to have finished, but then she continued, “...but this doesn’t mean that your master will ever return those feelings.”

Two things. The first: Robby is a really shitty name; I almost pity him. The second: What the hell am I listening to? Those two were behaving as if she were some kind of mother taking care of her son. Was it the classic “student falling in love with the master”? I had never heard of that. I had stopped at other sayings…

I made a noise by mistake, perhaps because of all those strange thoughts I had never had before, not realizing I had moved my foot continuously, hitting the ground repeatedly. I was still “undercover,” and if they discovered me, forget about training; I would probably never see the light of day again.

Both fell silent for a moment, and he said, “Did you hear that too?”

I hoped with all my might that they wouldn’t send someone to check. There was no reason to, and anyway, both, as I understood, were not supposed to be in the same room together. So, even though my heart skipped a beat, shortly after, I calmed down, hoping they were also breaking some rule.

“It must be a bunny. Anyway…”

I really felt that one.

She continued, “Tomorrow I’ll decide whether to take a boy as my student, the one I told you about.”

“She’s talking about me,” I thought, but thinking of it I wasn’t so sure since I had no idea she already had a student in the first place. I wasn’t jealous, but a girl so unfaithful, in my opinion, could have had dozens of students without my knowledge. If you know what I mean...

“You know it’s illegal for us chosen ones to leave the field! Why would you keep do that?”

“Shh! Be quiet!" said, maybe afraid of the consequences. Then continued, "Robby, it’s useless for you to keep reminding me. I’m fully aware, but it’s necessary to achieve my dream; our dream.”

It seemed like a load of crap.

He fell silent for a few seconds. I didn’t understand anything about the context, but it seemed that Malia had finally decided to take me as her student, always assuming she was talking about me. I thought I was lucky to have overheard that conversation, and I felt relieved knowing I hadn’t given up until the end, assuming she would come to take me as her student the next day…

“I owe you. Even if I’m a bit jealous, if you say it will help you become the village leader, I’ll accept it…somehow.”

“Willing to do anything. Right?” she said, gently, as if behind that phrase there was a meaning only they could understand.

“Willing to do anything,” he replied. Then he got up, and I heard his steps moving away.

At that point, I didn’t know what to do. I had a clear idea of what Malia would do the next day, but I was still confused about myself. I wasn’t jealous of that Robby. With that name… Perhaps there’s one of the neighbors’ cows named like that. I do not remember for sure, but I think sounded something similar.

I still didn’t fully understand who Falco Anderson had become, and I couldn’t think about it there, in that situation, risking to get caught and locked up at home forever (and I would have been lucky if only that would have happened to me). I had to leave and return home as soon as possible to clear my mind and understand what I should do, how I should move to understand who I was becoming. I had to make a difficult choice, or rather, take responsibility: to wait once again for Malia, my master, and show up the next day, sitting on my comfortable rock, waiting for the future that I never thought would ever be so real. I had to be perseverant and patient, as I had always been while punching down that tree. Perhaps I was understanding something. I had to face life as if it were that tree, continuing to…

“Falco…” I heard her voice calling me, and my attention was instantly drawn away. All my worries, escaping, returning home, reorganizing my thoughts, were nullified.

The voice was directed towards me. She had known from the beginning that I would come, that I wouldn't be able to wait another single day. And now I was literally in front of her, separated only by that thin veil.

"Does she know I'm here?" I thought, the heart pounding in my chest.