CHAPTER 19 - FLASHBACK: YOUNG AGNATES
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Gaid fell to the ground with a muffled cry, hit by a rough stick straight in the stomach.
«"Ugh... Damn it!"» he groaned, clutching his stomach as he struggled to catch his breath.
«"Haha! I won! Loser! I’m the best fighter on the whole island,"» the victorious boy proudly announced, strutting above Gaid. It was clear he had used his superiority in the fight.
Gaid tried to stand up, covering a part of his stomach with one hand.
«"That’s not true... You cheated! No one said you could use weapons like sticks!"» he protested in a feeble voice, trying to defend himself from the defeat.
The boy who had just won started laughing, clearly satisfied with his triumph.
«"Don’t even try to argue, Gaid! You have to be smarter if you want to win next time,"» he said with a triumphant smirk.
«"There are no rules in war; accept that you’ve been defeated and that I’m better than you!"» Gaid snorted,
«"It’s unfair."» He muttered to himself,
«"I fought barehanded, he used weapons. He’s the coward."» The victorious boy continued celebrating happily while Gaid kept talking.
«"You’re celebrating too much, Cuneo, now I’m going to beat you!"» Other boys, having confirmed the end of the previous fight, were getting ready to battle against the current winner. These were the games of youth, still bright and innocent, where fighting was seen as a game, not a necessity.
A girl, also among the circle of kids ready to fight, approached an angry Gaid, who was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth furiously. He stood still, almost on the verge of tears, or at least with teary eyes, unable to accept such a humiliating defeat, especially to someone who hadn’t even used the same weapons as him. It was unacceptable.
«"You’re right, ignore him. He’s just a bully. True warriors fight without help!"»
Gaid turned towards the girl, and after a moment, replied in a quick and brusque tone.
«"Leyra, true warriors win! This isn’t valid! It’s unfair, I should have won. I deserved it. But I didn’t win, so that means I don’t know how to fight."»
«"Look, you don’t always get what you want. You’ll win next time. Just because you lost one round doesn’t mean you’ve lost the whole war!"» They had been playing all afternoon, and Gaid hadn’t won a single battle. He walked away defeated, always facing a physically stronger opponent, and each time he suffered the humiliation of losing.
«"I’ll never win any battle. They’re all stronger than me, while I’m just a runt, half their size. Did you see the other fights? How can you say such a thing?"» Gaid admitted, with a tone of resignation. Then, after a pause, he continued.
«"I’m tired of this game, I’m leaving!"» He exclaimed loudly before walking away.
«"Gaid... Gaid, where are you going?! You just have to keep trying! I’m sure you’ll win, I swear!"»
«"I’m not listening to you, Leyra! No matter how many times you tell me! I’m leaving, I don’t want to play with cheaters anymore!"» said young Agnates, as he walked away from the group of boys and girls, who were still full of energy, fighting amongst themselves and playing other childish games. Leyra could only watch as Gaid left, then took a deep breath.
«"So stubborn... If only he were a bit smarter and had a little more self-esteem. And I shouldn’t have to give him a pep talk every time."»
Gaid moved quickly through the heart of the village, heading toward his home. The village children, carefree, played in the borderlands between "too far from the village" and "too close to the village."
They couldn’t afford to get too close to the center, otherwise, they would disturb the adults' affairs. It was unusual to see a child walking through the intricate maze of village streets during the busy workday, unless they had a particular reason, which Gaid didn’t.
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Thus, Gaid seemed like a solitary flower blooming amidst the snow.
As he walked through the winding streets, his footsteps echoed lightly, breaking the village's peaceful silence. The children turned to look, surprised by this unusual visit to the center. Gaid, with his heart full of determination, continued his path, ignoring the curious glances of adults and the concerned stares of the elders.
Every corner of the village told a different story: the wooden houses with half-closed windows, the well-kept gardens with vibrant flowers, and the small shops with their inviting scents. Gaid knew every street and every alley.
«"Kid, don’t even think about playing near my carpentry shop! Or I’ll chop you up!"» the carpenter shouted threateningly as Gaid approached his workshop. But Gaid, deep in thought, casually ignored the threats and harsh words thrown at him by the villagers. He was used to this treatment and accepted it as part of his daily life. All the children accepted it as part of life on the island.
He quickly reached his home, a small cabin right on the shore, on the island’s coastal beach.
It wasn’t anything too respectable, in fact, much smaller than the island's standard, but for Gaid, it was fine, and for the Agnates family, it wasn’t bothersome. They were born fishermen, and in a coastal area like this, it was a favorable spot. Gaid arrived, approaching his father, who was busy at work, fishing.
Before Gaid could even announce his presence, his father had already sensed him.
«"What are you doing here, Gaid? I thought you were out with the others."» His father didn’t turn his face to look at him. Gaid, on the other hand, walked over to sit next to him.
They were on the edge of a rock, a good spot for fishing as it was rich in plants, ensuring a high rate of animal reproduction.
«"So?"» his father asked again, curious about his son’s reasons.
«"I don’t want to play with the others; they’re all mean."»
«"What were you playing?"» The father turned towards him, confused and curious about what had happened to the boy.
«"We were fighting, like always. But they’re cheats, they cheat and cheat."»
«"Why did you leave?"» Gaid didn’t dare look at his father, keeping his gaze fixed on the sea where the fishing was happening.
«"You shouldn’t have come back, you’ve got nothing to do here. Go back to your friends."»
«"But they don’t know how to play, and I don’t want to play with people who cheat..."»
«"Instead of giving up every time things don’t go your way, why don’t you start enduring the losses? If you come back to me every time something bad happens, you’ll never become the warrior you aim to be."»
«"But... But I’ve been losing all day."»
«"So?"»
«"So it means I don’t know how to fight."»
«"No, it just means you give up too easily."»
«“It’s useless discussing this with you, or with adults in general, you don’t understand me,”» Gaid thought to himself. He then stood up, while his father continued fishing without doing anything else.
«"Where are you going now, Gaid?"»
«"I’m going back to the others..."» Gaid announced, though not entirely convinced, as he walked away from the cabin. After gaining some distance, he muttered to himself,
«"It’s not fair. I’m the only honest one among them. Is it really my fault? But surely, no one understands that you can’t just go on forever like this."»
The village was small, despite appearances, and it wasn’t even the main village on the entire island, but rather just a part of it. The main village, which was more of a city, was located in the center of the island, while only smaller, nameless outposts were present on the outskirts. But it didn’t matter, as everyone identified themselves under the name of the island.
Not all areas of the island could actually be defined as occupied; some places remained unexplored, with no signs of humanity. Next to the village, in a sort of blind spot where a stream rustled, surrounded by tall and strong trees, a sun-kissed part of the forest, since the entire village province was encircled by a dense forest marking the natural boundaries of the area, there lay Gaid’s resting place. It was where he went when he needed a personal moment, to relax, think, or calm down. Or just for a moment like now, when he felt that no one could understand what he was going through. He approached the stream, walking quickly.
«"It’s not fair."» He began to talk to himself, knowing that no one could disturb him.
«"A real warrior fights on equal terms. Someone who wins like that… someone who wins like that is a coward."» He stared at his reflection, clear and glossy, looking back at him. And although he was aware it was just his reflection, he couldn’t help but act as if he had someone in front of him to confront. And, in a way, he did—himself, whom he wanted to confront. But of all the details in his reflection, his gaze was fixed on his horn.
«"Maybe I’m just making excuses. I wasn’t born to be a warrior, no matter how hard I try. They’re all stronger and faster than me. What use am I in a fight?"» Tears formed on his face. He hadn’t, and never had, won a single battle up to that point, and nothing assured him that he would win any in the future.
Suddenly, just as he was about to continue his inner reflection, a shocking event interrupted his thoughts. He quickly turned in the direction from which it came—the road he would have taken to return to the village. A wave of sudden noises and shouts flooded the air, like thunder splitting the sky during a violent storm. It was clear that something extraordinary was happening.
Gaid, driven perhaps by a combination of curiosity and, above all, fear, immediately abandoned all his previous thoughts. Without hesitation, he began running toward the direction of the sudden uproar, determined to discover the source of the unexpected and unsettling commotion.