"Good job, Wanora. You are learning well."
Honurad Decimus—our teacher, our gramps. The man who stood tall even in his silence. I watched him as he congratulated Wanora, whose face glowed with pride after unlocking her see-through vision and synchronizing with her artifact.
So did everyone learning something unique of their own clarion.
Everyone but me.
They each had an artifact—rare, powerful, impressive. And me?
I had one too.
The Pocketbag of Mass.
A null-tier artifact. Useless by standard definitions. A joke, really. But to me, it was just a common fish tier.
Why?
It could store stuff. That was it. With each item, its internal space increased by 2%. Not bad, right?
Wrong.
The condition: each item had to weigh more than the previous one.
I had pushed it once. Got it so big it felt like its own dimension. Stuffed it with books, boxes, tools—anything I could lift. But none of it mattered, because when I reached in...
What I pulled out was random.
Sometimes it took hours just to get what I wanted. I remember trying to get my pencil and instead pulling out a hammer. The worst part?
When I reached the size where it could store an entire table—back when I was still a kid—I pulled one out.
It landed on my hand.
I heard the crunch before I felt it.
It took weeks to heal.
That's right. The second an item left the bag, its mass was restored instantly.
And I got crushed. Every time.
That's why I hated it. Why I thought everyone had better artifacts than me. Why I turned my focus to the clarion instead.
I wanted to be like Gramps. Strong. Respected. Loved. I wanted to be his exact replica, molded from the same iron.
But when I told him that...
He looked disappointed.
Why? What's the problem if someone looks up to you? I wanted to be like you...
"Is that what you think he wanted?" Joy asked.
I stiffened. "I... I dunno. Stop reading my mind though."
He sighed, scratching his cheek with that tired grin of his. "I'm just hearing some of it and piecing the rest together... Still, kid, the reason he didn't seem happy was probably because he didn't want you to become like him."
"Why?" I asked.
"Well... who knows. But I'm soon getting married, you know? Yeah, me. I'm getting married to Katherine. And soon after, we could have a kid, too... and I would love that child more than anything. Still, I wouldn't want the kid to become someone like me."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not exactly the best person alive," he said, his voice low, eyes drifting to somewhere far away. "I've done some terrible things. And as much as I would want my kid to do something good... I'd wish, desperately, that he doesn't walk the same path I walked on. So I won't force him. I'll let him choose. Honurad Decimus made some terrible choices in life. He wouldn't want you to go through the same regret and pain. I don't know much about him... but I'm sure."
He glanced at me again, softening. "I'm sure you'll experience the sam, despite trying your best to live a good life. You will experience pain, and when you have a kid, you wouldn't want him to be someone like you. Unless you're narcissistic."
Joy smiled. "Because even if you're a good man all your life, you'd want your kid to be better. That's what a guardian, a parent, wants, you know?"
I stared at the floor. My hands clenched.
I wanted to cry.
But I didn't.
I wanted to be someone like Gramps.
But he didn't want me to be.
I hated him for that. I hated him so much for it. I wished—I wished I'd known him more. No... I didn't even realize when the tears came. I just kept looking down, hoping no one would notice.
Joy patted my head.
"I trust what you said... and if that's true, I'm sure Honurad would be the proudest he could be. Killing a deity that was terrorizing an island? You did well, kid."
He smiled faintly, standing to leave. "Sorry for taking your time. They'll take you home."
He walked out, leaving me alone—just for a little while—to sort myself out.
---
"That was something," Katherine said, standing just outside the room.
Joy exhaled, his voice touched with a softness that didn't often surface. "It's a kid in the end. I'm sure he had his fair share of hardships. In his case... I'm sure it was more painful than some. But in the end, he probably just wanted to seek approval more than anyone. Maybe because he could never prove himself."
Katherine sighed. "Should I apologize?"
Joy smiled. "No need. I'm sure he doesn't care much about that."
She smiled, brushing his arm as they began walking. "Still, already thinking about our child, huh? Someone's eager."
He stammered, flustered. "W-what? No way! It was to give the kid an example—"
"Mhm. Suuure." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I wouldn't mind a child anyway. Decided on a name yet?"
"Nope."
Their voices trailed off as they disappeared down the corridor.
---
Heide... was asleep in the carriage on the way back.
He hadn't expected it to hit him this hard. The weight of it all.
But despite the tear tracks that still lingered on his cheeks, the soft smile he wore in his sleep...
It meant something.
It meant, at least for right now, he was finally dreaming a good dream.