01. human life

"Agh! Why are you all doing this? Why can’t we live happily? Why must you torment us weak ones like this? God! Where are you? Where are you, whom we’ve worshipped all this time? Why don’t you show yourself… Why?" A young boy of ten knelt facing the sky. He vented all his grievances to the sky in anger, lamenting the injustice he and his family had suffered.

"I hate you! I hate all of you, I’ll kill you all! I swear I’ll kill those of you who’ve stolen all the happiness I once had!" the boy screamed angrily, cursing the sky for its unfairness toward him. No one answered; no one listened to his complaints. Only the rain, thunder, and lightning served as a sign of just how shattered the child’s heart was now. His gaze, filled with despair, made him seem worlds apart from children his age; the smile of that ten-year-old boy had vanished entirely after the tragedy that had befallen him.

……

In the village of De, still located within the territory of the Chu Kingdom, there lived an eight-year-old boy with his father and mother. They lived happily alongside the villagers, who were also close friends with them. Every day was filled with smiles; every morning began with the sounds of chickens and various other animals in the village welcoming the rising sun. And as the sun began to set, it was also greeted by the sounds of sheep and cows being led back to the village by the shepherd. Although the village was small, the villagers never lacked for anything; they always had enough to live on and were well-clothed. A life like that was enough to satisfy them.

And this was the situation before the bloody night that took everything away from that eight-year-old child. The suffering that forced him to live in darkness for years transformed him from a cheerful child into a quiet, cold-hearted one. In a cruel world where the strong become rulers and the weak become slaves to be tortured and killed at the strong’s whim. A world that will never change, no matter where we all are.

“Mom, I want to eat lamb.” Said a young boy who appeared to be hugging his mother’s legs. The little boy had a handsome face and a unique aura about him, making it impossible for others to resist his presence.

“Hey, didn’t we already eat meat yesterday? No! Eating meat all the time isn’t good for your health; I’ll make some vegetables for you.” replied the thirty-year-old woman, who was none other than the boy’s mother. The boy’s face fell when he heard his mother didn’t want to cook meat for him. Even though his father had gone hunting and brought meat back from the forest, his mother was very strict with him, citing health concerns.

The little boy saw his father, who had just returned from the forest; he wanted his father to help so his mother would cook the meat. But in reality, the father turned his face away so as not to be bothered by the child’s request. The boy realized that his father was also afraid of his mother, so he could only sigh and give up on asking for his father’s help.

“Honey, was there any trouble in the forest this time? I heard someone saw a huge bear roaming around the forest yesterday!” the mother asked while chopping some vegetables in the kitchen.

“Ah! I heard that from my friends too, Dad—is that really true?” the child asked his father curiously.

"No way!" his mother replied firmly and immediately. Hearing the word "no," the boy’s face looked a little sad, but he was also helpless because even his father didn’t dare to stand up to the lioness in front of them.

"Shh! Come here!" the father called to his son in a soft voice. The boy approached his father, wondering what his father intended to do this time.

"Don’t argue with your mother. Tomorrow morning, before I go hunting, come with me! I’ll take you to a nice place," the father whispered to his son, wanting to take him out of the village to show him something.

"Really? Then I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning in front of the house!" the child replied happily, knowing his father wanted to take him somewhere. The father assured his son that what he said was true.

“All right! Let’s eat,” he said once the food was ready. The family of three then ate happily in their small home.

The next day, just as the father had promised, he took his son to a place far beyond the village. The two walked away from the village, yet neither the father nor the son showed the slightest trace of fear. Even though many people said the darkness was dangerous, the two of them seemed completely accustomed to it all. When they reached the cliff’s edge, the father placed his hand against the cliff, and a door opened on its own. The child was surprised but said nothing to his father. He continued to follow his father from behind, his eyes filled with wonder as he took in the entire interior of the cave.

“Dad, where is this? Why are there so many books, and what is that?" The child looked at the various books and the abundance of silver and gold inside the cave.

"This is Dad’s secret place! From now on, it’s your secret place too. Someday, this place will definitely be useful to you, so I’ll teach you how to get in here!" replied the father, who would teach his son how to enter that treasure-filled place.