Youth Knight

Soul Compass I

"Someday I want to be a great person!" those are the cliche words that are often spoken by innocent children who do not know that the storm is in front of them, as well as myself.

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I don't know where I stepped wrong, until I finally got to this point.

"You're not wrong to step, you just stop to step." Lately I have heard my heart whisper in my ear.

Without me noticing I was yelling, "SILENCE!" but my heart kept talking.

"Start stepping, and you'll find the answers in your life."

This is a word of conscience in me. Sounds really wise, right?

It is a shame that a wise heart is owned by a loser.

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Looking at the ceiling in the narrow room, I muttered to my heart, "I don't know what to do"

This inner voice replied, "You never find out, silence won't change anything"

"Ah, I'm hungry." I stood looking around my cramped room trying to find something to eat, and then I started cooking wheat porridge.

In the middle of dinner, I muttered to my heart, "Actually, where should I start? Where am I supposed to fix all this?"

This inner voice replied, "Hundreds of times you said the same thing, but you never really tried to fix it," silent in silence, my heart continued its sentence.

"You speak to your heart as if I were someone else, how lonely you are."

I was transfixed, feeling slapped by the fact that my own heart was ironically saying it.

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I'm tired, now I want to rest.

Then I made myself comfortable in bed and slept.

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Xiris Kingdom

Maren Village

19 January 1300

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Someone banged on my bedroom door this morning, unable to hear it I finally woke up and opened the door.

On this beautiful, bright morning, someone was looking at me furiously.

"What's the matter?", I stammered as I scratched my head.

I shouldn't have said that. Look at the expression on his face that seems like it is about to explode!

"Arezha, are you shameless, you've been arrears for 2 months. When exactly are you going to pay off your room rent!" surprised to hear it, to the point of confusing me with what to say to her. A voice of heart, help me!

When faced with a precarious situation like this, this inner voice disappeared.

"I'll pay as soon as possible, please give me time," replied as I could.

"No way, I have a business. I can't tolerate your existence anymore. Starting tomorrow morning you should get out of here!"

"But, please give me a week, I'll pay you back soon, I promise!"

"No way, I don't trust you anymore, you have too many excuses. I'll come back here tomorrow and if you haven't finished everything, I'll finish it myself, got it!?" I could only mourn when he left.

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Damn it, damned all those who do not know my situation. Damn me for not being able to do anything!

"You seem oppressed and hurt, but in reality you are the villain. What puts you in trouble is yourself. You don't pay your debts because you don't have money, whereas you never look for opportunities to earn money and always expect kindness from those around you, even if you don't do good to those around you."

Ah shit, you're right my heart, you're right....

I always lie to myself.

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I gotta get out of here. Pack everything I need. Plan to go wherever it is.

Imagining where this foot would go, without a second thought I decided to go to the city of Sernia. A city close to the ocean, if I follow the flow of the river I cannot get lost.

The leftovers I currently have are only up to 4 days. The journey to Sernia City which is about 100 km takes 1 night and 2 days, quite far and maybe tiring, but what can be done.

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Then I approached the tree, leaned back my backpack and rested my feet under the tree.

I want to cook wheat for dinner, but I don't want to take any chances. If anyone saw what they were going to do, they could have attacked me.

Out of fear, I endured the hunger that night, then decided to cook it when the night had passed.

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Xiris Kingdom

Sernia city

21 January 1300

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The sound of birds singing was heard. Eyes slowly open. I stood looking around, not lingering, I immediately cooked breakfast, after which I continued on my way.

I found a path made of rocks that seemed to lead to Sernia so I followed it. Going down the hill a little, finally Sernia City was seen at the end of my eyes.

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As I walked closer, the gates of Sernia City seemed to grow even bigger. Crowds of people were jostling to enter the gate.

I knew this town from my late mother, but I didn't know Sernia was bigger than I thought.

A few more steps until this foot stepped into the city. One of the gatekeepers wearing a tall and burly iron guard, asked a few questions and checked my luggage.

There's nothing to worry about, because I don't have anything.

"Are you a resident of Sernia?" ask the guard.

"No, I come from a small village called Maren Village." I pointed my index finger. "It's about 100 miles northeast of here."

"Is that really so?" He checked my backpack carefully and then he asked again, "Have you heard any rumors on the way?"

"What kind of rumors?" I wonder the question.

"That's it, but there seems to be an issue that could trigger a war between the Xiris Kingdom and the Kluir Empire," the gatekeeper blabbed at length, "It looks like I'm talking too much so as to waste your time. If you know something, tell me." He handed me my backpack back.

We parted ways and I stepped through the gates of Sernia City.

What kind of life awaits me here?

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With my little money, I plan to find whatever job it is. I mean, it's a big city, isn't it? I'm sure I got a job here!

I saw a notice board, the first thing I saw was a poster. "What's this?" It was a poster of the royal military recruitment.

In my mind to follow the recruitment, my life might be more assured but I am not a fighter, I will definitely die while plunging into battle.

I looked around the whole notice board, looking for a map of the city. When I got it, I took the map so that it was torn because of a nail that stuck it and I stored it in my backpack.

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I feel optimistic about getting a job. Go to the city market to find a job I can do, maybe haul goods or keep a shop.

Arriving at the Sernia market I saw a group of workers who were transporting and moving goods to a horse carriage. They are being watched by their foremen.

With the intention of finding a job I approached the foreman.

The foreman glanced at me and continued his duties as he said, "Go, I have no money."

He thinks of me as a beggar.

"No, it's not like you misunderstood me, I just want to find a job as a worker here, please allow me to work here!"

The foreman sighed, from the look of his eyes as if examining my body.

"It's a pity but the workers' quota has been met, get out of here. There's no job you can get here, you're not fit to work here"

I begged him, "Please hire me, I don't mind being paid cheap!" I clasped his hand.

He was surprised and shook my hand. "Damn it, don't touch me! I told you there's no job you can get here!" He pushed me until I fell.

I gave up and tried somewhere else, but after I tried to find work around this market, but no one accepted me. Time passed quickly too.

I began to worry about the fate that would come to me later.

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