The mountain woke long before the sun.
Mist clung to the towering pines while dew shimmered like tiny crystals across the fields surrounding the cabin.
Inside...
Kael's eyes snapped open.
Not because of the sunrise.
Because he smelled breakfast.
"...Grandpa's making pancakes."
He was certain of it.
The smell alone was enough to pull him from bed.
Within moments, he had washed his face with cold spring water and hurried outside.
Grandpa Elias was standing beside a large flat stone that served as a cooking surface.
He carefully flipped a golden pancake into the air before catching it perfectly.
Without looking up, he smiled.
"You woke faster today."
Kael looked completely serious.
"It smelled important."
The old man burst into laughter.
"I've raised you for eighteen years, and food is still your greatest motivation."
"I don't think that's true."
"Oh?"
Kael nodded confidently.
"I also like fish."
Grandpa Elias laughed even harder.
"You're impossible."
---
Breakfast was lively.
Kael eagerly reached for another pancake.
A pair of chopsticks suddenly stopped him halfway.
"No."
Kael blinked.
"...Why?"
"What did I tell you yesterday?"
Kael frowned, thinking carefully.
"...Eat slowly?"
"Before that."
"...Wash my hands?"
"Before that."
Kael looked completely lost.
Grandpa Elias sighed dramatically.
"When someone else is eating..."
"...you ask first before taking the last piece."
Kael looked down.
Only one pancake remained.
"Oh..."
He immediately withdrew his hand.
"I'm sorry."
The old man smiled warmly.
"Good."
He slid the last pancake onto Kael's plate.
"I wasn't testing your memory."
"I was testing your manners."
Kael looked confused.
"But you're giving it to me anyway."
"I am."
"Then why ask?"
Grandpa Elias chuckled.
"Because one day..."
"...you'll eat with people besides an old man."
Kael nodded.
"I'll remember."
---
After breakfast came chores.
Unlike the previous day, Grandpa Elias handed Kael a thick coil of rope.
"We're heading west."
"The herb fields?"
"No."
"The cliffs."
Kael's eyes lit up.
"The eagle nests?"
Grandpa Elias smiled.
"You remembered."
---
The western cliffs overlooked a seemingly endless valley.
Strong winds howled between the rocks.
Far below...
A river cut through the mountains like a silver ribbon.
Kael carefully secured the rope around his waist.
Grandpa Elias checked every knot twice.
"Remember."
"Don't rush."
"The mountain has stood here longer than either of us."
"It isn't going anywhere."
"Yes, Grandpa."
With practiced movements, Kael descended the cliff face.
His fingers found tiny cracks.
His feet rested on narrow ledges no wider than a finger.
Halfway down...
He reached a patch of rare blue flowers growing directly from the stone.
Carefully...
He harvested only three.
Leaving the younger plants untouched.
When he climbed back up, Grandpa Elias examined the flowers before nodding approvingly.
"Why only three?"
Kael answered immediately.
"The younger ones should bloom next season."
"And?"
"If we take everything today..."
"There won't be anything tomorrow."
Grandpa Elias smiled.
"Good."
"A martial artist who only knows how to take..."
"...will eventually have nothing left."
---
On the journey home...
They heard rustling in the bushes.
A large wild boar burst out, its tusks glistening in the sunlight.
It snorted loudly before charging.
Kael instinctively stepped forward.
Grandpa Elias raised a hand.
"Wait."
Kael immediately stopped.
The old man simply picked up a small pebble.
"...Watch carefully."
He flicked it.
Tick!
The pebble struck the boar lightly between the eyes.
The enormous animal froze.
Its ears twitched.
Then...
It slowly turned around and walked back into the forest.
Kael stared.
"...Grandpa."
"Yes?"
"Why didn't it attack?"
Grandpa Elias smiled mysteriously.
"Perhaps it remembered it left something cooking at home."
Kael looked toward the forest.
"...Do boars cook?"
The old man couldn't hold it anymore.
He laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes.
"No."
"They don't."
Kael scratched his head.
"I didn't think so."
---
By the time they returned to the cabin, the sun was already beginning to descend.
As always...
Training came before dinner.
This time, Grandpa Elias placed three smooth stones on top of several wooden posts.
"What are we practicing?"
"Control."
Kael picked up a wooden sword.
Grandpa Elias shook his head.
"No weapon."
"Only your hands."
Kael nodded.
He approached the first post.
Slowly extended a finger.
Tap.
The stone trembled.
But didn't fall.
He moved to the second.
Another gentle tap.
Again...
The stone remained balanced.
The third...
His finger stopped just before touching it.
A breeze passed.
The stone slid backward on its own before settling safely onto the post once more.
Grandpa Elias nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
"You've finally learned patience."
Kael tilted his head.
"I thought we were practicing control."
"We are."
"And patience is part of control."
---
Night fell.
Dinner was simpler than breakfast.
Grilled mushrooms.
Steamed vegetables.
Fresh fish.
As they ate, Kael looked toward the stars.
"Grandpa..."
"Mm?"
"Have you ever left the mountain?"
For the first time that day...
Grandpa Elias became quiet.
"...Yes."
"What was it like?"
The old man looked toward the distant horizon beyond the sea of clouds.
"It was..."
He smiled faintly.
"...loud."
"Loud?"
"People."
"They talk."
"They argue."
"They laugh."
"They cry."
"They celebrate."
"They make mistakes."
"They forgive."
Kael listened intently.
"It sounds..."
"...busy."
"It is."
"Do you miss it?"
Grandpa Elias was silent for several moments.
Then he shook his head.
"I chose this mountain."
"And I would choose it again."
He looked toward Kael.
"But your path..."
"...may be different."
Kael didn't fully understand those words.
Still...
He quietly committed them to memory.
The mountain breeze carried the scent of pine through the night as grandfather and grandson sat together beneath a sky filled with countless stars.
Neither of them noticed the old pendant hanging inside the cabin.
For the briefest of moments...
Its dull surface emitted a faint silver glow.
Then everything became still once more.
End of Chapter 2