6 Dreams of the Future

Jilun stood at the doorway to farmhouse.

Jia smiled upon seeing him, jumping into his embrace excitedly. Jilun had grown over the years, now, he stood a heads height taller than her. Compared to before, after years of working in the fields, it tempered his muscle enough that a shirt no longer hides it. With his broad shoulders, he gives off an intimidating presence. Still, he would never arm wrestle her.

His light brown hair came down to his shoulders as he let it grow out over the years as better protection from the sun.

Still though, his personality hadn't changed at all. His silver eyes took after his mother, Mei, while his brown hair came from his father's side. She still loved him very much, because even though he looked different, he was still the same person.*

Jilun had almost never requested a meeting between the two of them as they see each other practically everyday, and he has never had the need to tell her anything that she didn't already know.

But the day before, he had informed her of a plan he had for the future, and wanted her to be the first one to know of this. Of course, this made her happy, but uneasy at the same time. Such strange behavior, surely it can't be anything normal?

'because... this never happened before...'*

Nonetheless, it still gave her great pride over getting a secret first over his parents.

Jilun looked over to Huiying who was near the stairs, as if trying to silently get her permission to take her daughter. Although Huiying was like his second mother, he still felt the need to respect their boundaries as a person, because no matter what, they are not actually mother and son.

Huiying was already used to this as she walked up to him. Arriving next to him, she whispered in his ear.

"Don't worry, your doing me a favor"

She winked at him as she put her hands on the back of the pair, leading them to the door. It was only in this time of contemplation that he understood what she meant. But by the time he had any time to conjure up a response, she had already closed the door on them.

"Have fun~"

Huiyings voice could be heard faintly behind the door before fading away.

***

Jia and Jilun walked around the dirt paths that connected the villages farmhouses. This was an event much like every other day. With no one in this small village even near their age, they really only had each other. Some things need someone of similar age to understand.

After being around one another for their entire lives, it was almost as if each one of them had two families.

And while everyday farm life definitely taxed on a person, to them, they knew nothing of other forms of entertainment.

This is what sparked Jiluns curiosity. After hearing about the big cities from his Great Grandfather, he was completely emerged in this seemingly mystical world.

Completely different from the village which had not even two hundred people, that same amount within the big cities would only fit in one building!

With such disparities between the two worlds, what else but the urge to explore, would emerge after hearing about such experiences?

This is what brought about this seed of thought within Jiluns mind. Of course, going by himself would be fine, but what if he had someone with him. His parents weren't an option. Not only had they already experienced this new world and draw no excitement, but they have a farm to tend to, and the absence for even a month could disrupt the upcoming harvest. But still, another option remained, a person that could make anything more enjoyable.

"Jia, what do you plan to do for the rest of your life?"

Jia turned to look at him. Such a thought provoking question… when has he been the one to delve into intricacies?

"What do you mean? What else would I do besides maintaining the farm?"

Jilun turned his eyes away from her as he looked straight, seemingly pondering to say something.

"Have you ever thought off… leaving the village."

Jia's eyes flicked red, but she quickly regained her composure.

"No, I haven't."

Jia firmly rejected his question, leaving no room for any misunderstandings.

Jilun stopped walking, turning to face her.

"Have you ever heard of what a real city looks like?"

He pointed across the horizon behind him.

"Our farmhouses barely covers this vast horizon, but in a city, buildings twice the size of our farmhouse cover the same land our crops rest upon. Anywhere you look, buildings and structures all over. Here we know everyone, but what of a world where we know no one?"

Jiluns attempt at taking a positive stance caused Jia to mockingly laughed at him.

"Then what would be the point? Meeting new people will only bring troubles, you don't know this as you have never seen the true nature of humans."

Jilun returned her laugh.

"And you have? Is this as far as you dream to go? Do you stop yourself from doing anything that many possess a hint of danger? Seeing the same things everyday, don't you yearn for something new?"

Jia shook her head. She placed her hand on his chest as she caressed it.

"I see you everyday, what more could I want?"

Jilun frowned. It was futile convincing this person with any logical reasoning. Instead, he had long found a way around her. He would just leave. He knew she would come with him no matter how much she disagreed.

Jilun came to find out her real and only weakness very early on. She seemed almost incapable of letting him do anything by himself. So, he would use this to his advantage. He did this not only for himself, but because he truly felt she would enjoy such a change in scenery. With her energetic self in a world of new and beautiful things, the experiences they could have together would be endless.

Still though, while Jilun may tell himself that, he really was driven by selfishness.

In truth, he loved Jia, and it wasn't familial. He had felt this way for a while, and he too felt horrible at the thought of separation. After spending every second, of everyday, of every year together, the bond between the two, while it may not show on the surface, is unimaginable. So, he would result to any means necessary, even if that may mean taking advantage of her weakness.

"I just wanted you to be the first one to know. You should think about it a little harder."

Jilun continued to walk forward as he passed her.

"When do you plan on leaving?"

He turned to look at her. Internally though, he smiled.

"When I turn sixteen."

Now that she knows, the seed is planted. The results will only come with time.

***

"You want to leave the village?"

Feng and Mei stood in front of Jilun while he sat on his bed. Jilun felt it was only right he told his parents about his ambitions in advance, they were the closest to him just as well.

"Yes. This is not a sudden decision of mine. I've had this thought for many years. I have only now come to realize what the rest of the world holds."

Feng signed.

"Grandfather must've told you about it."

He looked at Jilun in the eyes.

"Yes, he did."

"Then you must know of the transport that comes to the village every 5 years."

"Yes. The transport takes goods we've harvested for the past 5 years directly to the City of the New Moon. I was planning on riding with them as I believe it is safest."

Feng nodded.

"And you would be right. While Magic's beasts may not be common here, many exist in the heavily populated areas. As The City of the New Moon is a great distance from here, facing danger is not unwarranted."

Feng reached into his shirt pocket, ruffling around until he brought his hand out holding a wrinkled piece of paper.

"I have an old friend that resides there. He is the one who got the trade connection to our village and provided us with the necessary equipment to prosper a few decades back."

Jilun received the paper with hand. Putting tension on the paper to straighten out the wrinkles, he carefully read it.

"The Seal of the Aster Grounds?"

"Yes, it is a great faction of the City of the New Moon. His name is Fengge, and he is an instructor there. He owes me a favor or two so I'm sure he wouldn't mind you joining him for a little while. I had imagined you would want to leave this small village for an adventure in the future, so I hadn't used this favor in the many years I've had it."

Feng stepped back as he allowed Mei to speak. As Jilun saw his mom was next to speak, he gave a warm smile in thanks to his father before focusing on his mother.

'Although father doesn't express everything openly, he true cares so much for me'

Mei came up to him, sitting next to him on the bed.

"When do you plan on returning?"

He felt a bit of pressure. Leaving the family he was near for his whole life for what could be years, even he was finding it hard to speak.

"Do you plan on bringing Jia with you?"

He knew she would ask him this, as this was not a wish only they shared. It was something both families wanted, for Jia and him to become the closest for each other. He knew his moms worries, because although a few years away compared to the many years they spent together may not be much, one must not underestimate the erosion of time.

He looked out the bedroom window. The same fields greeted his eyes. Jilun wondered what it would be like, one day awaking up only to be surrounded by a world unknown to him. But it was something he looked forward to…

"I plan"

…with Jia of course

A/N: I had to rewrite this goddam chapter so many times because of Webnovel deleting my originals. Sorry if the words are diluted.