Narrator
Pain...
Is something that everyone wishes to avoid.
Yet...
Without pain...
Many of life's most precious lessons...
Would never be learned.
The night quietly embraced Restart Village.
The moon floated high above the peaceful village.
Silver light spread across the rooftops.
A gentle breeze danced through the trees.
The chirping of crickets echoed from the fields.
Far away...
The flowing river continued its endless journey.
Inside the White family's home...
Everything was calm.
The warmth of the fireplace had long since faded.
Only the soft glow of moonlight remained.
Everyone was asleep.
Brald.
Lily.
Little Tia.
Even the village itself seemed to be dreaming.
V lay peacefully on his bed.
His breathing was slow and steady.
The events of the past few weeks...
His training.
Liza's final farewell.
His first public battle.
The awakening of Blood Elevation.
All of those memories quietly drifted through his mind.
Then...
Darkness slowly surrounded him.
His consciousness drifted deeper.
And without realizing it...
He entered a dream.
The Narrator
Dreams...
Are mysterious places.
Sometimes...
They show us the future.
Sometimes...
They remind us of the past.
And sometimes...
They reveal lessons our hearts were not yet ready to understand.
The world around V slowly changed.
The peaceful bedroom disappeared.
The moonlight faded.
Warm sunlight replaced it.
The laughter of children echoed through the village.
Birds flew across the bright blue sky.
The smell of fresh earth filled the air.
V slowly looked around.
"...This place..."
His eyes widened.
"It..."
"It's Restart Village."
But something felt different.
The houses looked newer.
The great tree was much smaller.
The mountain stood proudly in the distance.
Everything looked familiar...
Yet younger.
Then...
V heard footsteps.
He turned.
A small child ran across the open field.
The child held a tiny wooden sword with both hands.
His face was filled with determination.
His movements were clumsy.
His footing unsteady.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
V froze.
"...Me?"
The child...
Was himself.
Seven years old.
Young V laughed happily.
"Take this!"
He imagined an invisible enemy standing before him.
He swung his wooden sword with all his strength.
Whoosh!
Again.
Whoosh!
And again.
Each swing was filled with effort.
But not with experience.
Nearby...
Brald quietly watched.
He did not interrupt.
He simply smiled.
Watching his son enjoy every moment.
Young V suddenly shouted.
"I'll become strong!"
"I'll protect everyone!"
He charged forward.
His tiny legs moved as fast as they could.
One step.
Another step.
Then...
His foot caught on a small stone hidden beneath the grass.
"...Eh?"
Time seemed to slow.
His balance disappeared.
His wooden sword slipped from his hands.
His body tilted forward.
Then—
Thud!
He crashed onto the ground.
Dust rose into the air.
Silence followed.
For a brief moment...
Nothing happened.
Then...
Pain.
A sharp sting spread through his knee.
The skin had been scraped against the rough ground.
A small trail of blood slowly appeared.
Young V looked down.
His lips trembled.
Tears quickly filled his eyes.
He tried to stay brave.
He really tried.
But...
He was still only a child.
His tears escaped.
"Papa..."
"It hurts..."
The sound of hurried footsteps approached.
Brald immediately knelt beside him.
Without hesitation...
He gently lifted V into his arms.
Like a father protecting the most precious treasure in his life.
"It's alright..."
"I'm here."
Young V buried his face against Brald's chest.
His small shoulders shook as he cried.
"It hurts..."
"It really hurts..."
"I don't like pain..."
"I don't want it anymore..."
Brald quietly listened.
He didn't rush to answer.
He simply allowed his son to cry.
Sometimes...
Before giving advice...
A parent first gives comfort.
The breeze gently passed through the village.
The leaves rustled softly overhead.
The birds continued singing.
Life moved on...
As if reminding them that pain...
Was only one small part of a much larger journey.
After a few moments...
Young V slowly calmed down.
His tears became smaller.
His breathing steadied.
Brald smiled warmly.
He gently wiped away the remaining tears from his son's face.
Then...
He looked directly into V's eyes.
"My son..."
"May I tell you something important?"
Young V sniffled.
Then quietly nodded.
"...Yes..."
And beneath the warm afternoon sun...
A father prepared to teach his son...
A lesson...
That would remain in his heart...
For the rest of his life.
Brald gently placed his hand on V's head.
His warm smile never disappeared.
The afternoon breeze quietly passed through Restart Village.
The leaves above them swayed softly.
Rustle...
Rustle...
For a long moment...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
Brald finally broke the silence.
"My son..."
"Do you know why pain exists?"
Young V slowly shook his head.
"I don't..."
"It only hurts."
"It only makes me cry."
Brald smiled gently.
"No, V."
"Pain is not your enemy."
Young V blinked.
"It isn't?"
Brald slowly nodded.
"Pain..."
"Joy..."
"Sadness..."
"Happiness..."
"They all have their own place in life."
"If people only experienced happiness..."
"They would never understand how precious it truly is."
"If no one ever cried..."
"They would never understand the value of a smile."
"If no one ever fell..."
"They would never learn..."
"How to stand again."
Young V quietly listened.
His tears had already stopped.
Only curiosity remained.
Brald gently picked up the small wooden sword lying on the ground.
He handed it back to V.
"Look at this sword."
"It became dirty when you fell."
"But..."
"Does that mean you should throw it away?"
Young V immediately shook his head.
"No."
"I should clean it."
Brald smiled.
"Exactly."
"The same is true for your heart."
"When life hurts you..."
"Don't throw your heart away."
"Help it heal."
"Learn from what happened."
"And keep moving forward."
The sunlight filtered gently through the trees.
Golden rays surrounded the father and son.
Young V looked down at the scrape on his knee.
"It still hurts..."
Brald nodded.
"It will."
"But tomorrow..."
"It will hurt less."
"And one day..."
"It will become nothing more than a small scar."
"A reminder..."
"That you stood up again."
Young V slowly stood.
His legs trembled slightly.
But he remained standing.
Brald smiled proudly.
"See?"
"You've already become stronger than you were a few moments ago."
Young V looked surprised.
"I have?"
"Of course."
"Strength doesn't only come from swinging a sword."
"It also comes from standing up..."
"After you've fallen."
The dream slowly began to fade.
The warm afternoon.
The village.
The trees.
Everything gradually dissolved into light.
Brald's voice echoed one last time.
"So don't hate pain..."
"Learn from it."
"Because one day..."
"The pain you overcome..."
"Will become the reason someone else can smile."
V's eyes slowly opened.
The dream disappeared.
Moonlight quietly entered through the bedroom window.
The room was silent.
Only the gentle sound of breathing could be heard.
V looked down.
Little Tia was sleeping peacefully on his chest.
Her tiny hands held tightly onto his shirt.
A small smile appeared on V's face.
He gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.
"So peaceful..."
He whispered softly.
Without waking her...
He carefully wrapped the blanket around her little body.
For a moment...
He simply watched her sleep.
Then he remembered his father's words.
Pain teaches.
Love heals.
Perhaps...
That was why he wanted to become stronger.
Not to defeat others.
But to protect smiles like hers.
To protect his family.
To protect the people he loved.
Outside...
The stars continued shining over Restart Village.
The night breeze gently moved through the trees.
Everything was peaceful.
The Narrator
Pain...
Teaches.
Love...
Heals.
And those who understand both...
Do not become strong because they never cried.
They become strong...
Because they learned...
How to smile again.
Beneath the quiet moon...
A young boy closed his eyes once more.
Holding his little sister close...
He peacefully drifted back to sleep.
Unaware...
That the lessons of today...
Would one day shape the legend...
The world would never forget.