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As Liio traveled back through Sauti, heading north to where the road led to Tale and Zena, he thought about everything he learned on his quick adventure. He needed to get home to see Elna and his father, as well as their grandmother who was sick. But when they pushed on he felt the desire to travel south and see if he could manage it. To explore and appreciate the world as he began to understand all the things that made him different from the other cultures of the world. Sure, Liio knew he was a little different being of Leaf and Ice origin, but there was so much more.

He was able to meet some travelers from Belrea, with their dark skin and bright hair, or the ones with the weird eyes. He spent a few hours walking with them and discussing how they traveled across the sea, fascinated by the technology that didn't require any animals or magic. They also showed him their special weapons that used technology not seen in Tendaji. He wished he had more time to explore them, but they had to go separate paths. Maybe one day he'd get a chance to visit their land and see the weapons in action.

As he got further into Sauti, he ran into someone who was from the beach, a hybrid like him with Matori and Oba origins. Her skin was dark brown but had interesting speckles. Her companions were from Jauhar, with skin that changed during the time of day. He was able to spend a bit of time traveling with them, a few days to get to know them before they went to a different settlement. They answered his questions about their homes and their people, and asked him a few about Zena.

As he finally was traveling alone once more, Liio thought a bit more about the people of tendaji. He knew that the Matori and Obans were at peace, but remembers stories about their war from his family. He was surprised to find a girl traveling who had a happy family story, not one of slavery. Maybe they were truly at peace and living a better life - they were a new generation after all. Then there were the people of Jauhar, the bug-eyed women who kept to themselves and the skin-changing Shifters who seemed to just be peaceful with everyone.

Moving over to Belrea, he really wanted to see their cities and technology, but also understand more about the simple landscapes where the workers got all the tools and resources. Finally, there was the glowing-eyed people of Yael, who also lived alongside the Elaria and their extremist cousins. Liio was curious about the Extremists, the major threat of Tendaji. Were they waiting to start another war, or maybe were they finally ready for peace?

Liio thought about his own life, how fortunate he was to grow up in peace considering his parents fought in wars. He and his sister lived in relative calm, not needing to worry about food or if their home would be destroyed. Instead, they lived happy, growing up with his family, living in a world that his parents fought for. Liio struggled to imagine anything else, and so he let it go to focus on what he wanted to do. He wanted to explore and grow, to see the world that was finally peaceful. He wanted to establish himself in the world, be noted by the world even if he didn't have a war to fight.

Liio didn't really think he could fight in a war anyway. At least not on the front lines with a weapon. He still struggled during the training sessions with his father.

As he arrived at the settlement, he noticed all the sauti blondes in the area. It was remote, so not many of the rest of Tendaji were there. It reminded him of his small world, and he was determined to not let himself be trapped in a place without culture and variety. He would see the world, get to know the world, and be cultured for all the cultures of the world. No matter what it took, he'd see everything before he settled. That was a promise.

Too much had changed in Tendaji for Liio to give up on experiencing it all, and with how much he heard about the wars of the past, he hoped to see it before he couldn't. It would be such a shame if a war stopped him from experiencing it first hand.