Living on Matori wasn’t the worst situation.

Valek found himself enjoying training more and more and as the cooler season turned into summer the delights of the beach earned even more admiration from the boy who had been raised in the more brutal desert. The festivals were amazing and the summer harvests brought so much food that everyone at the academy constantly found themselves receiving extra portions and free meals as the cooks shared what the villagers gave them to support those growing teens who were training hard for the future of their world. The very thought made Valek chuckle as he tossed another of his favorite fruits up and down in the air. Again and again until finally he got bored and started munching on the sweet fruit instead. It was interesting to see how so many celebrated the blessings of the gods and Valek had to ponder their reasoning considering the vast world that they lived in. So many discoveries had been brought about within the last few decades and with the appearance of Belrea the teen was surprised that so many Matori still clamored to greater beings of the heavens. Personally he saw no harm in it but at the same time he was not about to rely on some nonexistent idea that so far had done nothing to help his life. If anything he would spit at superstitions, especially those of the Yaeli, because he hated that aspect of his heritage. It seemed silly to let some sort of mysterious figure dictate how you should live your life and the very thought made Valek toss his mostly finished fruit to the side in frustration. It was a complete waste of time. They should just learn to live for themselves instead of cowering in fear because Lurin or Dafiel would curse them. “Just let them try.” Murmured Valek before he turned the corner and started walking closer to the village.

At least here the gods were nice and enjoyed parties. The very thought brought back a shadow of a smile to his fine features and the teen gave a slow wave towards a group of villagers who waved back in turn. Everyone had been so friendly after he had gone around and introduced himself. The hybrid knew that his mixed traits often made him stand out and sometimes it would make others wary of him, especially the older Matori who had lingering feelings towards Obans in general. Being a hybrid on top of that? Well it was definitely time to lock any doors with him around cause you never knew what someone shady like him would do next. The very thought brought a chuckle to his lips. At least that was in the past now that he had been here for a couple of years. Things had settled and he was settling in well while even learning their customs. At least the gods were basically the same ones as the Oban deities that his father had taught him about. Needless to say even if Valek did not believe they existed or at least cared about the details of his life the boy was fine celebrating them with others. This was a much better way of honoring gods instead of just hiding away or crying out for mercy all of the time. Such things probably were why his mother had left her homeland and come to Oba in the first place…..creating the mess that was well him. Valek’s expression darkened at the thought but he just trudged along, a sigh leaving his lips as he darted away from the rest to pass time before the festivities for the evening began.

Perhaps a nice long walk could cool his temper. It would be hard to enjoy the evening if he kept allowing his thoughts to drift towards more upsetting things, mostly his own history. Valek just shook his head before noticing another tree laden with fruit and the teen walked towards it so that he could pluck his prize. At least in the summer months when there was plenty the extra orchard trees planted around the village were free game. Another of the gods’ blessings he supposed since they practiced sharing with those in need whenever possible. It was still much better than the other religions he knew about and Valek had to admit that he did enjoy spending more time in Matori and Oba than anywhere else in the world….at least for now. He did have a lot left to learn about the rest of the world after all. Eventually he would get there, especially now that he had very little holding him back once he was deemed strong enough to leave his training days as a rookie fighter behind.

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