After she was done with the self inspection, Syla left her bedroom and was greeted by her parents, they had breakfast together when the sun weren't even halfway through its rising phase, the outside was engulfed with dark bluish hue, oil lamps still being lit inside the houses, and not many people walked on the street.
Amidst the silent morning and the chewing sound, Syla who was enjoying her meal in peace, was interrupted by her mother.
"Syla, have you really made your mind about it?" She said, her hands froze in place while holding the utensils.
"—Mhm, I gave it a lot of thoughts, trust me." Syla replied after a few seconds of silence, her lips slightly frowned and her eyes half-closed.
Her mother stared at her intensely, she seems to be holding her emotions as if trying to not burst in tears, she then let out a deep sigh to calm herself down. Her dad on the other side can only watch and slowly eat as he observed the situation.
"Haaah— You've grown so much that i can't believe you're my daughter.." She said, a vague smile formed between her lips before it disappeared. "But isn't it a bit too soon for you to leave next week?.."
Syla placed her spoon and fork down on the table with her clean plate before looking at her mother, she was undoubtely feeling a bit of guilt, but there was nothing she could do.
"3 years ago, you asked me if i really want to leave this village and go on an adventure– I said yes, and you told me that i need to be an adult first if i want to do that– After that, i asked again, 'When will i become an adult?', you said i need to be atleast 18 years old.. Now, that i've reached that age, is it wrong that i still wanted to do it?" Syla explained, her voice was calm, as if there weren't any sign of emotion in it.
Her mother could only stayed quiet after hearing her words, she didn't deny nor disappointed by it, however she wasn't happy about it too. Syla waited for an answer, when it didn't came, she decided to walk to the back of her house to wash the empty plate.
Shortly after she washed the plate, Syla came back to the dinner table and saw her mother finishing her meal, she then took her empty plate and also began walking to the back of the house, followed by her dad.
After the three of them had their breakfast, Syla was approached by her dad, his face was serious, and it seems like he wants to talk to her privately.
"Syla, should we go to the academy together?" He said.
Syla was confused at first, it's unusual for her father to say something like this, she thought about it for a while, and ended up accepting it.
"Sure? Do you have something to do there?" She asked.
"Not really, i just wanted to see your combat skills." Her dad answered, faking a smile along the way.
Syla didn't preached further because she didn't see any reason for it, the two of them then bid their goodbye to Syla's mother and walked outside.
Even though the air was cold and Syla was wearing a skirt, she was unexpectedly unfazed by it, she kept walking at the side of the street together with her father while the silence continued for a minute, the atmosphere was gradually becoming awkward as none of them wanted to start a conversation.
'Say something!! You wanted to talk with me right? Now's the time to do so!' Syla was screaming in her own mind, urging her father to say anything and break the awkwardness around her. 'Is he seriously not gonna talk!?'
Just as Syla was about to give up and took matters into her own hands, her dad suddenly opened his mouth and glanced towards her.
"Are you waiting for me to say something?" He said, catching Syla red handed and right on the spot.
"Eh!?" Syla was surprised at her dad as he was able to see right through her. "W- well, i mean isn't it pretty awkward?!"
"Haha, you're right, i guess it is somewhat awkward to walk alongside someone and not talk to them, especially if they knew each other." He said, laughing temporarily at Syla's dumbfounded face. "Anyway– You're right about me wanting to talk to you—
"Syla, im sure you noticed it back then, but your mother still can't let you go.. I understand that we can't change your mind, that's why i kind of already accepted it and don't want to peck you with anymore questions—
"But i want you to think about your mother for the last time– See from her perspective, if you were a mother, would you be able to accept your child's farewell? knowing that they could've stayed with you—
"Haha, you probably would be able to accept it, because you inherited my personality after all, however– Your mother can't. To her, you're her most prized possession, half of her soul if you'd like.. And to let it go just like that, it takes a lot of courage."
Her dad talked while his eyes was looking up into the sky, after his brief vent, he was waiting for Syla to give it her thoughts, and Syla, who knew that, stopped her walk and stood still, her teeth fangs dug deep within her lips, and a drop of blood fall from her chin.
"—Yeah, i know dad.. You both raised me with everything you had, you gave me love that i will never be able to repay back, and you gave me a chance to become what i am now, it'd be a lie if i didn't think about staying here.. But to do that, then i will have sacrifice my dreams, i know it's not a grandiose dream, i don't want to save the world, nor become a hero.. I just want to see where my legs can lead me– To places that i never knew, to find things that i have yet to understand, and to see the beautiful scenery that makes me appreciate the life that was given to me—
"If i stayed here, i'll be surrounded with warmth and happiness, however it will also leave behind a hole that can never be filled– A life where i can die peacefully, but not knowing what i could've achieved if i just took that first step to that mountain– To me, that sounds boring—
"I understand that there's danger out there, the world isn't full of sunshine and rainbows, i know about monsters, demons, poisonous creatures, i know about the human's greed and their superiority over different species, i know about slavery, i know that i could be captured.. Yet despite that, do you know why i still wanted to be a wanderer?— Because i wanted to proof to you, that im not some weak girl that always need a constant protection, that i can overcome my own fear.. That i can fight, and not run away."
"Syla.." Her dad was clenching his fist tightly, his eyes were glittering, as if it was holding a wave of tears that could break the barrier at any moment.
Before he could say anything, Syla interrupted her with more of her rant.
"You let your own past trap you like a bird in a cage, you with your encounter with a Mountain Troll on a cliff that almost killed you, and mom with her encounter with the Swamp King Snake that almost ate her.. Do you think by staying at the same place means that you'll never meet with those monsters again? Do you think that if you never went to those kind of places again, you'd be safe?"
"—Shut your mouth, Syla.." Her dad said quietly, his eyes were no longer wet, the tears in his eyes disappeared as he turned his face towards her daughter, furrowing his eyebrows in the process. "What do you know— Yeah, you're right.. We're scared, we're a coward that can't even remember our dreams.. We gave up on our dreams because of some stupid monster, We are scared of our own death, it's funny right.. Your mouth is full of ambition, while we're here trying to stop you from making that ambition of yours a reality—
"Im not as good of a father as you think, however– At the very least, all i really wanted was to see you smile, if i were to be asked what's my dream now– then i'd say, my new dream is to be able to see you happy until my death."