Beyond the Wall
918 Words
Four years passed.
The seasons came and went.
The winds changed.
The grass beneath the old tree grew and withered countless times.
And the children who once shared dreams beneath its branches slowly grew older.
Asura was now nine years old.
His body had grown stronger and taller. His features had become sharper, and his dark eyes carried a calm maturity that often made adults uncomfortable.
His little sister had also grown into a cheerful four-year-old who followed him everywhere whenever she could.
Yet despite the passing years...
Some things never changed.
Every day, Asura and Leon still met beneath the old tree.
The tree where their friendship had begun.
The tree where promises had been made.
The tree that had become their sanctuary.
But not everyone approved of their friendship.
Especially the nobles.
One afternoon, as Leon walked toward the field, several noble children blocked his path.
One of them sneered.
Noble Boy:
"Why do you keep spending time with that slave?"
Another laughed.
"He is lower than livestock."
"A noble like you should be playing with us."
Leon simply looked at them.
Unimpressed.
Noble Boy:
"What do you even see in him?"
Leon answered calmly.
Leon:
"A friend."
The noble children stared at him in disbelief.
One of them scoffed.
"He's a slave."
Leon shrugged.
"And?"
Without waiting for a response, he walked past them.
Leaving the noble children fuming behind him.
It wasn't only the nobles.
Many common children avoided Asura as well.
Some had been taught to fear slaves.
Others simply followed what society told them.
To most people...
Asura was nothing more than a low-born slave.
Someone beneath notice.
Someone beneath respect.
But Leon never saw him that way.
Never once.
To Leon, Asura was simply...
Asura.
His friend.
Even Leon's parents had begun noticing.
One evening, during dinner inside the Valen estate, Leon's father finally spoke.
Lord Valen:
"Leon."
The boy looked up.
"Yes, Father?"
Lord Valen sighed.
"We've heard you're still meeting that slave boy."
Leon immediately understood who they meant.
Asura.
His mother spoke gently.
Lady Valen:
"We don't hate him."
"But people are talking."
Leon frowned.
"And?"
His father looked serious.
Lord Valen:
"You are the heir of House Valen."
"Your actions matter."
Leon lowered his gaze.
But after a moment...
He shook his head.
Leon:
"Asura is my friend."
Silence filled the room.
Lord Valen stared at him for several moments before finally sighing.
He knew his son was stubborn.
Very stubborn.
And Leon never stopped visiting the old tree.
One bright morning, Leon and Asura were lying beneath its shade, watching clouds drift across the sky.
After a long silence, Leon suddenly spoke.
Leon:
"Asura..."
"Hmm?"
Leon pointed toward the massive stone wall visible in the distance.
The wall that separated the noble districts from the outer settlements.
Leon:
"Have you ever been beyond that wall?"
Asura looked toward it.
The towering structure had always stood there.
Separating two worlds.
Asura shook his head.
"No."
"Slaves aren't allowed inside."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"But it doesn't really matter."
He looked toward the horizon.
"The world is huge."
"I can explore it someday."
Leon laughed.
Leon:
"You really are something else."
Asura raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Leon smiled.
"Most people spend their lives wishing to enter the city."
"You talk about exploring the entire world."
Asura simply shrugged.
Leon stared at him for a moment.
Then suddenly sat upright.
Leon:
"Have you ever heard of schools?"
Asura froze internally.
Schools?
Universities?
Libraries?
Of course he knew.
In his previous life.
But in this world...
He had never seen one.
So he answered naturally.
Asura:
"No."
"I haven't."
Leon's eyes immediately lit up.
Leon:
"Then I have an idea."
The excitement in his voice instantly made Asura suspicious.
Asura:
"What kind of idea?"
Leon grinned.
The dangerous kind.
Leon:
"Why don't I show you what's inside the wall?"
Asura blinked.
Then blinked again.
"...What?"
Leon jumped to his feet.
Leon:
"You just need decent clothes."
"Nobody will question you."
Before Asura could object, Leon had already started planning.
An hour later...
Inside Leon's room...
Asura stood awkwardly while wearing one of Leon's spare noble outfits.
The clothes fit surprisingly well.
A dark blue coat.
Clean trousers.
Polished boots.
Leon stared at him.
Then stared some more.
Asura:
"What?"
Leon pointed dramatically.
Leon:
"You look like the prince of a kingdom."
Asura rolled his eyes.
Leon laughed.
"No, seriously."
"You don't look like a slave at all."
Asura looked at himself in the mirror.
For a moment...
He barely recognized the boy staring back.
Leon suddenly extended his hand.
A bright smile on his face.
Leon:
"Come on."
Asura raised an eyebrow.
Leon:
"Let's go see the world beyond the wall."
Asura looked at his friend.
Then toward the distant city.
The place he had never been allowed to enter.
The place that represented everything his world denied him.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Asura:
"Fine."
Leon grinned.
Leon:
"And one more thing."
"What?"
Leon's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Leon:
"Someday..."
"We should build our own kingdom."
Asura laughed softly.
Leon continued.
"A kingdom where nobody is judged by birth."
"Where slaves don't exist."
"Where everyone can chase their dreams."
The wind gently moved through the grass.
For a brief moment...
Neither boy realized how important those words would become.
Together, they began walking toward the great wall.
Toward the kingdom beyond.
Toward a future neither of them could yet imagine.
End of Chapter 7
- Writer
