Chapter 15: Silence And Understanding [1]

[FLASHBACK]

A younger Hidemi looked at the sky, letting his mind wander. The clouds would often amuse him, captivating his attention by drifting around the horizon. “Those clouds must be happy!” he would think. Being able to go, do, and be anywhere they exist, whenever they wanted. He envied their freedom.

He felt a pressure on his shoulders. Turning around to see, he was met with the eyes of his father, Ivan.

He watched Ivan mouth some words and then smile, grabbing his hand. Hidemi gave a smile, standing up, and following his father.

…

Now home, Hidemi’s eyes were focused on the forge that quietly heated up with each passing second. His father removed his robe, now in his tank top and hair tied up, he grabbed his hammer. Hidemi watched Ivan’s movements. Each strike, each thundering pound and chip at the material. The movements seemed complex. Every time the hammer came down, instead of remaining heated, the small bursts of Sanctum pressure Ivan released would cool it down enough