Erold and Jasmin approached the village, finding it closer to a ruin—a place where no life pulsed. Straw huts were filled with holes, and some were blackened as if fire had devoured them greedily.
Jasmin turned and said: "What happened here?"
A man who was walking while holding his back replied; he appeared old, but he was not an elderly man. His features were steady, with black eyes filled with sadness: "This village burned five years ago because of bandits. They killed and looted everything… nothing remained except for that house."
He pointed to a house that was somewhat dilapidated but bore signs of repair: wood on the walls and a straw roof, though it was not symmetrical.
Erold said: "And who are you? Are you one of the village residents?"
The man replied: "Yes, my name is Karai. I was the chief of this village in the past."
Jasmin said with enthusiasm: "I am Jasmin, and this is Eroooo… I mean Arthur!"
Erold looked at her with boredom and said: "My name is Arthur."
The voice of the soul "Arthur" laughed mockingly while jumping in the air: "Have you returned to your real name, you spineless man? Hahahahahaha!"
Karai said calmly: "I am honored to meet you. You are my guests; please come to my home."
Erold said: "Thank you."
They entered the house, and Jasmin shouted with joy: "Finally! I will sleep on a comfortable bed!"
Karai smiled and said: "There are two beds in the house, one for you and the other for Arthur."
Erold replied: "No, I am not used to beds. I have always slept on the ground."
Karai insisted, but to no avail with Erold.
Karai: "I am going fishing soon." Erold: "I will go with you." Karai: "As you wish… are you good at using a fishing rod?" Erold: "A little."
Erold turned to Jasmin and asked her: "Do you want to come with us?" She replied tiredly: "No… I want to sleep, I am exhausted."
Karai and Erold went fishing. While they were walking toward the shore, Karai asked: "It is clear you are not from this region. May I ask: Why are you here?"
Erold replied calmly: "I was looking for my friend's family… but it seems they died here."
Karai replied while throwing his rod into the water: "So it is… but there are some survivors who went to the neighboring village, if you want to be sure."
Then he said with regret: "If Erold hadn't left, all of this wouldn't have happened…"
Erold was surprised and looked at him, saying: "And who is this Erold?"
Karai replied: "He was my best friend. He and I were the strongest in the village… until that cursed 'Amon' saw him and he followed him. On that day, news reached the bandits that Erold had left the North, and they waited until they were sure he wouldn't return. I wanted to reach him, so I headed to Egypt. In the middle of my way out of the North, they informed me that the village had been looted and annihilated by the bandits."
"There were survivors, but I couldn't face them… the village chief was absent and couldn't do anything."
Karai sighed and said: "I don't blame you after all this, my friend… you always tried to leave the North to see the world."
Erold smiled and said: "It seems he was a very dear friend to you, for you to forgive him after all you said about him."
Karai replied: "You are right… but who is this friend of yours?"
Erold said: "He is my friend and my older brother… Erold Lionheart."
Karai froze in his place and said slowly: "Ero…ld?"
Then he said with sorrow: "How is he? He hasn't asked about me for a long time."
Erold replied: "He died eight years ago."
Karai was shocked, and Erold began telling him the story from his side. Karai said in a quiet voice: "This is my friend… he would have sacrificed himself for others. He was a symbol of strength here, and I was the symbol of the mind… we complemented each other. I always told him to make himself a priority, otherwise he would die. And here, what I expected has happened."
Then he said, looking at Erold with a look of appreciation: "Thank you, Arthur. A friend of Erold… is my friend. Welcome."
Erold said with shame, lowering his gaze: "I am sorry… for my lie regarding my friend's family."
Karai looked at him calmly, then said: "Don't worry about it. I won't ask you more."
The rod began to shake, and they finished their fishing. On their way back at sunset, Erold said: "I will be the one to prepare dinner."
Karai replied: "There is no need for that, you are a guest." Erold insisted.
They entered the house, and Jasmin said while tossing on the couch: "I am hungry!"
Karai replied, laughing: "Arthur is the one who will prepare dinner today."
Jasmin said with annoyance: "I've grown tired of Erold's food… Ah! I mean Arthur's."
Karai smiled and said: "So, you named yourself after him in his honor? What a good man you are…"
Then Karai turned to Jasmin, having glimpsed in her eyes an intelligence that exceeded her age. Jasmin asked with curiosity: "Did you possess power to rule this village? Or what?"
Karai laughed a little, then sat on the floor in front of her and said: "I did not inherit power; I built it… idea by idea, girl. While others chased money, I chased understanding. I learned that a disciplined mind can shatter any bond. I studied by candlelight and memorized books by heart… not in search of glory, but because truth was sacred."
Then he looked into her eyes and asked her seriously: "Do you believe that strength lies only in muscles, Jasmin?"
Jasmin said in surprise: "I think so."
Karai: "What if I told you that I have seen men wielding swords, but they are defeated before those who possess ideas. Always ask yourself… organize your mind, and the world around you will begin to change."
He went silent for a moment, then continued while pointing gently to his chest: "Discipline is not pain; it is freedom. Freedom from ignorance, from fear, and from the destruction that dwells inside you. Rule your mind… and you will rule your destiny."
Jasmin was staring at him in amazement, not knowing if she understood everything he said, but she felt that his words were not just advice, but keys to something greater… something she had not thought of before.
Erold's voice interrupted them from inside the kitchen: "Dinner is ready, guys."
Karai rose smiling, saying: "Let's continue our talk later, little one."
The three sat around the simple wooden table and began eating. But Jasmin was not eating; she was staring at her plate, as if her mind were somewhere else. Erold said to her as he filled her cup with water: "Weren't you hungry a moment ago?"
She raised her gaze to him and smiled a faint smile: "Don't worry… I'll walk a little on the beach."
She went out of the house quietly, walking alone on the cold sand. The moon was reflected on the surface of the sea with a haunting calmness, as if the whole world was silent to listen to her thoughts.
She said to herself: "Can I truly be of use? Can I help Erold?"
Before she could delve deeper into her questions, she heard quiet footsteps behind her. She turned and found Karai approaching her, his face bathed in moonlight.
He said in a quiet voice as if he were reading her thoughts: "What are you thinking about, little one?"
Jasmin hesitated a little then said: "About what you told me a while ago… Can I be like that? Can I be of help? Do I truly have the strength for that?"
Karai stood beside her, looking at the sea, and said in a calm tone loaded with confidence:
"Of course you can… let me tell you something, Jasmin…
The mind… is the first battlefield for success.
He who believes he can, will find the way. And he who believes he cannot, will look for an excuse. Your thoughts are what draw your boundaries. If you believe in failure, you will fall. And if you believe in growth, you will rise.
In the end, it is neither talent nor luck that defines you, but the mentality you choose to embrace. The greatest restrictions… are those we impose on ourselves. And the greatest freedom is to have the courage to break these restrictions."
Silence prevailed between them, broken only by the sounds of the waves. Jasmin looked at him for a long time, as if the words were drawing a new path in her heart.
She said quietly: "I will try, Karai… I promise."
He smiled and placed his palm on her head gently: "That is all I ask of you, to try… and time will take care of the rest."
Silence prevailed between Karai and Jasmin, only the sound of the sea. Then Karai glimpsed from afar a shadow approaching… it was Erold.
He approached them with quick steps and a worried tone: "Jasmin… I thought you were sick!"
Jasmin smiled lightly and said: "I am fine, I was just thinking a little…"
She looked at Karai who nodded to her with understanding, then she turned to Erold.
Erold sighed and said, placing his hand on her head: "Thank God you are fine… Come, let's return to the house. We leave tomorrow with the first light of dawn; we need to be ready."
She nodded her head and walked beside him. And in her heart, Jasmin was not the same child who had left the house moments ago…
She was carrying a new seed, an idea that had begun to grow, telling her that she had a role… and that she was capable of being more than just a child accompanying him.