Everlast: Story of the Horizon

Chapter Six

I made my way over to the clearing Master Gaian reserved for my training, leaving my friends to relax back in the sun. When I got there, I saw Gaian sitting on a rock, back straight and facing away from me. I thought for a moment he was meditating, but then I heard the sound of a page turning and I realized he was reading a book.

I was about to go over when he spoke.

"I see you're early." He said.
"You surprise me, Jay."

I grinned and rubbed the back of my neck, walking over to him.
"Yeah, I finished helping toting thing out with Raven and Eve so I figured I'd get here before the usual."

I moved to sit by him and glanced at what he was reading. From what I could see, it was some old history book.

"Is that... not from the village...?" I asked, looking up at Gaian's face.

His eyes crinkled a little and his gaze turned to me briefly, before going back to the book.
"Yes. One of the ones your Grandfather brought with him from his travels, actually."

My eyes widened, quickly looking back to the book.
"You have one of his books?"

He chuckled, going to the back cover. On the inside was the name "Oliver Mercer" written in messy handwriting.

"I was just as curious of the outside world as you, you know. I always wondered what lay beyond our horizon. Since it was forbidden to leave, he gave me a few of his books as a way to satiate my curiosity." He reopened the book, back to the page he'd been on when I walked up.
"I must have read these a hundred times by now."

To say that I was surprised was an understatement. I mean, I knew Gaian had been curious. He told me that a while back when he found out about my desire to leave our home. What I was more surprised about was that he still read the history books my Grandfather had given him.

Did he still want to know about the outside world? Or was he just bored?

"They talk about other places...? Other villages?" I asked, well aware that I looked like an eager kid.

Gaian smiled wryly, marking the page before closing it and setting it back in his satchel.
"In a way, yes. Civilizations that fell long ago to other forces, wars that broke out over the smallest of things, people that lost their lives to natural disasters." Despite his words, he didn't seem bothered by the books contents.
"Every horizon has a story to it."

My eyes narrowed, brows furrowing.
"Are you saying all of that to make outside the village sound bad...?" I asked skeptically.

He chuckled, turning to look at me.
"No, I'm just telling you what history books teach. Peace isn't a story anyone finds entertaining or thrilling."

"Huh..." I sat up, taking in what he'd said.

People preferred hearing about tragedies and wars, but not peace. I wondered if that's what the elders spun their stories of danger from.

"So, are you ready for training?" He asked, standing from the rock he was using as a chair.

A grin crossed my face and I quickly leaped to my feet, my fatigue from earlier vanishing.
"You bet!"

"Good." Gaian replied with a smile.
"We'll be doing something a little different today."

Was it just my imagination, or was there an unsettling gleam in his eyes when he said that?

There certainly had been an unsettling look in his eyes. I only realized this when he dragged me to the waterfall just inside the barrier, further up the mountain. When he told me to get in the water, I was even more wary.