Beneath the Ancient Tree
Narrator
Strength...
Is not built by swinging a sword alone.
Sometimes...
It is born from countless battles.
Sometimes...
From endless training.
But sometimes...
The greatest strength of all...
Is born from laughter.
From the warmth of family.
And from the bonds that make someone want to become stronger.
---
As always...
Every morning, before the first rays of sunlight completely touched the world...
Two small figures climbed the sacred mountain.
V White.
And Kai.
Their destination was always the same.
The place where the Legendary Dragon rested.
The place where they trained under the watchful eyes of Liza.
The ancient mountain was quiet.
The wind flowed between the trees.
The leaves danced gently in the morning breeze.
And above them...
The endless sky watched their daily struggle.
"Again."
Liza's calm voice echoed across the training ground.
V tightened his grip around his wooden sword.
Kai stood beside him, breathing heavily but refusing to give up.
Then...
They moved.
Tak!
The sound of wooden swords colliding spread through the mountain.
Tak!
Another strike.
Tak!
Another movement.
Their wooden swords danced through the air.
Every swing.
Every step.
Every mistake.
Was slowly shaping them.
V's movements had become smoother.
His balance had improved.
His eyes had become sharper.
But more importantly...
His heart had grown stronger.
Kai was different.
He was not as naturally talented as V.
He made more mistakes.
He fell more often.
But every time he fell...
He stood back up with a smile.
"Again!"
Kai shouted.
Even though his arms were already tired.
V looked at him.
Then smiled.
"You never get tired, do you?"
Kai laughed.
"Of course I do."
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He raised his wooden sword again.
"But if I stop..."
"I'll never catch up to you."
V became silent for a moment.
Then he gripped his sword tighter.
"I won't wait for you."
Kai grinned.
"I know."
The two friends looked at each other.
And at the same time...
They charged forward.
Not as rivals.
But as friends who pushed each other forward.
---
Not far away...
A tiny pair of eyes watched them.
Filled with endless admiration.
Little Tia.
She sat quietly on a large rock near the training area.
Her small legs moved happily as she watched her brother.
Every time V swung his sword...
Her eyes sparkled.
Every time V moved forward...
She tried to copy him.
Her tiny hands moved through the air.
A small smile appeared on her face.
To Tia...
Her brother was the strongest person in the world.
And one day...
She wanted to stand beside him.
---
Days passed.
The mountain continued to witness their training.
Until one morning...
Something unexpected happened.
Tia slowly walked toward the training area.
In her tiny hands...
She carried a small piece of wood.
It was nothing more than a simple branch.
But to her...
It was a sword.
She stood in front of V and Kai.
Her little face became unusually serious.
"...Brother."
V looked down.
"Yes, Tia?"
She lifted the wooden branch.
"I want to learn too."
For a moment...
V and Kai looked at each other.
Then both of them smiled.
V slowly lowered himself to her height.
"Alright."
"Come here, Tia."
Kai also knelt beside her.
"Don't worry. We will teach you."
Tia's eyes brightened.
The two boys carefully showed her the basics.
How to hold a wooden sword.
How to place her feet.
How to keep her balance.
How to swing without losing control.
"Like this?"
Tia asked.
She copied V's stance.
V froze.
"..."
Kai blinked.
"Did she really do that on her first try?"
Tia tilted her head.
"Was it wrong?"
V quickly smiled.
"No."
"You did great."
But inside...
Even he was surprised.
Her movements were natural.
Almost as if...
Her body already understood the sword.
---
From that day onward...
The mountain gained a new little warrior.
Every morning...
Three children trained together.
V.
Kai.
And Tia.
The quiet training ground slowly changed.
The sound of wooden swords remained.
But now...
It was mixed with laughter.
Sometimes they trained seriously.
Sometimes Kai made mistakes that turned training into a comedy.
Sometimes Tia became too excited and tried techniques far beyond her ability.
And sometimes...
They completely forgot about training.
They simply ran across the mountain.
Chasing each other through the trees.
Their voices echoed through the ancient forest.
The mountain that had once been silent...
Was now filled with happiness.
---
Then...
One unforgettable moment arrived.
It was supposed to be a normal training session.
Kai stood proudly in front of V.
His expression was full of confidence.
"V."
"Today, I will finally defeat you."
V looked at him calmly.
"Are you sure?"
Kai smiled.
"Absolutely."
He raised his wooden sword.
"This is my strongest attack!"
He rushed forward.
"Take this!"
But...
He put too much strength into his swing.
The wooden sword slipped from his hand.
Everyone watched.
The sword flew upward.
Higher.
Higher.
And then...
Kai's confident expression slowly disappeared.
"...Eh?"
The wooden sword changed direction.
And came back down.
Bonk!
It landed perfectly on his own head.
The mountain became completely silent.
Kai stood frozen.
V stared.
Tia blinked once.
Twice.
Then...
She covered her mouth.
And failed to hold back.
"Hahaha!"
Her laughter spread across the training ground.
V tried to stay serious.
But he couldn't.
A small smile appeared.
Then he laughed too.
And soon...
All three children were laughing together.
Their voices traveled through the mountain.
But they did not know...
Someone else was listening.
Someone who had watched countless years pass.
Someone who had witnessed wars.
Someone who had forgotten what simple happiness felt like.
Liza slowly opened her eyes.
And for the first time in many years...
Something changed.
A soft expression appeared on her ancient face.
Then...
A gentle sound escaped her.
A sound none of them expected.
A laugh.
A genuine...
Warm laugh.
The three children slowly stopped laughing.
Not because the joke was no longer funny...
But because they had heard something impossible.
A sound that did not belong to the cold and silent Legendary Dragon they knew.
V.
Kai.
And Tia slowly turned around.
Their eyes widened.
Liza...
Was smiling.
The ancient dragon who had lived for countless years...
The guardian of the sacred mountain...
The being whose power was feared by the world...
Was laughing like an ordinary person.
For a moment...
Nobody spoke.
The wind gently moved through the trees.
The sunlight passed between the leaves.
And the entire mountain seemed to become silent.
"...Lady Liza..."
Kai finally whispered.
His eyes were full of surprise.
"You can smile?"
Liza looked at him.
Then she lightly covered her mouth.
"It seems..."
"That after spending so much time with you three..."
"This old dragon has learned something new."
V tilted his head.
"Something new?"
Liza looked at the three children.
Her eyes carried a warmth that was rarely seen.
"Yes."
"That happiness does not always come from power."
"Sometimes..."
"It comes from the small moments people share together."
The three children smiled.
Kai crossed his arms proudly.
"Then we taught Lady Liza something important."
Liza looked at him.
A small smile appeared.
"Perhaps you did."
V laughed softly.
Tia happily stepped closer to Liza.
"Lady Liza is happy."
The dragon looked down at the little girl.
For a moment...
The strongest creature in the world said nothing.
Because she understood.
Long ago...
She had gained strength.
She had gained wisdom.
She had gained everything a dragon could desire.
But these children had given her something she had almost forgotten.
A simple moment of joy.
---
And so...
That peaceful afternoon continued.
The mountain was no longer just a place of training.
It was no longer only the home of the Legendary Dragon.
It had become something more.
A place where memories were created.
A place where laughter existed.
A place that felt...
Like home.
---
As evening slowly arrived...
The golden light of the setting sun covered the mountain.
The training finally came to an end.
The three children had spent the entire day running, laughing, and practicing.
Their small bodies were exhausted.
Under the shade of a massive ancient tree...
They rested.
V leaned against the enormous trunk.
His wooden sword rested beside him.
His eyes slowly became heavier.
Kai sat beside him.
Within moments...
He had fallen asleep.
A quiet snoring sound escaped him.
V looked at his friend for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Same as always..."
He whispered.
Little Tia was the last one awake.
She sat beside her brother.
Fighting against her own tiredness.
But soon...
Her small head slowly fell.
And she peacefully slept in V's lap.
Her tiny hands held onto his clothes.
As if even in her dreams...
She did not want to leave her brother.
V looked down at her.
A gentle expression appeared on his face.
Then...
He also closed his eyes.
The three siblings of the mountain...
Rested together beneath the ancient tree.
---
Nearby...
Liza quietly sat.
Watching over them.
Her enormous dragon body remained still.
But her eyes were gentle.
She had protected kingdoms.
She had fought against terrifying enemies.
She had carried the weight of countless years.
But right now...
Her greatest duty was simple.
Watching these children sleep peacefully.
Like a mother protecting her precious children.
---
Not far away...
Two other people watched the scene.
Brald White.
And Lily White.
They stood silently at the edge of the clearing.
Neither of them spoke.
Because words were unnecessary.
The scene in front of them already said everything.
Their son.
Their daughter.
Their son's best friend.
And the legendary dragon who had become part of their family.
All together.
Safe.
Happy.
At peace.
Then suddenly...
Lily covered her mouth.
Trying not to laugh.
Brald looked at her with confusion.
"What happened?"
Lily pointed toward Tia.
A tiny trail of drool slowly escaped from her mouth.
And landed directly on V's clothes.
The cloth became completely wet.
Yet...
V remained asleep.
Completely unaware.
Brald stared for a moment.
Then...
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Lily smiled warmly.
"Even while sleeping..."
"She still depends on her brother."
Brald looked at his children.
A rare softness appeared in his eyes.
"Yes..."
"They have grown closer than I ever imagined."
---
The evening breeze gently moved the leaves above them.
The golden sunlight slowly disappeared behind the mountains.
The world continued moving.
Time continued flowing.
But for this one moment...
Everything felt perfect.
There were no battles.
No hatred.
No fear.
No destiny waiting to test them.
Only a family.
Sharing a quiet happiness beneath an ancient tree.
And somewhere deep inside...
The mountain itself seemed to remember this moment forever.