Chapter 12: Orphanage and A Friend
The next day, as the Dragonhearts toured the surrounding area, they passed by an orphanage. Gray had planned to visit with the children. He had something important to teach them.
Before stepping outside, he turned to Ashborn.
"Son, how do you think your life has been until now?"
Ashborn smiled. "Really nice! I get to enjoy every day, play with Aelwyn... I'm grateful to have such a good life." But as he spoke, he could already sense where this conversation was heading.
Gray nodded. "That's good. Gratitude keeps you grounded." He gestured toward the children at the orphanage, they laughed while playing. "See them? Their lives are much different from yours. Some lost their families to war, others were abandoned, some got separated... and many never made it."
His voice carried a weight of sorrow, his expression darkening as memories surfaced. He, too, had lost his parents young. But he had been fortunate that others had been there for him. He saw himself in those kids.
"Sometimes, when you live a better life than others, it's easy to feel superior. But that path... it leads to Ruin!"
"Many nobles are guilty of that," Ashborn murmured.
Gray met his eyes. "Exactly. They forget their duty. They start mistreating their people, believing nobility makes them above others."
His gaze turned distant as he spoke, but his words were firm. "Being a noble does not make you superior. No matter how high your rank, you are still just human, one creature among many. Even with dragon and elf blood in your veins, your essence is no greater than that of any other."
His voice grew softer, yet carried a profound deep meaning. "Compared to the vastness of the universe, your existence is nothing. And yet, in that vastness... your existence is precious. Just like any other being, human or any other."