Chapter 3: What do kids have that adult don't?

*3 years later*

Perseus POV

I live in a very strange place, even by a fictional world's standard. We literally live on a tree, everyone is, our place or village, is located atop of a gigantic tree named, the tree of Paradis.

The tree is surrounded by a dense forest where the trees are all at least 2 or 3 stories tall, yet it looked much much shorter than the ones we're living on.

It's several stories tall and I couldn't even tell you how wide it is in diameter, the houses we live in are located on the multiple branches or hanging from one, there are platforms where people have to navigate to walk to get to the flat center top on the top of the tree which is the gathering point of where people work and hold festivals.

We are fortunate located on top a branch instead of hanging off one, apparently to everyone who is not from our 'village' think of us as weirdos due to our traditions, which we will definitely get into as my life go on, for now we will have to just deal with one.

So if we had to walk to the village, we have to walk out and walk on the somehow super sturdy branch towards the center.

Anyway, back to the weird tradition.

"Come on, Perseus, if you want to survive, you have to learn the dance." Mom Rylee said

"Isn't that blackmail?"

"No, it's tradition, the dance of dedication, we are blessed with mana, and our people more than everywhere else, this dance will invite the mana to dance along with us." Mom Nyra replied "Once you're of age, you will have to perform it with every children of your age, it's to thank the world for blessing the people of the Paradis Tree."

"Isn't tradition just peer pressure from dead people?"

"What? No! How do you even know what peer pressure even mean?!"

"I mean, he does have a point." mom Rylee pointed out

"That's not the point!" Mom Nyra retorted "Perseus, you remember the story of our first village chief, right?"

Paradis, the first village chief, he was our founder and the creator of some of our tradition including this particular dance, it was to thank the sun and the moon for blessing him with talent, he took months to develop it, years to master it.

Once he did, he felt mana flowed with him, mana danced with him, and reached a mythical stage where he became one with it and was the best mage in history amongst the people of Paradis. And after he passed a way, a seedling sprouted from his grave, it then grew to the gigantic tree we're living on today.

The purpose of the dance, its several stages to the final one, the legend states that if our people were to master the dance till a certain stage, we will also become one with mana. A stage that no one of any other nation reached, he may not be the strongest person ever, but he was the only one in history to reach that stage, as centuries and centuries went by, most people of other nations only disregard it as a made up legend, but people on our village will continue to work hard till someone reach that stage and prove people wrong.

"Mom, I don't want to become a tree."

"Son," Mom Nyra knelt down and placed her hands on my shoulder "This dance is a part of our identity, and it's proven to improve our mana quality, so at least learned the basics, besides...the dance is also used to attract people, you don't want to end up alone, do you?"

"Uncle Beek seems pretty happy alone. He doesn't even have more than 7 friends, and that's including you 2."

"This isn't about him, this is about you, you don't want to get married?" she asked

"I want to, I just don't want to dance, can I just go read a book, that's way more interesting than sports and physical activities. Sleeping's fun too, no distractions, physical contact, being forced into social interactions..."

I haven't had the dream for so long, I still remember a lot of details back in my previous life, and I have been getting quality sleep due to not getting the disturbing dream, I can relive my life again, I don't have to face as much hardship anymore.

"Rylee, I don't think our family have anyone in our line, even the man who donated his gene, I don't think any of us qualify as smart, why is he like this." Mom Nyra sighs

"I don't know." Mom Rylee shrugged "The fact that we're talking normally with him without needing to use easier vocabulary is already strange enough."

"I don't personally think I'm smart, you 2 are just...well...not the smartest. But shouldn't I be let go to enjoy what I love to do, a kid have to experience a proper childhood before they grow up and be boring."

Yes, my kid act is working, kids either want to be a grow up or look down on them as boring, I just need to be like this for a couple more years before I can truly speak my mind.

"I love being a grown up, what do you kids have that we don't?" Mom Rylee asked

Well she asked for it.

"Free time."

1.

"Good sleep."

2. They nodded.

"Freedom."

3. Oh, their face are starting to change.

"Optimism."

4. An arrow of pain just penetrated the both of them.

"Hope."

5. Another one. (Please don't put the gif.)

"The will to live."

I think I can see blood leaking out of their mouths as they both look at me with both shock and disbelief.

"Rylee, your father used to work as a therapist, right?" Mom Nyra asked

"Uh...yeah." Mom Rylee nodded

"Book one for him tomorrow." Mom Nyra requested "And book one for us too, because I seriously need to question myself...wow, hope...huh."

"Yeah..." it was then Mom Rylee's turn to grip my shoulder and look at me in the face.

I started to shift my eyes because I really do not like eye contact, it's a story for another time, but for me, it's something that is of discomfort to me, it's just hard to stare someone in the eye.

"Son, you...are you okay?" she asked

Well I still need to keep up the act of a kid a bit.

"Mom, what a therapy? Is it delicious?"