something

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Vitus sat on a massive tree trunk, holding his heavy axe, panting from exhaustion. The sun filtered through the branches, casting dancing shadows on the ground. Next to him stood Aurelius, wearing a clean shirt, unlike Vitus's clothes stained with sweat and sawdust.

"You know, Vitus?" Aurelius said, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "The first time I flew in a plane, I was four. I was scared, but it was an amazing experience."

Vitus looked at him with eager eyes, continuing to chop wood. "Really? How did it feel?"

"It felt like flying among the clouds! The plane rises, and you feel like you've flipped. I remember crying, but later, I became happy. I traveled a lot between countries because of my parents' work. My mother was a fashion designer; she attended elegant parties in Paris and New York, and I met wonderful people there. My father, on the other hand, was an archaeologist, always searching for lost things... He spent years searching for the Orde Stone, but he never found it."

Vitus paused his work, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Orde Stone? Never heard of it."

Aurelius laughed. "No surprise there. It's an ancient stone said to have mysterious powers, but most people think it's just a myth. Still, my father never stopped searching for it, even here in your little village."

Vitus looked at his dirt-stained hands, then at Aurelius, who seemed to belong to another world. Yet, there was no bitterness in his heart—only a passion to listen to his friend who had lived a life he could never have imagined.

"Why do you love it so much?" Vitus asked.

Aurelius smiled and sat on the trunk next to him, fiddling with a small stone in his hand. "Because it's important to my father. He sees it as the key to understanding history, and maybe something much bigger than that. But, as you know, he plans to sell it to the grandson of that family."

Vitus raised an eyebrow but didn't ask further. Work awaited, and Aurelius was preparing to start his usual lesson when they returned.

As sunset approached, Vitus carried a bundle of wood on his shoulder, and they walked back home together. When they arrived, the delicious smell of food reached their noses, and they entered to find Vitus's mother and Aurelius's mother standing in the kitchen.

Aurelius's mother was holding a wooden spoon, watching carefully as Vitus's mother explained how to prepare a traditional dish for the village.

"Ah, you're back!" Vitus's mother said, smiling as she looked at her tired son and the spotless Aurelius, as if he hadn't left the house at all.

Aurelius's mother turned to them, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "You know, this is really fun. I didn't know cooking could be this simple and beautiful!"

Vitus laughed out loud, while Aurelius sat at the table, watching his mother with surprise.

Before anyone could respond, the boys' fathers entered the room. Vitus's father was carrying some wooden tools, while Aurelius's father looked as if he had just returned from a long journey of deep thought.

"I found a new place that might be suitable for research!" Aurelius's father said enthusiastically, laying an old map on the table. "It's an abandoned site near the western hills. I think it might have clues!"

Vitus's father looked at the map, then pointed to a nearby spot. "If you're searching for ancient places, there's also this location. It's said to have been an old temple hundreds of years ago, but it hasn't been explored much."

Aurelius looked at his father with admiration. Even though he didn't fully understand his obsession with the stone, he enjoyed seeing him so immersed in it.

After dinner, the boys decided to stay over together. In the spacious room that was designated for Aurelius in his luxurious home, they sat on the floor, and Aurelius took out his notebook to begin his usual lesson with Vitus.

"Alright, today we'll talk about fractions!" Aurelius said enthusiastically, drawing circles on the paper.

Vitus frowned but sat with attention. Even though school wasn't his favorite thing, Aurelius made it seem simpler.

The next morning, they arrived at school together. Aurelius was excited because he had been chosen to represent the school in a competition, after the teachers had spoken about his selection in the last class and announced it in front of the whole school with praise and confidence. But that didn't mean everyone was happy about it.

After school, he found himself trapped in the back alley of the school, where some older students stood in front of him, their eyes filled with jealousy.

"Do you think you're a genius? Just because you're from the city, right?" one of them said.

Before Aurelius could respond, he received a punch to the face, followed by a shove that made him fall to the ground. The boys laughed and started beating him mercilessly.

When they finished, they left him there, covered in bruises. He barely managed to stand, and it seemed they were going to fetch sticks, so he quickly ran behind Vitus in the schoolyard, who was shocked by his condition.

"Who did this to you?"

Aurelius didn't answer, but he didn't need to. Vitus had understood everything.

Later, he confronted the bullies, not hesitating to use his strength against them. Vitus wasn't the type to seek fights, but this time, he couldn't just stand by and watch.

But when the teacher saw the scene, he only saw Vitus standing in front of the injured Aurelius. He didn't listen to Vitus's explanations, nor did he ask for anyone else's testimony.

However, the bullies confirmed the teacher's suspicions, and they accused Aurelius of lying, thinking that he might have been afraid of Vitus.

"Vitus, to the principal's office now!"

Aurelius tried in vain to explain the truth, but it was too late. The decision was made to suspend Vitus for a month.

When Vitus's father was called to the school amidst the students' laughter at his dirty appearance and the words he said to his son in front of everyone—"Which one's the ugly fool? You always embarrass me"—the students laughed and said even his father knew he was the foolish elephant.

When Aurelius's father heard what happened, he couldn't control his anger. The next day, he drove his luxury car to the school and entered the administration with fiery eyes.

"How dare you allow students to beat my son?! Is this your way of teaching?!"

But Aurelius's father and his car became the center of attention for everyone, even the teachers.

But the matter had already ended. Aurelius had been injured and couldn't participate in the competition he had been dreaming of.

A month later, when Vitus returned to school, he expected to find Aurelius waiting for him, alone as he used to be. But he was shocked when he found him surrounded by new friends. Even the bullies were now by his side.

When he approached, Aurelius warmly welcomed him, but Vitus felt like he no longer belonged here.

However, the children began treating him kindly as if they were all Aurelius now. He was happy and began playing with them with a light heart.

Still, there was no time to think. A few days later, Aurelius was absent due to illness, and here Vitus discovered the harsh truth.

"The stupid elephant is back!" one of the students shouted, and the others laughed.

"We never wanted you, we were just with you because of Aurelius!"

"Did you really think you could be trusted? Fool, idiot, ugly, elephant!" the students said, laughing.

Vitus asked, "Why?"

One of them replied, "Aurelius asked us to be your friends. He must have felt sorry for you, but as long as our friend Aurelius is gone, you're a stranger."

Vitus felt a heavy weight crushing his chest. So, he wasn't really a friend to them, just a follower of Aurelius?

He stopped at the door of the classroom, staring at the empty seats where Aurelius used to sit. For the first time, he understood that the world wasn't as simple as he had thought.

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