164 An Inconvenient Truth

"Are you about this?" said Velvund as he started at Reed with an indiscernible expression, so as to not sway him to toward one decision or another. 

He had to make the decision on his own.

"I understand, Gramps, but I still need to know regardless of how I may feel about it later. There are some things we must confront no matter what, don't you agree? I think this is one of them."

It was the truth. Reed knew it all too well, to the point that he no longer struggled against it. He had already accepted that he was destined to walk upon a path of thorns, no matter what he might want of his life.  Suffering had become such a prevalent aspect of his life that he had developed an abnormal tolerance for it.