Chapter 40.5.2: Hope

Date: 21st of May 2042|7:30 PM

Location: Lumeria, Ybalish

*Lein's perspective*

"Hope?"

"You want to ask me what is hope?" I repeated in confusion

"Yes" Emi replied with a smile

I was just taking my leisure time enjoying my coffee while reading but suddenly Emi barge in with an interesting question.

"Can't you search it in your archives? You have a record right" I went back to reading

"I know but senpai's answer is needed" she sighed

"Why did you ask such an obvious question? Hope is a belief in something that will happen in the future" I answered with my eyes still in the books

"That's boring" she booed

"What? Want me to make it interesting?" I asked

"Yes please" she answered with stars in her eyes

"I can't" I replied "Just asking but why do you want to know more about it?" I asked

"You won't even answer even if I answered that" she pouted

"Wellll that is true" I laughed "But I am curious on why ask such a simple question"

"Because it was interesting" she said

"Wouldn't it be better to ask if Einstein is wrong about saying that darkness is just an absence of light? Or it would be more interesting to ask if what is faster than the speed of light?"

"It was just a sudden interest…"

"I do get that sometimes" I replied "So what made that spark of interest?" I asked

"This" she pointed at a book she was reading

"That is?"

"The farmer who lost hope" she read the title "It is a short story about a rich farmer who never gave up but in the end lost his hope of recovery…"

"Then he gave up his life leaving everyone he loves behind"

"So you know the story?" she asked "Well… its senpai after all" she answered her own question.

I closed the book that I was reading and asked the book from her. She handed the book and I took a closer look to the cute drawings of farmlands and mountains, the farmer who oversees the land he owns, the cutesy font used to entertain children… But it was no story for children…

"This story was popularized from where I came from" I answered flipping the thin 20+ pages book

"So it was from the Philippines?" she asked

I nodded my head "It is. It was a favorite story for children of kindergartens.

"I see… So that is why it has cutesy drawings"

"You see here" I showed her one of the drawings of a house made of wood. "This is a signature house of the Philippines back wayyyy from the Spanish era. It was an iconic house of the Philippines and can withstand many harsh weathers" I explained

"Owww.. Is it hard to live in there? I mean wouldn't it be cold at night? Or bugs?"

"Well it is indeed an issue but modern problems requires modern solutions" I boasted "When it is night they close the windows to reduce the wind thus making the room warmer somehow. When it comes to bugs, they sometimes use natural remedies."

"I see" she listened through my explanations

"That is an interesting concept" she nodded her head after I explain some traditional houses and items used in the Philippines

As I flipped the book to its last page… The farmer gave up his life after losing everything he had. His money, land, house and hope…

"This story is not that accurate you know" I argued

"Why is that? But… isn't this just a story book meant for children?"

"It is… but children will think that farmers are rich in the Philippines"

"They aren't?"

"Nope not all of them… Some, maybe? But most of them are poor and has debts… The agriculture of my country isn't that great like South Korea or Japan"

"That's misleading"

"Yea it is… But this ending…" I stopped at the last page where only the tombstone of the farmer was drawn. He was alone and final words where written… "The End"

"I learned a lot of things from the Philippines" she nodded hear head in joy

"I see now why you asked about hope" I responded

She nodded her head once again. "They say hope drives a person to do something."

"That is correct…"

"I see… Is that it?"

"You want more?

She nodded her head and I just sighed in response

"You see… Hope is the driving force for a person to live"

"Live?"

"Yep live… As long as a person never loses hope he live not thinking of taking his own life"

"That's dark" she pouted

"It is dark… But if I were to explain what hope is"

"It would be the concept of doing something that we hope to achieve"

Hope gives us reason to move, not to give up and to strive forward just like perseverance…

"But hope creates something… Something that destroyed any evil being in existence" I responded

"Evil beings???"

"Not literally a being but rather anything that is evil… It gives rise to power…. Hope inspires people to fight oppressors, hope gives people the will to never give up to reach their dreams. It is one of the driving and the strongest force that is instilled to us humans before we were born… I dare to say that not even gods have hope in them… Because they are hope themselves…. So to say"

"Hope is the reason mankind never lost… we were close to extinction but because of hope. People live and fought to survive…"

"I see… I feel there is something lacking but I guess I can understand it"

"Well in that case… what is it that brought hope to people in times of turmoil" I asked

"What brought? Wouldn't that be will power? For example, people fighting for freedom?"

"50 points" I replied

"EHHHHH!!!"

"The answer is… Hero"

"A Hero? Why?"

"In times of turmoil… A hero will always bring hope. They are the flag bearer, one who rallies people to never lose hope"

"I can see what you are saying… But, what about people who are normal? I mean… how do you ask this…"

"Heroes are not just people who have mask and capes you know? They can be anyone. A hero will always inspire hope to those they encountered… Well that is my belief in hope"

She nodded her head again

"And remember? In Pandora's box?"

"All evil was released except from hope" she answered

"Bingo... That is why humanity shall never lose hope what ever predicament it faced"

"I see I see" she nodded her head twice "So the reason we are still fighting now…"

"We still have hope" I answered

"But when I encountered Haruka-nee earlier…"

"What did she looked like?"

"Depressed? She looks like she lost hope on everything" she answered

I smiled "I forgot to mention something very important"

"That is?"

"When hope is lost… people give up… But what if that hope can be restored?" I asked

"Then wouldn't that be enough to get them back on their feet?"

"It will… but it will also make them stronger... Stronger than before"

"Is it something like… What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" she asked

"It is… You see… there was this one time in the Philippine History during the Spanish rule… There was this one man who inspired hope to people through his writings. He was a genius doctor one who can speak many language and a writer who inspired the whole country. One can even said that his writings lit the fire in the hearts of the people oppressed at that time."

"And then?"

"He lit the fire of hope to people of the Philippines he refused to raise a sword but instead he raised his pen to write as a sign of his rebellion… he thought that fighting with swords and guns would kill many people. Thus, he resorted to writing the cruelty of the Spaniards, he was praised to be the hero who lead the Filipinos to stop the oppression of the Spaniards… In the end he died because of his actions."

"Why? He was just a writer right?"

"At that time, anything that is considered to be a threat to the government can be ruled as a sign of rebellion. His writings brought hope to strive for equality… And his death brought the final judgment… for a rebellion to rise"

"So? Why bring him to the topic?"

"There are times… when we feel like all hope is lost, but what we truly need is to rekindle the fire of hope."

"How?" she asked

"There will be a time… where another person will light it for you" I answered

Just like the case with Haru-nee… there is only one person who can rekindle that fire of hope… I sighed… Just how far can she go when she become stronger…

———————Chapter End———————