36: A Father's Teachings (2)

"The fate of a useless man is much worse than that of an ugly woman."

After Silas said these words, he kept on walking, and Silver subconsciously followed him. However, his mind was still on his father's previous words.

Some seconds later, Silas spoke once more, bringing Silver from his deep thoughts.

"Another thing I've learned is that no matter what happens, you should always take care and love your woman with all your heart. If someone invades your home, you must be the one to engage the invader and die first. A man should never allow their woman to be the first person to face danger."

Silver furrowed his brows when he heard his father's words. He looked at the ground with a pondering expression for a few seconds, and then he looked up.

"But what if the woman doesn't love me back? What if the woman cannot reciprocate my feelings for her and also die for me if it comes to it? Am I still meant to die for her?"

Silas chuckled, and then he ruffled his Silver's chestnut hair.

"That's why I said 'your woman'. As you grow older and experience a lot of things, you'll come to realize who exactly deserves to be your woman."

Silas smiled softly.

"Just make sure she cooks a delicious dinner for you after you come back from a battle all the time."

Silver looked at his father's smile and he nodded. "I understand Father. I'll make sure one of the most important qualities of my woman is that she must know how to cook."

Silas laughed out loud when he heard his son's words, and then he shook his head.

"It doesn't have to be a requirement, but whatever. When you grow up, you'll know what you want."

A thought appeared in Silver's mind, and he asked, "I can have more than a single woman like you right?"

Silas' eyes widened slightly, and he placed his fingers on his forehead while releasing a sigh.

"You obviously can." Silas paused, and then he looked at Silver with a serious expression. "But you must only have multiple women when you know you can handle them."

"Cause let me tell you something, my boy… A woman can either make you or break you."

Silver swallowed, and then he nodded. 

"I understand Father."

Silas nodded, and then he patted Silver's head. He continued walking and Silver immediately followed.

"Now that I've given you knowledge regarding what a true man should be, I'll give you more knowledge regarding… life."

Silver glanced at his father, and then he looked forward with an attentive expression.

"There are four things you need to know before you go undergo your rite of passage and also ."

"To be a useful person in life, life would throw painful experiences and challenges your way. But it is through these opportunities that we build character and we grow."

Silas glanced at Silver.

"No matter the rite of passage you decide to choose, it's with certainty that it would throw painful experiences and challenges along your way. But you must use it to build your character and grow."

Silver nodded. "I understand Father."

"Good."

"Second, make sure to learn from your mistakes during the rite of passage and also in life. They're not mistakes, they're lessons you can use to do better the next time you face a similar situation."

Silver looked down with a pondering expression.

"No matter where you go, make sure to leave your mark and write your own story. Your life as a spartan should not be boring. If you encounter a setback, a challenge, or a stumbling block, use them as stepping stones and never stop writing."

"And fourth…" Silas stopped walking and looked at Silver, "The most important is what's inside."

He placed a finger on Silver's heart and Silver glanced at his father's finger before shifting his gaze toward his father, only to see a light smile on his father's lips.

He wanted to speak, but his father beat him to it.

"No matter what happens Silas, make sure to never forget my teachings."

Silver wanted to speak but he found himself unable to. This was not because of a disability, an ability, or his father.

No

Silver just felt slightly overwhelmed by his father's words of wisdom. They felt a hundred times heavier than the weights he used in training.

Rumble!

Silas removed his finger from his son's chest, but just as he was about to take a step forward, the sky rumbled and became darker.

"Hmm." Silas paused and looked at the sky. "It's about to rain."

Silver also looked at the sky, and sure enough, a few seconds later, drops of rain landed on his face. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling.

Rumble!

Rumble!

CLAP!

"That was a good thunder."

Silver opened his eyes and looked at his father who was looking at the sky with an unreadable expression. Despite the heavy downpour of rain, heavy wind, and rumbling of the sky, his father's voice could still be perfectly heard.

"Silver." His father called out without taking his eyes off the rumbling sky.

"Yes?"

"Do you love thunderstorms?"

"Huh?" Silver was baffled. He furrowed his brows and deeply thought about his father's question.

Surely there had to be a reason as to why his father asked him that right? It couldn't just be a simple question regarding how he felt toward thunderstorms.

"You don't have to think too much about it. It was a simple question."

Silver raised his brows with a skeptical look.

Was it just a simple question regarding his feelings towards thunderstorms?

He thought about it for a second, and then he replied,

"I won't say I love thunderstorms. But…" Silver paused and looked at the sky which was flashing with multiple lightning bolts.

"... I find myself being at peace during thunderstorms."

Silver spoke with a tranquil expression, and the only sound that could be heard was from mother nature around them.

Silas looked away from the sky and looked at his son.

Silver looked back at him.

"Every true Spartan would feel at peace during certain thunderstorms. But that's not to say that every true Spartan loves thunderstorms."

Silas said, and Silver nodded.

"I know that."

"Then do you know why I love thunderstorms?"

Silas asked and Silver frowned.

"Uhmm…" He scratched his temple. "Because your natural affinity towards lightning and thunder is higher than most Spartans?"

Silas chuckled, "No son."

Silas then looked at the rumbling sky with a light smile.

" Because it shows that even nature needs to scream sometimes to calm its soul."