"Western continent, huh... what kind of place is it?" Rion questioned with curiosity-filled eyes.
Francis cleaned himself using the pond's water as he answered in a voice heavy with bad memories, "It's worse than here."
Hearing him, Rion's lips dropped into a frown, and he asked, "Worse than here? Does it lack a proper civilization?"
Francis shook his head. "No. Not that, the western continent also has four kingdoms, but all of the kings are just vessels of the church that rules over the whole western continent from shadows."
He cupped some of the water within his palms and added, "There... freedom is nothing but an illusion that hides the chains wrapped around our neck."
Rion furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
Francis lifted his head to the sky and mumbled, "What is the point of living if you aren't even allowed to do or think by yourself?"
Rion's jaw tightened as he remembered the barrier that had trapped Dhaevrak within the red and black mountains for centuries.
