P.S.: 5.5K words, combined into one.
The sunlight was soft and warm, the air fresh and pleasant, making everything feel incomparably comfortable.
Early morning.
The Great Elder pushed open his front door and, as usual, made his way to the clan district's morning market.
Under the morning sun, the market bustled with activity. Some people were busy selecting fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and other foods, while others ate as they exchanged stories and impressions from their daily lives. The atmosphere was peaceful and lively.
A harmonious, beautiful scene unfolded before his eyes.
The Great Elder rather liked this scene. All his children had died on the battlefield, and so had both his parents. He had become an orphan in middle age—there was nothing more tragic in this world than that.
But... wasn't this peaceful scene exactly what those who had died on the battlefield had wanted to protect?
Seeing Asuka pass by, the Great Elder reached out to stop him and said with deep emotion,
"Why are you still so rash first thing in the morning?
Faced with such a beautiful sight, can't you stop and take a look?
This Old One hopes time can pass a little slower now. Better yet, let it stay here forever.
This Old One wants to look a little longer, to see on behalf of those who died on the battlefield the sights they can no longer see.
Then, after I die, I can tell them about it."
As he spoke, he saw Asuka looking at him with undisguised contempt. The Great Elder tapped his cane against the ground and said irritably,
"What?
You feel nothing when you see this?
The things you wanted to protect on the battlefield are right before your eyes. Don't you want to stay and look with This Old