Order was a mask.
When you needed it, you put it on; when you did not, you took it off.
Puer saw Kallen's hands trembling slightly. At first, she thought he was in pain, but gradually she realized that did not seem to be the case, because she noticed tears spilling from the corners of his eyes, dripping down from the edges of the ashen mask on his face.
The sight made Puer's heart ache a little.
She jumped onto Kallen, climbed onto his shoulder, and stretched out a padded paw to gently wipe the tears from the side of his face.
"Why are you crying? Dis already arranged everything for you. You should be happy."
As she spoke, Puer moved to his other shoulder and continued wiping his tears with her padded paw.
"Actually, I could feel his pain all these years. The more gifted he was, the more he suffered. He traveled too fast, so by the time he realized this was the wrong path, he no longer had any chance to turn back.
"That is the tragedy of genius."
Puer dropped onto Kallen's lap and rested her front paws against his chest.
"Every elder has expectations of the younger generation. It has nothing to do with being open-minded. Even if they never say it, deep down, they hope that when their juniors take the same path, they can take fewer detours, avoid the mistakes they made, and walk a better path, farther than they did.
"I used to wonder, too, why Dis liked you so much. That affection had even gone beyond the affection of blood relatives.
"Now I think I understand a little.
"In you, Dis saw a chance to make up for his own regrets.
"This is a kind of legacy, Kallen.
"Dis won't leave