Bruno

Bruno's duties as the captain of the Eruditio Rangers kept him very busy, but what little spare time he did have was spent playing football with the children at the market. He was always cheerful and enthusiastic, and would bring gifts and treats for the children. He was a superstar in their eyes, and they loved hearing him tell stories about his past, and how he became so good at football.

Bruno always started his stories with a quote from a children's song.

"If you haven't felt every grain of sand beneath your feet, then you haven’t experienced true freedom."

This song was popular throughout the Agelta Drylands and Bruno had memorized it from a young age. It shaped the man he would become. He would sing the lyrics while gazing at the desert sky. He vowed to travel to every corner of the Land of Dawn on his two feet, to touch every grain of sand and find true freedom.

When he was old enough to work, Bruno took a job at a caravan that belonged to his old friend Thiago. The caravan traveled between Agelta and the Moniyan Empire every year, and occasionally even did business at the Frozen Sea port.

The work was dull and exhausting, consisting of moving heavy goods, caring for the camels, cleaning sand out of the tarps, and other hard labor. But Bruno didn't mind any of it. For him, the excitement of traveling with the caravan far outweighed the hardships.

However, a cruel fate would soon befall him.

The caravan had stopped near Firewind Valley to rest after traveling for more than half the day under the scorching sun and against the blistering winds. The workers were going about their usual tasks when a huge gust of wind and sand suddenly struck the caravan. The ruckus startled the camels and sent them running, up pulling a loaded wagon to one side. Thiago, who was working on the wagon, could only watch as it tipped towards him.

BOOM!

The wagon landed on its side and sent a huge cloud of dust into the air. The crew yelled if anyone was hurt, and heard Thiago yell back. When the dust settled, they saw him lying on the ground next to the wagon, unhurt but visibly shaken. Thiago immediately pointed to the wagon with a horrified look on his face. In the split second before the wagon came down, Bruno had dashed in and pushed Thiago to safety, but he could not escape the same fate.

Everyone came together in a frantic effort to pull Bruno out from under the wagon. His life was saved that day, but he would never walk again.

The caravan owners were moved by Bruno's selflessness, and unanimously decided to let him stay with the caravan from now on. They would be Bruno's legs and carry him to see the world.

As time passed, Bruno tried his best to be optimistic. He still chatted and joked with the others, and always carried a cheerful expression, but Thiago could see that those once-bright eyes were turning gray. The fire inside the young man was slowly fading away.

One night, the caravan stopped to rest alongside a traveling troupe. As everyone sat around the campfire, a bard began to sang a familiar tune.

"If you haven't felt every grain of sand beneath your feet, then you haven’t experienced true freedom."

A surge of emotion suddenly hit Bruno. He turned over silently to hide his pain from everyone else. Thiago, who was sitting nearby, turned the other way to hide his own tears.

The next day, the caravan set out for Eruditio, the center of the trade route between Agelta and the Moniyan Empire. Every year, the caravan would pass through Eruditio and stay for nearly a month while doing the bulk of their trade for the year.

One morning, Thiago arrived at Bruno's tent with a look of excitement that Bruno had not seen since the accident. A well-dressed man walked in behind him and introduced himself as the lead researcher of robotics in Eruditio. He was looking for someone to test a prototype prosthetic based on their new Starlium technology. The scholar heard of Bruno's inspiring story and commended him for his bravery, and after examining Bruno's sturdy and resilient frame, he decided that Bruno was the ideal candidate for the project.

In that moment, Bruno's eyes lit up. The dream that he had almost given up on was now right in front of him.

However, the scholar went on to explain that this new technology was still only experimental, and even if the operation was successful, Bruno might not be able to run like before.

Bruno began to have second thoughts, but then he looked over at Thiago and saw tears of joy welling up in his eyes. Bruno had never seen Thiago like this, not even when business was at its best. Not wanting to disappoint his old friend, he agreed to go with the scholar and see their research for himself.

When he arrived at the facility, Bruno immediately noticed that the atmosphere was completely different from what he had imagined. As the scholars and researchers went about with passion and vigor, he was reminded of the bustling caravan, and couldn't help but smile.

And so he agreed to the operation. After a particularly busy day at the facility, the scholar pushed Bruno's wheelchair to an overlook to see the Spire of Knowledge at sunset. Bruno had been there for many days, but this was the first time he really stopped to look at the city.

As he watched the people of the city walking briskly and brimming with energy, Bruno could not help but ask:

"Why are you working so hard for someone like me?"

The scholar replied without hesitation:

"Because that is the spirit of Eruditio! Every thing we do, every inch of progress we make, goes toward realizing the dreams of others! With the power of science and technology, one day we will no longer be bound by our fates. That is the true meaning of freedom. It is our privilege as scholars to be able to contribute to this cause."

As he said this, the scholar's eyes looked into the distance, as if peering into the future.

The same day the caravan was scheduled to depart from Eruditio, the operation was finally completed and Bruno stood up for the first time in a long time. At that moment, he made up his mind to remain in Eruditio and protect everything the city stood for. Bruno headed off to the caravan to bide Thiago farewell. As he approached, Thiago saw Bruno standing tall with a rekindled fire in his eyes, and he immediately understood and simply smiled and nodded his head.

That is where the story ends.

"So do you get it? The key to playing football is to pass the ball!" Bruno said with a straight face.

"What did that have to do with football?!", the children protested before running off and mumbling about being tricked again. Bruno smiled as he took in the inspiring view of the Spire of Knowledge under the sunset glow.

Bruno is no longer traveling these days, but he has never strayed from the path to true freedom.

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