Bruno

Bruno's duties as captain of the Eruditio Rangers kept him very busy, but what little free time he had was spent playing football with the children at the market. He was always happy and enthusiastic and brought gifts and treats to 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 began his stories with a quote from a children's song.

“If you have not felt every grain of sand beneath your feet, then you have not known true freedom.”

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

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

The work was boring and exhausting, involving moving heavy goods, caring for camels, cleaning sand from tarpaulins, and other arduous work. But that didn't bother Bruno. For him, the excitement of traveling with the caravan far outweighed the difficulties.

But 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 strong winds. The workers were going about their usual tasks when a huge gust of wind and sand suddenly hit the caravan. The ruckus startled the camels and sent them running, pulling a loaded cart to the side. Thiago, who was working on the cart, could only watch as it tipped towards him.

BOOM!

The cart landed on its side and sent a huge cloud of dust into the air. The crew shouted if anyone was hurt and heard Thiago shouting back. When the dust settled, they saw him lying on the ground next to the cart, unharmed but visibly shaken. Thiago immediately pointed to the cart with a horrified look on his face. In the split second before the cart fell, Bruno had rushed and pushed Thiago to safety, but he had been unable to escape the same fate.

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

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

Over time, Bruno tried his best to be optimistic. He was always chatting and joking with others and always had a cheerful expression, but Thiago could see that his once bright eyes were turning gray. The fire inside the young man was slowly dying out.

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

“If you have not felt every grain of sand beneath your feet, then you have not known true freedom.”

A surge of emotion suddenly struck Bruno. He turned around silently to hide his pain from the others. 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. Each year, the caravan passed through Eruditio and stayed there for almost a month while carrying out most of its trade for the year.

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

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

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

Bruno started to have doubts, then he looked at Thiago and saw tears of joy coming to his eyes. Bruno had never seen Thiago like this, even when business was at its best. Not wanting to disappoint his old friend, he agreed to accompany the scholar and see their research for himself.

Upon arriving at the establishment, Bruno immediately noticed that the atmosphere was completely different from what he had imagined. As the scholars and researchers moved with passion and vigor, he remembered the bustling caravan and couldn't help but smile.

He therefore accepted the operation. After a particularly busy day at the facility, the scholar pushed Bruno's wheelchair up to a lookout to view the Spire of Knowledge at sunset. Bruno had been there for several 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 couldn't help but ask:

“Why do you work so hard for someone like me?”

The scholar replied without hesitation:

"Because that is the spirit of Eruditio! Everything we do, every inch of progress we make goes toward making the dreams of others come true! With the power of science and technology, one day we will no longer be bound by our destiny. This 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 far away, as if looking into the future.

The very day the caravan was to leave Eruditio, the operation was finally over and Bruno got up for the first time in a long time. At that moment, he decided to stay in Eruditio and protect everything the city stood for. Bruno heads to the caravan to say goodbye to Thiago. As Thiago approached, he saw Bruno standing with a rekindled fire in his eyes, and he understood immediately and just smiled and nodded.

This is where the story ends.

"So you understand? 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 protest before running away muttering that they have been tricked again. Bruno smiled as he admired the inspiring sight of the Spire of Knowledge under the glow of the sunset.