Chapter 23

"Grandpa!" he whined. "Why do we have to drive there?! It would be faster if we just ran!"

"Patience, Shiro," his grandfather chuckled. "We wouldn't be able to carry all that's in this truck if we simply ran all the way here."

"I could!" He puffed up his chest.

"Now, now, Shiro," the man patted his knee. "It's not wise to have that great of pride."

"I thought you said that it was good to have pride?"

"Not when it blinds you from the reality," he told him. "That's where humility comes in. It balances pride. If you can master the art of pride and humility, then you will be a great leader."

"You say that about every lesson."

"It's all true, Shiro," his grandfather laughed again. It was great seeing him laugh. He had the happiness that spread to everyone else. "These are lessons that I had to learn to be a good leader."

They turned the bend of the dirt path, dark trees all around them. Many people in the city feared them because of how dark they were and how eerie the forest was. But he c