Ananke looked behind him in some specific direction and told Smiley that he needed to go for a few days and he would come back for his answer and to make up his mind if he wanted to come with him.
Smiley asked 'Where are you going? Did something happen?' and Ananke simply replied back with 'Duty calls.' and went off.
Smiley was confused because his expression was different from his usual goofing face but he did not question it much and he went out to the cemetery, where he met Cor, standing in front of the grave of the man named Camlon.
Cor said "I guess you came back alive."
'I had to keep my promise.' replied Smiley.
Cor said "Thank you for not making me regret it…" and patted him on his back saying "Take your time" as he walked off.
There laid white flowers on all the graves of those who died on that day marked as 'The Bleeding Tree' incident for the scenery of blood surrounding the tree on desolated land and looked as if the tree was drinking the blood of others for its survival.
Smiley saw his brothers and master's grave. Yet he was not able to cry a single tear. He just stood there and stared at the white flowers that were laid upon those graves.
After some time of staring thoughtlessly, he walked away and brought some flower seeds as he thought 'I guess this is the least I can do'.
As he was walking across the village, he saw Cor again sitting on the bench at center staring at the sky as he said to Smiley "I heard that hero wants to take you with him to outside of this village". Smiley said nothing back.
"Do you know why your master decided to stay near this village… So that you can find and bond with other children. He never wanted you to see blood let alone taint your hands in one. He wished for you to find peace of mind from the past and be free… He truly was an adult who thought in the future itself ignoring his own present and past…". The kid just kept on staring at the sky as he talked.
"Kid… I have no right to say much but I would suggest going out in the world and seeing it. We only live once. You should not anchor yourself to such a small village"
He continued "He once teached me that Death teaches one that no matter how hard things are, one must keep on continuing to learn, for even when their world crumbles before them, the world itself does not stop for them for anyone… Call it cruelty of the world or mercy for those who have yet to come."
The words of his master echoed to him right before his own death "Be free"... Even at his own death, he cared for not his survival or regrets for his life. He only thought for Smiley, consoling him, telling him to follow his will till he can find his own. Telling him to continue on even if he must betray his wishes. Even when facing death itself. He told him to be free. As cunning as he was, it was even possible that he even predicted this all… Or maybe even more than what the kid could ever discover in his whole life.
The kid just thought to himself 'What does one have to be for him to be free…' For a few moments he kept on standing still staring at the sky as he looked down and smiled saying to Cor 'Thank you… I think about it' and walked off.
As Cor was sitting, he overheard adults gossiping "Look at him, His whole unit died and he is smiling" which made Cor enraged for those were the very people who once talked about how cheerful the kid was as he always smiled.
Tsk. Cor clicked his tongue in anger and those gossiping adults noticed and went off like nothing happened. "Grown up childern…" Cor whispered and looked at the sky "Hey old man, was that the right thing to do?"
A few days later on a cloudy and windy day, Ananke came back and when he was about to step up the stairs, Rhina told him "He is not upstairs right now."
'Did he go somewhere?'
"He is probably in the usual place where he goes out everyday nowadays" and pointed at the direction of where the void was 'There is a single tree on the pathway to the void he went off'. She also told Ananke about her worry for the kid and said "He is acting differently lately, when I question him, he just brushes it off as nothing happened while smiling and pushes me away when I question him."
Ananke realized something was off, 'The kid was smiling the whole time he was with him. No kid can keep on smiling after what happened…'
And suddenly it clicked. 'I see… I will go check on him' said Ananke, realizing there never was a smiling kid… Only a kid.
He went outside and started walking towards the direction of where she pointed. He followed the road path and soon he saw the tree which was surrounded by dead land. The tree should have already died out, yet it remained standing against the harsh terrain and the fate enforced by its land.
There he saw Smiley, leaning against the tree and the dirt around him had some patches like some holes were dug out but Ananke knew as he thought to himself that it was impossible for flowers to grow on such terrain.
Smiley was just staring at the sky, smiling, indifferent to anything as if he was at peace. Ananke walked up to him and asked 'So this is the place where you went off to? Seems peaceful.'
'Yea, it is.'
Ananke asked him 'How long are you going to keep up the act? Kids should not hold back their tears.'
'For some reason, I don't feel like crying…' said Smiley. For a moment, he acted like death or life made no difference for him as he kept looking up at the sky.
'Cry' said Ananke.
'Ha… I really am fine, don't worry—' with a smile but was interrupted.
'Cry'
'Why do you keep repeating the same thing?' questioned Smiley still with a smile yet kept on looking at the above onto the sky.
'Cry' as he gently smiled.
Smiley finally looked away from the sky and towards Ananke with a sign of annoyance as he said 'What do you mean?' only to see Ananke warm, gently smiling as a cold wind blew across their faces.
The kid still had a smile on his mouth but when he saw Ananke's gentle smile, the world started to go blurry and a sudden tear fell down on his cheek while still smiling.
His gentle smile was like warmth to his frozen heart. The warmth that made the land of the dead look like a field of flowers.
Ananke replied with a smile 'Kids do not need to act strong in front of adults. It's not a shame to cry. There is no need to hide your tears while looking at the sky. If you are embarrassed then just blame it on the rain.' as he sat down in front of him.
Smiley said 'Huh? The world is becoming blurry…' as he let out a small laugh.
'Those are tears, you idiot' said Ananke softly as he hugged him against his shoulder 'Let it all out. I wouldnt leave you.'
The tears the kid was holding back by looking at the sky smiling, started flowing down as his smile faded away. He was smiling not only to hold back his grief but smiling to not become an outcast as it was the only way he knew how to not be a burden. For no one hates 'A smiling kid'… Even when the smile is fake. so he just smiled and kept on smiling for others as it was the easiest way out.
He held onto his tears all alone and wore the mask that smiled for all, the mask that hid his tears from others and himself, the mask that lied to his wearer telling everything was ok… But now that very mask was finally broken down before him and the tears that were not coming out as he held them in for years started to flow out of his eyes as he finally started to cry.
He cried not just for his fallen brothers and master but for his burnt village, the man whom he slayed and the loneliness he held within him for years.
After all he had learned to use his emotions for others but never to express himself. A small rumor and gossip behind his back was enough for him to surpass his emotions in hopes of not becoming an outcast so he learned to suppress his emotions and the insults thrown at him for his mockery by bypassers made him hide his talent.
His master words "be free" as he always said while smiling gently. Maybe those words meant to be free from others and be one who he wanted to be or maybe more.
A kid who never had the chance to express his emotions just smiled at the world. Trying to forget it all and replacing it with a smile. A smile that will comfort everyone. Even to him, by lying to oneself.
Ananke gently said 'Be true to yourself or one day you will never be able to find your true self behind those masks you wore for others'. For those were truly the words of an adult who understood him.
Mask unseen by all was seen by him. Smile no one questioned was understood by him. Tears that refused to come out came out for him.
One can even question whether he even wanted to smile in the first place. Was he forced to smile for others as the title became his prison or or his own smile made him prisoner from freedom.
In a way, the kid lost his expression against a title that was enforced by others. The expectation others had was his burden and the talents he had was a disgrace of failure. Talent for a fraud.