"Hate is a true weakness of an emotion for what I feel, my resentment against the upper echolean of the Imperial authority, and its accursed Emperor is deeper and darker. There are no epithets that are ever present to my emotion against that man and his kingdom of blood, but that is only one part of my emotion; there is another emotion that is countering that emotion as well. And that is-gratitude."

  Stating that my gaze lowered from the rooftops to the path before me where with their canine wide open, two of the street dogs were chasing the cat across the street. And this cat, instead of retreating was toying with them. It was giving them the misguided confidence, by granting them just the right amount of time, and giving them enough hope and allowing the chance to pursuit, till just when they were inches away from devouring its prey. Then, the cat retracted itself by escaping and slipping out of its radius.

  Looking at this cat, and the mutt that chased behind those cats as it spread across its street, all three of us halted, so that they could easily bypass us.

  "Do you know, Arvil, it is the easiest thing in the world to hate? And in this hate, we forget the lot of advantages and good things that the Empire provides. We forget the protection and comfort, and the stability and consistency that it offers across the land to its occupants on day-to-day basis. Because consider for a moment, just a moment, that this empire would not be here, and the fear of repercussion for each action is not judged, then we would be living in dark ages. Where any man or woman can do what he or she wants, take what we want, when we want, against with whomsoever we want. And after he or she has done that, he simply gets to be not held accountable, and is free to do so again. That is a very dangerous and dark past we escaped from. This is why this empire is essential, not because of justice, but because of the fear of being judged that we have in our hearts. That is what keeps this fabric of reality, our fabric of reality grounded. And we ignore that, and instead, we focus on only the atrocities and cruelty of the Empire."

  "Hmmmm."

  "Just as there are two sides to every tale, so too there are two sides to this Empire. We cannot select what we want and throw away what we do not like. It is a bundle; either we must accept the bundle, or leave it as it is. So, in essence, do I despise the upper echolean of the Imperial authority? Yes, I do, Do I hate the devil that leads them? Yes, I do, Is there things that I wish to change about this empire? You are damn right, I do, but if you were to ask me do I hate the Empire of monsters in its entirety for its existence? I do not, because it gave all of us a future, and a chance to live within that future, did it not."

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  Upon hearing my answer while the older man that walked beside me watched through the corner of his eyes, Arvil's eyes widened, because nobody has explained to the man what the true purpose of the Empire is, or what it does to this land, in this manner. And he was not the only one, most men and woman in this world does not know the reason behind its system and constitution. For it is not their to grant justice, but the fear of being judged for our actions, and to keep the firm balance between order and chaos. And receiving the analogy from my point of view, the man's dusted mind began to open, as thought and process began to digest in his eyes,

  while he accepted my analysis.

  "I never thought about the Empire in that way"

  "Most of us never do-Arvil. Most of us never do"

  That more than anything startled the man, resulting in his eyebrows shooting up, and his cornea jumping and sprinting to either side. And it would have continued so if we had not reached another corner of the street, and the road opened to the right, because he knew just as me that for what we were marching into, he cannot lose his composure, so as all three of us followed on that trail, our pace slightly slowed, while our gazes lingered upon the left side of the bakery.

  Because the smell and the aroma that spread and exploded from the bakery violated the entire street. The smell unleashed was of such calibre that as it spread across the air, it violated every law of men and Emperors. And all three of us, with each heartbeat as we neared it, our lips twisted, our molars opened wide, dreaming and desiring, to bite and chew the essence and acquiescence of heaven, that with our stomachs grumbling, we strode towards it. Such was the grip of the desire for the fresh loaf that we had on our bellies.

  Seeing that, upon the lips of the man who stood at the bakery, the purest and warmest of smile splattered. And if one looks at this man a little bit deeper, whose bigger and thicker arms crossed together, sharpened Mustache twisted and twirled at the corners, who wore a milky white trousers and a buttoned linen tunic, one could see, and one could truly understand the terror and fear he represents just as I have. And one when feels that terror, and experiences that fear, then one would truly understand just what kind of a monster he is. I know because I experience it each day and every day, as the scars and wounds from our conflict a decade ago even to this day, they continue to haunt and persist. And it was good Arvil was beginning to understand that as well, because if he is going to live in this valley anymore, then he needs to deal with men and women like him.

  "So, the rounds began, then Galivar and Arvil. Good. At least few of you lot of you care for the valley."