“So what do you think of our village?” Yishola asked me as we walked.“It’s nice,” I answered. Two Sheowon stared at us as we passed them by. “Though I’m looking forward to a time where I draw less attention.”“That may take a while,” Yishola chuckled.I was a bit surprised when the elder asked me to join her on a walk that morning when she picked me up from Ushem’s home. I had figured we would talk in private, but she said she wanted to show me something. Keo and Lowar trailed behind us, within sight but out of earshot, and Ushem and Pliwa were a similar distance ahead of us, turning back often to check that we were following.“I was hoping to get a shirt,” I mused, gesturing at my chest. “Maybe hide some of… all this.”Yishola craned her neck to look up at me. “That’s not the only way you stand out.”I shrugged. “Can’t change my height. Weird to be so tall. I’m actually short, among my people.”“Is that so? Hard to imagine so many giants.”“You should see the size of the animals we hunt.”“Was being surrounded by so many larger people difficult for you? From what you told me, with the… competition between you and your peers, it must have made you a target.”“It did, at first,” I said. “Until I was strong enough to prove that making me a target was a mistake.”“Hmm. Strength. That’s important to you.”“Of course. Without it, I’d be dead.”“Is that the only reason? Seems like there is more to it,” Yishola said.I glanced down at the insightful Sheowon elder, before looking away to think about my answer. I wasn’t prepared to talk about [Metasurvival] or my reincarnation, but that was a major factor when it came to all my decisions and pursuits.The strength I had gained as Tovar had been a huge part of helping me succeed as Mali, even if the pursuit of strength had stopped being my primary focus as I grew older. I took a breath, refocusing on the present.“It’s (...)