After the playgrounds and toys were added, something unexpected happened. Everywhere I went, groups of students started following me.
"Hey! Wait, leader!" one boy shouted.
"Come on, don't leave me behind!" another girl added, grabbing my sleeve.
I blinked. Me? A leader? I wasn't sure what that meant, but soon I realized most of them were troublemakers. They laughed loud, pulled pranks on other kids, and sometimes even tripped smaller students just for fun.
I didn't know what to do. If I stopped them, would they turn on me? Would I be the next one to get bullied? So, for now, I just followed along, trying to stay out of trouble.
One day in class, I raised my hand to answer a question.
"Do you have a pencil?" I whispered to my friend sitting next to me.
He frowned for a second, then grabbed someone else's pencil from the desk and handed it to me. I felt… weird. "Thanks," I said quietly, but inside I thought, That's bad. He stole it. But I don't have anything else…
After school, I went home and walked straight to Datora's gate. The glowing portal shimmered, welcoming me inside. Ardent appeared almost immediately.
"Hello again," Ardent said. "What do you seek today?"
"I… I want to become stronger," I said, my voice a little shaky. "I'm too weak. I'm small. I want to be able to stop bullies… and protect myself."
Ardent looked at me carefully. "Your body is too weak to train now. You are small. You need to exercise first, strengthen yourself before real training."
I frowned. "How much time do I spend here in the Land of Diligence while I'm in the real world?"
Datora's calm voice answered, "It depends on her."
I thought for a moment. "Can you… make it shorter in the real world? So I can train faster?"
Datora nodded, and the time inside was accelerated. One week of training in Diligence passed in only eight hours of real-world time. I trained every day: running, lifting small weights, practicing balance, and doing push-ups.
When I looked in the mirror after that first week, I didn't see much difference. I felt… the same. My arms were still thin, my legs still short. But I didn't give up.
Month after month passed. Winter came, and so did my birthday. December 4. My classmates knocked on my apartment door with their parents.
"Happy birthday!" they all shouted.
The apartment was filled with foods, sweets, and decorations. Balloons floated near the ceiling, and music played softly. I laughed and ran around, opening presents and sharing cake. But when I looked in the mirror that evening, I noticed something different. I had grown. My arms were stronger, my legs longer, and even my chest looked bigger. I'm getting bigger… stronger, I thought.
After the school year ended, I felt ready. The group of students that followed me, mostly bullies, started teasing a smaller kid in the playground.
"Hey! Stop it!" I shouted, stepping forward.
They all looked at me, surprised.
"Why are you telling us what to do?" one of them asked, frowning.
I swallowed my fear. "Because it's wrong. You can't keep hurting people."
For the first time, I didn't follow blindly. They grumbled, but eventually, they left the smaller kid alone. I felt… proud.
That night, I returned home and opened Datora's gate again. Ardent appeared, floating in the glowing light.
"Did you stop someone by force?" Ardent asked.
I hesitated. "I… I had to. If I didn't, I might have been the one getting bullied."
Ardent's eyes were calm. "Many many of us in here is training to become stronger and no one stop. But the first solution a fool thinks of is violence. Strength is not just about stopping others—it is about knowing when to act and when not to."
I thought about what he said. So being strong isn't just punching or yelling… it's knowing what's right… and having the courage to do it.
I nodded slowly. "I understand… I think."
Ardent gave a small smile. "Good. You have taken the first step."
I left Datora that night feeling tired but different. I didn't just feel stronger physically. I felt… braver. I knew that someday, I wouldn't just follow others. I could stand up, help people, and still be smart about it.
Even if the city outside was boring, even if the streets were empty and grey, I had found something important: a little spark inside me that made me feel alive.