Hey you guys. This is just a short prologue, the rest will be longer and much less vague, I swear.
Earth comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death. ~ Chapter One: Laying Plans, Paragraph Eight
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The war with Gaea took a toll on Frank, no matter which way you look at it.
The quests, no matter if it was leading a legion of ghost men or slamming out of a human-sized fish tank, adjusted his way of living a small bit. He earned confidence he never had, and occasionally more embarrassment then he'd ever experienced, which fueled his emotional fire to be better, stronger, faster, less vulnerable to embarrassment.
He had to step out of his comfort zone and go into battle knowing that there was a small chance he would come out alive, he had to sacrifice himself for the wellbeing of others, putting himself behind.
Frank learned that just because something looks cozy and safe, doesn't mean it necessarily is.
And that just because something looks uncomfortably complex, doesn't mean it's dangerous.
And life as a son of Mars is full of detriments, but you keep on going. After all, that's war.
War is life, if you think about it. And Frank knows that war is located in the smallest of things, and the largest of things.
War is life, defeat is death. It's that simple.
But unlike his father, life isn't war. There's more to live for than bloodshed, strategies, and battlefields. Duty may be his sacrifice, but there's more to life than that.
For one, there's Hazel. But that's a story for another time.
Either way, the battle with the Earth goddess won't stop him. It'll just make him stronger.
And yes, Frank Zhang thanks Gaea for only one thing, and that's making him a stronger, faster, better person.
And that's the Art of Frank.
How'd you like? I got my copy of The Art of War by Sun Tzu from B&N a few weeks ago, and this is the best way to use it, right?