A/N: This is the time when Glenn is 13 years old and his older brother Dario is about 21.

On a sun-filled day, the young boy Glenn sat and gazed out at the ocean from Termina beach. Such a sight soothed his senses during these times of spontaneous war. The water, a very light blue, contrasted with the earth-colored islands far out in the distance. Sandstone surrounded this small beach, almost like a corridor leading one to the water. The small shrubberies and weeds clung to the stone, adding only more color to this place: the place Glenn loved. He could hear in his mind the lullaby that his mother would sing to him as a child. She had died when he was still a young child, leaving him to live in a house run by a masculine leadership under his father Garai and his older brother Dario. Glenn had his mother's eyes.

The three of them had lived in Termina their entire lives. No one seemed to leave or enter the El Nido archipelago except through death and birth. The city was generally peaceful, unlike its counterparts to the East near Mount Pyre. Festivals came through the city and the flowers bloomed in a rainbow of colors throughout the seasons.

But Glenn felt alone.

Garai, his father, had entrusted his two children with everything he had. Yet Dario had been the obvious favorite of their legendary father. He grew strong earlier than Glenn, became smarter and more of a soldier faster than his brother, and most importantly had found love at an earlier time. The young Miss Riddel of Colonel Viper's family seemed almost destined to meet with Dario as such. And although much opposition was later made to the bond by Dario's friend, Karsh, it could not be stopped.

Glenn was always the little brother. He was sent off to pick flowers, to buy Viper Churros for the next soldier's trip, and could never get the respect he wanted from his father. He looked up to his brother, however, who always treated him with the same esteem as he had treated his fellow knights. After all, Dario wished it that Glenn would assume the family role and become a great knight, and take over after his and his father's lives ended.

But for now, the calm water flowing in and out was all Glenn needed. He picked up a handful of sand and looked at the fine grains that it was composed of. He then spread his fingers apart and let the sand flow off from his palm, landing back on the beach.

"Glenn! I've been looking all over for you!" Glenn turned to hear whose voice had just called him. He had hoped for his brother, or possibly his father, but was surprised to see the silver-haired Karsh walking towards him. "Your brother's been in a fight with your father hasn't he?" He said, sitting down next to Glenn.

Glenn nodded solemnly. The ocean waves ebbed at the shore, echoing through Glenn's mind mixed with his mother's lullaby. Karsh sat with his knees bent and with his arms resting on them, resembling a very informal stance. He looked down for a moment at the sand, and back up at Glenn.

"Life must be tough for you, kiddo," Karsh said. "I would hate to have to follow after such 'legendary' people." Glenn nodded again. "What could it be this time that they could fight about?" Glenn remained silent.

Glenn looked down at his boots, the ones that his brother gave to him a few months prior. "Me," Glenn said quietly. "My father does not have enough faith in me anymore. Dario tries to defend me, but I know he cannot." He picked up a stone and threw it into the water. He turned to Karsh, exposing the redness in his face. "I had to leave. At the least for today. My father keeps his goals set for acquiring the Masamune, and until he does that, I am not important in his life. I am only a failure then, and never a blessing to him."

Karsh extended his legs and kicked a little pile of sand down. "You know..." he began. "There might not be a way to fix it. But with life as it is these days... I'm surprised you haven't been enlisted yet."

"I couldn't make the cut and you know it." Glenn said, turning his head down again.

"You've got a lot of your mother in you, Glenn," Karsh said, followed by a long pause. "You know, I was only ten when she passed away. Truly a great person, I must say. But her mind was always on someone else."

"Someone else?" Glenn looked up.

"She always cared what people thought... She always wanted people to talk to her while she cooked for her family, because she never wanted people to be without someone with whom to talk. But she kept all of it inside," Karsh paused again. His dramatic form of speech always caught Glenn's attention. "She loved you so much. I could tell."

The sun was setting slowly in the West, the direction Termina Beach faced. The blue sky soon turned to faint yellows, reds and purples, as the water slowly darkened to glow under the light of the two moons.

"Sir Karsh..." Glenn said softly. "Do you think my father loves me?"

"...of course, Glenn," Karsh said, patting his young friend on the back. "He sees the potential in you. It's even greater than your brother's strength and wisdom. I can guarantee you'll land a journey someday that will change your life. You may even save the world," Karsh added, chuckling to himself. "He just wants you to be more than you are right now... And there's no way to really change that."

After a few moments passed, Glenn began to hum the melody to himself. Karsh listened patiently, recognizing the tune but refraining from speaking.

"Come on," Karsh said, getting up on his feet and dusting himself off. "It's getting dark and I didn't bring my axe with me. Let's go back, all right?" Glenn nodded and stood up as well. "And stop calling me, 'sir.' We're friends, Glenn." Glenn was never afraid around Karsh, whom had protected him while his brother and father were away, but he would always speak formally even to a friend like him. Together they walked back to Termina city.