The forest clearing is quieter now, the sun nearly gone, casting a soft golden glow. Hatta is pacing, frustration painted across his face, his fists clenched at his sides. Masterkey sits cross-legged on his stone, unperturbed, as if nothing can ruffle him. The silence between them hums with tension.

Hatta: (pacing faster, voice tight with frustration)

I don’t get it! I’ve tried everything, Masterkey! I’ve pushed, I’ve worked, I’ve fought with everything I have—and I’m still… stuck. People walk around, living their lives, doing nothing, and yet—yet—they get everything handed to them. And here I am, pouring sweat and blood, but what do I have to show for it? Nothing but a pile of dreams scattered on the ground. It’s like I’m trapped in a cycle! I’ve got the power, I’ve got the will! I just… I just need it to happen! Why won’t it happen?!

Masterkey: (calm, eyes twinkling)
Because you’re trying to make it happen your way.

Hatta: (snapping)
What do you mean “my way”? I’m not trying to make it happen my way—I’m trying to make something happen! I’m so tired of waiting for the world to change on its own. I want to see things move! I want to see results! But no matter how hard I push, it’s like I’m trying to move mountains with my bare hands. Why does it have to be so difficult? Why can’t it be easier?

Masterkey: (grinning slightly)
It would be easier if you stopped trying to move the mountain and started learning from it.
Hatta: (stops pacing, hands balled into fists, eyes blazing)
Learn from it? What? You want me to just sit here and look at the mountain while it sits there mocking me? Mocking me while I struggle, while I fight? It’s not enough to just look at it and learn! I need to change it! I need to do something! You keep talking about listening and waiting, but all I hear is nonsense! The world doesn’t care if you wait or not! It doesn’t wait for you! I’ve been screaming at it for years, trying to make it hear me, but nothing changes! I keep hitting the wall, over and over again, and I… I don’t know what else to do!

Masterkey: (sitting up straighter, a gentle smile on his lips)
Ah, you’re shouting at the clouds again, Hatta. No matter how loud you shout, you won’t change the weather.

Hatta: (grinding his teeth)
Clouds? Weather? Is that what you think this is? A storm? I’m not talking about the weather! I’m talking about real things! People’s lives, the world, my life! I’m out here trying to make something out of nothing, and I’m getting… nothing! You’re telling me to wait and listen, but how? When? Every time I try, everything gets in my way. The harder I push, the harder the world pushes back! Why can’t you just give me an answer? I can’t keep standing still! If I stand still, I’ll drown in this silence!

Masterkey: (smiling softly, almost to himself)
Strength, without wisdom, is like trying to catch the wind with your hands. You’ll grab at it all day, but all you’ll have is air.

Hatta: (his voice rising)
Air?! Air! I’m not trying to catch air, I’m trying to change things! Change myself, change the world! How can I just sit here like I’m some… some statue, waiting for the wind to come? The wind doesn’t care about me, Masterkey! The world doesn’t care! It keeps turning, and I’m stuck! And yet you sit there, telling me to wait and listen—when all I want to do is act!

Masterkey: (softly, but with certainty)
The world is already turning, Hatta. But it doesn’t turn for those who are always trying to catch it.
Hatta: (defeated for a moment, hands falling to his sides, voice dropping)
But what if I miss it? What if the world passes me by, and I’m stuck standing here… waiting for the right moment? I don’t want to be left behind, Masterkey. I can’t afford to be left behind. I feel like I’m already running out of time. I feel like everything I’ve done up until now… it’s just been a blur. A blur of nothing.

Masterkey: (soft, but pointed)
Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes, Hatta.
Hatta: (quietly)
Bow to wisdom? I… I don’t understand. I’m tired of bending, Masterkey. I’ve bent for so long, and it feels like all I’ve gotten in return is… frustration. Anger. But what else am I supposed to do? Just bow? Just stop fighting? Just… give up?

Masterkey: (pausing, looking into Hatta’s eyes)
Bow to wisdom, Hatta—not in defeat, but in understanding. Strength is nothing without knowing when to use it. You can shout at the sky all you want, but it doesn’t mean the sky’s going to listen. Sometimes the wisest thing is not to force your way through every door, but to know which doors to open—and when.
Hatta: (a long silence, the weight of the words slowly sinking in)
So… it’s not about fighting all the time?

Masterkey: (softly)
No. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is wait. Not out of fear, but because you understand that the right moment doesn’t need to be forced.
Hatta: (sighs deeply, his voice quieter now, as if a heavy weight is beginning to lift)
I… I think I’m starting to get it. I’ve been trying to force everything, every moment. Trying to make it happen. But maybe… maybe it’s not about making it happen. It’s about waiting for it to happen. In the right time.

Masterkey: (nodding, his voice calm)
Exactly. And in the silence of waiting, you’ll find the wisdom you’re looking for.

Hatta stands there, his chest rising and falling with a deep breath. The frustration that once consumed him now feels… distant. He’s not sure everything is clear yet, but for the first time in a long while, he feels a shift inside. Maybe Masterkey’s right. Maybe it’s time to stop forcing everything—and to let the world come to him, on its own terms.