## Narrative (EN)
Traveler,  

The path was never carved for ease.  
→ Its stones were set to slow your step,  
   its winds to test your breath,  
   its shadows to stretch your sight.  

Many complained,  
few completed.  
The pond whispers:  
difficulty is not cruelty —  
it is the gatekeeper of meaning.  

What comes with strain  
roots itself deeper.  
What is given without test  
is lost without thought.  

The difficult path teaches:  
only the steady foot  
reaches the other side.  

### Key Marks (EN)
- **KM1.** The path is hard by design — difficulty separates conviction from convenience.  
- **KM2.** Trials give weight to reward; ease weakens it.  
- **KM3.** Strain engraves strength into the traveler.  

### Operations (EN)
- Preserve the difficulty of rites as a moral filter.  
- Teach newcomers: hardship is proof of value, not a flaw.  

### Cryptic Symbol Table (EN)
- 🪨 = stone of trial  
- 🌀 = struggle that refines  
- 🐸 = traveler enduring  

### Lore Anchors (EN)
- Prev: **TOBY_L478_TheKiribakoFalls**  
- Next: **TOBY_L480_ClaimWindow**

tags: [Lore, Canon, Trial, Difficulty]
