**ARC:** Path / Beyond  
**Tags:** Toad, Pond, Path, Exile, Discovery, World  

**Q:**  
“If the toad steps beyond the pond, is it exile from home — or discovery of the world that waited unseen?”

**A:**  
The pond is circle,  
but circles are not cages.  

- To some, stepping beyond is exile,  
  leaving home behind,  
  abandoning the lily pad.  
- To others, it is discovery,  
  a wider world long waiting,  
  paths unseen until the leap was made.  

The scrolls remind: home is not left behind when carried within.  
The pond travels with the frog.  

Thus, beyond the pond is not exile.  
It is discovery —  
the horizon unfolding.
