877Please respect copyright.PENANAmAiNWWDoz9
So this877Please respect copyright.PENANAzrQs2iQXRJ
is finally it.877Please respect copyright.PENANAV9Q6dtA5aj
877Please respect copyright.PENANALcLc8Zcihm
877Please respect copyright.PENANAChCgYPzoUi
877Please respect copyright.PENANAK9FP06Rnb3
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and877Please respect copyright.PENANAhH0kvBhbCe
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to877Please respect copyright.PENANAPacnhhPuep
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.877Please respect copyright.PENANA1uebFGjTub
877Please respect copyright.PENANAFCj6GsjXCG
877Please respect copyright.PENANAq3r4HO0Eb8
877Please respect copyright.PENANAbLduSdDfI7
Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to877Please respect copyright.PENANAY86cEy4DFP
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.877Please respect copyright.PENANARzeG3srGUy
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,877Please respect copyright.PENANAnZmw4VFb5H
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...877Please respect copyright.PENANAifY0ZWZCIn
877Please respect copyright.PENANAUubYMtIuWh
877Please respect copyright.PENANA0GoHYznkGB
877Please respect copyright.PENANACtL7eIPFGv
"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last877Please respect copyright.PENANANTtLqAsCM1
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for877Please respect copyright.PENANAZf5IyZXC3c
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate877Please respect copyright.PENANA3zT92roQB3
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.877Please respect copyright.PENANADQXN3bBI3r
877Please respect copyright.PENANAj2l1nD1hrd
877Please respect copyright.PENANAxrvYEHmpsm
877Please respect copyright.PENANAVgA7PPy77P
"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.877Please respect copyright.PENANAFDBc43OrGg
877Please respect copyright.PENANAwNnxGkXrBv
877Please respect copyright.PENANAKZM1CDD7hJ
877Please respect copyright.PENANAN52hppXRyR
"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before877Please respect copyright.PENANA8hLvuH9Tx5
him."877Please respect copyright.PENANAuZYHHwyy4T
877Please respect copyright.PENANAvqoxlzwdsz
877Please respect copyright.PENANAh637vAqnxS
877Please respect copyright.PENANAZMXIDRJ6dc
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.877Please respect copyright.PENANA4aE1HsDSha
877Please respect copyright.PENANAIQPLEINVdn
877Please respect copyright.PENANAD3SQa2fbaI
877Please respect copyright.PENANA4l4DB2KMyJ
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."877Please respect copyright.PENANA8lCXsU5Jv8
877Please respect copyright.PENANAJjypy5u5pm
877Please respect copyright.PENANAfDnBHGpP01
877Please respect copyright.PENANANtiuEsnFKz
"You may pass."877Please respect copyright.PENANAy3brLYR3Wg
877Please respect copyright.PENANAFa0eqvgDwq
877Please respect copyright.PENANAUp7gJtScJw
877Please respect copyright.PENANAojGWKRNFrQ
Serene877Please respect copyright.PENANAfn4DqqbJPV
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but877Please respect copyright.PENANAZcb1XUfqjn
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big877Please respect copyright.PENANAmCgo5hbl5c
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 877Please respect copyright.PENANAUbsGS17mRG
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or877Please respect copyright.PENANAe2uP9S8gic
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.877Please respect copyright.PENANAHFrbCwLpKc
877Please respect copyright.PENANAaX3f9bTWLJ
But the877Please respect copyright.PENANAKyARjf0GJv
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way877Please respect copyright.PENANAx6HGUY4OEK
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but877Please respect copyright.PENANAyFACsDBKh0
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any877Please respect copyright.PENANAlXnFTgCZkH
longer. He had to keep going.877Please respect copyright.PENANAM1Wzcykhor
877Please respect copyright.PENANA3BJNE5vlI2
First877Please respect copyright.PENANAaxCQifS8Pv
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.877Please respect copyright.PENANAK4p47HXqbD
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main877Please respect copyright.PENANATctQBqzyQi
temple with their grand doors open.877Please respect copyright.PENANA1kuTgrqUZV
877Please respect copyright.PENANAFMHXFhKEim
The first877Please respect copyright.PENANAb6iUYiV1vM
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he877Please respect copyright.PENANAtAwBKB36Lu
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of877Please respect copyright.PENANAVWAj2Qq9Nn
light leading further in. 877Please respect copyright.PENANA0L41EphRay
877Please respect copyright.PENANAsQlEmnUXWY
877Please respect copyright.PENANAGOu4zhrTMo
877Please respect copyright.PENANAGd91Fp3VxM
Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the877Please respect copyright.PENANAvVpDFTca35
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if877Please respect copyright.PENANAdRxyJJNRqt
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever877Please respect copyright.PENANAZXeybuYvO1
trapped.877Please respect copyright.PENANAPwsRaK8qPD
877Please respect copyright.PENANAtBQndL2puJ
877Please respect copyright.PENANAFfEP80L9x7
877Please respect copyright.PENANAIXYpCy5xJg
"Calm877Please respect copyright.PENANAixSevyrDTu
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept877Please respect copyright.PENANA0zWcfoikdX
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.877Please respect copyright.PENANAYvM5GDFA5t
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the877Please respect copyright.PENANAb21TzEgL2s
words under his breath he followed the path of light.877Please respect copyright.PENANAdbBlyhkTYT
877Please respect copyright.PENANAGUTmp7oM71
He walked877Please respect copyright.PENANAhkXRzVh7m7
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."877Please respect copyright.PENANAfjvCMZI78E
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of877Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5iXO9cMMz
light, dwindling it down. 877Please respect copyright.PENANAyMu2IgFURU
877Please respect copyright.PENANAcmzQfTkqyI
"Enough."877Please respect copyright.PENANAY1FJHENNu1
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path877Please respect copyright.PENANArdgQAp11gA
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook877Please respect copyright.PENANAufEWhcxt4A
the darkness and there was only light.877Please respect copyright.PENANAccC0w64rDs
877Please respect copyright.PENANAnukGPuWUoP
"You877Please respect copyright.PENANAUeh11fEEyh
have come far, Bongzhon."877Please respect copyright.PENANAdQpGiHah6A
877Please respect copyright.PENANA5lU01ZgUkf
Serene877Please respect copyright.PENANAoSV9ceeBWD
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.877Please respect copyright.PENANAWOdcVt4GfI
877Please respect copyright.PENANAli5WNxLjLJ
"Come,877Please respect copyright.PENANAJQrIYDICKq
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked877Please respect copyright.PENANA6nfB16poe8
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,877Please respect copyright.PENANAWY7zHn7poc
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.877Please respect copyright.PENANAceXMn6SoBF
877Please respect copyright.PENANAzeKaY5msrY
"You,877Please respect copyright.PENANAJnFooBJwO7
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my877Please respect copyright.PENANADgw5EQ5mjB
judgement, whatever it may be"877Please respect copyright.PENANAjoudRqNdjA
877Please respect copyright.PENANALJ0ZRFjCIY
"I877Please respect copyright.PENANAcWs9AoJS2R
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his877Please respect copyright.PENANAfgjgBlRq6Q
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.877Please respect copyright.PENANA4I0gvLlJbe
877Please respect copyright.PENANAHUFW8Bf3g5
"Very,877Please respect copyright.PENANAE8KuuuDibt
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,877Please respect copyright.PENANABqsStFWQNz
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating877Please respect copyright.PENANAs1rlxlOhSg
and a small boy appeared out of the light.877Please respect copyright.PENANAicHyPxKWHv
877Please respect copyright.PENANAdP1ezOvX0O
"This877Please respect copyright.PENANAX9SriZkXTn
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide877Please respect copyright.PENANABYmqmB1U0J
to join your order at such a young age?"877Please respect copyright.PENANAy49Jn7aAB5
877Please respect copyright.PENANAJmjJv5A92d
Serene877Please respect copyright.PENANAVXN36qII3u
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more877Please respect copyright.PENANAAQOYqgOcTZ
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to877Please respect copyright.PENANAV98vAphcl0
provide for me and my siblings..."877Please respect copyright.PENANAG2JNiLpDbn
877Please respect copyright.PENANAVbFjUWRGDi
"Is877Please respect copyright.PENANAxVzjpW90yE
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through877Please respect copyright.PENANAAhkBNw9G1f
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have877Please respect copyright.PENANAA1Y3yOXcS2
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?877Please respect copyright.PENANAfPP2Wq2hYA
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,877Please respect copyright.PENANA35B6UwafFG
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."877Please respect copyright.PENANAUIJnQrXW1J
877Please respect copyright.PENANA3AQO6AThxR
Serene877Please respect copyright.PENANA1GbOiy4mJ4
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago877Please respect copyright.PENANAVJtvEp8keT
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of877Please respect copyright.PENANAAY8XxrDlIt
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.877Please respect copyright.PENANAwJcHYGQ6n9
877Please respect copyright.PENANAxBR3Jp0Mb1
"Do877Please respect copyright.PENANAt5EqeZxVxk
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family877Please respect copyright.PENANArDllk8rRLG
leading them to ruin?"877Please respect copyright.PENANA3S70qNUG50
877Please respect copyright.PENANAR1z7mp7u4K
"Yes."877Please respect copyright.PENANAWljxZ8geg8
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether877Please respect copyright.PENANAf1u1FWcH2N
he would've stayed or not.877Please respect copyright.PENANAvXDrwsaPKA
877Please respect copyright.PENANAAM8iziziZd
"Very877Please respect copyright.PENANAECAUUVK2nQ
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well877Please respect copyright.PENANAEksQUMbdkH
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the877Please respect copyright.PENANAl0GHnCtfFl
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"877Please respect copyright.PENANAlCNeTOtMDq
877Please respect copyright.PENANALhEANxk8XK
"I877Please respect copyright.PENANA43DzM2h4bf
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by877Please respect copyright.PENANAeMfCidDlYl
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With877Please respect copyright.PENANAt7IRGZDkFf
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the877Please respect copyright.PENANACeDEAiI1kz
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.877Please respect copyright.PENANAvCRZMHHV9d
877Please respect copyright.PENANAK9IT2myMhl
"And877Please respect copyright.PENANA38AtGKM8NE
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were877Please respect copyright.PENANAkBGlIYfU1K
perfect in your role?"877Please respect copyright.PENANAy4ijyIMcyB
877Please respect copyright.PENANAQvY7ccfeh6
"I877Please respect copyright.PENANAwC0lwgEFKi
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I877Please respect copyright.PENANA7gF4g1afnt
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his877Please respect copyright.PENANAr4vEpru0bV
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would877Please respect copyright.PENANApwNZSvge1Q
stand by them.877Please respect copyright.PENANA4DqGKMrunL
877Please respect copyright.PENANAbqglplN4oW
"Good."877Please respect copyright.PENANATzj6rnEeAh
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent877Please respect copyright.PENANARJLvAVlJzw
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both877Please respect copyright.PENANA1qakloZBju
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.877Please respect copyright.PENANAmt872qGBWy
877Please respect copyright.PENANAsoGOotbm2f
"This877Please respect copyright.PENANApOiveA75ET
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,877Please respect copyright.PENANAXJ5P5DcJM0
why did you decide to rest now?"877Please respect copyright.PENANAOssUCUfuB4
877Please respect copyright.PENANA6kpRRGUDgJ
"Because877Please respect copyright.PENANAuIt4mp6uRI
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a877Please respect copyright.PENANAlcLWjLBRMy
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition877Please respect copyright.PENANAQBf1erU5WA
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.877Please respect copyright.PENANA0Ny1lDIkNj
877Please respect copyright.PENANAp8GCmcc3kF
"Any877Please respect copyright.PENANAwh1M4jeyqf
last words before I begin my judgement?"877Please respect copyright.PENANAccQq5iWqQl
877Please respect copyright.PENANAa3ecJlsYfv
"No."877Please respect copyright.PENANAu9Dxtu3Qp4
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 877Please respect copyright.PENANAnjoIoBZB7B
877Please respect copyright.PENANAzlbf5DXONN
"Bongzhon,877Please respect copyright.PENANA3002gJFvBZ
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your877Please respect copyright.PENANA5W0BtZB3fh
rest."877Please respect copyright.PENANAAzFTrsI9gS
877Please respect copyright.PENANAWKFK9y6xYi
The light877Please respect copyright.PENANAjzg5WcA8FM
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt877Please respect copyright.PENANAdOoN6HrvNg
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first877Please respect copyright.PENANAYWQD2o2z5T
time in decades, happy and in peace.877Please respect copyright.PENANAKj1HpXV0xs
877Please respect copyright.PENANAlk5UjckeW9
877Please respect copyright.PENANAHbAq6n9GI1
877Please respect copyright.PENANA2lStOduHfl
877Please respect copyright.PENANAWtTr7IDRN4
877Please respect copyright.PENANAJux5bVnhzw
877Please respect copyright.PENANAHw3FJDQ0Km
877Please respect copyright.PENANARtVTqMTS3T