876Please respect copyright.PENANAv5ztlrkfln
So this876Please respect copyright.PENANAH4VPVHNlY3
is finally it.876Please respect copyright.PENANAcYRtiEs7dY
876Please respect copyright.PENANAabeeHquvcd
876Please respect copyright.PENANAyfzDNU50Fj
876Please respect copyright.PENANAbCuxMxkw2N
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and876Please respect copyright.PENANAPcUvCnmBmC
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to876Please respect copyright.PENANAuLwmchdzqG
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.876Please respect copyright.PENANAzmfOadYyd0
876Please respect copyright.PENANAp9BUHk3Gxo
876Please respect copyright.PENANAiUoXmiqFgN
876Please respect copyright.PENANA4kuTj8iW1k
Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to876Please respect copyright.PENANA15VDn2BWv4
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.876Please respect copyright.PENANALuZHOWShsJ
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,876Please respect copyright.PENANAKHqElogill
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...876Please respect copyright.PENANA5blajNdBRH
876Please respect copyright.PENANAbVS0d7gBfm
876Please respect copyright.PENANA8zXkgfginZ
876Please respect copyright.PENANALx4cuyedXm
"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last876Please respect copyright.PENANAxUZ6fCk8IT
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for876Please respect copyright.PENANA4Wukq1jY7B
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate876Please respect copyright.PENANAbr1s37VLfN
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.876Please respect copyright.PENANAXKGCHXZohb
876Please respect copyright.PENANApdqRcVN6Nr
876Please respect copyright.PENANAcMrHxckZpL
876Please respect copyright.PENANANcASGyp3mv
"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.876Please respect copyright.PENANAE5VFVyIwPT
876Please respect copyright.PENANAUVPWzts4ol
876Please respect copyright.PENANAFgky8aibnI
876Please respect copyright.PENANAy2eI20gu1e
"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before876Please respect copyright.PENANAJ97fDpRQ3i
him."876Please respect copyright.PENANABCUFJc2txV
876Please respect copyright.PENANAgwT7oYIEHi
876Please respect copyright.PENANAznTczEjyFm
876Please respect copyright.PENANARU9bh4aA6y
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.876Please respect copyright.PENANAr9JhoyVc2J
876Please respect copyright.PENANAi71GSXdrXJ
876Please respect copyright.PENANAzVmOupnFon
876Please respect copyright.PENANA33QiqfsGSD
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."876Please respect copyright.PENANAsTlKd88j4L
876Please respect copyright.PENANAPXPqArRMRq
876Please respect copyright.PENANA9YxaccBZK4
876Please respect copyright.PENANA342rkJmF2i
"You may pass."876Please respect copyright.PENANAOpOXq2GnZv
876Please respect copyright.PENANAqKij4LAoIC
876Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4iUnJnvEJ
876Please respect copyright.PENANAfwCS53BeK6
Serene876Please respect copyright.PENANABF8fI4Bn3E
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but876Please respect copyright.PENANA0IMulBjFN8
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big876Please respect copyright.PENANAHpspGkTZnw
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAcpC8astsQH
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or876Please respect copyright.PENANAv2EWIikKyO
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.876Please respect copyright.PENANA88VbqSGphM
876Please respect copyright.PENANAS1d36OnVXZ
But the876Please respect copyright.PENANAqGzLOuPSZo
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way876Please respect copyright.PENANAt2TznJKn9E
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but876Please respect copyright.PENANAXQAruhDQrU
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any876Please respect copyright.PENANAazPpntZPXY
longer. He had to keep going.876Please respect copyright.PENANAzfGHOclIrp
876Please respect copyright.PENANADsfMXV8CEQ
First876Please respect copyright.PENANAGYGBI08Zpv
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.876Please respect copyright.PENANAoiHoJsfzVb
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main876Please respect copyright.PENANAO3Es1tzrv3
temple with their grand doors open.876Please respect copyright.PENANAdRM9rOo3Mo
876Please respect copyright.PENANAA0qqqjRUWj
The first876Please respect copyright.PENANALi6TvcupVP
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he876Please respect copyright.PENANAsYBqWZAWXU
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of876Please respect copyright.PENANAdQ5yUHftsw
light leading further in. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAYrcYSMMcfa
876Please respect copyright.PENANAF0YtwjwVlI
876Please respect copyright.PENANAjB6Be9s0H2
876Please respect copyright.PENANA831m4OoGpf
Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the876Please respect copyright.PENANAHcygTY8fvK
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if876Please respect copyright.PENANAAkOxRPuaCE
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever876Please respect copyright.PENANAoBDHBNlb7W
trapped.876Please respect copyright.PENANAHnQYDHSTdg
876Please respect copyright.PENANAgbxC6jdKat
876Please respect copyright.PENANAtEC18reuau
876Please respect copyright.PENANA8C1GytHCBH
"Calm876Please respect copyright.PENANA6Cvg07LY24
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept876Please respect copyright.PENANAaDf2bepn7u
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.876Please respect copyright.PENANAglV8sGzhiw
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the876Please respect copyright.PENANAr7rAdrTP0q
words under his breath he followed the path of light.876Please respect copyright.PENANAMAsNVrJ4zh
876Please respect copyright.PENANA1owGouXLzt
He walked876Please respect copyright.PENANA8zK2XsU5T4
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."876Please respect copyright.PENANAtMyjWVkoT4
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of876Please respect copyright.PENANAwwwlVQKFzs
light, dwindling it down. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAeibcJCHxX8
876Please respect copyright.PENANAvxZySOWd0H
"Enough."876Please respect copyright.PENANALT4YlO8WvH
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path876Please respect copyright.PENANA318HxRQxdh
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook876Please respect copyright.PENANA0WXPdiNjAh
the darkness and there was only light.876Please respect copyright.PENANAuEi7Cvx7wF
876Please respect copyright.PENANAja5F8Ac6KQ
"You876Please respect copyright.PENANAPxGDpYF9Lw
have come far, Bongzhon."876Please respect copyright.PENANApv98vUQz6V
876Please respect copyright.PENANAIPhWTYqHRb
Serene876Please respect copyright.PENANAdmAE9bFr9k
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.876Please respect copyright.PENANABIolcIQ0oO
876Please respect copyright.PENANA0O2x0OVrCe
"Come,876Please respect copyright.PENANAsEwsOxDBWi
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked876Please respect copyright.PENANAIBM46GxOo9
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,876Please respect copyright.PENANAmt8UViV8p9
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.876Please respect copyright.PENANAxX5UkGyv38
876Please respect copyright.PENANARLGspqBbDC
"You,876Please respect copyright.PENANAXlN4QbJkBA
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my876Please respect copyright.PENANALGplREG8yy
judgement, whatever it may be"876Please respect copyright.PENANAYCXlrqkkpC
876Please respect copyright.PENANAQumwPkjBX1
"I876Please respect copyright.PENANAh5rgi0mLEi
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his876Please respect copyright.PENANAypdic3OcWX
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.876Please respect copyright.PENANAYJDJn7O3ea
876Please respect copyright.PENANAW7W9A2Uog8
"Very,876Please respect copyright.PENANAbBjIWG1AC7
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,876Please respect copyright.PENANAjUkYPHkto3
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating876Please respect copyright.PENANAID0NaLOl66
and a small boy appeared out of the light.876Please respect copyright.PENANAnyrmIQbTzE
876Please respect copyright.PENANA2mQxWooiSy
"This876Please respect copyright.PENANAOSZa7MaPOE
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide876Please respect copyright.PENANAOCObzzHvtr
to join your order at such a young age?"876Please respect copyright.PENANApIMq78ha0e
876Please respect copyright.PENANAab6wRQuy1a
Serene876Please respect copyright.PENANAUEczZ8SxYU
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more876Please respect copyright.PENANA81RGt1CugF
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to876Please respect copyright.PENANAQFbOObP0vX
provide for me and my siblings..."876Please respect copyright.PENANAeNuuczT7Ov
876Please respect copyright.PENANAaEnNo3Oh1K
"Is876Please respect copyright.PENANAErWoM5svfD
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through876Please respect copyright.PENANAHul2NcbxSe
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have876Please respect copyright.PENANApdTe2uL6I6
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?876Please respect copyright.PENANADenYM4bf25
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,876Please respect copyright.PENANAgwBab3yx9O
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."876Please respect copyright.PENANAcTcU3Nq6bi
876Please respect copyright.PENANAWlPresvQ1Z
Serene876Please respect copyright.PENANAAM1PGIDG4h
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago876Please respect copyright.PENANAgXD0UtYtKB
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of876Please respect copyright.PENANAySbwypIHtY
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.876Please respect copyright.PENANApXJ4FO5A09
876Please respect copyright.PENANAhRsfqwjMOz
"Do876Please respect copyright.PENANAvVMimsNBxm
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family876Please respect copyright.PENANAkttkpQFuqz
leading them to ruin?"876Please respect copyright.PENANAKiZyuV8KL2
876Please respect copyright.PENANAUStTTGZuOk
"Yes."876Please respect copyright.PENANAgrWa7Pa4CN
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether876Please respect copyright.PENANAJcR1Z19vpC
he would've stayed or not.876Please respect copyright.PENANAbqCGlrx7Ki
876Please respect copyright.PENANAwpMzpkpdhd
"Very876Please respect copyright.PENANAf2o0frbv7C
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well876Please respect copyright.PENANAhg34ueBj1e
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the876Please respect copyright.PENANAMEDZZMJ37k
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"876Please respect copyright.PENANAAOk0kBXzcT
876Please respect copyright.PENANAxReARhWGZT
"I876Please respect copyright.PENANANRzPes5D1Z
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by876Please respect copyright.PENANAukeqfZ79bn
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With876Please respect copyright.PENANAGn9zZVmVtD
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the876Please respect copyright.PENANAmDOQQXxJIz
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.876Please respect copyright.PENANAEK8keLUEJq
876Please respect copyright.PENANAuWduS72cHa
"And876Please respect copyright.PENANAYfxWmZAqsu
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were876Please respect copyright.PENANAERYRPU3EpR
perfect in your role?"876Please respect copyright.PENANAUi1akO2BPU
876Please respect copyright.PENANAYkGdRJ1Im7
"I876Please respect copyright.PENANAV2mfudDTmo
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I876Please respect copyright.PENANANFnMjBtc6B
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his876Please respect copyright.PENANABWBGaIHBer
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would876Please respect copyright.PENANAMZixIVO8Ed
stand by them.876Please respect copyright.PENANAHEQOMA27Ec
876Please respect copyright.PENANAlDYtj0VTDd
"Good."876Please respect copyright.PENANAQSAtROs3ej
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent876Please respect copyright.PENANAXduVpFgft0
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both876Please respect copyright.PENANAuXIMEzVkmn
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.876Please respect copyright.PENANAcIpfsIHFOH
876Please respect copyright.PENANAQDxcTrsaGm
"This876Please respect copyright.PENANAbzA2pcUFLq
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,876Please respect copyright.PENANA7RHcSCQJlX
why did you decide to rest now?"876Please respect copyright.PENANAUuuFlRha02
876Please respect copyright.PENANA02Lr0GsleC
"Because876Please respect copyright.PENANAX9CbJyxLI6
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a876Please respect copyright.PENANAccvzRxpiCM
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition876Please respect copyright.PENANA1WSpuAgGWw
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.876Please respect copyright.PENANATEOEhiWXaE
876Please respect copyright.PENANAaAQNnpPj7v
"Any876Please respect copyright.PENANAoWEp5kHBB8
last words before I begin my judgement?"876Please respect copyright.PENANATfLamddWlq
876Please respect copyright.PENANAlMY22i5BXK
"No."876Please respect copyright.PENANAUJ2lXKGtcP
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAn0rELztZGa
876Please respect copyright.PENANAzJhxZIXKTp
"Bongzhon,876Please respect copyright.PENANAImHP3Ip4fD
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your876Please respect copyright.PENANAxQi5ELPbDw
rest."876Please respect copyright.PENANAHulJLD1LR9
876Please respect copyright.PENANA0ljlYYuxlv
The light876Please respect copyright.PENANAstyOEIrF7J
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt876Please respect copyright.PENANAoa2CoH4TYl
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first876Please respect copyright.PENANAEovST3i6nY
time in decades, happy and in peace.876Please respect copyright.PENANAi52sRXXNi0
876Please respect copyright.PENANATiulF4YE27
876Please respect copyright.PENANAl0EYGpZQlq
876Please respect copyright.PENANATRvQCVgshN
876Please respect copyright.PENANA3MeC7jNugk
876Please respect copyright.PENANAydRuRlcBs4
876Please respect copyright.PENANAzeVzMLUavU
876Please respect copyright.PENANAmjTak45KVn