798Please respect copyright.PENANA5cqeQXLGWj
So this798Please respect copyright.PENANA2iMgoHYjUH
is finally it.798Please respect copyright.PENANA5YL1Mjxq2y
798Please respect copyright.PENANAeOjcQjG3tf
798Please respect copyright.PENANAxp1JTyTsnq
798Please respect copyright.PENANAMk5PO7w9XX
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and798Please respect copyright.PENANAqF3DMnpdcz
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to798Please respect copyright.PENANA1Lembsl1Da
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.798Please respect copyright.PENANA6BEHxsFh1A
798Please respect copyright.PENANA5BsVC0Ptwt
798Please respect copyright.PENANAWbG34Pr79U
798Please respect copyright.PENANA4DpUShAvbd
Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to798Please respect copyright.PENANALsUeSPxVl3
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.798Please respect copyright.PENANAP8KbXmE9yo
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,798Please respect copyright.PENANAVGA0vVvLbU
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...798Please respect copyright.PENANAWL6YDLOzyk
798Please respect copyright.PENANARQe6wX1ng1
798Please respect copyright.PENANA6Tn18mNIiW
798Please respect copyright.PENANAgRBLwyojMn
"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last798Please respect copyright.PENANAqvLBKzl3QY
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for798Please respect copyright.PENANAVNj11EFnyj
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate798Please respect copyright.PENANAyAMqVwvnM4
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.798Please respect copyright.PENANAPHwQCuMdzn
798Please respect copyright.PENANAvM2B2IpCrr
798Please respect copyright.PENANAsYOXVqhNc8
798Please respect copyright.PENANAtK5LtcRCFB
"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.798Please respect copyright.PENANAX1PFJ9PAR5
798Please respect copyright.PENANAUicJUkI24v
798Please respect copyright.PENANAkpvj9x8JwU
798Please respect copyright.PENANAufV45C8nUh
"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before798Please respect copyright.PENANAkBsge6dyUp
him."798Please respect copyright.PENANAhWcYh1oXcx
798Please respect copyright.PENANAvUw0WP4VgB
798Please respect copyright.PENANADkoGhobzqG
798Please respect copyright.PENANAt6M9KsWgDc
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.798Please respect copyright.PENANArut2jvt4y4
798Please respect copyright.PENANA0FddvHV4Jx
798Please respect copyright.PENANAUgAeBAEYUe
798Please respect copyright.PENANAA2CL6KqCiN
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."798Please respect copyright.PENANAjf7tPow2AB
798Please respect copyright.PENANADjTJLN5BjO
798Please respect copyright.PENANA15go2Sog9i
798Please respect copyright.PENANAPSdirdHOom
"You may pass."798Please respect copyright.PENANAufuic8QYvQ
798Please respect copyright.PENANADzJ1sA34nX
798Please respect copyright.PENANAQm1mRBFT6C
798Please respect copyright.PENANAitlBTuQGtB
Serene798Please respect copyright.PENANA06bNVRMdNi
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but798Please respect copyright.PENANACVJjIRplcC
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big798Please respect copyright.PENANA6b7UAdMH28
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAXy23lpmGMY
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or798Please respect copyright.PENANAYfdeXmVzjb
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.798Please respect copyright.PENANABFBJwUMgCS
798Please respect copyright.PENANAE3lMpwllfi
But the798Please respect copyright.PENANAeXmYFOoNsS
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way798Please respect copyright.PENANA2mDmFuefSa
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but798Please respect copyright.PENANAz8jCII8DPb
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any798Please respect copyright.PENANAYEuAEfO4G1
longer. He had to keep going.798Please respect copyright.PENANASHJai5vcru
798Please respect copyright.PENANA0qqEUrplM4
First798Please respect copyright.PENANAnggTDZ8Ep9
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.798Please respect copyright.PENANAFtSQ5Ts6X9
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main798Please respect copyright.PENANABMOq0VOTO2
temple with their grand doors open.798Please respect copyright.PENANAPyxiYKhBFm
798Please respect copyright.PENANAJHMV5TloCW
The first798Please respect copyright.PENANAK6yEOlDDls
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he798Please respect copyright.PENANAqPtWWZKQWc
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of798Please respect copyright.PENANAJ86WjqfYAX
light leading further in. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAHrGCqZ1Hgg
798Please respect copyright.PENANAa6gSTavMmf
798Please respect copyright.PENANA0dJbNfON7h
798Please respect copyright.PENANAsfZ84PkMg7
Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the798Please respect copyright.PENANAIXzlEQJleH
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if798Please respect copyright.PENANA36buY8Cgzd
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever798Please respect copyright.PENANAzE31220fb7
trapped.798Please respect copyright.PENANAUz46V0YCdj
798Please respect copyright.PENANAe1AlBsTWwc
798Please respect copyright.PENANAoMNTPknq7Y
798Please respect copyright.PENANA80cH6G3eAZ
"Calm798Please respect copyright.PENANAmCvfJK5jRE
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept798Please respect copyright.PENANAuEjRQWnXL1
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.798Please respect copyright.PENANAuEAeuOBaqd
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the798Please respect copyright.PENANA5uTbq5XS5S
words under his breath he followed the path of light.798Please respect copyright.PENANA9l4DLxKS4G
798Please respect copyright.PENANAYs7Y9nR0ZF
He walked798Please respect copyright.PENANAcWaIGLIAxt
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."798Please respect copyright.PENANAj1wV7bAlkL
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of798Please respect copyright.PENANAnhIY09PV4t
light, dwindling it down. 798Please respect copyright.PENANA6LtJqrh5ob
798Please respect copyright.PENANARIbxIvRBoj
"Enough."798Please respect copyright.PENANAT98OGGAquA
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path798Please respect copyright.PENANAU7pfe3BYVO
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook798Please respect copyright.PENANAQaqShX38vD
the darkness and there was only light.798Please respect copyright.PENANAR3dDdnsg5H
798Please respect copyright.PENANAbglE4ge5fi
"You798Please respect copyright.PENANA8vQUsWnb0g
have come far, Bongzhon."798Please respect copyright.PENANAHs7nTWvdqN
798Please respect copyright.PENANAGO6psNaR16
Serene798Please respect copyright.PENANA19uovHHrps
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.798Please respect copyright.PENANAu7O4ECHtRW
798Please respect copyright.PENANAj6uUL8U8FR
"Come,798Please respect copyright.PENANA1q4nTO2HVi
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked798Please respect copyright.PENANAzchtvnTiho
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,798Please respect copyright.PENANAZ537KWiaZm
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.798Please respect copyright.PENANAtirdhzwvbo
798Please respect copyright.PENANATPTadAYjgx
"You,798Please respect copyright.PENANAEnh2RPzt6a
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my798Please respect copyright.PENANA5j3oVVWb3T
judgement, whatever it may be"798Please respect copyright.PENANAQcsQOE9TQz
798Please respect copyright.PENANAEcfOqpfhQJ
"I798Please respect copyright.PENANAH939VqBp7t
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his798Please respect copyright.PENANA6aVO9DGPK5
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.798Please respect copyright.PENANAWp3CeHF2Ey
798Please respect copyright.PENANAoyPO1B8nUJ
"Very,798Please respect copyright.PENANAqIqnknrrks
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,798Please respect copyright.PENANA4PHssKH6kH
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating798Please respect copyright.PENANAw9h9X5b7Ru
and a small boy appeared out of the light.798Please respect copyright.PENANAefpwrhnsK6
798Please respect copyright.PENANAxGEuoyy3GF
"This798Please respect copyright.PENANAwjFRO3szWD
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide798Please respect copyright.PENANAnPSvXsKIPL
to join your order at such a young age?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAayGf55vsbZ
798Please respect copyright.PENANAawHN4638N7
Serene798Please respect copyright.PENANAB6tCeSefQb
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more798Please respect copyright.PENANA0i0nZnQQXx
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to798Please respect copyright.PENANAa6lFjz9nGV
provide for me and my siblings..."798Please respect copyright.PENANAEXtX5cqn5Z
798Please respect copyright.PENANAjMOipBjW3i
"Is798Please respect copyright.PENANA1MsCD6dGkV
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through798Please respect copyright.PENANAtA8cTEmlbh
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have798Please respect copyright.PENANA3o2HYBarPX
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?798Please respect copyright.PENANAz9hMdVXso5
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,798Please respect copyright.PENANAuiSmp079lb
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."798Please respect copyright.PENANAi5pQTecF2E
798Please respect copyright.PENANAI2KUZH9G8m
Serene798Please respect copyright.PENANAD9w2SC3JuM
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago798Please respect copyright.PENANAf1Qby3Voac
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of798Please respect copyright.PENANAeyjeF3Rp37
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.798Please respect copyright.PENANA2WlJUKZIjE
798Please respect copyright.PENANABn5NxPVpUK
"Do798Please respect copyright.PENANAvdb6yc6YpL
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family798Please respect copyright.PENANA3op12CiYSg
leading them to ruin?"798Please respect copyright.PENANACQqI2BQ41i
798Please respect copyright.PENANAX5vnAxprXr
"Yes."798Please respect copyright.PENANAjd2ttM3PS1
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether798Please respect copyright.PENANAHMPYZzLXzk
he would've stayed or not.798Please respect copyright.PENANAkfdde4VX2Q
798Please respect copyright.PENANALPkmFKYViU
"Very798Please respect copyright.PENANAR2tgvlocuh
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well798Please respect copyright.PENANAsN9maGEc3p
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the798Please respect copyright.PENANAa3SHDPt6WC
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA1GNrQZhUJm
798Please respect copyright.PENANAqKB4MRfhry
"I798Please respect copyright.PENANAQodUUQosH4
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by798Please respect copyright.PENANAdSZcU4Qh0Y
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With798Please respect copyright.PENANASfN3sEHTry
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the798Please respect copyright.PENANAQxrFNQ1I0G
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.798Please respect copyright.PENANA4JjFkvsxen
798Please respect copyright.PENANAILpLffdnP5
"And798Please respect copyright.PENANAL6JFXwnwPm
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were798Please respect copyright.PENANABNNrTZTqKR
perfect in your role?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAyYzs3hRgCH
798Please respect copyright.PENANAipaV8DFQJ6
"I798Please respect copyright.PENANAYR26WEGl2b
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I798Please respect copyright.PENANAe9pvuj6qEv
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his798Please respect copyright.PENANAZw4QznUG6P
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would798Please respect copyright.PENANAyNLdff0zx3
stand by them.798Please respect copyright.PENANA2haRMWJG2C
798Please respect copyright.PENANA7x2gNqhXiH
"Good."798Please respect copyright.PENANAuCY8DQvnZI
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent798Please respect copyright.PENANAHSi4aMTcg1
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both798Please respect copyright.PENANAroNgo368Dm
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.798Please respect copyright.PENANAvFv5bUBBoQ
798Please respect copyright.PENANAqsSuZvBfNW
"This798Please respect copyright.PENANAV6Tt9mdNKq
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,798Please respect copyright.PENANAQ9TlaGXMAv
why did you decide to rest now?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA4Y7KJYj6Ys
798Please respect copyright.PENANAOZ3pc4gFrW
"Because798Please respect copyright.PENANA4SFDKFrpBO
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a798Please respect copyright.PENANAIb4StmO4lk
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition798Please respect copyright.PENANA6dvVIFRzjL
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.798Please respect copyright.PENANAFgG12y9zGT
798Please respect copyright.PENANA5DiZQNYlVY
"Any798Please respect copyright.PENANAqlNmNVCY64
last words before I begin my judgement?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAhln56YlrnS
798Please respect copyright.PENANA66hgkLdZ9l
"No."798Please respect copyright.PENANAw5ctveJPxC
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 798Please respect copyright.PENANARdnQRSKtUP
798Please respect copyright.PENANAGxfajsxaLu
"Bongzhon,798Please respect copyright.PENANARLMk0tOQ2R
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your798Please respect copyright.PENANA64e1tphR2p
rest."798Please respect copyright.PENANAZJ3opSHfvi
798Please respect copyright.PENANAW32x8X9tsb
The light798Please respect copyright.PENANAocCAiqTAox
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt798Please respect copyright.PENANA9OnEZ7gDxL
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first798Please respect copyright.PENANAMFdBfa0TPi
time in decades, happy and in peace.798Please respect copyright.PENANAooQrwRVHf5
798Please respect copyright.PENANACzMUyOtFwb
798Please respect copyright.PENANATotXXRfBlW
798Please respect copyright.PENANA2OIXy1VmFB
798Please respect copyright.PENANA33CfRnHzfs
798Please respect copyright.PENANAPxCK8yEQaH
798Please respect copyright.PENANAai16MuEKmY
798Please respect copyright.PENANAX5fe0z87SC