592Please respect copyright.PENANAqb3UicRr5q
So this592Please respect copyright.PENANA1y5xA166ZZ
is finally it.592Please respect copyright.PENANAWBzjITJq2v
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592Please respect copyright.PENANAW8QBftPkxM
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and592Please respect copyright.PENANAQZAxURwSSh
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to592Please respect copyright.PENANA7Gv7gaynSE
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.592Please respect copyright.PENANAKmaZyMyKus
592Please respect copyright.PENANALRV28IczPf
592Please respect copyright.PENANAmTefY7o1Kv
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Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to592Please respect copyright.PENANAPhNQu240XQ
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.592Please respect copyright.PENANAoKlYazyhtI
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,592Please respect copyright.PENANAnlrWwi7zGD
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...592Please respect copyright.PENANA0mMxk4V14k
592Please respect copyright.PENANATSUrP5xpKI
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"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last592Please respect copyright.PENANAbWr6WOA2VO
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for592Please respect copyright.PENANAl3ShxbVE0v
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate592Please respect copyright.PENANAusCPOWXfX6
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.592Please respect copyright.PENANAiYw8yDIbqU
592Please respect copyright.PENANAZ4vnDI1iY0
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592Please respect copyright.PENANAcx5hhreip3
"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.592Please respect copyright.PENANAkfBb4G7ew8
592Please respect copyright.PENANAphg5xm5Qts
592Please respect copyright.PENANA0zf3cPXvUK
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"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before592Please respect copyright.PENANAfo2iLXvgjh
him."592Please respect copyright.PENANASBhhXAtMjU
592Please respect copyright.PENANAWiiVRqWhRj
592Please respect copyright.PENANA5JcvrZRMuZ
592Please respect copyright.PENANAV3TeXe7T2h
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.592Please respect copyright.PENANAZJP5ajh0ji
592Please respect copyright.PENANAQ6qjAxpbgU
592Please respect copyright.PENANARMhtIZ1Nk8
592Please respect copyright.PENANANqsFhPH6yb
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."592Please respect copyright.PENANAtpNhwMaKTE
592Please respect copyright.PENANAf5dSRbDITa
592Please respect copyright.PENANAjyzmPuttop
592Please respect copyright.PENANAQMHvzOumKo
"You may pass."592Please respect copyright.PENANAIQQeRWHz79
592Please respect copyright.PENANAcCtqdrBO62
592Please respect copyright.PENANAu7qlqjknLG
592Please respect copyright.PENANAxmlNlxMP3V
Serene592Please respect copyright.PENANAFti7AqEg66
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but592Please respect copyright.PENANAEHpbBqa6UM
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big592Please respect copyright.PENANAATzl8aDKSq
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAtXeS1cAnST
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or592Please respect copyright.PENANAjHHEoEROAb
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.592Please respect copyright.PENANAfTMP88hfpb
592Please respect copyright.PENANAX7xjuH2bxe
But the592Please respect copyright.PENANAo4E0rw4iWp
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way592Please respect copyright.PENANAucjPorN7bT
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but592Please respect copyright.PENANABquhjdXfj8
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any592Please respect copyright.PENANAOuTKFbGTVF
longer. He had to keep going.592Please respect copyright.PENANATjIl5Wo5EG
592Please respect copyright.PENANAu8SUJ64wgy
First592Please respect copyright.PENANAJICNq1t2I2
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.592Please respect copyright.PENANAyRMEvseuBV
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main592Please respect copyright.PENANA6VEPXnZW44
temple with their grand doors open.592Please respect copyright.PENANAiEVrgWdNEI
592Please respect copyright.PENANAuhKEJfYxFO
The first592Please respect copyright.PENANAjkdFP3ybtr
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he592Please respect copyright.PENANAlqRTOh1ywK
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of592Please respect copyright.PENANAXQADdZkua6
light leading further in. 592Please respect copyright.PENANAeuDbx2JQT2
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Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the592Please respect copyright.PENANA3OLmxG1xeT
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if592Please respect copyright.PENANAGFXjRTwWno
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever592Please respect copyright.PENANAOv8tOzq7a7
trapped.592Please respect copyright.PENANANhEgw4pIGd
592Please respect copyright.PENANAqZQWf9RTvy
592Please respect copyright.PENANA7JNsXajav1
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"Calm592Please respect copyright.PENANAau3U1qTPem
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept592Please respect copyright.PENANAPKGc1u1rWC
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.592Please respect copyright.PENANAedibF5ahDg
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the592Please respect copyright.PENANAziylY5Z3nF
words under his breath he followed the path of light.592Please respect copyright.PENANAILuYACrpuH
592Please respect copyright.PENANA45kU2CDrzt
He walked592Please respect copyright.PENANAUskTzZ0YyW
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."592Please respect copyright.PENANANKdCsGSn7U
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of592Please respect copyright.PENANA4NXNSzZ1CK
light, dwindling it down. 592Please respect copyright.PENANALpIiG4NOns
592Please respect copyright.PENANAbuyb8fMYFG
"Enough."592Please respect copyright.PENANAy1hiAGVPrY
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path592Please respect copyright.PENANA0QO1rvMOBC
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook592Please respect copyright.PENANAXuQV1tPMPR
the darkness and there was only light.592Please respect copyright.PENANAkWWzl5FscM
592Please respect copyright.PENANAi3WZFbGx8P
"You592Please respect copyright.PENANAjAIdaXvbF3
have come far, Bongzhon."592Please respect copyright.PENANAxhPFvHeWmV
592Please respect copyright.PENANAC6RX4fheDR
Serene592Please respect copyright.PENANAghYuUKLXwp
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.592Please respect copyright.PENANAk8T6qofK9J
592Please respect copyright.PENANAikP8vCEL4j
"Come,592Please respect copyright.PENANAcfiqN84rTV
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked592Please respect copyright.PENANAbvDf4CdmnU
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,592Please respect copyright.PENANA8JL2Bo2Fxk
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.592Please respect copyright.PENANAQoS8EJH2zy
592Please respect copyright.PENANAG8BRJZ50IM
"You,592Please respect copyright.PENANA3o2JiEn183
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my592Please respect copyright.PENANASpbvAyoqzl
judgement, whatever it may be"592Please respect copyright.PENANAfTVQuEo9BW
592Please respect copyright.PENANAkrLSxSUs3W
"I592Please respect copyright.PENANAD1bjmjfrPi
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his592Please respect copyright.PENANAhd2kG1QvI4
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.592Please respect copyright.PENANA1ziJ4ZujpG
592Please respect copyright.PENANACX6pPoLHAT
"Very,592Please respect copyright.PENANAt8mKckvPBA
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,592Please respect copyright.PENANATFiTwAyWCb
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating592Please respect copyright.PENANAWu9ymRF5Im
and a small boy appeared out of the light.592Please respect copyright.PENANAEliDEEU0BM
592Please respect copyright.PENANAgbNdeCr6Q1
"This592Please respect copyright.PENANAjDaOtYA3LE
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide592Please respect copyright.PENANAJbxKGzfL1c
to join your order at such a young age?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAjgGacLQNFX
592Please respect copyright.PENANAUzZoZHNv3V
Serene592Please respect copyright.PENANApaqMbqt5mO
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more592Please respect copyright.PENANAM1ZERcXe9b
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to592Please respect copyright.PENANAdqNairtspW
provide for me and my siblings..."592Please respect copyright.PENANA5zm926mZND
592Please respect copyright.PENANANX1RsX4Lgj
"Is592Please respect copyright.PENANApWFU4TKHof
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through592Please respect copyright.PENANAuSubtIksJm
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have592Please respect copyright.PENANAcb51PvwLxQ
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?592Please respect copyright.PENANA7SdC540TWo
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,592Please respect copyright.PENANAtdUaezpze4
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."592Please respect copyright.PENANAvqrwWYOAKz
592Please respect copyright.PENANAJ9rro7K5hp
Serene592Please respect copyright.PENANA8ASfTD77Oq
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago592Please respect copyright.PENANAuKLcbbpKrS
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of592Please respect copyright.PENANALdLksCkW2a
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.592Please respect copyright.PENANAg94iGLn4zm
592Please respect copyright.PENANAtdvy8fcKRQ
"Do592Please respect copyright.PENANAYHuxCV39IB
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family592Please respect copyright.PENANAqfbiXVbA3k
leading them to ruin?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAN4xd7DtSCM
592Please respect copyright.PENANAtUcjJhI5Wq
"Yes."592Please respect copyright.PENANAupcGgmuD1l
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether592Please respect copyright.PENANA8uCm6XhUzk
he would've stayed or not.592Please respect copyright.PENANAGrXfQYjdgy
592Please respect copyright.PENANASYrzVzQpSF
"Very592Please respect copyright.PENANAlB3lpj8tOU
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well592Please respect copyright.PENANASMG47MiVoQ
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the592Please respect copyright.PENANAVK3Bx5l2fY
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAZohBdrVVpT
592Please respect copyright.PENANAzUd8MNN5mN
"I592Please respect copyright.PENANAst27nz0kDp
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by592Please respect copyright.PENANAiwJavXhJDp
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With592Please respect copyright.PENANAdgy9G69hYc
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the592Please respect copyright.PENANAMpENli62ee
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.592Please respect copyright.PENANAqkjUgewi7C
592Please respect copyright.PENANAcxBcCA9gXY
"And592Please respect copyright.PENANAe5BCw2USh5
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were592Please respect copyright.PENANAbiDMTZrd0h
perfect in your role?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAp1BAHURqIA
592Please respect copyright.PENANAY4lG0QgwoT
"I592Please respect copyright.PENANAj4l0jMfXBL
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I592Please respect copyright.PENANAZnPw6g7lPc
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his592Please respect copyright.PENANAvEizJCCGeH
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would592Please respect copyright.PENANAgihqkwoEjq
stand by them.592Please respect copyright.PENANADcao6e0Fjp
592Please respect copyright.PENANAKqI0FtLgFK
"Good."592Please respect copyright.PENANA0zbTqBHg88
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent592Please respect copyright.PENANAjnWn4mTRa9
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both592Please respect copyright.PENANA4iqnjR5A7Q
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.592Please respect copyright.PENANABxHxLuZQvE
592Please respect copyright.PENANAHPeZMpUFNi
"This592Please respect copyright.PENANAUta5P3q77C
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,592Please respect copyright.PENANASOshVg4lto
why did you decide to rest now?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAXmyIQvMFwD
592Please respect copyright.PENANAkWOYUzDEfG
"Because592Please respect copyright.PENANABl9lfGLPcz
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a592Please respect copyright.PENANAhmdt6JDbtE
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition592Please respect copyright.PENANAUCi91Bhj3h
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.592Please respect copyright.PENANA8UxTBmzhRA
592Please respect copyright.PENANAodeYCld01P
"Any592Please respect copyright.PENANAv5sPEFRaMJ
last words before I begin my judgement?"592Please respect copyright.PENANAg6auxwhKFk
592Please respect copyright.PENANAKzU0Yhger6
"No."592Please respect copyright.PENANAX2hedBZLEX
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 592Please respect copyright.PENANApFd0g6UUUH
592Please respect copyright.PENANAYlDZnq5gkf
"Bongzhon,592Please respect copyright.PENANAFtkPurqZ0L
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your592Please respect copyright.PENANAPfExoLuVbs
rest."592Please respect copyright.PENANABMctzMtMvj
592Please respect copyright.PENANAsgDm4BszLN
The light592Please respect copyright.PENANAgEcZ25DDzq
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt592Please respect copyright.PENANATFzsOawaVq
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first592Please respect copyright.PENANATyjJyDCOgv
time in decades, happy and in peace.592Please respect copyright.PENANALXyPjubsEJ
592Please respect copyright.PENANANWXfKxHbmo
592Please respect copyright.PENANAMba4B4333C
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592Please respect copyright.PENANA3LX5Aps0wR