657Please respect copyright.PENANApUtNI9Nnc7
So this657Please respect copyright.PENANAVsqv64T8OZ
is finally it.657Please respect copyright.PENANA4Trjoy2Z5Y
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657Please respect copyright.PENANAdtV2qNPaLQ
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and657Please respect copyright.PENANAvydnCs9vd3
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to657Please respect copyright.PENANAATgTjXUiIW
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.657Please respect copyright.PENANAqEURf5KBAx
657Please respect copyright.PENANAFssEtTVd4Y
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Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to657Please respect copyright.PENANAfrKgMqo5sL
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.657Please respect copyright.PENANAxNH0oE3lwu
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,657Please respect copyright.PENANAqkQWx0LmRF
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...657Please respect copyright.PENANAAnLFBRxvkm
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"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last657Please respect copyright.PENANAfsdlVMHYlT
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for657Please respect copyright.PENANAKvvkRtYJwI
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate657Please respect copyright.PENANA0tfib535m2
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.657Please respect copyright.PENANAg7ZEWFKSR7
657Please respect copyright.PENANAPvxX3UMRN9
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"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.657Please respect copyright.PENANAe6IqLltbie
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"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before657Please respect copyright.PENANAtZT24QMl2J
him."657Please respect copyright.PENANAoqGKTEhywo
657Please respect copyright.PENANA1Wr7vCjJhM
657Please respect copyright.PENANAv8H4J8qItU
657Please respect copyright.PENANAjXfvuEZhIO
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.657Please respect copyright.PENANAWYHBAaJn69
657Please respect copyright.PENANAUc3VwOcbC2
657Please respect copyright.PENANA0PyYIpxoHY
657Please respect copyright.PENANAguBPDbqopp
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."657Please respect copyright.PENANABV6tkDWMG5
657Please respect copyright.PENANAzYFZW5mbF6
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657Please respect copyright.PENANAgsMszNgbaC
"You may pass."657Please respect copyright.PENANAQSbTwB6wOk
657Please respect copyright.PENANAo9Rpy2uDKJ
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657Please respect copyright.PENANA263nz32qVF
Serene657Please respect copyright.PENANAX0AYtNDSmP
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but657Please respect copyright.PENANApdv09eGnDS
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big657Please respect copyright.PENANALMZMeizwci
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 657Please respect copyright.PENANAEOm2xSNcfD
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or657Please respect copyright.PENANAemsBraDL6u
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.657Please respect copyright.PENANAs1AUjTCnuT
657Please respect copyright.PENANAZqg6ct7YyX
But the657Please respect copyright.PENANA0kYmo7Pd6X
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way657Please respect copyright.PENANA1cgY79BILb
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but657Please respect copyright.PENANAYbYpXSdHh4
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any657Please respect copyright.PENANA34XVGp3Vhk
longer. He had to keep going.657Please respect copyright.PENANAhaGLWbNqzr
657Please respect copyright.PENANAnjYqmqC2Nq
First657Please respect copyright.PENANAFxUK3puuno
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.657Please respect copyright.PENANAkiLEPHHTq3
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main657Please respect copyright.PENANAOvejwI9mwN
temple with their grand doors open.657Please respect copyright.PENANAK45VkiLk7E
657Please respect copyright.PENANAi4TwJray8l
The first657Please respect copyright.PENANAXCPA0GzKhP
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he657Please respect copyright.PENANAuWN0Fi5uQb
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of657Please respect copyright.PENANAPPfA6r8nkU
light leading further in. 657Please respect copyright.PENANAReiab7NWB5
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Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the657Please respect copyright.PENANAnoxhvZvXxg
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if657Please respect copyright.PENANAIYhKRYzs5W
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever657Please respect copyright.PENANABOlSksmo4U
trapped.657Please respect copyright.PENANAg5lN8Ex4rc
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"Calm657Please respect copyright.PENANAFT1PBS5GCe
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept657Please respect copyright.PENANAd58evYSu09
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.657Please respect copyright.PENANAGK3bvlhQYR
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the657Please respect copyright.PENANAW0sLJDs4rc
words under his breath he followed the path of light.657Please respect copyright.PENANAovwpbsxCft
657Please respect copyright.PENANAklbt7NY6c1
He walked657Please respect copyright.PENANAGedEQ5jZm8
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."657Please respect copyright.PENANApWwLPc014p
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of657Please respect copyright.PENANAkRlkgxEeiL
light, dwindling it down. 657Please respect copyright.PENANADHBG0LoA78
657Please respect copyright.PENANAvvve8r3V3w
"Enough."657Please respect copyright.PENANAbnLBRSUJWV
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path657Please respect copyright.PENANAR0QE7nrjeY
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook657Please respect copyright.PENANAOMwzLQPr0g
the darkness and there was only light.657Please respect copyright.PENANAWOqKgR7yMn
657Please respect copyright.PENANAWLfCIqQq01
"You657Please respect copyright.PENANAOqHr0zvfe6
have come far, Bongzhon."657Please respect copyright.PENANAZrLCi8FcZN
657Please respect copyright.PENANASzth2tG2y1
Serene657Please respect copyright.PENANAZg3MOqN5R6
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.657Please respect copyright.PENANAeqC6sVtWZq
657Please respect copyright.PENANA6nUSBskp5s
"Come,657Please respect copyright.PENANA81drME7MPw
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked657Please respect copyright.PENANAsSXQaHuMe9
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,657Please respect copyright.PENANAWXaLp1BOhD
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.657Please respect copyright.PENANA717Vy5FD4C
657Please respect copyright.PENANAftBJEGrduF
"You,657Please respect copyright.PENANAcgZ1JPRban
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my657Please respect copyright.PENANANoNR7k8uon
judgement, whatever it may be"657Please respect copyright.PENANA55B3t9vFf2
657Please respect copyright.PENANAyC6AUHX6he
"I657Please respect copyright.PENANAtSIspGfcaP
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his657Please respect copyright.PENANA9EzvpwOoAl
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.657Please respect copyright.PENANAIS6pfrUGcD
657Please respect copyright.PENANAD3dIrqnbpz
"Very,657Please respect copyright.PENANAbcusyl5miz
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,657Please respect copyright.PENANAREQPFmaQvj
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating657Please respect copyright.PENANAEAnrAu0qZe
and a small boy appeared out of the light.657Please respect copyright.PENANADRlo41iWlr
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"This657Please respect copyright.PENANAErsw2CJGdK
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide657Please respect copyright.PENANAX0OvPzZNuz
to join your order at such a young age?"657Please respect copyright.PENANAPOCp4Gubvn
657Please respect copyright.PENANAhaq4sw3Dlv
Serene657Please respect copyright.PENANAoRKgrwGSg9
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more657Please respect copyright.PENANAJmfpeXCJ1H
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to657Please respect copyright.PENANA92hHXwffWY
provide for me and my siblings..."657Please respect copyright.PENANAvVN06JJdP5
657Please respect copyright.PENANA2qxaOmTDg9
"Is657Please respect copyright.PENANAueYeuZQWqI
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through657Please respect copyright.PENANA7NIqWppnpP
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have657Please respect copyright.PENANAHCCzyGXzhA
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?657Please respect copyright.PENANAZQNF10Cq8d
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,657Please respect copyright.PENANAm4v2XbMpTk
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."657Please respect copyright.PENANAY7eVOaltvy
657Please respect copyright.PENANAzdl7lVsL5g
Serene657Please respect copyright.PENANAcU61vwiTFA
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago657Please respect copyright.PENANAK1CG4PrwIZ
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of657Please respect copyright.PENANAeAQMtXvL6f
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.657Please respect copyright.PENANAVHuyvxP0SO
657Please respect copyright.PENANAI96BiWA8T1
"Do657Please respect copyright.PENANAuA51PZaChs
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family657Please respect copyright.PENANAzXwp6zAm1S
leading them to ruin?"657Please respect copyright.PENANAWGULiBGEcr
657Please respect copyright.PENANAtOHGmJyBDZ
"Yes."657Please respect copyright.PENANAG3gbBhzw9y
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether657Please respect copyright.PENANAJ15jPLpZRQ
he would've stayed or not.657Please respect copyright.PENANALJWbAgE7OU
657Please respect copyright.PENANAx8nD4zpu3p
"Very657Please respect copyright.PENANAG1q11ghtAz
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well657Please respect copyright.PENANAzC5jpn0xg4
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the657Please respect copyright.PENANAap4hyjmph1
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"657Please respect copyright.PENANA9HRhCq5xDN
657Please respect copyright.PENANAHW6ZwuKfFE
"I657Please respect copyright.PENANApA86tvQR0n
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by657Please respect copyright.PENANAFVS2jEcuZG
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With657Please respect copyright.PENANAhwkSMo90sv
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the657Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZiDXXo7pi
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.657Please respect copyright.PENANA2gLQxsZMuG
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"And657Please respect copyright.PENANAXzylHqsbR2
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were657Please respect copyright.PENANARBCEWU7oJj
perfect in your role?"657Please respect copyright.PENANAJrMEBTFFQ8
657Please respect copyright.PENANAQIUV4x1qIs
"I657Please respect copyright.PENANAQHd4U6oYR9
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I657Please respect copyright.PENANAzzZdOzZsBJ
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his657Please respect copyright.PENANANuETcL69rY
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would657Please respect copyright.PENANAnZYOR5QNUo
stand by them.657Please respect copyright.PENANAs2eUrukBoR
657Please respect copyright.PENANAjMdEYrcEuA
"Good."657Please respect copyright.PENANAWnONPunGPu
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent657Please respect copyright.PENANAzcTrQ03wss
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both657Please respect copyright.PENANAR2sXG9TWpt
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.657Please respect copyright.PENANAe6psKfJ9KP
657Please respect copyright.PENANAnxNH4KF0zi
"This657Please respect copyright.PENANA7wA6KRWwTN
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,657Please respect copyright.PENANAH2wnCLhpmh
why did you decide to rest now?"657Please respect copyright.PENANAuCBmnHKx0W
657Please respect copyright.PENANAwgbLhWQwmA
"Because657Please respect copyright.PENANAjCbWHr724W
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a657Please respect copyright.PENANAf7PWuxUkZW
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition657Please respect copyright.PENANATYU8XYOSw4
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.657Please respect copyright.PENANAkjkETxMVm4
657Please respect copyright.PENANAFgSsmMVyYm
"Any657Please respect copyright.PENANAlAbsVKeiwd
last words before I begin my judgement?"657Please respect copyright.PENANA4u1BbI5btZ
657Please respect copyright.PENANAVzE1O7xWqB
"No."657Please respect copyright.PENANAqAzjhxJ2Vd
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 657Please respect copyright.PENANAzHEK5PWwXI
657Please respect copyright.PENANAXeNu1cOYPG
"Bongzhon,657Please respect copyright.PENANAHz2AgwinIc
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your657Please respect copyright.PENANA0idZ85wDRy
rest."657Please respect copyright.PENANAt5WqMPR399
657Please respect copyright.PENANA4IW8dibH38
The light657Please respect copyright.PENANAT8GTAxmpWd
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt657Please respect copyright.PENANAYpN8MwACuO
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first657Please respect copyright.PENANAtdhRJGuMvi
time in decades, happy and in peace.657Please respect copyright.PENANA1Y7qePv0Zz
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