584Please respect copyright.PENANAvvsYhV6uei
So this584Please respect copyright.PENANAL1enqDdZJi
is finally it.584Please respect copyright.PENANAiAjcrv3vpf
584Please respect copyright.PENANAHVAtsjeiJH
584Please respect copyright.PENANAFYq1VmZ1ou
584Please respect copyright.PENANAGieFa9L1mz
A man in rags stood in front of the gate. The gate to where it all began and584Please respect copyright.PENANAjyMqzd5Vuk
where it would all end. A thousand steps it took him but he was reluctant to584Please respect copyright.PENANASuty2ybIJL
take the last step. After all who'd be willing to walk to their deaths.584Please respect copyright.PENANAsQWQsXnhW9
584Please respect copyright.PENANAEIVFBMIO2s
584Please respect copyright.PENANAsX3qlYFgQu
584Please respect copyright.PENANA8szGiscBI3
Yet his mind was ready. His body steeled. The man took the hood off his head to584Please respect copyright.PENANA7LgCPYU44o
reveal an aged face. With many wrinkles and more scars. He took a deep breath.584Please respect copyright.PENANAUPB3U687hw
Breathing in the fresh mountain air and the bloomed sakura trees. This beauty,584Please respect copyright.PENANArCYyl7MsTC
he wondered if he'd be able to appreciate this picturesque view after...584Please respect copyright.PENANAdWw8porV8t
584Please respect copyright.PENANASDGXgIfWGY
584Please respect copyright.PENANAoedVYghbi6
584Please respect copyright.PENANAQyQKteyQqY
"I have finally come my brothers." Finally he took that last584Please respect copyright.PENANADYdySFjBxO
step and knocked, three times. First time, for the beginning, second time, for584Please respect copyright.PENANAZo1T2rHhsB
the journey, third time, for the end. One second, two seconds, three...The gate584Please respect copyright.PENANANDxuGz85fL
opened, with a creak echoing through all the mountains.584Please respect copyright.PENANAXTzjfrA72f
584Please respect copyright.PENANAeNx3dR0i35
584Please respect copyright.PENANALSKSMYWT4E
584Please respect copyright.PENANA1IQysyQ4Hb
"Who goes there?" A voice boomed.584Please respect copyright.PENANAzRmfa7VQzS
584Please respect copyright.PENANA8jCwuwQTP4
584Please respect copyright.PENANAPPzdZk0K5H
584Please respect copyright.PENANA638PMwIuMz
"I have come for my rest, as my master before me and his master before584Please respect copyright.PENANAzVWOKlSQ94
him."584Please respect copyright.PENANAJImv47yP6c
584Please respect copyright.PENANAPTPeLPlFQ5
584Please respect copyright.PENANAB3viFQ8lxA
584Please respect copyright.PENANAyY52QRSLs6
"What're you called?" The voice asked once again.584Please respect copyright.PENANAJ2qgbbwc7F
584Please respect copyright.PENANADDvQhxk9b5
584Please respect copyright.PENANALFJ61ifhgn
584Please respect copyright.PENANAu0qlSflsdI
"I am Serene Dancer. 10th Master of the Golden Columns."584Please respect copyright.PENANAUhXDmn4nuN
584Please respect copyright.PENANAgS2sGMeuMh
584Please respect copyright.PENANALpjUgenZYB
584Please respect copyright.PENANAUBY153jRN5
"You may pass."584Please respect copyright.PENANAXw3QqnLDJf
584Please respect copyright.PENANAzLNCn1tOpF
584Please respect copyright.PENANAMYpgUoCjVA
584Please respect copyright.PENANAH5qxfCIt2O
Serene584Please respect copyright.PENANA1CjZjJ25FA
Dancer passed the threshold. He knew he could've done so before hand but584Please respect copyright.PENANAIEubQc6X2u
traditions were important. Especially in this sacred place. Tradition...how big584Please respect copyright.PENANAH5bqOkkTnn
part of his life has that been ever since he joined the Golden Columns. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAebOIa77r0D
How it moulded him, made him the man he was today. Should he be proud, or584Please respect copyright.PENANAKcdteyDuOj
should he be ashamed? He could not truly answer that.584Please respect copyright.PENANAEanOJQ1QjD
584Please respect copyright.PENANAtWwspW09lN
But the584Please respect copyright.PENANAIWT0g77VIr
being atop the stairs would. The stairs that begun from the gates all the way584Please respect copyright.PENANAzwYQnPOjRy
up to the Kami Temple. It was truly majestic, Serene Dancer could not help but584Please respect copyright.PENANArmQZfWY1bj
take a few moments to appreciate it. But he knew he could not wait any584Please respect copyright.PENANAx7Eacvj58x
longer. He had to keep going.584Please respect copyright.PENANApl76IbdpLd
584Please respect copyright.PENANABUyWGCYdrq
First584Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3Pfw7p9wp
step, ten steps...twenty...Serene Dancer counted each and every last step.584Please respect copyright.PENANAICT4Hk39LM
Taking in every last blade of grass and pebble, until he reached the main584Please respect copyright.PENANAnn9omPAGL1
temple with their grand doors open.584Please respect copyright.PENANAlkd9aaUqtq
584Please respect copyright.PENANAakusgQcsyz
The first584Please respect copyright.PENANA4iVxqOyA0i
step tentative, each one helped Serene Dancer gather more courage, until he584Please respect copyright.PENANA97tKlzJERq
entered the temple itself. Inside the temple was darkness, with a path of584Please respect copyright.PENANA1XfOjCJvDZ
light leading further in. 584Please respect copyright.PENANA7Jgo0lg4J5
584Please respect copyright.PENANAk4LLrpMs0v
584Please respect copyright.PENANAPpgZCjaIP9
584Please respect copyright.PENANA3CcdTltnSo
Serene Dancer was surprised, he was expecting splendour. Beauty to match the584Please respect copyright.PENANABbvVj7qOmt
outside, but the darkness felt as if it would swallow you whole. It felt as if584Please respect copyright.PENANAskwD3IEDKM
Serene Dancer would lose his mind inside this darkness and would be forever584Please respect copyright.PENANAJZDqjc0lpa
trapped.584Please respect copyright.PENANAFiEbb30y3c
584Please respect copyright.PENANAzN7xa90tcl
584Please respect copyright.PENANAP7GDAaEA8H
584Please respect copyright.PENANAtLVymdHfUh
"Calm584Please respect copyright.PENANAwFaBtxx8RR
mind, calm spirit. The great one shall guide you." His mantra. He kept584Please respect copyright.PENANAWxG27CNBtm
repeating those words until he had renewed courage to challenge the darkness.584Please respect copyright.PENANAWx9RrYcrdr
The courage did not come But he knew he could not turn back, thus muttering the584Please respect copyright.PENANAa4jChYExLU
words under his breath he followed the path of light.584Please respect copyright.PENANAS2kRnzB2n7
584Please respect copyright.PENANABlVhrA1H86
He walked584Please respect copyright.PENANAdF3Vgj5J5f
and walked, ten minutes, twenty an hour. "Calm mind, calm spirit..."584Please respect copyright.PENANAPOlhS5EbOY
The only words echoing in the darkness. As it kept encroaching the path of584Please respect copyright.PENANAcAGYqUbuXr
light, dwindling it down. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAyWoLpEKxzF
584Please respect copyright.PENANAs9oMKAmBqI
"Enough."584Please respect copyright.PENANA8uHSnGccJ9
A voice joined Serene Dancer's prayers as the darkness retreated from the path584Please respect copyright.PENANAOGKxPYhbwE
and revealed a figure sitting upon a throne, shining so brightly that it overtook584Please respect copyright.PENANA7bj1KvJjVh
the darkness and there was only light.584Please respect copyright.PENANATlt5T1xDUs
584Please respect copyright.PENANAEYOsaGb7NC
"You584Please respect copyright.PENANAi4k7sXx0W0
have come far, Bongzhon."584Please respect copyright.PENANAGY3XYEEx7O
584Please respect copyright.PENANALqJkG0tM5E
Serene584Please respect copyright.PENANA8qxV6lAWEj
Dancer wept, for he was so overwhelmed by the sheer presence.584Please respect copyright.PENANAKVmpcoxTpe
584Please respect copyright.PENANAskEDqsLTsu
"Come,584Please respect copyright.PENANAbb8X6Qj9hY
let us talk." Serene Dancer felt his legs move on their own as he walked584Please respect copyright.PENANAq6lmPNA25s
closer to God. Upon reaching the light he bent his knees, laying his, bald,584Please respect copyright.PENANAJMy9h8px2g
head down until his forehead touched the path of light.584Please respect copyright.PENANA3IjuFybKLh
584Please respect copyright.PENANAkRdGEhfCrB
"You,584Please respect copyright.PENANAThOhrZwQa2
as many before you, have come to be judged. Do you swear to accept my584Please respect copyright.PENANAhfXj7Fxtsg
judgement, whatever it may be"584Please respect copyright.PENANA1CH37zbeIP
584Please respect copyright.PENANA4pINZOXvb3
"I584Please respect copyright.PENANAN5rzF5c4lZ
do so swear." Serene Dancer's voice sounded so tiny, so miniscule in his584Please respect copyright.PENANAvgHo2VKzbx
ears. Especially compared to the voice of god.584Please respect copyright.PENANAfl078R392G
584Please respect copyright.PENANAzmzpNOfjue
"Very,584Please respect copyright.PENANAQTkD5NNjCA
well. Raise your head." As he did so, God's shape began to change,584Please respect copyright.PENANAop2B9TgpnO
morphing into something else, something smaller. Until the light stopped fluctuating584Please respect copyright.PENANASfHD0lOXXI
and a small boy appeared out of the light.584Please respect copyright.PENANALV48A1mD03
584Please respect copyright.PENANAW61IT1TbC5
"This584Please respect copyright.PENANAXLOVesYbC8
is the past you." Voice still unchanged. "Tell me why did you decide584Please respect copyright.PENANAVUcrTDOtrk
to join your order at such a young age?"584Please respect copyright.PENANAfXNYAmA4s6
584Please respect copyright.PENANA2d1B6gFsGI
Serene584Please respect copyright.PENANAmGBFYxUvNa
Dancer sat in silence for a while, gathering his thoughts. "I wanted more584Please respect copyright.PENANAPOtpu7hxI0
out of my life. My parents were honest people, but poor. They were not able to584Please respect copyright.PENANACOGki6jBJT
provide for me and my siblings..."584Please respect copyright.PENANAso089gDknm
584Please respect copyright.PENANAERwWqXxVFX
"Is584Please respect copyright.PENANADUWFCEtBuH
that why you abandoned them without saying a word?" Gods words cut through584Please respect copyright.PENANANnMAS9TcLt
Serene Dancer's as if knife cutting butter. "Do you know that they have584Please respect copyright.PENANAtR4ihdQOIT
spent years searching for you? That they blamed themselves for your disappearance?584Please respect copyright.PENANAaFJcDutiD6
They died, 10 years after you joined the order. Thinking they have failed you,584Please respect copyright.PENANATpau2bPHAJ
leaving your siblings on their own. They are all dead now aswell."584Please respect copyright.PENANAztXvrRDdge
584Please respect copyright.PENANA9f86nnFgyA
Serene584Please respect copyright.PENANAcIj98gYyQF
Dancer sat in contemplation. It was his family, but it has been so long ago584Please respect copyright.PENANAvOD8APAlFW
since he stopped being Bongzhon that it mattered little to him. The loss of584Please respect copyright.PENANA5DX1BfLdKw
life was horrible, but it was all in the past.584Please respect copyright.PENANAp5QJNGiqXl
584Please respect copyright.PENANALQcpkySQuO
"Do584Please respect copyright.PENANAYjEsPJLLJR
you still believe you have made the correct choice? Of abandoning your family584Please respect copyright.PENANA2xMcH0Fsff
leading them to ruin?"584Please respect copyright.PENANAAlFeSmyf4i
584Please respect copyright.PENANAGedoOQOOPB
"Yes."584Please respect copyright.PENANA76RvKhMg4G
Was the only word Serene Dancer said, for that life would lead to ruin whether584Please respect copyright.PENANA1mBC7uurwi
he would've stayed or not.584Please respect copyright.PENANA7VyezUy7xN
584Please respect copyright.PENANALDBaHeeaGK
"Very584Please respect copyright.PENANAjNBmlfFBjg
well." The light changed form again. This time to a grown man. With well584Please respect copyright.PENANAHVy9rUdt4e
developed muscles and a shaved head. "This is you when you have taken the584Please respect copyright.PENANARjjx29edo2
mantle of master. Tell me, do you believe you were worthy?"584Please respect copyright.PENANAGF4AdBtFKc
584Please respect copyright.PENANA6L0D31D2Ba
"I584Please respect copyright.PENANA2C0CzBRAcE
do." For believing otherwise would be dishonouring the choice made by584Please respect copyright.PENANAh37GpvoVYW
everyone who chose him. The mantle of master is passed on through vote. With584Please respect copyright.PENANAv57PEtnzTU
everyone in the order eligible to vote, from the youngest acolyte to the584Please respect copyright.PENANAkHJLNCkY5c
hardened elder. Serene Dancer would respect their choice.584Please respect copyright.PENANAmwuHECzhYw
584Please respect copyright.PENANAk0unZGcvcF
"And584Please respect copyright.PENANAkoNvoBqe5r
what of your choices? Would you do anything else or do you believe you were584Please respect copyright.PENANA3He2wVHz7j
perfect in your role?"584Please respect copyright.PENANAdLHM67X4XO
584Please respect copyright.PENANAer4goQxvHH
"I584Please respect copyright.PENANAzfyD8n9Lum
was not the perfect master, but I would not change any of the choices I584Please respect copyright.PENANA2gbkM8ZuUz
made." Before, the answer would've been yes. But not anymore. Did all his584Please respect copyright.PENANAXmknhYQeRx
choices lead to a good conclusion? No. But they were his choices and he would584Please respect copyright.PENANA2EynPRbg74
stand by them.584Please respect copyright.PENANAtFu3KeAqgU
584Please respect copyright.PENANA3xfBdDLNGw
"Good."584Please respect copyright.PENANA7D60ni3z3t
A shift again, and this time Serene Dancer saw an older man. A man with a bent584Please respect copyright.PENANAWSj3VbD4lg
down posture and beard that only ended at the waist. A man who had both584Please respect copyright.PENANAQBRlxBI1PE
wrinkles and scars on his face. A man that was him.584Please respect copyright.PENANAOkgTr7eKv3
584Please respect copyright.PENANAqscSknpbK2
"This584Please respect copyright.PENANAsEXawkmo08
is you now, with all of your experience and wisdom you have gained. Tell me,584Please respect copyright.PENANA9Y114uxvtg
why did you decide to rest now?"584Please respect copyright.PENANA5QW9fBq7dq
584Please respect copyright.PENANA43Ad2qkn4b
"Because584Please respect copyright.PENANAXDbelEYOil
I am tired." Tired of seeing his friends die, tired of seeing people in a584Please respect copyright.PENANA46kgKtlCjM
cycle of poverty and violence, tired of seeing the young ones deny tradition584Please respect copyright.PENANA0uRYPiUTil
and stray further away from the righteous path. His time has come to an end.584Please respect copyright.PENANAqa1wT3LI7s
584Please respect copyright.PENANALSYXr47PuK
"Any584Please respect copyright.PENANApCRXBkWfQU
last words before I begin my judgement?"584Please respect copyright.PENANAKCrCcTnGCq
584Please respect copyright.PENANAeUpQI3GYXF
"No."584Please respect copyright.PENANAY1kWy5pNBw
Serene Dancer cleared his mind, it was time to let go. 584Please respect copyright.PENANAzScI0ZGUEx
584Please respect copyright.PENANAzXsipUNVw3
"Bongzhon,584Please respect copyright.PENANA0HL3w7Rf5t
Serene Dancer, I have judged you worthy of the land of light. Go and find your584Please respect copyright.PENANA7GJ1PDd6vX
rest."584Please respect copyright.PENANABFp3emFjco
584Please respect copyright.PENANAWzTrfKr1eV
The light584Please respect copyright.PENANAhJoFrTztRp
enveloped Serene Dancer, as he felt it's light touch and warmth. He felt584Please respect copyright.PENANALntGO5il9N
his body slowly disappearing as it joined the light and he felt, for the first584Please respect copyright.PENANAxmjvTyjCwC
time in decades, happy and in peace.584Please respect copyright.PENANAR4KjIKDOoK
584Please respect copyright.PENANApUIxZdcWzj
584Please respect copyright.PENANA0qPlyYTMdI
584Please respect copyright.PENANAfOhlIR4ZaD
584Please respect copyright.PENANAmlGsRj4FKR
584Please respect copyright.PENANAUPztVEjN3v
584Please respect copyright.PENANAhj7UVbFWcb
584Please respect copyright.PENANAJLrATrvAbk