Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2016 22:43:56 GMT -5
-Five years old-
"Come now, Hwa-Jae, it is time to see your new home."
Old Master Fuega walked down the cobblestone path that made up the main road of the Temple grounds, her old geta sandals clicking on the stone along with her cane. She held the hand of a small girl covered in dirt and ash, her eyes red and puffy after days of crying. They walked in silence as the morning light dawned the walls of the temple with only the sounds of the Kasai Sisters at work or training to be heard. Hwa-Jae held on to Fuega's hand like it was a lifeline and stayed close to the old mentor.
They approached the steps of the main temple building, a large pyramid with many steps leading to the main entrance. Fuega took the first step, but Hwa-Jae stayed back. She still held on to Fuega's hand. Fuega turned to the child and gave her a quizzical look.
"What is the matter, my child?" Fuega said, then turned to the stairs. "Ah, the stairs. They can be a little intimidating, yes. Especially for you. The land around Frypan Mountain is especially flat, is it not? But you must be strong, Hwa-Jae, and challenge the stairs. Only then can you ascend to the top and say 'I have bested you, stairs!' Each step is just like the steps on the journey of life. They are challenging, yes, and the higher you go up the more difficult they will be, but it is the only way to grow."
Hwa-Jae looked to the stairs with fear in her eyes. "But what if I fall?"
"Then you fall," Fuega replied, "but in falling there comes another test. Will you rise again? Or will you lay on the ground and let despair take you. It is a lesson I have learned many times myself."
"Old Master," said another voice, and a beautiful woman wearing the Kasai uniform and brilliant blue hair landed from her flight. "I could not help but see our new arrival. Will she be staying with us?"
"This is Seuta Hwa-Jae, Elder Sister Vatra." Fuega introduced Hwa-Jae to one of the senior sisters of the Kasai Order, though she clicked her tongue after. "Hwa-Jae, it is proper to bow in greeting to one's elders."
Hwa-Jae nervously did as her rescuer told her and bowed with respect to Vatra. She smiled at Hwa-Jae and knelt down so they could speak eye to eye. Hwa-Jae could not help but notice how pretty Vatra was. Her smile gave her a calming feeling and the child could not help but smile back.
"Master, I believe the challenge of the stairs is too much for one such as Hwa-Jae at this stage." Vatra did not look to Fuega, but kept her eyes on Hwa-Jae. "Allow me to carry her to the Temple master. When she is ready and healthy for it, I think she will do just fine when she faces the trial of the stairs."
Fuega waved Vatra off, giving her the blessing to do what she wished and began the work of climbing the stairs herself. Hwa-Jae noticed that for an old woman using a cane, Fuega showed herself to be very spry as she ascended the stairs at a good pace. While Fuega made her own way to the pyramid's entrance, Vatra beckoned for Hwa-Jae to climb onto her back. Hwa-Jae hesitated for a moment, unsure what to think about climbing onto a stranger, but felt she could trust Vatra.
Hwa-Jae climbed onto Vatra's back and wrapped her small arms around the neck. With a smile, Vatra began to climb the stairs, following close to Fuega. Hwa-Jae could feel a warmth from Vatra, though not one from her kindness. It was quite literal as her very skin seemed to radiate heat. It was a pleasant warmth though and Hwa-Jae hugged Vatra closer because of it.
They finally reached the top of the stairs were Fuega waited for them. Vatra helped Hwa-Jae onto the ground before clasping her hands and staying in the back of their small procession. Waiting for them was another of the Kasai sisters, this one standing much taller than Hwa-Jae ever thought a woman could. Standing at seven feet in height, the woman with the wild blond hair looked more like a mountain. Her arms crossed, she looked down on Hwa-Jae with an intimidating stare. Hwa-Jae immediately retreated behind Vatra's legs.
"Sister Pyya, you're very presence is scaring her," Vatra said, half scolding, half mirthful. "I thought you were out in the forest scouting. What are you doing here?"
"I returned from scouting, Elder Sister," Pyya said matter-of-factly, "And I came back with news. A pack of zoanthrope bandits are in the woods between the Temple and West City. They have a large operating radius. Permission to deal with them, Master?"
"Granted, Sister Pyya," Fuega said as she continued to walk inside the pyramid. "Remember to merely show them the error of their ways so they can repent. Use the flame as a warning before you need to make pyres."
Pyya bowed to her master and took off into the air which amazed Hwa-Jae to no end. "She can fly...?" Hwa-Jae said in awe. "Where is she going? Isn't she going to be hurt from the bandits?"
"Sister Pyya is very strong, Hwa-Jae," Vatra explained, "and she takes her duty as a Kasai Guardian very seriously. She loves the temple and the sisters who live here, even though it is hard for her to show that love. A Guardian protects people, Hwa-Jae, even from themselves if the need comes. Pyya will find the bandits and show them that committing acts of evil will do them no good, for a good person who believes in justice will come to them and teach them the error of their ways."
"Now, follow the Old Master into the temple, young one. She has much she has to teach you."
Hwa-Jae nodded to Vatra and followed Fuega into the pyramid. As they crossed the threshold, an intense heat touched Hwa-Jae's face. Just ahead roared a column of flame that stood as a massive testament to the Kasai's power. The flame spiralled seemingly unending to the top of the pyramid, bathing the interior with light and heat. Hwa-Jae stood at the fire in awe. Fuega chuckled.
"This is the Grand Pyre," Fuega explained, "It was the first fire I ever sparked, the foundation of the very temple you stand in now. Here in the Kasai Temple, the Sister of our Order train and study in the ways of the Kasai Hato Katachi, the style of which I developed almost a thousand years ago."
"You're... one thousand years old!?" Hwa-Jae said in complete surprise. Fuega laughed as she knelt down next to the Grand Pyyre.
"I look pretty good for a woman my age, do I not?" Fuega set down her cane and patted the spot next to her, indicating that Hwa-Jae was to join her. The girl sat down next to the Old Master as they both focused on the Grand Pyre. "Perhaps one day I will tell you the secret of my long life. All Kasai are capable of it."
"You have suffered a terrible fate, Sueta Hwa-Jae. I cannot help you bring back your parents, but I can help you have the means to discover who started the fire that claimed their lives. If you'd like, I would have you become one of our sisters. I can sense a great potential in you and I would like to help nurture your ability. Here you will have a roof over your head and food in your belly, but the training is hard and can be painful at times. The fire burns those who cannot control it. The choice, however, must be yours. The inner fire can only be sparked by the willing for the willing."
Hwa-Jae kept her gaze on the Grand Pyre as she thought about what Fuega offered. She was still in a state of shock. It was only a few days since the fire that claimed her parents. She missed them terribly and wanted to cry more, but no tears came. She just felt numb. Hwa-Jae did not know what to do in this situation. She wondered what her mother would say. What her father would say. She could still see their faces when she closed her eyes. How only a few days ago they lived happily in the forest.
"I don't know what to do," Hwa-Jae said as she hugged her knees. "I want to know who did this to my family, but I'm not strong. I'm small."
"There is a saying in the Kasai, Hwa-Jae, a truth I learned many years ago." Fuega kept staring at the fire as she spoke. "'In the beginning, there was fire.' When the universe was first created, it was created thanks to a great flame. When life began, it began because of the fire in their hearts to live and grow. When the people of earth began their civilization, they needed to master fire first and foremost. With all things, they find their start in fire. So too do you. The fire is within all of us, my child. All it takes is a means to spark it."
Fuega smiled at Hwa-Jae and held the child's hand in her own. On the tip of her wrinkled index finger she created a small flame. "All flames start little, my child," Fuega explained. "But if given time to grow, they can become great blazes. You can become such with the proper training."
Hwa-Jae looked at the flame on the end of Fuega's finger in amazement. To see something so amazing, she wanted to do it to. She wanted to find the one who murdered her parents, but most of all, she wanted to make sure other children did not endure the suffering she did. Children should be happy, as her mother would say, and while she was not happy perhaps she could help others.
She took Fuega's hand and held it tight in her own. "I want to be Kasai! I want to be a strong Guardian like Pyya and Vatra! Please teach me the ways of the Kasai!"
Fuega smiled at her, warm and proud. "Yes, my child, I shall teach you the way of the Kasai. As will all the other mentors you will find within the Temple. Together, we shall be a greater family now that you have joined us. You will learn our rules and customs in time. For now, let us go to the dormitories. There is someone I would like you to meet."
Taking Hwa-Jae by the hand once more, they walked together out of the pyramid and towards the stairs. Hwa-Jae still hesitated at the top of the staircase, only to feel something push her feet from the ground. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she saw both herself and Fuega floating in the air. Her small hand squeezed the older one as they floated towards the ground. Hwa-Jae could only stare in amazement that she was even walking in mid-air at all.
"How can you do that?" She asked in earnest.
"It is a simple matter of controlling one's spiritual energy, my child," Fuega said as they landed on the ground once more. "It is one of the many things you will learn in the temple. Come now. There is someone I have been wanting you to meet, and they have looked forward to this meeting for a very long time."
The two walked together into the dormitory building. It smelt like fresh linens and flowers and as they walked through the building, Hwa-Jae could see many of the temple sisters carrying baskets of laundry and flowers for the dormitories. All of the sisters bowed to their Old Master as she walked with Hwa-Jae down the corridors. They finally approached a room with a closed wooden door where the sounds thudding could be heard.
Fuega opened the door and inside was another young girl, perhaps one or two years older than Hwa-Jae. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of scarlet and her hair like spun gold. Flopped over on the lower bunk bed, she tossed a rubber ball at the wall over and over and did not stop or rise when Fuega entered. Was she being disrespectful? Hwa-Jae was unsure of what to make of the girl.
"Hwa-Jae, I would like you to meet, Cineza," Fuega said, gently pushing Hwa-Jae into the room. "She has been here for some time without a room-mate. Cineza, would you like to meet her?"
Cineza stopped bouncing the rubber ball and sat up, looking Hwa-Jae straight in the eye. She walked over to Hwa-Jae, her gaze never leaving her. After an awkward silence, Cineza turned back to her bed. "Okay," she said at last, "But I bet she won't last a week until she runs out screaming."
"I won't run!" Hwa-Jae shouted, surprising Cineza. "I'm here to be a Kasai! If that means we have to share a room, then I'll do it! I'll do more than that! I'll be your best friend! Don't forget that!"
Fuega smiled at the two. "I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I will leave you two to it then."
As Fuega left the two, Cineza grabbed a lock of Hwa-Jae’s bright red hair. It was not a strong hold, but a gentle one. Cineza inspected the hair and nodded. “Neat hair,” she said, “Bet it’s not natural. It’s too bright, and you don’t look like a ginger.”
“What do you mean?” Hwa-Jae took back her hair and looked at it. Cineza was right, her hair was red. But naturally it was brown. What happened? Hwa-Jae looked to Cineza for answers but she was already heading out the door.
“Where are you going?” Hwa-Jae asked. Cineza grabbed her ball and shrugged.
“I’m going to go out and play while there is still daylight. You can come if you like.”
Hwa-Jae did not know what to think of Cineza, but Fuega asked her to be a friend and that was what she intended to be. Smiling, Hwa-Jae followed Cineza outside. Perhaps this was the start of something wonderful between those two.
***
WC: 2396
"Come now, Hwa-Jae, it is time to see your new home."
Old Master Fuega walked down the cobblestone path that made up the main road of the Temple grounds, her old geta sandals clicking on the stone along with her cane. She held the hand of a small girl covered in dirt and ash, her eyes red and puffy after days of crying. They walked in silence as the morning light dawned the walls of the temple with only the sounds of the Kasai Sisters at work or training to be heard. Hwa-Jae held on to Fuega's hand like it was a lifeline and stayed close to the old mentor.
They approached the steps of the main temple building, a large pyramid with many steps leading to the main entrance. Fuega took the first step, but Hwa-Jae stayed back. She still held on to Fuega's hand. Fuega turned to the child and gave her a quizzical look.
"What is the matter, my child?" Fuega said, then turned to the stairs. "Ah, the stairs. They can be a little intimidating, yes. Especially for you. The land around Frypan Mountain is especially flat, is it not? But you must be strong, Hwa-Jae, and challenge the stairs. Only then can you ascend to the top and say 'I have bested you, stairs!' Each step is just like the steps on the journey of life. They are challenging, yes, and the higher you go up the more difficult they will be, but it is the only way to grow."
Hwa-Jae looked to the stairs with fear in her eyes. "But what if I fall?"
"Then you fall," Fuega replied, "but in falling there comes another test. Will you rise again? Or will you lay on the ground and let despair take you. It is a lesson I have learned many times myself."
"Old Master," said another voice, and a beautiful woman wearing the Kasai uniform and brilliant blue hair landed from her flight. "I could not help but see our new arrival. Will she be staying with us?"
"This is Seuta Hwa-Jae, Elder Sister Vatra." Fuega introduced Hwa-Jae to one of the senior sisters of the Kasai Order, though she clicked her tongue after. "Hwa-Jae, it is proper to bow in greeting to one's elders."
Hwa-Jae nervously did as her rescuer told her and bowed with respect to Vatra. She smiled at Hwa-Jae and knelt down so they could speak eye to eye. Hwa-Jae could not help but notice how pretty Vatra was. Her smile gave her a calming feeling and the child could not help but smile back.
"Master, I believe the challenge of the stairs is too much for one such as Hwa-Jae at this stage." Vatra did not look to Fuega, but kept her eyes on Hwa-Jae. "Allow me to carry her to the Temple master. When she is ready and healthy for it, I think she will do just fine when she faces the trial of the stairs."
Fuega waved Vatra off, giving her the blessing to do what she wished and began the work of climbing the stairs herself. Hwa-Jae noticed that for an old woman using a cane, Fuega showed herself to be very spry as she ascended the stairs at a good pace. While Fuega made her own way to the pyramid's entrance, Vatra beckoned for Hwa-Jae to climb onto her back. Hwa-Jae hesitated for a moment, unsure what to think about climbing onto a stranger, but felt she could trust Vatra.
Hwa-Jae climbed onto Vatra's back and wrapped her small arms around the neck. With a smile, Vatra began to climb the stairs, following close to Fuega. Hwa-Jae could feel a warmth from Vatra, though not one from her kindness. It was quite literal as her very skin seemed to radiate heat. It was a pleasant warmth though and Hwa-Jae hugged Vatra closer because of it.
They finally reached the top of the stairs were Fuega waited for them. Vatra helped Hwa-Jae onto the ground before clasping her hands and staying in the back of their small procession. Waiting for them was another of the Kasai sisters, this one standing much taller than Hwa-Jae ever thought a woman could. Standing at seven feet in height, the woman with the wild blond hair looked more like a mountain. Her arms crossed, she looked down on Hwa-Jae with an intimidating stare. Hwa-Jae immediately retreated behind Vatra's legs.
"Sister Pyya, you're very presence is scaring her," Vatra said, half scolding, half mirthful. "I thought you were out in the forest scouting. What are you doing here?"
"I returned from scouting, Elder Sister," Pyya said matter-of-factly, "And I came back with news. A pack of zoanthrope bandits are in the woods between the Temple and West City. They have a large operating radius. Permission to deal with them, Master?"
"Granted, Sister Pyya," Fuega said as she continued to walk inside the pyramid. "Remember to merely show them the error of their ways so they can repent. Use the flame as a warning before you need to make pyres."
Pyya bowed to her master and took off into the air which amazed Hwa-Jae to no end. "She can fly...?" Hwa-Jae said in awe. "Where is she going? Isn't she going to be hurt from the bandits?"
"Sister Pyya is very strong, Hwa-Jae," Vatra explained, "and she takes her duty as a Kasai Guardian very seriously. She loves the temple and the sisters who live here, even though it is hard for her to show that love. A Guardian protects people, Hwa-Jae, even from themselves if the need comes. Pyya will find the bandits and show them that committing acts of evil will do them no good, for a good person who believes in justice will come to them and teach them the error of their ways."
"Now, follow the Old Master into the temple, young one. She has much she has to teach you."
Hwa-Jae nodded to Vatra and followed Fuega into the pyramid. As they crossed the threshold, an intense heat touched Hwa-Jae's face. Just ahead roared a column of flame that stood as a massive testament to the Kasai's power. The flame spiralled seemingly unending to the top of the pyramid, bathing the interior with light and heat. Hwa-Jae stood at the fire in awe. Fuega chuckled.
"This is the Grand Pyre," Fuega explained, "It was the first fire I ever sparked, the foundation of the very temple you stand in now. Here in the Kasai Temple, the Sister of our Order train and study in the ways of the Kasai Hato Katachi, the style of which I developed almost a thousand years ago."
"You're... one thousand years old!?" Hwa-Jae said in complete surprise. Fuega laughed as she knelt down next to the Grand Pyyre.
"I look pretty good for a woman my age, do I not?" Fuega set down her cane and patted the spot next to her, indicating that Hwa-Jae was to join her. The girl sat down next to the Old Master as they both focused on the Grand Pyre. "Perhaps one day I will tell you the secret of my long life. All Kasai are capable of it."
"You have suffered a terrible fate, Sueta Hwa-Jae. I cannot help you bring back your parents, but I can help you have the means to discover who started the fire that claimed their lives. If you'd like, I would have you become one of our sisters. I can sense a great potential in you and I would like to help nurture your ability. Here you will have a roof over your head and food in your belly, but the training is hard and can be painful at times. The fire burns those who cannot control it. The choice, however, must be yours. The inner fire can only be sparked by the willing for the willing."
Hwa-Jae kept her gaze on the Grand Pyre as she thought about what Fuega offered. She was still in a state of shock. It was only a few days since the fire that claimed her parents. She missed them terribly and wanted to cry more, but no tears came. She just felt numb. Hwa-Jae did not know what to do in this situation. She wondered what her mother would say. What her father would say. She could still see their faces when she closed her eyes. How only a few days ago they lived happily in the forest.
"I don't know what to do," Hwa-Jae said as she hugged her knees. "I want to know who did this to my family, but I'm not strong. I'm small."
"There is a saying in the Kasai, Hwa-Jae, a truth I learned many years ago." Fuega kept staring at the fire as she spoke. "'In the beginning, there was fire.' When the universe was first created, it was created thanks to a great flame. When life began, it began because of the fire in their hearts to live and grow. When the people of earth began their civilization, they needed to master fire first and foremost. With all things, they find their start in fire. So too do you. The fire is within all of us, my child. All it takes is a means to spark it."
Fuega smiled at Hwa-Jae and held the child's hand in her own. On the tip of her wrinkled index finger she created a small flame. "All flames start little, my child," Fuega explained. "But if given time to grow, they can become great blazes. You can become such with the proper training."
Hwa-Jae looked at the flame on the end of Fuega's finger in amazement. To see something so amazing, she wanted to do it to. She wanted to find the one who murdered her parents, but most of all, she wanted to make sure other children did not endure the suffering she did. Children should be happy, as her mother would say, and while she was not happy perhaps she could help others.
She took Fuega's hand and held it tight in her own. "I want to be Kasai! I want to be a strong Guardian like Pyya and Vatra! Please teach me the ways of the Kasai!"
Fuega smiled at her, warm and proud. "Yes, my child, I shall teach you the way of the Kasai. As will all the other mentors you will find within the Temple. Together, we shall be a greater family now that you have joined us. You will learn our rules and customs in time. For now, let us go to the dormitories. There is someone I would like you to meet."
Taking Hwa-Jae by the hand once more, they walked together out of the pyramid and towards the stairs. Hwa-Jae still hesitated at the top of the staircase, only to feel something push her feet from the ground. Her eyes went as wide as saucers as she saw both herself and Fuega floating in the air. Her small hand squeezed the older one as they floated towards the ground. Hwa-Jae could only stare in amazement that she was even walking in mid-air at all.
"How can you do that?" She asked in earnest.
"It is a simple matter of controlling one's spiritual energy, my child," Fuega said as they landed on the ground once more. "It is one of the many things you will learn in the temple. Come now. There is someone I have been wanting you to meet, and they have looked forward to this meeting for a very long time."
The two walked together into the dormitory building. It smelt like fresh linens and flowers and as they walked through the building, Hwa-Jae could see many of the temple sisters carrying baskets of laundry and flowers for the dormitories. All of the sisters bowed to their Old Master as she walked with Hwa-Jae down the corridors. They finally approached a room with a closed wooden door where the sounds thudding could be heard.
Fuega opened the door and inside was another young girl, perhaps one or two years older than Hwa-Jae. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of scarlet and her hair like spun gold. Flopped over on the lower bunk bed, she tossed a rubber ball at the wall over and over and did not stop or rise when Fuega entered. Was she being disrespectful? Hwa-Jae was unsure of what to make of the girl.
"Hwa-Jae, I would like you to meet, Cineza," Fuega said, gently pushing Hwa-Jae into the room. "She has been here for some time without a room-mate. Cineza, would you like to meet her?"
Cineza stopped bouncing the rubber ball and sat up, looking Hwa-Jae straight in the eye. She walked over to Hwa-Jae, her gaze never leaving her. After an awkward silence, Cineza turned back to her bed. "Okay," she said at last, "But I bet she won't last a week until she runs out screaming."
"I won't run!" Hwa-Jae shouted, surprising Cineza. "I'm here to be a Kasai! If that means we have to share a room, then I'll do it! I'll do more than that! I'll be your best friend! Don't forget that!"
Fuega smiled at the two. "I believe this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. I will leave you two to it then."
As Fuega left the two, Cineza grabbed a lock of Hwa-Jae’s bright red hair. It was not a strong hold, but a gentle one. Cineza inspected the hair and nodded. “Neat hair,” she said, “Bet it’s not natural. It’s too bright, and you don’t look like a ginger.”
“What do you mean?” Hwa-Jae took back her hair and looked at it. Cineza was right, her hair was red. But naturally it was brown. What happened? Hwa-Jae looked to Cineza for answers but she was already heading out the door.
“Where are you going?” Hwa-Jae asked. Cineza grabbed her ball and shrugged.
“I’m going to go out and play while there is still daylight. You can come if you like.”
Hwa-Jae did not know what to think of Cineza, but Fuega asked her to be a friend and that was what she intended to be. Smiling, Hwa-Jae followed Cineza outside. Perhaps this was the start of something wonderful between those two.
***
WC: 2396
