[PK] MUGA

[Ardory 2978]

Spoiler

 

MUGA

無我

One: The Fields

The fields are a peaceful place. I spent my early days toiling under the Seiryu clan upon their rice fields. I barely went into the city of Sakuragakure seldom the selling of my share of harvest. There was something satisfying about harvesting the fields. The aching of my muscles at the end of the day and the dawning sun kissing against my skin. A struggle which I gave myself, a choice that is mine and mine alone. This choice became central to the weave of my being. 

Years pass in lonesome, harvest after harvest I toiled. Sowing, tending, weeding, watering, reaping day after day. Yet as the seasons pass, so did my doubt. It grew like the patties I tended for, yet it was slow and methodical. The roots wrapped around my mind, a glimmer of a thought that I am not truly happy. I began to seek other hobbies, but they did not satisfly me. 

 

“Is there something wrong with me?”

Two: Shirohebi

I was tending to the crops in the morning. The golden light glowing from the dawn no longer felt the same, and began to feel unpleasant. An oppressive feeling that I shook off as much as I could. Upon the roads to the capitol, a man riding a sturdy black horse approached the fence. He watched me pulling the weeds from the soil, and then spoke.

 

“Do you enjoy this?”

 

Thus we talked, he came from a settlement far in the north, Shirohebi. It was of Oyashiman make, so I became curious. Why wouldn’t I? I asked him if I could go to his settlement, and he accepted. We rode far into the north, the cold snow whipping against my skin. A feeling that reminded me of the sun far in the past, a pain that I have not experienced in seasons. We arrived at a large keep of Oyashi design. Within lied the members of what I understood as the Way of the Serpent. They welcomed me despite being a stranger. I spent years under their roof, becoming familiar with their ways. I made close friends with one member, a man who I would consider my closest friend for the rest of my life. It was he who marked me with a sign of power upon my chest, of the Titan, for I trusted him.

Three: Order’s Fall

Shirohebi became intangled with a war against the Aegul of Order, Xan. Called upon by the drakes of the mountain. We fought with the warriors of the descended god, a clashing of fire against light. I never felt so alive, feeling the burning blood pumping through my veins. We held our ground, the hordes of holy warriors clashing against the barricades as the two colossal beings fought, practically stepping on us. At last, the Titan took Xan’s beating heart and devoured it. The divine ichor awakened the dragon, as he flied to the heavens. The stars never seemed to closer, even upon the ashen ground.

 

On a quiet night, the Lord of Shirohebi summoned me. He took me below the keep, passing many corridors until we entered a great forge. There, he gave unto me ingots of scarlet steel, the remnants of a drake named Awai-Hono. Thus we forged until the following dawn, creating a spear from the divine metal. The name of the weapon became Akatsuki No Kumo, a naginata which became my ally for the rest of my life. A partner who traveled with me to the highest peaks of the land. Although she can be condescending, she cared about me.

 

“Was this fate?”

Four: The Golden Gift

I left Shirohebi after my closest friend left, following him to the mountain. He did not agree with their ideology as it kept to the ways of Ruin before the apotheosis of the Titan. Although I was concerned with such a choice, I agreed with my friend. So we traveled to the lands of fire and ash. There I became a seeker, and learned of Asioth. My mentor, a mighty drake in his own right, was harsh. He burnt my skin, marking my flesh due to my hubris. Yet, looking back, he was the only person who could teach me. So I learned and gained a deeper understanding of Asioth.

 

We once fought within the Holy See, an incident that left the prophet’s head falling into the Waters of Gamesh by the the Angel Raguel. We barely escaped the onslaught of knights and warriors, but I left with the knowledge that an arrow was lodged into the Angel. The euphoria struck me again, the struggle which I once lost. Therefore after I was ordained by my closest friend and the prophet, a choice by their whims. Yet doubt still crept in my mind, wrapping it in the roots once more.

 

“Was I really chosen?”

Five: The Journey

For the next decades, I traveled the world. I saw the highest peaks and the lowest valleys. I walked burning deserts and frozen lakes. Upon this journey, I had Awai-Hono. She tested me often, asking if I would one day return home. I denied her every time, for I realized that there was no such thing as I was already there. Upon my travels, my knowledge of Asioth deepened, and I cast away many things. Eventually, I abandoned my name, I carved it unto a paper slip and burnt it. It was the happiest I have ever been, to see the world as it was and not blinded by my preconceptions. Yet I grew old and grey, my bones ached with every step. I knew my time was near, yet I did not fear it. I returned at last, meeting once again with my mentors and my closest friend. I did not tell them of my condition, for to do such will weigh me down more than them.

 

“Is this the end?”

Six: The Non-Self

I sat upon the mountain, the ash and smoke around me. I spoke to Awai-Hono one last time, telling her to trust in my closest friend, for he will know what to do. I then laid her before me and closed my eyes. I remembered what it was like upon the rice fields, yet it was not as peaceful as this. I knew full well that I will never truly die, and that conforted me. I left my mark upon the illusion of the world, and with a smile on my face, I turned my head down. I return to the flame, and it welcomes me. For the first time in my life, I did not doubt.

 

“I already died, this is no different.”

 

Spoiler

I would like to thank everyone in the Azdrazi community for letting me join you on this story. Iwane was perhaps one of my older lived characters with many ups and downs during his life, but he has grown very old and I have been extremely inactive on him. I will still be around if you all need me!

 

Thank you to all who rode along.

[MonteGiant 891]

There within that swaying volcanic fortress, did that Alashir remain, the last of his kith gone, the last of his brothers fallen to their own reasons. That warpaint upon his eld visage, it would distort in pain, that herald had lost a friend. “To ash we return o Brother of mine, you shall be graced upon mine arms- so that you will guide my prowess til the end of mine days…”

[latte 2238]

The Toad of the Shugonate sat low ad-mist the flowing rice-fields of the Kurai-Kuni countryside. Hands wafted through the strong lushes of green, as a lone trail of smoke billowed from her cigarette. In all honestly, she hadn't known Iwane well, besides the collective missions she found find herself on alongside her fellow herald. Nevertheless, he was her brother in ash, her kin in clan, and she would mourn him properly. She pondered, for many moons ago, she was told a Herald found his asioth doing the seemingly simplest of things: farming. She too hoped she could find her own before her time was up. Her neck inclined upwards, a lazy gaze up to the sky an uttered a small phrase: "Where are you Iwane?"

[meowmaxer 766]

Ahkri descended the mountain of Mul’naar, following after the remains of the thread the dragonkin’s past granted to Iwane all those years ago. Sorrow clung to the fires of his heart, amplified when he came before what remained of the ashes of Iwane and Awai-Hono. A lament passed from his lips, spoken to the air in hopes of reaching his closest friend. 

“May you cross the bridge of the Sanzu and find your peace.”