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*New* Mehket's Magnificent Seven
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<blockquote data-quote="brujahbunny2" data-source="post: 1217865" data-attributes="member: 15197"><p>Twenty leagues away, Lian awoke. Around him, the world was swathed with impenetrable darkness. He could not tell where he was or how much time had elapsed since his disastrous defeat. Neither was he capable of simply distinguishing as to whether he had eyes to see nor limbs to move. Yet, the absence of all light did not bring about the sense of palpable fear or confusion but rather, it felt womb-like, comfortable and serene like the warm mammalian embrace of his mother when he was a child. Here, Lian felt a tangible connection to the universe that was sublime in its spirituality and he savored the wholeness of self, saturated in the experiences of a thousand lifetimes.</p><p></p><p> Off in an immeasurable distance that was both far and near, the melodic sounds of the holy sutras chanted by infinite monks heightened his revelry and cemented his attunement to the cosmos. Brightness flares and enlightenment illuminates the world around. His world is small just like the worlds of all men. He reflects and understands that all men cannot see beyond themselves, their needs and their base desires. In recognizing this, Lian had taken the first of many steps in achieving enlightenment. A woman of unearthly grace stands before him and it is not her beauty that moves him for as a monk he felt no lust. Rather, she emanates mercy and compassion that was bountiful and available to all who sought it. She is Kwan Yin, a boddhivshta of mercy. </p><p></p><p> She offers him a vision. It is a world devoid of all light. People stumble about in the blinding darkness desperately trying to find their way. They are starving. In hunger, they peel dried bark from dead trees with bloodied fingernails and scrape sand from the ground so that they may feast on dust and ashes. Their sunken eyes are hollow with misery and skeletal children cling to the cadaverous breasts of their mothers trying desperately to draw nourishment but it is futile and hopeless. It is a world of absolute pain and suffering that moves Lian to sob like a child.</p><p></p><p> “Why have you shown me this Goddess?” he asked hoarsely. The tightness in his throat made it difficult to speak.</p><p> </p><p> “Because I believe acolyte, that if I were to show you ugliness and misery, you will flinch but you would not look away. You will not forget what I have shown you.” she spoke wordlessly.</p><p> </p><p> “How can I help them? These people suffer and I cannot stand by idle; knowing but not acting.” Lian beseeched. </p><p></p><p> “All your life, you have mastered the destructive power of the Phoenix spirit that burns inside and channel its power to destroy evil that threatens the peasantry and holds the weak hostage. You have slain the vile and burned away fiends in the purifying flames of the Phoenix. Your deeds have not gone unnoticed. You have garnered the eternal gratitude of the common folk and the admiration of countless. You have done well, Lian Wu Hai”</p><p></p><p>She pauses.</p><p></p><p>“But to help those whom I have shown, you must unlearn all that you have learnt. You must forgo the power of the Phoenix in entirety and walk another path. Though the path of destruction is formidable, it is one that perpetuates the cycle of hate. You must learn to stride on the road of mercy. For it is the road of forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption for even the darkest and most wicked soul. Strife begets strife. Only by possessing the courage to forgive shall the seeds of peace be sown. ”</p><p></p><p>There was no hesitation in the monk. No hesitation at all to throw away everything that he has ever known.</p><p></p><p>“I accept those vows. Once I was a bandit. Then I was a phoenix. Now I am a guide. It is not the power of the phoenix that matters but the lesson it teaches.” </p><p></p><p>With those words, his body slumps and he feels a familiar part of his soul empty itself into the universe. There is no remorse for the sacrifice. There is no regret over the loss of self. A flux of immense power gushes into the heart’s vacuum filling it with the fortitudinous will of a thousand martyrs and infuses him with an aura of calm that make murderers stop in their tracks and ponder on the horrific nature of their crimes. Some would call it an apotheosis. Others… a miracle. To Lian, it was all he can do so that he could even begin to help.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="brujahbunny2, post: 1217865, member: 15197"] Twenty leagues away, Lian awoke. Around him, the world was swathed with impenetrable darkness. He could not tell where he was or how much time had elapsed since his disastrous defeat. Neither was he capable of simply distinguishing as to whether he had eyes to see nor limbs to move. Yet, the absence of all light did not bring about the sense of palpable fear or confusion but rather, it felt womb-like, comfortable and serene like the warm mammalian embrace of his mother when he was a child. Here, Lian felt a tangible connection to the universe that was sublime in its spirituality and he savored the wholeness of self, saturated in the experiences of a thousand lifetimes. Off in an immeasurable distance that was both far and near, the melodic sounds of the holy sutras chanted by infinite monks heightened his revelry and cemented his attunement to the cosmos. Brightness flares and enlightenment illuminates the world around. His world is small just like the worlds of all men. He reflects and understands that all men cannot see beyond themselves, their needs and their base desires. In recognizing this, Lian had taken the first of many steps in achieving enlightenment. A woman of unearthly grace stands before him and it is not her beauty that moves him for as a monk he felt no lust. Rather, she emanates mercy and compassion that was bountiful and available to all who sought it. She is Kwan Yin, a boddhivshta of mercy. She offers him a vision. It is a world devoid of all light. People stumble about in the blinding darkness desperately trying to find their way. They are starving. In hunger, they peel dried bark from dead trees with bloodied fingernails and scrape sand from the ground so that they may feast on dust and ashes. Their sunken eyes are hollow with misery and skeletal children cling to the cadaverous breasts of their mothers trying desperately to draw nourishment but it is futile and hopeless. It is a world of absolute pain and suffering that moves Lian to sob like a child. “Why have you shown me this Goddess?” he asked hoarsely. The tightness in his throat made it difficult to speak. “Because I believe acolyte, that if I were to show you ugliness and misery, you will flinch but you would not look away. You will not forget what I have shown you.” she spoke wordlessly. “How can I help them? These people suffer and I cannot stand by idle; knowing but not acting.” Lian beseeched. “All your life, you have mastered the destructive power of the Phoenix spirit that burns inside and channel its power to destroy evil that threatens the peasantry and holds the weak hostage. You have slain the vile and burned away fiends in the purifying flames of the Phoenix. Your deeds have not gone unnoticed. You have garnered the eternal gratitude of the common folk and the admiration of countless. You have done well, Lian Wu Hai” She pauses. “But to help those whom I have shown, you must unlearn all that you have learnt. You must forgo the power of the Phoenix in entirety and walk another path. Though the path of destruction is formidable, it is one that perpetuates the cycle of hate. You must learn to stride on the road of mercy. For it is the road of forgiveness, reconciliation and redemption for even the darkest and most wicked soul. Strife begets strife. Only by possessing the courage to forgive shall the seeds of peace be sown. ” There was no hesitation in the monk. No hesitation at all to throw away everything that he has ever known. “I accept those vows. Once I was a bandit. Then I was a phoenix. Now I am a guide. It is not the power of the phoenix that matters but the lesson it teaches.” With those words, his body slumps and he feels a familiar part of his soul empty itself into the universe. There is no remorse for the sacrifice. There is no regret over the loss of self. A flux of immense power gushes into the heart’s vacuum filling it with the fortitudinous will of a thousand martyrs and infuses him with an aura of calm that make murderers stop in their tracks and ponder on the horrific nature of their crimes. Some would call it an apotheosis. Others… a miracle. To Lian, it was all he can do so that he could even begin to help. [/QUOTE]
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