[That’s the final page, and it will require a lot of tweaking and formatting for it to work, so yeah, will change a lot here]
The hooded person approached the undertaker, who silently awaited the arrival of his old student. For the first time in many months undertaker’s eyes glow with life, revealing the insides beneath his shell, the solid core of the ancient wanderer. Only that path remembers the story and origin of the ancient wanderer. Passing by the black monuments that he made, revisiting all the memories of the long gone past, an undertaker led his pursuer through the graves of their fallen friends and comrades. The pursuer in hood walks a dozen steps behind, while his soul gets filled with memories of his master. Accompanied by the dance of the inky black shadows, they travel in both the graveyard and undertaker’s memories.
[This section will feature colored text, so reader will suspect who is saying this + they are not chronologically aligned]
Hooded figure: I will never forget that day. That endless yellow maze will haunt my soul forever, marking the beginning of my new life, just like all the tiny things from reality will never leave my side: memories of the cold wind, of the first rain, of the clouded blue skies bathed in sunlight, of the mother’s warm embraces. I wish I could remember her face. I wish I could see it all just one last time.
Humans don’t really fit in here all this much, don’t you think? I sure did think this way myself, but, just like you, I did survive, carving my own path until I am a part of this world. Until there is no life to return to, only endless fight with the lost world that has no interest in any of us.
People always looked up to something stronger than they are, especially in the time of need. We reached out to our all-powerful parents, we served to our kings, and we prey to our gods. Kings and gods are not really here without their worshippers and followers, we all make gods with our own hands so we can blame them, prey to them, serve them, lay everything on them, escaping this terror of facing the life ourselves.
Can’t blame anyone for this – what else can one do when one’s life is at world’s pity? Thus, they prey forever to their gods, and their gods forgive them everything; promised safety in exchange for freedom, yet not for long. Voluntary slaves and their self-proclaimed gods trapped together in this vicious cycle all alone, forever bound to repeat their mistakes, never meant to learn the truth.
I’m sure you won’t repeat their mistakes, will you? You and I, there are no gods for us.
This way will never lead you anywhere, especially in this realm. Any name, any title, any power, any predicted fate, any goal or dream that will be bestowed upon you will do its best to claim you, to bind you even more, nailing your essence to concepts and responsibilities. Take off the chains that were put on you by others and, once your life is in your hands again, it is for you to decide which chains are really yours to carry on.
Do you remember the first time you saw the rain? Or the snow? How unimaginable it is? Water, falling down form the endless sky, going back to the earth – miraculous site. Maybe in this world there is a devoid of miracles, or maybe it is our stories that we tell our kids about the heavenly life up above that keeps them from ever loving this world.
If one day you find the exit – what’s next? Will you really throw away everything that you’ve gained and built just to return to the life you’ve once lost? Did everything and everyone matter for you so little that you won’t even hold on to your love to stay? Did *we* matter to you this little?
Can’t you see it?! Souls that get sold only to be at peace! If a life is not about a triumph, then why you let these tyrants triumph over us? To thrive upon our suffering? You stood above any arrogant ruler, above strength! What happened to the one I once admired!?
You, who once was above this world, is now nothing but an old coward.
And where were you when I needed you the most? Why now you stand here in front of me with all this power? To stop me? To change my mind? You refuse to die but you refuse to slay me either while there is no way back for any of us!
Leave now and live or stay and fight until there is only one left to carry on this burden.
We gave them false hope, let them suffer from the tyranny, now it is our responsibility to fight for them — that’s what you taught me, father
Who are you to decide their fate? To decide what is right and what is wrong in this world? Who gave you the authority to decide whose life to take and whose to spare?
Now you are just another monster, terrorizing innocents! You all have already shattered what once was everything for us – did you stop there?
You took the responsibility for the whole world, every human, for everything on your shoulder, all alone. And you failed… No wonder why it happened.
Kushim: I knew it all. All the answers and all the words to say, all the things to do. Cruel lessons that I gave to others, that I failed to hear myself, only now I can see it. Is there anything left from me? Can I continue? Or there is no more place for me?
I rarely see dreams; this realm is not rich with positive fantasies. Flashes of the past, memories of the lives that I took, memories and faces that feel so well-known and familiar but distant.
Yet sometimes I see my own dreams, and, when I do, I see no nightmares — I see everything I’ve lost. Life, loved ones, everything that was once taken away. They are just… there. Doing their usual things, as if nothing happened or if they are already at peace with it. And I never find the strength to ask them how is it even possible, how they are here again – I’m just happy to be with them one more time.
I wish these dreams could visit me more often.
Maybe I’ll see them again, once my time comes to an end. No one knows. Huh, I remember my prayers as a child for death to not be the end, wishing for another, much better world, where everyone could unite again, where I could find them all again.
I’ll continue my path until my absolute bitter end. I will not throw away my life for nothing again.
A swirling torrent of thoughts and memories clears when a hooded person approaches his traitorous teacher, who silently observes the graves of the most important people in his life, reaching the place of his greatest tragedy in the graveyard of the humanity’s suffering. Goddess of life’s blooming coffin, filled with white chrysanthemums, covering the pale body of Lilith. Leading his pursuer away from the graves into the blooming fields that are still left untouched, he is finally himself again. Now Kushim stood in front of his student, already knowing why he came after all the years. After his master’s cruel treachery.
Hooded figure: Your skin was never that pale and dull before, even your hair is turning grey. Finally dying, aren’t you? Or it is just your body keeping up with your shattered mind and soul?
Kushim: Time spares no one. You’ve become rusty yourself, didn’t you? Would be pitiful if the surviving Iron fist was unlucky enough to follow the same fate after all that happened that day.
Hooded figure: Many years have passed since that day, I’m glad that you remembered everything at last.
Kushim: That day all of you have died
Kushim: Among all my champions and comrades you were the only one who was given both the privilege to see this place of sorrow and to see my face. And you’ve come here, to this sacred place, to avenge all of them, am I right?
Hooded figure: You’ve stole everything from everyone whom you gave your powers, robbed them of their souls. Mark of the eclipsing sun, that was once our greatest honor, has become our doom. So I want to know what happened: surprising act of mercy or simple inability to take my life?
Kushim: Are you afraid that you are alive due to my pity? There is no difference between living and being allowed to live. Or it has become too much of a disgrace to you, young one.
Hooded figure: Your existence is a disgrace for any of us, Barsil Igi-bala. You are the one, who disposed his men to save own skin, who betrayed every one of us, the humanity itself in a fight against divinity, who took countless souls of innocents to elongate your own pathetic existence, must be purged from the face of this world. The only thing that I want to know is if there is at least a shred of humanity left inside you right now… I remember who you once were, even memories that you showed are already well-known to me – how could that man turn into this?
Kushim: You’ve grown to be much wittier then I remembered you, but it breaks my heart to see that you are still just another prisoner of the cycle of hate. I hoped you’ll take from me something more crucial than a sharp tongue, boy.
Hooded figure: I simply believe that our goal is much greater than any of this, that’s what I proudly took form your past self.
Kushim: Know right from wrong, that’s what I was teaching you. You saw me at my best, at my purest, and you’ve decided to base your entire existence on the corpse of the long gone tyrant! Among all the people you should’ve been the one to see it through! None of you could’ve bare witness me falling, every one of you would’ve prefer to see me dying as your hero instead.
Hooded figure: So there is no place for remorse after all that you have done, I suppose?
Kushim: There is. I should’ve stopped the Iron fist much earlier, maybe I would’ve been able to find the way to spare every one of you, without beheading your group, but I can’t change what is already done. What hurts me the most is seeing who you have become.
Hooded figure: This is a mutual feeling. People suffered from self-proclaimed deities *personally*, some for generations, people need us, but you’ve thrown away your responsibilities and became no one. And for the sake of the hero you once were, I’ll put an end to your life, but before that I’d ask you again to finally answer my question: what was that? Mercy or inability? Last piece of your former self or a miscalculation?
Kushim: I am proud of being “no one”, free from names and titles that once were put on me, but I never gave up on people and my responsibilities before them. I’ll tell you the truth when you’ll show me your determination.
Hooded figure: I’ve slayed many gods on my age, I’m not afraid of you.
Kushim: And I am no god, young one. I’ll give back my people everything. Their life and their death, all the things they were robbed of. I’ve conquered the past, reached the highest peak of one’s power – don’t doubt my strength. Far too many people got their stakes on me, I have no right to fail them.
And the future, bright future, is mine for the taking.
