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scene four, explinations of a wandering samurai
Together we stood atop the peak of a mountain, staring out over the lands as our eyes stayed fixed on the massive temple at the base of the mountain. The sacred temple... built on the holy land of our continent, blessed by the emperor and guarded by the dragons of the skies. No one but the emperor and those with his blessings were allowed to step foot into the temple... and in one week's time, Dominic would have to climb the steps of that temple to enter it for the battle of his life.
With the night growing ever-closer and the air slowly getting colder and colder, we decided to set up camp within a cave just a little ways below the peak, my love clearing the room for us within the cave. I had begun to set out to look for wood for a fire in the cave, but instead my love pulled me close to him and told me to stay.
"There may be beasts within this cave... allow me to keep us warm and ward them off. Do not travel beyond my sight."
His words shall always ring clear in my mind when he speaks them. His voice is like an angel's, gentle and soft... yet it is also determined like a true warrior's. He is, in my mind, the only true samurai left in these lands... the only one who still remains an honorable man. I closed my eyes and let myself fall into his chest, his arms keeping me close as I then felt his energy surround us both... keeping us warm.
My love is truly a spectacular man...
But what of Deng Tuo? What of the man who holds with him the power of the earth itself? If both my love and Deng Tuo share similar powers of opposite plains, then what should happen when they hold battle in the sacred temple? Though built on holy lands... never before has that temple seen a battle between two holy samurai, representing opposing realms of this universe. Shall the walls buckle from their very energy? Shall the ground break under the sheer strength of their blows?
So very many questions... so very, very many questions.
My love and I sat at the mouth of the cave to watch the sun as it once again set in the sky, holding one another close. It was then that my love began to speak to me of his destiny, of the will of the heavens on his side. Though the earth pushed Deng Tuo forward, it was the heavens which fueled my love's desire for the better. He spoke so much to me today... of so many unexplained things about his life.
He also explained to me the workings of Deng Tuo... of how he came to be fueled with the earth's power.
"I hadn't known that he had actually succeeded... I never forsaw that occuring. At the time, Deng Tuo seemed weakened from the actions of Gua Xing, and was seeking redemption for his past errors. He was a faithful samurai at that time, following his code of honor strictly... but after Gua was defeated, something changed in him. Nevertheless, I ignored it like a fool... and not once did I hear of his success in obtaining the earth's power."
My love did happen to make errors in his travels... he was still mortal, after all. Everyone makes mistakes throughout their life, it was how they made up for them that counted. My love had redeemed his loss to Gua long ago, and I know that one day the Ash Samurai will regret his decision to attack my love as well.
He is not vengeful, but he does wish to right the errors of the past-- both made by himself and by others.
"Deng Tuo went into the forest of the ancients to seek the Blade of Gaea, battling the beasts of the forest and eventually plucking the blade from the deep-rooted tree it was held in. Infused with the strength of that sword... Deng Tuo has the power of the earth to guide his path."
This, however... still did not explain to me how my love obtained his own powers. His sword was not a holy one-- it was made especially for him by the most skilled blacksmith in all of his old land, engraved with holy symbols. However... it was not a blessed sword, but merely a symbol of respect to the heavens themselves.
Was this how he became blessed? By showing his respect and love to the heavens... did they return that love with their kindness and strength?
"There was a time, long ago... when I first received my sword. Long before I entered these lands, the blacksmith spoke to me of the Elysian Sword... a sword blessed by the heavens themselves. No man could ever hold the sword without completing the tasks of the heavens. I asked the blacksmith what the tasks were, but he simply told me to consult the sword. I traveled all throughout the lands, and it took me years until I found that sword... but when I did, my answers were given to me. To hold that sword, I must travel to this land, and I must stand by the emperor's right hand. I must protect these lands and insight change... and I must leave my mark on history itself. To obtain that sword, I had to first stand above these lands proudly and lead them into a better day."
It was with my love's words that I finally understood... this journey was not just to stand beside the emperor, but to stand and protect all the people of the land; civilian and samurai alike.
He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders... and he did it all to carry the sword of his dreams.
I'd always thought that his dream was to simply stand at the emperor's right hand, I always believed he only wanted to be remembered as a hero... but now I see that my love wants more then that. He wants to go down in history as the greatest warrior of our time, he wants to save people's lives while advancing in his own... he wants to be a veritable god amongst men.
And that sword will give him that power.
He does not seek these things with a greedy heart... his intentions are pure-- but he admitted to me that even the purest of hearts could still be corrupted and blinded by greed. Therefore, he told me, he had to seek the blessing of the heavens in his journeys so as to keep a steady path.
"I only obtained that blessing... because I sought for it. Because I admitted that my heart might not be strong enough to carry that burden, the heavens knew that I was the samurai they'd been waiting on to carry this continent into a brighter future."
His blessings came because he was humble... and Deng Tuo obtained his because he was filled with greed.
Today I realized how unfair this world truly was to my love... who fights so hard for the safety of all-- and the heavens only know what tommorow will bring to me.
My love grows restless from the candlelight... and it grows later either way. It's time for me to sleep.
Until another time.