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Luna Whitemoon stood in front of the two doors. Both stood over ten feet tall and were made out of pure water. Shimmering waves of crystal clear blue shone on one, while dark, abyssal waves, with the rumbling of thunder, were the other. It appeared to be an easy decision. The clear one reminded Luna of her home on the small islands away from Falconus. She and her village always swam in the clear waters of a continent-less earth, as the warm sun sent rays of light into the sandy bottom of the oceans. Fish of illustrious colors dazzled under the light as Luna remembered that time. She stared into that door. Dark faint shapes, like feathers in wind called to her, urged her forward into the door. She stopped herself.
It would be so easy. The House of Waves made this Luna's test. Stand in front of two doors. Whichever one you chose determined whether you would be their champion. She was lost in thought, swimming through her memories before she smiled and went through a door.
So much so, she wanted to become water. The teachers for the House taught her and other students the way of water, not only a style of combat but a way to channel your own inner waters to maintain balance in your life and in turn, keep the balance of the world, because to let your own inner water flow out into the world in a way where you flooded it with poison, was as much of a sin as a man thinking he was a god ruling the planet with a malevolent fist. As the years went by, she remembered the word of the atrocities, of the death surrounding the land of Falconus. She remembered being thankful, of being grateful that she didn't have to see the carnage from the god's elementals storming cities and enslaving others. Her family was safe, and so was she. That's all that mattered.
Yet like that God's hand of power, reality came striking into her world. She knew the emotional world of anger rarely on occasion, sometimes when she would fail in a sparring session with another student or when her mother urging her to leave the House Of Waves behind, to be wife to a man that would only show her off as a trophy as the white-haired islander who talked to the moon. That's where her name- Whitemoon came from. She was as dark as her brothers and sisters, yet her hair flowed like the moonlight under its home and shone in the sunlight. It was hard for her to hide from the stares in her earlier years, but she learned to be like water: to just flow with it.
She felt the thundering boom along with the muffled voices of panic. Keep going?.just keep going?this is only a test. Luna swam, deeper into the dark depths, further away from the moon, deeper to the source, as the second door, the one of the dark and thundering unknown was starting its challenge. She didn't expect the door to do this. She thought the mysterious leviathans of the ocean of the tentacled creatures in the underwater caverns would test her, but not her own memories. Not her own nightmares she was experiencing every night before this test.
A part of her wanted to, so badly, swim back up to the surface, to the moon, to crash back into reality and see, see the smoke and flames after the colossal shockwaves sending tsunamis across the planet. She so badly wanted to breathe cool rushing air, and swim, with all her strength back to the remnants of her home island, find her mother, find her sister, her teachers, her classmates, save them, help them anything!
But like water, the past is unavoidable. It's uncontrollable. You can bottle it up, but it only forms, and always finds a way out. Maybe as vapor, but eventually it comes back as rain, ready to come down slightly, then crash down upon you until you're soaked.
Luna sank deeper into the abyss, until the pleading sounds of her mother, of her family, were gone, and only the beating of her heart remained. Her heart beat, faster and faster, with it, came the rumbling of something around her. S if she was in the bowels of a dark beast, the waters around her rumbled, growling, hungry for its next dinner. She could feel the panic set in, all the terror, something she didn't feel until that day. On that day, Luna eventually did return to the surface, after the crashing waves, the mouth of the twin gods of the Seas swallowing any land there was over. She didn't know it was angry then. She felt it as grief. As pure anguish. The hole of loss within her was so great, greater than a lagoon. She searched around her, across the dark and moonlit night, only to find no light, no source of home. Home was gone.
She searched that entire night for survivors, but the only thing she could find was remnants of homes, and the lifeless bodies of people she once knew. Their eyes told it all. They thought it was another shower, another light show, then before the full horror could come, their world was flooded. Who knew once warm, nurturing water could turn on the people so quickly? Luna didn't know until that day. The day when she felt alone, truly for the first time.
She was lost in that void of a night until the morning, where she spent three more nights, searching, hoping, yearning for her family. She never found her mother's remains. Whether it was the fish or hungry carnivores sharing the depths with her or just the other gods deciding to spare her the mercy of more pain, Luna Whitemoon's life changed. She was found by a messenger ship, sent originally to spread news, but now to look for any survivors. They thought of her as an omen, a sign from the god of power himself that he was not to be trifled with. The sailors kept their distance, until when they met the land of Falconus, then sent her off, alone, in an unknown land she only heard about, that was suffering from the same god's might. Now she could see firsthand the destruction and misery she tried to ignore for so long.
It's why she chose the door of dark waters. It's the door anybody would avoid. We try to hide, to look away, to ignore, and be oblivious to the world around us. Luna did that once, and it cost her her world. Now here she was, back in her memories, swimming in deep dark waters to something?
It started off as a twinkle, an illusion from her oxygen-deprived mind until it grew. It grew until the warmness soothed across her frozen skin, bringing her back to life. As the light grew, so did the gulping of air. It should have been water flooding her encapsulated lungs, instead, air entered. The most interesting thing was, she never opened her mouth and sucked in water. She could feel more air fill her body until the blinding light sucked her into somewhere...
The pillar rose until she was closer, at level with the figures. They circled around her, drawing nearer until the center of the figure stepped forward, and like an invisible wall of water, the figure's translucent appearance disappeared and a woman nodded to Luna. She was tall, appearing young, but Luna, knowing better, was thousands of years old. The woman's hair was stark white, like hers, and her eyes were the brightest blue she saw. Her ebony skin stood out the most. She reminded Luna so much like herself, she could be looking into a mirror and wouldn't know. ?You've seen and felt the God Vukon's wrath. The man turned god has proclaimed himself ruler and tyrant of this planet. In order to defeat him, we need a worthy warrior. And we have chosen you. Only you, with the calming but crashing waves of our sanction, can help lead the rest of the champions and yourself to Vukon's defeat. Have you accepted??
Luna Whitemoon shuddered. Were there others like her? Of course, there were! All the years of training, of meditation, of reading, all came to this point, and she forgot one thing: other champions from the other houses were out there, waiting, searching for the others to come together and defeat Vukon. The woman let out her hand and a stream of energy flowed towards Luna. Luna let out a hand and the powers of The water sanction formed a fist in her hands. The watery hand changed. It rounded, softened until flower petals appeared. With peace, there is its opposite war. With darkness comes light. With vengeance comes justice. Luna knew all these things. She had vengeance in her. She only wanted to strike back at Vukon for what he did to her and her people. She also knew the compassion and fairness that came to justice. To rightfully set balance back to the scales of Falconus The land called to her pleaded to her for her help.
She wasn't going to fail again. She wasn't going to swim away from the challenge. She was a tsunami, storming across the seas towards it.
Chen Lun Ki worked with his father and his 2 brothers on his family's farm while his mother cooked the Rice for supper. Chen Lun Ki picked Pears and put them in his Bamboo basket until the Basket was full. Chen's older brother Ha Jung Ki harvested Radishes and sowed seeds for new Radishes, and his other older brother Tong Ren Ki was in charge of tending to the Chickens, harvesting eggs and prepping the Chickens that couldn't lay any more.
Chen's father tended to the Cabbages.
After a humble supper of Rice, Radishes and Chicken, the family sold what was left over as extras. They were simple farm folk, so they would make just enough money that they just barely got by, but for the most part, they were happy with the life they had. They tended to and lived off the land, and they were friends with all members of their community in their humble village.
Then on one faithful day, Chen's mother was stricken by an illness. The village Doctor checked on Chen's mother, and he told the Farm Family that his mother needed a medicinal herb concoction that was only just barely out of the family's price range to make her well again. This news deeply saddened the boy, so he took a walk through the village.
On his walk, an old woman in a cloak walked by and said "Pardon me, young man, but I'm rather hungry, would you have a small piece if food you could spare?" Asked the frail elderly woman.
Chen Lun Ki dug out a Rice Cracker from his Rice Cracker pouch and handed it to the poor old woman, who accepted the Cracker with a smile.
"Thank you, you sweet young man. Since you did something for me, allow me to do something for you. Your mother is sick and needs Medicine to make her well again that you can't afford. I know where you can get the money you need to buy the Medicine your sick mother needs. Down the River 25 miles down is a forest surrounded by a lake on one end and a small mountain on the other end, in the middle of the lake is an island, and on this island is an abandoned Temple, a Gumiho lives in that Temple, and if she finds favor with your plight, she will grant you your wish, but if she finds you unworthy, a TERRIBLE Fate will fall upon you." Explained the old woman.
The Old Woman gave the young boy a sogo hand drum with a tiny bamboo stick.
Chen Lun Ki paid the boat man to rent a boat, and he rowed the boat on the river downstream until he made it to the end of the river. Just like the frail old woman said, there was a lake bordered by a forest, and in the middle of the pristine lake was an Island, and on that island was an abandoned Temple.
Chen Lun Ki paddled to the Island. When he reached the Island, he docked the boat, and he took the hand drum and tiny little bamboo stick.
Inside the Temple was a rusty Statue of Buddha in front of the wall in the back and a rusted Gong in the middle of the Temple chamber.
A giant, golden colored Fox with nine long tails sat on a reed mat.
The Gumiho stood upright, turned to face two doors made of engraved Jade in the left wall. "Turn to face the wall with me, boy!" Said the Gumiho.
Chen Lun Ki walked up and turned to face the wall with the two jade doors.
"Behind the door in the wall on the left is just enough money to afford to buy the medicinal herb concoction to make thy mother well again. Behind the wall on the right is so much money and treasures that you will be rich enough to never have to work again for the rest of thy life. Choose which door you want to open." The Fox instructed.
Chen Lun Ki was not interested in riches, so he opened the door on the left. Inside the room on the other side of the door was a small pouch full of coins. The Gumiho magically appeared in the room in a puff of smoke.
"Thou art worthy." Said the beast.
Chen Lun Ki said "Thank you! Thank you very much!"
The nine tailed Fox magically whisked away the boy back to his home with a divine cloud. Chen Lun Ki gave his parents the coins to buy his mother's medicine, and they went to the Apothecary and bought the Medicine to make Chen's mother well again, and Chen's mother made a full recovery almost immediately. When Chen's father asked Chen where he got the money, Chen explained that Down the River 25 miles down is a forest surrounded by a lake on one end and a small mountain on the other end, in the middle of the lake is an island, and on this island is an abandoned Temple, a Gumiho lives in that Temple, to see the Gumiho, one needed to tap on the hand drum exactly nine times. One night, when Chen and his family went to sleep early, Chen's father took the hand drum, rowed the boat on the river downstream until he made it to the end of the river, and paddled to the Island. When he reached the Island, Chen's father docked the boat, and entered the Temple. Inside the Temple was a rusty Statue of Buddha in front of the wall in the back and a rusted Gong in the middle of the Temple chamber. The old man tapped on the Sogo Hand Drum exactly nine times, and as if by magic, the gong rang out by itself nine times, and the Buddha statue sunk downwards under the floor revealing a stairway leading down.
Chen's father went down the stairs and into a large chamber. Inside the chamber was a giant, golden colored Fox with nine tails.
"Greetings." Started the Fox "I am the Gumiho. If thou art worthy, I shall grant thy wish."
Chen's father said "I want infinite wealth and prosperity!"
The Fox turned toward the Two doors in the wall made of engraved Jade.
"Behind the door on the right are bags of seeds, a bag of Rice, and dried fruit. Behind the door on the left is more money than can possibly be spent in one lifetime. Choose which door you wish to open."
Chen's father rushed to and hurriedly opened the door on the left. Inside the room was a massive grove of Pearl's, Jade, and gold coins. Chen's father prayed in gratitude to the Gods when the floor in front of the door collapsed, under the floor was all-consuming Hell-Fire. The floor around Chen's father collapsed, leaving one last pillar of floor for his father to cower in terror on.
"No, please! I don't want to die! Please, let me go!!" Pleaded Chen's father.
Then the pillar of floor under Chen's father fell, condemning him to a terrible death.
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"
Meanwhile the Fox sat outside the door
"...Thou art unworthy."
Before dawn that morning, the old lady from before left one bag of seeds, one bag of rice, and one bag of dried fruit on the door of the Farm. She then knocked on the door. When Chen opened the door, the old lady asked
"Hello, young man. May I please have that drum back? I'll trade you all of this!"
Chen Lun Ki, somehow understanding, returned the Sogo hand drum and stick.
"Thank you, young man. You are truly a selfless soul."
The old woman walked away.
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