Mental Chamber, Bahukatsu Dojo *** A beautiful figure stood right outside their shackled home. The downpour had been strong that the garden soil was soft enough to allow his sword to be effortlessly lodged through. But when he glanced back at his weapon, it was now turned into a shovel. He seemed to dig waterways in between garden plots. Suddenly, memories mixed with happiness and depression flooded his thoughts. “Don’t fight it!” His wife once again screamed at him, trying to overcome the loudness of the rain. “My wife, Maria!” Dreygo retorted without accurate comprehension of his wife’s words. He faintly heard the soft guffaws brought by his children playing inside the hut and his despair now turned to happiness and joy. The snorting and squealing of pigs were overheard as they find comfort in each other’s bodies' warmth as the rain had borne with the cold breeze. The trees swayed wildly and the overcast skies were dark brought by the rain. Everything seemed real and sad. The

Mental Chamber, Bahukatsu Dojo, Mountain Sheng *** The odds were unfair. Ten against one and his family behind him. He could not escape. He should stand his ground to defend with all his wit. Nothing to defend with, only the walls of their shackle that served as a futile fence. The slightest chance of survival was beyond his comprehension. But even so, he had to try. Suddenly, he realized that everything was unreal. That he was sitting inside a room called the Mental Chamber back at the Bahukatsu Dojo. But his mind told him otherwise, or his feeling convinced him so. As if a higher power had granted him to relive the moments he most suffered, to cleanse the regrets, to cleanse his soul. ‘Could it be? Could there be a second chance to save my family?’ Dreygo thought. He spaced out momentarily. The soft sobs of his wife were muffled in his hearing. It was not real but it felt surreal. Doubts had loomed from the faintest corner of his memory but it was not important. What’s important

Bahukatsu Dojo, Mountain Sheng, Cheena *** Clap. Clap. Clap. A soft clap invaded the small mental chamber. It echoed on the walls. Dreygo stood up, wiped his tears trying to obscure from the source of the clap, and hauled himself up. He felt lighter as if he lost weight. It was Jade standing beside the large column, near the entrance door. “You passed!” Jade congratulated. “How do you know that I passed?” Dreygo asked. “If you fail, then you will probably be in a coma for a few days, or worse, you will be stripped from your insanity.” “Really? Maybe it won’t affect me because I am a demon. It only works on humans.” “I would not be sure about it. During your trance to another world, your body was continuously twitching, like you were having epilepsy. And your saliva is dripping down to your shirt. I thought you were losing the mental test.” Jade said as a long smile curved across her face. Dreygo was silent momentarily and inspected his wet shirt and confirmed that it was his s

Bahukatsu Dojo, Shang Mountain, Cheena *** “What is this place?” Dreygo marveled at the scenery. A small waterfall fell softly on a miniature lake and trees heaved the surroundings. Specks of water cooled the place and dampened the environment as the waterfall hit the surface of the lake. Mossy rocks surrounded the lake and at the center were two bamboo sticks hanging horizontally constructed that formed somewhat of a bridge that connected across the far ends of the lake. “You are going to train with the elements Dreygo.” Master Yamoto said. “You are going to master your mind, your balance, and your patience. Seems that you lack those qualities. Every great warrior must master not only fighting skills but first from within himself. Control your emotions.” “What am I going to do here, master? Meditate?” Dreygo snapped. “No. Dreygo. All of our meditation training is done in the mental chamber,” Yamoto responded. “You are going to fight the blind master on top of the hanging bamboo.”

Bahukatsu Dojo *** He hauled himself from a restful slumber. It was the first hour of sunrise and everyone was busy as always. The warriors had been disciplined to do labor not only in honing their skills but also in maintaining the Dojo’s upkeep. Dreygo and Sho had participated as well, such as hauling pails of water from the artisan wells, helping in the construction of perimeter defenses, and even plowing the fields for the new batch of crops. Two days of waiting for his next training had made him less idle for the said period. He and Sho had wonderful marvels at how the training of young ninja assassins took place inside the Dojo. They had not much time to see Elaine together with his rest as she had undertaken another training journey for herself. She was supervised by Jade and Master Yamoto as well. She did not disclose much of the objectives of her training but to her comrades, she looked like hell every time she rested in between her training. However, today marked the beg