SHIN SEKAI: SPARK OF THE NEW WORLD

Answering questions

   We have reached the end of the Exodus arc and are about to advance into a new arc in this tale. But before we go on, there are a few things I would like to shed more light on and hopefully help you understand the story better.

   This will be written in the form of a Q&A session. The questions are asked by Shiro, Mia, Yamato, Tanaka and Endo. The answers are given by Orie and Shin.

   "Who are the Cardinals?" Shiro asked. 

   

   The Cardinals were the best of the elites trained by the Prophets. They each represent the four cardinal points of the earth and are tasked with specific duties. Apart from Hanzo the north cardinal that was mentioned, there was also Jade of the east and Genji of the west.

   "So that's where Genji comes in" he said.

   "What of the south cardinal?" He asked

   "There was no south cardinal after my mother" Shin answered almost immediately.

   "So Mina was a cardinal before she escaped?" Mia asked.

   "That is correct" Shin answered.

   "I have a question" Yamato said raising his hand

   "Why do I bear the same name as the king of Yamato and seem to have the same abilities?" He asked, then Orie looked at him and said "Im very sure you've been able to piece that together on your own"

   "So victor and I are distant cousins?" Mia asked

   "Yes" Orie answered

   "How did Genji and Endo survive the sinking of the island" Shiro asked.

   "For genji's case," Orie said

   "It would be correct to say that he left the island before it started sinking. He was a bit of a coward and still is till today"

   "What about Hanzo?" Shiro asked

   "What happened to him?"

   "I don't know Shin" answered

   "I feel like I should know but I don't"

   "Why haven't the Prophets returned?" Yamato asked.

   "I thought they always had a backup plan" he added

   "They can't return because I destroyed all of their resources" Shin answered

   "As for their backup plan, I don't know what they have"

   "Maybe it's Genji"

   "Why didn't much people fight with their divine beasts?" Mia asked

   "Except from the way the storm riders used them, they were hardly ever used"

   "You see," Shin replied

   "Even though we got our hands on the divine beasts, understanding them was really difficult"

   "It wasn't until after five generations that we finally learnt how to properly utilize them in battle"

   "What does it mean to be deprived of one's soul?" Endo asked, and Shin looked at him and answered "it is a fate worse than death"

   "Imagine having all your five senses intact. Your eyes working perfectly, your sense of smell in good condition, your sense of taste working well, your sense of touch in good shape and your hearing perfect"

   "All your senses will be intact but you will not be in control of yourself"

   "You can't stop your body from doing what it is doing, and you can't make it do what you want it to do"

   "All control is lost"

   "Your energy shall be exhausted and your muscles will tear, but your body will still go on"

   "You will be hungry but even if the food is right in front of you, you will not be able eat it since you have no control"

   "Your survival instincts are turned off and your body no longer heals itself. You slowly rot alive until there's nothing left of you"

   "What makes this worse is that you can see, feel, hear, smell and taste every process of it"

   "Do you now understand why I did what I did?"

   Endo gave no answer to that question. He just sat quietly and shed tears in silence.

   "Do you think Uzo planned this far ahead?" Tanaka asked

   "No one knows how far ahead Uzo planned. He may have planned just a few generations ahead, he may have planned over a thousand years ahead, he may have even planned several millennia ahead but we're not sure"

   "One thing we know is that he always makes good plans"

   "Will I be as powerful as Shin?" Shiro asked

   "I hope so" Orie replied before Shin could say anything

   "The road ahead is not easy" he said

   "We need as much power as we can get to overcome what we will face in the future"

    "Do you know my mother?" Shiro asked again, and Orie took a long pause before saying "I do, but I cannot tell you anything until the time is right"

    "When will the time be right?" Shiro asked

    "Hopefully, never" Orie replied

    "If it ever gets to the point where I have to tell you about your mother, it'll mean she's dead and never coming back"

    "So have patience, and hope that you'll get to see her one day"

   "What of my parents?" Mia asked

   "Do you know any of them?"

   Orie gave another long pause before answering.

   "Your mother died soon after your birth. That's all I know about her"

   "Your father was Lee shuan-gou III (the third), he is alive but barely. He's not in a condition you'd want to see him but if you insist, I can take you to go and see him"

   "If no one has any other questions I would like go home and rest" Orie said as he looked around

   "You should all go home too" 

   "I don't think Tanaka has enough room for this many troublemakers in her home"

   "Alright let's go" the others said as they stood up and made their way to the door. They all ran past Shin went their own way and as he was about to walk out of the room, Endo asked him "what should I do now?" And Shin turned back to him and replied "that is for you to decide"

   "You can start a new life here."

   The question of how Susan led the entire city of Yamato out the island was asked in the conversation but the truth was that no one actually knew how she did it. All they could remember was that they were on the island then they were suddenly somewhere else with their families and belongings next to them. There were many other questions went unanswered but soon, the truth shall be uncovered and the answers will be brought to light.

   IN THE NEXT VOLUME, The adventure will continue in an unusual direction. How well will our hero fare in the 'gangster's paradise'?

   Thanks for coming this far with me.