Chapter 4: Revelations

In a land far to the North, a scout breathed a sigh of relief. The Mars Lighthouse still stood. Hope remained. The man turned towards home.

In the distance, the rift gaped. The edge of the world glowed with unknown fire.

-tempusnonfugit-

The master of the temple sat in the middle of the room, meditating. His time drew near. He had fulfilled his purpose.

Around him, the world continued. He could feel it all now, sense the life that flowed through everything. This, then, was 'Chi.' So beautiful…

It was strange, mused the old man, that after a lifetime of studying Ki he should be struck by the wonder of something which he had seen every day, the pulse life within every living being. Ironic that he would be more impressed by the ostensibly 'limited' power of Chi than by the supposedly limitless power of the mind. Perhaps, if the Fuchin and Lama Temples combined their knowledge, something greater still would be born.

"You understand now, at least a little."

Who was speaking? He turned his inner eye to the task, but there were no visitors. He was alone in the room. The young ones were already long gone.

"When a being becomes so close to oneness, they can see a great many things."

It was a pity, he supposed, that he could no longer speak. Not in this state.

"'Ki' and 'Chi' are not such differing powers as you suppose. They are two sides of the same coin."

There was a sense of… something, he realized. Something Greater, a life-force beyond all others. It lay below him in the earth and above him in the air. Always fleeting on the edges of his perception–

No, that was not it. The presence was easy to sense if you were looking for it, but its vastness made all attempts to comprehend it fail; the seeker would be unable to see the forest for the trees.

"And now you see a little, although you understand even less than you can see. That is good. There are many things in this world that would drive a man insane if they were unfortunate enough to attempt to assimilate too much data at once."

All encompassing? No, it was not that either. While it was all around him, it did not meld with the auras of all of the other life forms that he sensed. It flowed through the world… was this... Weyard? Was this the world itself? Was the very world alive?

"In a way, although not in the way you would think. Or rather, I am not what you think I am, yet perhaps I might do what you think I do. I am less than you believe, but also more. I could be more, but I choose otherwise, and so I am less until I decide the time is here, or, more likely, when it is decided for me and I do not disagree in the necessary manner."

This… Being was apparently amused at his confusion. The man was unsure how to feel about that. On the one hand, amusement was not exactly what he was seeking, but on the other hand there were far worse responses. If the Greater One would explain, then he might, perhaps, understand. But the implication in the obtuseness was that he was not supposed to know, or at least that he would have to figure it out for himself.

"That is not important now. The important question is: what will you do next?"

He would die, of course; he had expected that when he began his meditation and fasting. His body was almost entirely disconnected from hiss self, the brittle husk would not survive for much longer.

"Fight to survive, if you strive to return. If you do not make the attempt I will not force you to do so. It would be a pity, though, if after all of your work your students could not learn from what enlightenment you have found."

Yes, his students. They needed him still. How had he overlooked them? What good was his enlightenment if the next generation could not grasp that torch of illumination?

In shock, the old man reeled backwards from the brink.

"What will you do? Cataclysm draws near. If you return, you will find pain and suffering in the future, one way or another. If you have the strength to face that, then fight."

The time-ravaged master steadied his mental nerves. He suddenly felt tired, weary to his very core. How distant his mortal shell was! How could he reach it? Could he even begin to try?

"Choose."

Choose? What choice was there? There was no hope of success. Trying was beyond pointless! What kind of fool was he to even consider it? Choose? What choice was there? He threw back his astral head and laughed.

The answer was obvious. He would not shrink from it.

The voice seemed to smile. "Choose."

The master of the temple laughed for a long time, within that timeless place. He laughed as he finally understood the difference between surviving and living. He laughed as he understood the importance of hopes and dreams. He laughed as he understood the debt that all men pay, although he knew not what came after. Then, as his death loomed near he chose.

"I choose to fight!" He cried out, filling the ether with a voice he did not know that he had, filled with the joy of living. "I choose to fight for life and all that it brings! I will guide! I will heal! And I will Teach!"

And with that, he flung himself across the abyss.

-tempusfugit-

In Fuchin Temple, a withered man, little more than a mummified skeleton, sat in meditation on the floor of the temple. He was contemplating, trying to reach Nirvana as he sat unmoving, eyes closed in favor of another Sight.

His eyes snapped open.

Nyunpa smiled.