Super Ego: The Tale of Gantetsu

Denizens of Qlon Temple usually did not interfere with Priest Fukien's meditation, but today, he was out and about and enjoying the natural beauty of the quiet shrine. Master Fukien would take these peaceful walks every so often, usually by himself, and would allow his hours spent alone to be invested in meditation, thought, and prayer. Except for the daily visitor or the occasional crusading wanderer, Qlon Temple rarely saw more than five people in its dwelling, so Fukien could easily list them all off as he prayed to the stars above.

His thoughts wandered to Morgan, the blind gladiator who had renounced his warrior ways and traded them in for a priesthood. The dark-haired fighter was quickly become very in-tune with his spiritual side; perhaps his blindness had helped to draw out the light from within? Morgan, like Fukien, would soon be a part of the Liberation Army in but a few months, so he would have the rare ability to train both body and soul.

Lacking physical or spiritual abilities was Hugo, the Qlon Temple librarian. To make up for such a lack of skills, young Hugo was a mental man, specializing in histories and records and scrolls, which in turn helped Qlon Temple out. Fukien prayed especially hard for these two, for it was the youth who oftentimes molded the future.

But Gantetsu…

Well, Gantetsu was another matter in himself. Although he was the oldest priest after Fukien himself, and thus more experienced, Gantetsu was anything but a holy man. He and Fukien had been at odds for decades--probably even before the larger man ever set foot on Qlon's property. It was true that Gantetsu knew his way around "his" occupation, and could easily teach Morgan a few valuable lessons, but Fukien never seemed to believe that the taller man would ever reach his potential.

The thing was (and this was as simply-put as anything), Gantetsu was sort of an egotistical priest. He valued the strength of the body, which was okay to a degree (after all, the body was akin to a temple for the soul), but Gantetsu took his obsession beyond what scriptures recommended--indeed, he took it to an obsession.

Spouting out burly phrases of "I am Gantetsu, a great priest!!!", and "I have the strength of 100 men!!", the large priest would make his way through Qlon temple and to the caves, where he would exercise his body and his creed. The caves near Qlon were forbidden to anyone unless they had the permission of a higher priest, and since Gantetsu had fitted that bill, he considered everything to be all right. He spent hours in that dark place, perfecting his own "religion" of physical power.

"Gantetsu," Fukien would say, "I do not completely disagree with your methods. After all, the body is indeed important, and like any respectable temple, it must be well-maintained. But your methods go beyond what is written, and I cannot agree with you."

"Master Fukien!!" responded Gantetsu in his powerful voice (even he called Fukien "Master"). "One must tone the body to face life's everyday demons! Just look to Morgan for your evidence! The man's nearly as strong as I am, and he seems to earn your approval!"

"If it is my approval you seek, then I would wish you to think otherwise," stated Fukien boldly. "I approve only those that have earned it. Yes, Morgan is quite powerful, but unlike you, Gantetsu, he does not obsess over his own body every waking chance he gets!"

"So I like to keep in shape!" argued the larger priest. "I don't wanna end up lookin' like a decrepit old fogey! I'd like to boast about my muscles a bit when I approach death!"

"You are forgetting the entire purpose of your priesthood!" insisted Fukien. "Our lives are not dedicated to ourselves, but to the task of bringing others into the light, and to banish darkness, and to guide spirits into the afterlife. It is not so we can boast about ourselves!"

"Bah!" snorted Gantetsu. "I will walk my own path, and you will walk yours!" With that, the muscular priest left Fukien's company, storming off elsewhere to resume his unique practice. Mentally, Fukien sighed, and whispered out a warning to his fellow priest.

"Remember, Gantetsu," he said, "the road to destruction is deep and wide and full of pleasurable sights, but the road to salvation is narrow, and few shall walk it. I pray that the light will shine onto your closed eyes…"

But as expected, Gantetsu's condition did not improve--at least, not spiritually. Sure, he quickly became quite powerful (though in truth, he wasn't that strong), and definitely rid the Qlon caves of some very nasty creatures, but all the exterminations in the world couldn't salvage what was left of his soul. Gantetsu quickly developed a large ego to match his body, and soon literally thought himself as powerful as he fancied. Yet as time ticked away, more and more desires filled up in his mind.

He began to sin.

To a priest, wrongdoings are not darkly frowned upon like one would expect. After all, they too were human. Even Fukien fell short many times, despite his decades of study and dedication, so to sin was not sacrilege. But Gantetsu's wrongdoings went beyond what even a "commoner" would do. The man committed indescribable faults, most of them having their root in his insatiable desire for power, and soon, Gantetsu began to grow a little tyrannical.

"We definitely need to do something about him," said Hugo one day. Fukien and Morgan agreed.

"Yes… but what? All of our punishments would only bounce off of that thick head of his. I don't think this is dire enough to call for excommunication, either." Fukien, who had been rubbing his chin in thought this whole time, mumbled and nodded his head before speaking.

"Hmm, perhaps you are mistaken, Morgan," he said. "Perhaps… perhaps… an exile is just what we have been looking for. Yes, yes, perhaps we should spurn Gantetsu from this temple."

"But Master! Does that not sound too cruel, even for his crimes?!"

"On the surface, yes," agreed Fukien. "But, let us say that this exile will only be temporary. We should throw Gantetsu into the world outside of Qlon, and allow him to go through the great Test that is Life itself. If he is truly powerful, and not just on the outside, then he may yet redeem himself."

"……I think I understand, Master," said Morgan thoughtfully. "But still… it does sound a bit extreme. Could there be a chance that he does not return?"

"Yes, of course," replied Fukien warily. "…If he does not come back, I suppose we should simply shake the dust off our feet and continue on. His loss will ultimately be nothing we cannot handle--after all, does he contribute anything now?" A pause.

"…He does perform a good job in that cave," mentioned Hugo. Fukien had to agree.

"Yes. But, as far as I know, that is the only good thing he is doing. Morgan, could you not take care of the creatures in his stead?" A pause. The blind priest mulled over the thought and allowed it to stew to a simmer before he gave his answer.

"I suppose I could," he said. "I should not experience any problems with such beasts. I was… trained quite well in Falena."

"Then, it will not be a loss," concluded Fukien. However, the old monk still had hope for Gantetsu, so he added another thought. "…But, think of what we may gain if he does return? Would we in fact be getting something for nothing?"

"That does sound reasonable," said Hugo. "…But, all this talk of exiling and reaccepting Gantetsu… It is a bit sickening, I admit."

"Do not worry," assured Fukien. "I shall handle any pain that is caused. I thank you for your council. Peace to you both."

"And peace to you, Master," said Morgan as he bowed his head. He and Hugo went to their individual sections of the temple to study, leaving Fukien with the difficult but necessary duty of banishing Gantetsu from the temple. It wasn't going to be easy, especially if the selfish priest never considered returning, but it had to be done.

Besides, a journey of self-discovery was exactly what Gantetsu needed.

The End