-Bamboo Chapter Three: Answers-
Mr. Larug cleared his throat and began, "Three thousand years ago a son, Dhund, was born to a high class artisan couple-- now you would call them "nobles" in your culture-- in the Shumi Village. You know of Shumi as a small village in Trabia continent right now, but back then it was a kingdom, extending to respectable distances, rivaling that of Esthar in its glory years."
"Dhund was the oldest child with three younger sisters. Back then in Shumi, to be the oldest son was to be the most important, and it carries with it many responsibilities, in those days as well as today. To be a "noble" was even more important, because the "Elder" artisans were considered the highest caste," Larug gave a distinct importance to the word "Elder", I became curious but before I could ask what the significance was, he continued. "The elders were responsible for the growth of society in all ways, economically, safety, and one of the most important, spiritually. Dhund had been born into a highly respected position, but as he grew, it soon became quite clear he had a demonic personality."
"What does demonic mean?" Quistis asked interrupting suddenly.
"It means you are possessed by devils," Seifer said snickering at Quistis' ignorance.
"Not so!" Quistis interjected. "There are no devils. There are only angels." I could only shake my head at her naivety.
Mr. Larug also shook his head. "Seifer is right, Quistis. There are demons that can take human and Shumi form. There are also Shumi who can...," Mr. Larug trailed off apparently seeing something dark in his own thoughts. Seifer, Quistis, and I exchanged glances but before we did anything, Mr. Larug quickly resumed his line of speaking, apparently forgetting about his pause. "Dhund was what was known in the Kedas--the holy books of the Shumi allowed read only by Elders—as an Arusa. He couldn't help being evil because it was in his nature to be so. When he was a child, his parents caught him torturing and abusing small animals. As a young adolescent, he tried to drown a childhood friend. He wasn't sent away because his family was rich and powerful, and held in high esteem by the rest of the Shumi. But Dhund's parents were distressed by his behavior and didn't know what they could do about it. Thinking that marriage could calm him, they had him marry when he was sixteen to the beautiful daughter of their neighbors. That was a mistake because on their wedding night when he was alone with his new bride he insulted her and yanked her hair. She got mad and scratched his face. That set Dhund off. He was a demon; he strangled her there and then and tried to hide her body."
"When the daughter did not show up the next day, both families grew concerned. Dhund's father confronted his son and Dhund broke down and confessed the murder because Dhund thought that his father would protect him from the authorities. The man had protected his son his whole life, and this wouldn't be any different, or so Dhund thought.
"But the father told him that this time he had gone too far and said he must face the authorities and pay the consequences. Now Arusas, by nature, cannot stand to be confined. The thought of being imprisoned sent Dhund into another frenzy, and he grabbed a knife and stabbed his father to death. Unfortunately, his mother walked in right then, she screamed and Dhund was so inflamed that he slit her throat as well before fleeing the house."
"The only real friend that Dhund had was his youngest sister, Lavati. Her spirit was so pure that even though she knew her brother was a demon, she still loved him. While he hid in the forest, away from the authorities, she brought him food and drink. But the other sisters found out what she was doing and told the police, who followed Lavati and apprehended Dhund. At first he thought his sister had betrayed him and he cursed her. But when he saw the tears on her face as they tied his hands behind his back, he knew she was the only one in the whole world who cared for him."
"They're going to take me now, Lavati," he said. "I will be beheaded. But death will bring me no release because of the heavy weight of my sins on my soul. I leave it to you in your life to find a way that I might gain freedom from my demonic nature and ascend to Hyne's realm."
Lavati kissed Dhund's hand as he was dragged off.
"You will be set free, I swear it," she promised him.
"Justice was swift in those days. Dhund was beheaded the next day. But true to his prediction, his soul was bound to the earth, and it wandered at night terrifying the children with bad dreams, and making food spoil. It was not until a powerful Sorceress, one of the descendants of the Great Hyne, visited the area that the children were able to sleep peacefully. This Sorceress became aware of Dhund's spirit and confined it to a tall shaft of bamboo."
"Wait, why was he put into a bamboo?" Quistis interrupted.
"Because bamboo is what is called a manic tube," Mr. Larug explained. "Mana is the subtle life force in your breath. It is what leaves your body when you die. It is the container for your soul, and bamboo has a unique property of being able to contain the mana. Naturally, the great Sorceress wanted to place Dhund in a place where he could no longer cause harm."
"Why didn't she just send him back to hell?" Seifer asked.
Mr. Larug was thoughtful. "She must have had her reasons."
"Did Lavati know her brother was stuck in the bamboo?" I asked, enjoying the story. Mr. Larug nodded.
"She found out and went to the Sorceress to ask if there was anything that could be done to release her brother permanently so that he could ascend to Hyne's realm. She told the Sorceress of the vow she had made to her brother before he was killed. The Sorceress considered long on Lavati's request and finally came to the conclusion that the only thing that could counter-act Dhund's heavy weight of his dark soul would be a seven-day reading of the Salavad Kuruna—that holy book I told you about. According to legend, it is said that hearing constantly about the exploits of Hyne for one week burns up all of one's sins. But, as I said, it is a large book, and one has to read all day to stand a chance of finishing it in a week. But Lavati was willing to read the book if the Sorceress would sit in on the reading, which she agreed to do. It was decided, in fact, that the reading should take place beside the bamboo field where Dhund was imprisoned."
"The news went around the realm that there was to be a seven-day reading of the Salavad Kuruna and there was much excitement because its reading is always considered auspicious. Many came to hear the reading. Even the family of the murdered bride, and Dhund's two other sisters, came. The only unusual thing about this reading was that a female was conducting it. The official reading of the Kedas is ordinarily undertaken only by men. But the wise Sorceress knew that Lavati's love for her brother was more important than tradition. She sat in deep contemplation the whole time Lavati read, but her powerful presence gave great potency to the reading."
"There are seven spiritual centers in all of us, meaning Shumi and human body. Likewise, there were seven sections to the shaft of bamboo that Dhund was trapped in. At the end of each day's reading, the crowd would hear the bamboo make a large popping sound. One of the sections of bamboo had cracked open, and that meant one level of Dhund's soul had been liberated. Each evening they would hear this sound. Finally on the last day, when the ritual was completed, the top of the bamboo cracked open and a loud sigh faded away. At that moment Lavati knew that her brother had been set free."
"Wait a second, I've heard bamboo crack like that before," Seifer said.
"So have I," Quistis jumped in. "Especially when it's hot. I've even heard it sigh. Does that mean trapped souls are being released?"
"I believe so," Mr. Larug said, glancing at me. "But I think that Squall probably believes that the expanding hot air inside the bamboo tubes causes the sections to break open." He smiled at me. "Am I right?
It was as if he could read my mind. "I thought that was the reason," I said ruefully. "But I liked your story."
"Yeah, I liked it too," Seifer admitted. "But I think this Dhund got off too easy."
"But that is the moral of the story," Mr. Larug said. "That even the worst of us can be redeemed by constantly thinking about Hyne."
Quistis laughed. "I don't know if that would work for Seifer."
When Mr. Larug stared at her then, I saw the sorrow on his face. It was as if he could read our fates on our faces. "It would work for you, Quistis," he said softly.
She didn't catch his words, too busy teasing Seifer on his "destination", but I caught it, and it made me wonder. Did I hear it right? Could he see something in store for us down the future? What could that phrase mean?
It would be much later when I would find the answer to this question so important. The time I would finally have the answers.
-End Bamboo Chapter 3: Answers-
Thugstra- thanks for the 1st review! I promise this will be a good story, just stick around. I hope you'll see the importance of the bamboo now, but if not now, you'll see it by the end.
AN: Trust me, that little story is important later down the road, so don't think I just put it there for show. This will only get better. And....Ellone, Garden, SEED? What does this have to do with anything? Well, you'll find out next chapter what happens.