11. Apostasy—
Kiro bought a set of civilian clothes and left the academy. He left Cheria. He left Corneria. He had to put it all behind him. He could never go back to the person he was. Too much had changed, now. As much as White magic had been a part of his life before, he simply could not bring himself to feel guilty anymore for what he had done. He could feel the healing that he had done, and that was, after all, why he became a mage in the first place, to heal. Agrias had not been ashamed. She had not been hurt or become attached to him or any such harmful thing. She had been healed. She thanked him. She thanked him several times, but she, too, was a part of his past to which he could not return. He needed a new life, so he set out to the east.
Kiro passed through towns, taking odd jobs to make ends meet, but kept moving on, never quite feeling as though he belonged anywhere. Along the way, he heard tales of the campaign between Corneria and Doma. As he grew farther away from the two warring states, however, the accounts became vaguer and more disinterested. There were losses and setbacks on both sides, followed by a peace accord signed when both childish kings grew weary enough of warfare to send and accept envoys of diplomats to negotiate a settlement, under pressure from some new, powerful western nation that preferred to trade with peaceful partners, rather than those embroiled in a meaningless squabble.
Both Corneria and Doma were bounded on their western sides by a great sea, the Western sea. Envoys from a nation beyond this sea had only recently begun arriving, carrying goods and a promise of greater prosperity if only their hopeful trading partners would come to some agreement. Tales had reached Kiro of the grandeur of these Western ships, large enough to carry a small village of people, and loaded with exotic spices and materials for trade. Perhaps this would mean a more lasting peace, the people hoped. It was interesting, at the very least to hear about the Western envoys. No one seemed to have actually seen the lands beyond the Western sea, and the sailors who brought their cargo ashore never seemed to be willing to describe their homeland in much detail, preferring only to negotiate prices for the trade of the goods they had brought. This naturally added an air of mystery that further encouraged speculation into the nature of Western lands, the riches they must hold, and rumors of magical crystals that existed on the other side of the sea.
Eventually, Kiro found a monastery in the eastern town of Wutai. Within the walls of the monastery, Kiro found a peace, a balance he had not felt in a very long time. There was something inexplicable about the energies exuded by the monks there. The Corneria White magic academy had been peaceful, too, but this was different. It was somehow more... natural, more in harmony with nature than as a contrast against it. Seeking to investigate this feeling, Kiro offered to help clean, plant in the garden, and otherwise perform chores for the monks in exchange for room and board. The monks accepted, and Kiro was happy to be in their company. He would watch sometimes as they sparred out in the monastery courtyard. Their moves were so graceful and flowing, there almost appeared to be a magical quality to them. Yet, the monks showed no signs of magical exertion. Their energies were powerful, yet they commanded them without the aid of either magic or special equipment.
He sought out the master of the monastery, a thin, ancient man whom the others called "Master Cid." Kiro entreated admission into the monastery, pledging to become a monk and study their martial art. Kiro explained that he had been wandering without a place to call his own, that he had shunned his former life in search of a new one.
In so doing, Kiro discovered the art of these monks focused on the body, rather than ignoring it. Kiro was meant to feel these energies that flowed through his flesh, rather than inhibiting them in exchange for some arcane magic. Everything the monks taught seemed to flow from nature. The heart and mind were not objects to be manipulated or repaired, rather, they were sources of energy along with the body, and all three would be trained to work in harmony.
To Kiro, this was a feeling like being awakened after having slumbered for a very long time. Indeed, as he had been wandering, after leaving Corneria, he had suppressed his White magic energy, along with his soul, which had become so closely tied with White magic. Now he was learning how repressed his own natural energy had been in his time as a White mage. Kiro spent hours in the new form of meditation taught to him by the monks. Through this, he learned to feel a very personal energy flowing through him and all around him. Before long, Kiro had come to feel his light blue gi almost like a second layer of skin. It was so much lighter than his mage's robes had been. He felt less cocooned in thick cloth, and more in tune with the thin breezes that surrounded him. The experience was deeply profound.
His repeated practice sessions with the monks taught Kiro that he was much stronger, on a deeply internal and physical level, than his previous reliance on White magic had led him to believe. Kiro eventually became accustomed to the daily routine of the monks. Each day started with early morning warm-ups, followed by a breakfast of rice and soup, then light sparring. The afternoons involved a light lunch of rice and beans, followed by guided meditation or instruction from either Master Cid or one of the other black belts. Interestingly enough, the belts were not blackened with dye, Kiro discovered. Everyone was issued white belts when they entered, but as the blood and sweat poured into the belts, they symbolized the training the monks had undergone. As such, they were forbidden to wash their belts, since that might remove some of the skillful energy stored up therein. Thus, those most experienced had much darker colored belts. The idea became less disgusting over time, especially considering the monastery was very well ventilated, and everything else was cleaned regularly.
Later afternoons and early evening was occupied with chores, such as cleaning of the floors and walls, washing the clothes, and working the rice paddies and gardens that grew the vegetables that the monks ate. They prided themselves on self-reliance and felt that actually raising crops for their own consumption put them in much closer connection to the earth and to the circle of life and sustenance of which they were a part.
So, it would seem that Kiro may have found a new calling. Class changes are rare in most of the Final Fantasy games, so I wanted to make it a rather rare occurrence here, as well. Also, it just would not be Final Fantasy if there were not a Cid, and Cid is usually an older, wise character, so I thought this was a good place to throw him in, since I had neglected to do so earlier. The Western nation's crystals are also a reference to the power of magical crystals being important in many Final Fantasy universes.
I am always looking for more reviews. I would like to know what others think of my writing. If they have suggestions on how I may improve, I would like to know those suggestions, too. My own worry here is that there may be a problem with the fact that there is only one character that really sticks through the entire story, so far. I guess that is realistic, in that people change their company over long periods of time, rather than having truly lifelong friends whom one interacts with regularly for one's entire life. This story follows Kiro through a long path, so it is natural for us to get to know a few people and then leave them behind. I wonder if I am pulling that off correctly, if I should move more slowly, or what. I do not want to add too much that fails to advance the plot, but I also do not wish to jump around so fast that the readers find it jarring.