Rain: A Manifesto

The Art Perfected

I achieved a goodnight sleep for the first time in weeks. My mind had reached a peace that it was not used to. As I lay in my bed in the student quarters, I dreamt of Tanya. I dreamt of her voice, of her kind demeanor and of her smile. I am aware that my mentioning of it must grow tiresome, but her smile was forever engraved into my soul. It quickly became a powerful and wild obsession.

I awoke feeling confident and slightly more healed. I returned to the eastern training room for another session with Chameleon. When I entered the room, he was not there. I was not going to fall for it this time though. I knew he was hiding in the room somewhere. Despite my knowing this, he still managed to get the drop on me and place me in a headlock. "You are dead," he whispered arrogantly as he pushed me to the ground.

I stood up and straightened my garments. "How am I supposed to defend against you if I cannot see you?"

Chameleon began to walk back and forth as his color changed rapidly. "That is for you to figure out. I just enjoy seeing your face when I fill your soul with terror."

Chameleon let out a sarcastic chuckle as he raised his arms into fighting position. "Same as yesterday. Defend against my attacks. Do not attack me." I responded by raising my arms into the Zi Ran Men stance in the best way I could based on the instructions in the study chamber scroll.

"Zi Ran Men," he said as he put his arms down. "I see you have been doing some research. I think that will be an acceptable fighting style for you." He placed his arms back into fighting position. "Keep that forward arm further out though."

Just after Chameleon spoke, he released a hard punch into my chest. I fell to my knees for a moment and grunted. Chameleon began to speak again. "Zi Ran Men requires very specific placement for defensive maneuvers. This will not be an easy style for you to learn, and it is not one that I can teach to you in full discipline. You will need to seek out more specialized help."

I stood up and nodded as I raised my arms back up. "But until then," Chameleon murmured as his colors became a bright red, "you will have to do some improvising." My teacher leapt into the air with his fist lunging toward my head and I instinctively twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding contact with my jaw. Chameleon turned toward me again and nodded, before attacking once more.

We spent hours training again. I only defended oncoming attacks just as Chameleon enforced. At the end of my second session, he gave me some basic positioning techniques to work on before disappearing once again. His vanishing act was no longer surprising me. I was starting to find it obnoxious if anything. But I did not dwell on Chameleon for long. I quickly began making my way to the Locus room. I could not wait to see her. It was all I could think about.

I found the room and walked through the doors. Only two other students were in the room. "Excuse me, is Tanya here?" I asked one of the students.

"No," he answered. I believe she is training in the courtyard.

I thanked him and found my way to the courtyard. As soon as I stepped outside, I lost myself briefly. It was the first time I had been outdoors in days. The cool evening breeze of the mountains was indescribably refreshing. This area was limited in volcanic activity. It was some of the cleanest air in the realm. The magnificent purple sky of Outworld was looming over my head. This sense of placid euphoria was quickly interrupted by immense excitement when I saw Tanya within one of the training squares. She was practicing by herself and seemed to be acutely immersed in her training. I did not want to bother her, but I could not control myself and ran down the stairs.

Her back was turned to me as I approached her. It was then that I noticed that the moves that she was practicing looked very familiar. "Zi Ran Men?" I asked. She vigilantly turned around with her arms still raised in fighting position. She quickly realized it was me and chuckled before dropping her guard. "You should not sneak up on me while I am training. I get jumpy when I am fighting; even when it is only against imaginary people." She took a moment to catch her breath before walking a few steps closer to me. "But yes, that is my fighting style. How did you know?"

"It's mine too. Or well, it has been for the past twenty-four hours or so."

Tanya chuckled again as she picked up the piece of cloth on the table near her and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "It is not a commonly practiced fighting style around here. The trainer who coached me has unfortunately perished. There are others who can help, but none as much as he could have."

I did not know how to respond. I nodded and attempted to stand up straight in an effort not to appear inelegant. Tanya pursed her lips together and put her hands behind her back while her eyes moved back and forth. "Well," she said softly. "I could teach you a few things. I mean I cannot officially train you since I am still a student. But I doubt there are any rules about giving you a few pointers. After all, they want you to be the best killer possible. And I will be taking my tests within the next year or so. Then I will be a full-fledged member of the Iga-Koga anyway."

I paused briefly, attempting to think of how to respond. "Yeah," I blurted out eventually. "We can make each other look good. When do we begin?"

Tanya looked down and smiled. "This evening. But what do you say we take a break first?" She asked as she placed her student garments over her flexible, yellow training corset.

I nodded in agreement and she instructed me to follow her.

We walked through the courtyard side by side, observing the beautiful design and structure of the building. "This fortress is very old isn't it? How long has this society been active?" I asked.

"This fortress is over a thousand years old," Tanya answered as she turned her head toward me. "The Iga-Koga have been attempting to overthrow Kahn for a very long time. In the beginning, we were weak. The Emperor barely even noticed us. But as he began to conquer more realms and merge them with Outworld, more warriors diverted to our cause. It is actually an interesting bit of irony is it not? The more realms he conquers, the more enemies he creates. The more enemies he creates, the closer he gets to losing his thrown." We reached the other side of the courtyard and walked up the stairs. We came to a view that overlooked the high mountain ranges. The view spanned for miles and miles. I had never been this high above sea level before. It was incredible. Tanya continued, "Kahn will not be able to brush us aside anymore. We are getting stronger every day."

I leaned over the edge of the fortress wall, looking out into the seemingly infinite formations of mountains and clouds. "Then why are you and I the only Edenians here?" I asked as I turned my head toward Tanya. "Shouldn't more of us be joining this cause against Khan?" Her long black hair was flowing through the wind ever so perfectly. It made my heart begin to rush and my legs feel as heavy as an iron hammer.

Tanya turned her head in my direction and wiped the hair from her eyes. "Good question. The Edenian Resistance is its own organization. However, their goals do not align with the Iga-Koga doctrine. They fight strictly for Edenian freedom and separation. We fight for a new Outworld government; for an aristocracy."

I noticed for the first time that Tanya's eyes turned less enthusiastic when discussing the goals of the Iga-Koga society. Not as if she did not truly believe in the cause. But as though she wanted more.

"Then why not fight for the Resistance?" I asked in a perhaps too intrusive manner.

Tanya turned back toward the view of the mountains and took a deep breath. "You sure are an inquisitive one."

I could see stress building up on her face and I started to feel guilty. I blurted "I'm sorr…"

"Oh no! It's fine," she interrupted as her face quickly lit up with a smile again. "I told you that I would talk to you about anything you had questions about. You just like to ask the tough ones." We both laughed as she put her hand over mine. Still smiling, she looked down and began to speak. "Let me ask you something, Rain. How old are you?"

"23."

"So you do not remember much about Edenia. You were very young when our realm was conquered." She turned around and sat up on the wall and took another deep breath. "I am 58, Rain. I remember Edenia. I remember the woods, the trees and the air; the beauty of the realm that is matched by no other. Do you remember Edenia, Rain?"

I thought about my early childhood for a moment, but could not recall very much at all. "My clearest memory of Edenia is Kahn's invasion. I can hardly even recall images of my real parents." I could see Tanya was looking through me in an analytic way again. It was so strange for the both of us, seeing another Edenian. I had so much more to ask her. I could not fully wrap my head around the fact that she had vivid memories of our homeland. She was only 35 years older than me. That is almost nothing to Edenians. But she actually grew up in the Edenia! I looked back out toward Outworld and the purple sky which rested above it.

Tanya spoke again, "My father is a leader of the Edenian Resistance, Rain. He sent me here to train with the Iga-Koga in hopes of forming an alliance with them one day. The two organizations have been on friendly terms recently. But no formal alliance has been made. The leaders of the two organizations still have very little trust for each other. If the Iga-Koga and the Edenian Resistance work together, we can destroy Kahn's regime."

Tanya put her hands on my shoulders and stared deeply into my eyes with such alacrity that I briefly lost the ability to breath. "You being here, Rain is quite the enigma. But you can help both the Iga-Koga and Edenia greatly. The Edenian leaders will be more open to working with the Iga-Koga if they see another Edenian within the ranks of the Society. If we can convince both the Iga-Koga masters and the Resistance leaders to form a coalition, we can change the fate of the realms forever."

I was overwhelmed. I was far from ready from this kind of responsibility. My astonishment must have shown because Tanya was quick to wind back. "But you do not have to worry about this right now," Tanya said as she giggled. "I am sorry. I got carried away in my own idealism."

I let out a laugh myself and looked straight down off the edge. I immediately got a sense of vertigo as I realized that the ground was not at all visible through the clouds. I quickly turned around and leaned my back against the wall, blinking rapidly and breathing heavily.

Tanya laughed again. "You are not accustomed to being up this high are you?"

"No not at all. I spent my youth on the Outworld coast. I was raised by an elderly woman as a peasant." I sat up on the ledge with Tanya. "Now I am training with assassins."

Tanya smiled and tilted her head back, gazing at the sky in the same manner that I always had. I looked up as well. "Beautiful isn't it?" I asked.

"The Sky?" She replied in a cheerful manner?

"Yes," I responded. "That purple sky is the first thing I ever saw when entering this realm. It has always calmed me. It is also the source of my greatest strength."

Tanya began laughing. "Cute metaphor. I mean, really. Did you practice that one in front of a mirror?"

I laughed back at Tanya in a confident matter. "Tanya, that was not a metaphor." I slowly raised my hand in the direction of the nearest mountain, and then struck the peak with three lightning bolts in rapid succession."

Others that were in the courtyard promptly turned around in bewilderment. Tanya's jaw dropped as she stepped down from the wall. "Rain," she barely was able to murmur. "Rain, you have an ability matching that of the Gods. I knew you must have been strong for the Iga-Koga to take you in so quickly. But this… this is beyond belief."

I smirked, still feeling confident as I created a water orb in the palm of my hand as thunder roared in the heavens above. "Now I just need to learn how to fight," I stated as I slowly released the water onto the ground.

"Well let me see what I can do about that. Come on, we have spoken long enough."

Tanya led me down to the courtyard square wear she was training earlier. She removed her robes, and was now covered only by her yellow corset. This revealed a great deal more of her skin. It was so smooth and dark. I lost myself in it. I could not pay attention to anything else around me. That is when I got caught staring.

"Rain?" She asked playfully. "Do you want to train or do you want a show?"

I was very embarrassed. I cleared my throat and shook out my hands. "Yes. Let's… um. Let's train." I felt like such a fool.

Tanya laughed very loudly and placed her hands in fighting position. "Just follow my lead ok?"

I did as she instructed. I followed her every maneuver as a mirror image. Any time I made the slightest mistake, she would correct me. She would not allow anything but perfection. We must have trained for a good three hours. It would take many more sessions with her before I could get a solid grasp of Zi Ran Men. When we finished, we went to eat. On the way to the mess hall, Tanya approached the guards who had stolen my koins and convinced him to give them back. This woman was a true one of a kind.

The end of the night came. I walked with Tanya back to her quarters and she gave me a hug and told me to meet her again tomorrow for more practice. "Tanya," I said before she walked through the doors. "I really like you. I know we just met. But there is something about you that I just cannot explain. But, I do know that I like you."

Tanya looked down and smiled widely, seemingly blushing a little bit. "I will see you tomorrow, Rain." She looked back up at me and walked through the doors. That smile back was all I needed. I had never felt this type of attachment to anyone before. It was enthralling.

My training continued. Chameleon would not let up in this process. With every passing day, he struck me harder. With every passing week, he became faster and more evasive. With every passing month, he added to his collection of scars on my body. Oftentimes, I would wake up in the morning and just want to give up. I just wanted to just go back to the coastal towns and fish. I would have loved nothing more than to return to my 'simple life.' I decided to leave the Iga-Koga when I woke up one morning unable to feel my legs. That was it for me. I limped to the Eastern Training Room. I flung open the door and waited for Chameleon. Just like every other day, I knew he would get the jump on me and strike while he was invisible. I was going to wait for him to hit me and then tell him that I wanted out. I did not care if he killed me. I was not going to deal with being his punching bag any more. He would not even teach me anything about offensive kombat. He did not even want me to learn.

As these resentful thoughts crossed my mind, I heard Chameleon sliding toward me with knees bent and his fists low. It was one of his favorite preemptive strikes. Instinctively, I ducked and rolled to the side, barely avoiding contact with Chameleon's full speed attack. My master turned visible, pivoted toward me and nodded. A nod was usually the highest form of praise I would get from Chameleon. That was when I come to a realization: I was getting better. Through Chameleon's exhausting and painful training sessions, I was getting swifter, stronger and increasingly reflexive. I did not need to quit. I needed to try harder.

My training with Chameleon was not the only thing keeping me with the Iga-Koga Society. Their extensive study chamber was where I spent a great deal of my time. So much that I befriended two students who worked in the chamber and got a job in there myself. I was spending so much time there anyway that I figured I might as well make some koins while I read. I was required to study Iga-Koga history. But in all honesty, it really bored me. The scrolls that I was there to research were those that taught the arts of military strategy. From the very first scroll I picked up, I was obsessed with the war tactics of great Generals and conquerors. I came to the conclusion that commanding an army was what I was born to do.

What really kept me around the Society however, was Tanya. We had been spending a great deal of time together. She would work with me on my fighting technique almost every day. I would not be the same warrior I am today without her. We would go on walks through the woods in the mountains. She would tell me stories of Edenia. She had banned books that displayed hand drawn pictures of our native realm. It was amazing to see what it really looked like and connect them to the vague memories I had of Edenia. Any questions I had, Tanya would gladly answer. We were becoming very close.

As generous and personable as Tanya was, I came to realize she was also astonishingly ambitious. She would not only do anything to survive, but also to always be one step ahead of everyone else. As these qualities started to show, I only became more attracted to her. She was perfect. I just hoped that she felt the same way about me. But I was too cautious and shy to peruse those feelings.

One day, Tanya found me in the study chamber and tapped me on the back. She told me she had something to show me and that I needed to come with her. She grabbed my hand and dragged me out the door. She had me follow her about a mile outside of the fortress until we reached a piece of the forest which was well covered by surrounding trees.

"Tanya, what is this about?" I demanded.

Tanya looked around to make sure no one else was with us, and pulled a large book from her robes. "I have to tell you something, Rain," Tanya said softly. "I have been practicing magic."

"Sure you have," I responded quickly. "You have amazing speed and elemental abilities. Many great warriors do. Not to mention, you are training in alchemy."

"No," Tanya blurted out. "Take a look at the book."

It looked grim. Its cover was black with hints of red and had a series of dark, demonic images on the cover. The title read 'Dark Arts and Alchemistic Rituals.' The words immediately sent a chill down my spine.

"Tanya, this is black magic!" I yelled with shock in my voice.

Tanya put her hands on mine. "Shh. Rain, there is no such thing. This book is one of many that unlock certain aspects of our souls which we can otherwise never reach. That is it."

I immediately handed her back the book. "I don't want any part of this," I said with a sense of urgency.

"Rain, it is ok. No magic is inherently good or evil. It is how you use it. Watch."

Tanya brought out a blade from her robes and displayed the sharpness to me. She then proceeded to stab herself in the stomach.

"No!" I screamed as she started to fall to the ground. I grabbed her as she whimpered in pain. "Tanya, why?" I yelled as I began to panic and tear up myself.

"Page 204, Rain." Tanya barely let out as she began to cough and bleed very rapidly. Without thinking, I quickly turned the pages and handed her the book. With the whisper of a few words of a language that I could not understand, Tanya stopped coughing, grabbed my hand and put it on where the wound was. Her skin was completely healed. As if the blade had never even touched her. "You see?" She asked in a high pitched voice as she looked toward me with a smirk.

I stood up, and began pacing around. "Never do anything like that again, do you understand me?" I yelled very anxiously.

Tanya stood up as well and began laughing uncontrollably. "I am sorry, but I was trying to make a point."

"A little dramatic, don't you think?"

"Maybe so but do you not see, Rain? I can use this magic for good. I can use it to better myself and those in need."

She did have a valid argument. And I knew for certain that Tanya would never intentionally do anything to hurt the innocent. "Tanya, why did you show me this?" I asked as I stepped toward her.

Tanya put her hands behind her back and looked up at me. "Because, Rain." She paused as she gathered her thoughts. "Because I needed to tell someone. I have been keeping this a secret for months and I wanted to tell… well I wanted to tell someone. And I… I trust you more than anyone I know." She bit her lower lip and nervously bounced back and forth. "I know it has only been about a year, but I feel like I need to tell you everything. I feel like I have known you forever."

I do not know if it was left over adrenaline from almost watching her die, or because of what she just told me, but almost immediately after Tanya was done speaking; I leaned forward and kissed her for the first time. She was absolutely shocked for the first second or two. But she then gave in and kissed me back. Locking lips with Tanya was like entering another reality. Everything around us was gone. It was just her and I. My heart was racing like never before and my entire body was felt as light as a feather. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity. But it was not long enough. I wanted this moment to replace all else in existence.

Eventually, Tanya pulled away and put her hand over her mouth. "By the Gods, Rain." She laughed nervously and placed her arms around my neck. "I do not know what just happened. Oh my, I cannot even think right now. What was that?"

"Shhhh," I said as I kissed her softly one more time. "Just know that I have wanted to do that for a very long time now."

Tanya giggled again. "Well, finally." Our eyes locked. We just stared at each other for minutes. We did not speak. Only smiled and kissed occasionally.

"I have a feeling that if we do not go back now, we will be stuck like this forever."

"You are probably right." She took a deep breath and grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

We held hands the entire way back. I had never felt a sense of ecstasy that resembled this. It was too perfect to be true. Nothing in my life ever went this right. As we got closer to the fortress, I felt the need to bring up her spell book one more time. I had to make sure she was going to tread lightly when dealing with something so powerful. "Tanya. I know that you are very knowledgeable regarding magic and that you will intend to use books like these for good. But please, be careful. Be sure that you are using this magic and not letting it use you."

She looked at me with a caring and confident smile. "I am going to take the final test to become an Iga-Koga alchemist in a few days, Rain. I know what I am doing." She looked back toward the path ahead. "Plus I can count on you as my assistant."

"Oh no," I quickly responded. "I am no sorcerer."

As we reached the gates of the fortress, Tanya whispered in my ear, "I am going to make us stronger."

The words both intrigued and startled me. But as we approached the gates our stronghold, I made sure to push the thoughts to the back of my mind for the time being. If we were caught even discussing spells like these, we would surely be banished, perhaps even killed. I walked with Tanya back up to the Locus room. She smiled, waved goodbye and turned toward her quarters. Before she could get inside, I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to kiss her one last time. I did not care if anyone was watching. "I have to go," she whispered as she laughed.

"Ok, ok," I reluctantly uttered.

"I will see you tomorrow."

I do not know if I have ever slept better in my entire life. I woke up with a smile on my face. It was time for another day of training. Even that sounded wonderful.

Chameleon could not figure out why I was so happy. It seemed to really bother him. "Stop smiling! Or I'll give you a new face!" He hissed at me. I tried my best but could not comply. I was in a different world that day.

Tanya and I met in the courtyard later to practice. We could not look at each other with straight faces. Training was useless. Instead, we chose to go to the creek not too far away and go swimming. Just a quiet place where her and I could be alone. It may have been the most exciting and pleasant two days of my entire life. From that first kiss to the creek, everything was perfect.

A few days later, Tanya was made a full-fledged member of the Iga-Koga Society. In the courtyard, her worn out student garbs were replaced by new, sterling garments with the traditional gold markings of the Iga-Koga. As she stepped off the platform, Tanya looked my way and discretely blew me a kiss. That is a moment that I will treasure forever. Now that Tanya was officially part of the Society, she was given her own private quarters. Very few actually make it. Most either fail to qualify for the tests or fail the tests themselves. The failures became the serfs of the society. But Tanya having her own room was nice. It gave us extra time to spend together. We read, we talked, we trained and we occasionally went through her books of alchemy, looking for interesting spells. Some of them we tried together. I still did not like it, despite the fact that some of them without a doubt made me stronger and more powerful. It just did not feel right to me. I only participated when Tanya absolutely insisted. If we cast an excess of spells within a short time span, I would begin to feel like I was being watched at all times and would start to hear voices that were not there. Tanya claimed that none of that was happening to her. But it was alarming enough to keep me away from her black magic as much as possible. Far away.

I was spending so much time in Tanya's room that I eventually moved into her room for all intents and purposes. I was sleeping in there almost every night. It was so comforting, falling asleep with her in my arms, and waking up with her head on my chest. I loved her. I knew it was true. I loved her more than I could ever love anyone, but I could not say it. I did not want to complicate things. Everything between Tanya and I was just going way too well.

Word got out about Tanya and me fairly quickly. At first we thought that the masters would interfere and forbid us to have this kind of relationship, but they never seemed concerned about it. In fact, Tanya met with the Grandmaster before a mission at one point, and he asked her how I was doing! As if he was a distant relative of mine. It was the other students and some of the low ranking members who seemed to have issues with Tanya and me. Tanya was very well liked in the fortress. How could she not be? She was kind, friendly and beautiful. But some of the students took their jealousy too far and attacked me. No one really posed much of a threat. The closest anyone came was a student charged at me with a long blade. He almost sliced off my left arm, but a year and a half of training with Chameleon will give you some incredible defensive reflexes, believe me. I jumped high out of the way, and engaged in kombat with him. After a few wild swings with his sword, I kicked him up high and grabbed the sword from his hands. I told him to run and tell everyone that the next person to attack me will die. That mostly staved off any objectors to my relationship with Tanya.

Tanya was being sent out on missions very frequently now that she was a member of the Society. So I focused more on my training with Chameleon and my studies of military tactics. But when I did get to see Tanya and spend the night with her, it was always incredible.

One day, I was in a usual defensive struggle against Chameleon in the Eastern Training Room. He was now moving at nearly his full speed and attacking me with all of his strength. I was stopping everything he threw at me. That is when I got an overwhelming impulse. I was so sick of not being able to show any of my offensive moves to Chameleon. I had been practicing a roundhouse kick that I had seen instructions for in an old scroll. The idea crossed my mind and I could not resist. As soon as Chameleon gave me a slight opening, I twisted my whole body around and launched my left foot into Chameleon's head. My master propelled all the way to the other side of the room where he was stopped by the wall with an incredibly loud crash. I expected him to immediately stand up and beat me down for attacking him. But he did not. He sat against the wall and placed his head in his right hand, seemingly in great pain. "I think you are ready," Chameleon barely was able to utter.

I was very confused. "Ready for what, Chameleon?"

"Your tests. It is time to see if you really do have what it takes to be a full-fledged member of the Iga-Koga."

I could not believe it. This was one of the most outrageous statements I had ever heard. "You cannot be serious. I have now trained under you for over a year and a half. Whenever I have thrown an attack at you before, all you have done is beat me senselessly. Now all of the sudden it puts me up for promotion?"

Chameleon released one of his incredibly rare smiles that I was barely able to recognize through his mask. "Yes. But you hit me this time."