1 The Last Samurai

"Once," said the voice of the samurai, a blend of machine and man, but as bound to honor and as loyal to his nation as he had even been, "there was peace."

In his memory, Cyre is a land of blossoming meadows, of fruiting trees, of peaceful villages, of tranquil shrines and temples, of ancient history and proud tradition. His oldest memory, he plays in a babbling brook, knee-deep in cool water, trying to catch fish, whose scales are gold and white.

"It is not a matter of speed," said the voice of his maker, his father, the mountain from which he was forged, the foundation of his life, a universal constant that could never change. "You must be like the rocks in the water--though you do not move, you are not an obstacle, but a guide. The water parts around you, not in spite of you."

The small boy tried to stand still, tried to convince the koi he was no more threatening than the many pebbles and cobbles of the brook. But they weren't buying it--he was too canny, too intentional. His spirit willed their capture, and they knew to avoid him.

Except for the fat one, with the particularly golden scales. A sharp flint spearhead pierced him, like a meteor strike from the heavens, impossible to predict or avoid. Eunji was small, but his brother Hanjo was big--not as big as Father, but at least comparable. And in that moment, the boy felt only awe and worship--and a bit of sadness for the fish--but clearly Father did not share his perspective.

"Hanjo," said Father, in the tone that meant it was time to feel small. "This lesson is for Eunji."

"But father," he began, his confidence already showing signs of fading, "I only wish to show him how--"

"How I have failed in his teachings?" father said accusingly. Hanjo had no answer. "Perhaps you've come here because your own studies are too challenging, and you wish to be judged against easier tasks?"

Hanjo hung his head in shame. "I only...wished to--"

"Do not wish," his father interjected. "Do. As you can. As you are able. Only because you have learned, through trial, and through triumph.