The Martial Unity

Amare gazed at the setting sun from atop the Temple Walls.

Her expression was soft and gentle while her eyes brimmed with the light of life. And yet, she couldn’t hide the uncertainty and discomfort she felt in her heart.

Having spent her entire life in the Gen Temple, her exposure to the outside world was limited.

Curious as she was, she was most content in the Gen Temple with the people she loved in her entire life. She didn’t want to leave them. She didn’t want to leave her grandmother behind.

And yet…

“Who am I…?” A whisper escaped her as her hand rested upon her heart.

Where did she come from?

Why did she remember memories from a different era?

Why has she been dropped at the Gen Temple as a newborn infant?

Why did she have the memories of none other than the Progenitor of Martial Art, according to her grandmother?

It had been such a shocking revelation that she wasn’t even able to wrap her mind around it. She didn’t understand.

She didn’t understand what was happening.

And yet, it only intensified her desire to understand the truth. It only heightened her desire to comprehend where she came from. It only deepened curiosity into the true nature of her being.

The more she immersed herself in the matter, the more she understood the choices that her grandmother had given her. There were no answers to be found within the Gen Temple.

She had come from the outside, and that was where the truth was. If she chose to stay in the Gen Temple, she would be with her loved ones, but every night before she fell asleep, she would be consumed by the gnawing desire that would eat away at her from within her, seeking to understand what she was. There was no nirvana to be found in this path.

She came to understand why her grandmother gave her the choice to go with the Dawnbringer.

She felt a strange sense of kinship with him.

In a world of people who could never understand the dissonance that she suffered through, stretched between two memories of two different lives, she was drawn towards him for reasons that she never could understand.

The way he looked at her even after seeing the strange memories in her Embodiment.

She sensed true understanding.

A true understanding of what she was going through.

It was naive to think that a random stranger from the outside could possibly understand her better than her own people, and yet, she felt a truly profound sense of kinship with her. “Having trouble deciding, my granddaughter?” Her grandmother’s serene voice reached her.

Amare turned, smiling brightly at her grandmother’s presence, even as a hint of uncertainty entered her eyes. “Grandma…”

“I don’t blame you,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi patted her granddaughter affectionately. “It would be strange if you were able to come to a decision easily and quickly. In the span of a few days, your entire life has changed.”

Amare grew immersed in thought as she relished her grandmother’s comforting presence. “Rui Quarrier… what kind of man is he?”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled knowingly. “Have you taken an interest in him?”

“…I feel a deep sense of kinship towards him,” she murmured. “I don’t understand why. We spent a day on temple chores and…”

She giggled at the memory of forcefully dragging him around the entire temple to do manual labor with her. “He was fun.”

“Is that so?” Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled. “This one is happy that my granddaughter has taken a liking to him. As for what kind of man he is…”

Her eyes grew hazy as she fell into thought. “An extraordinary one,” she remarked. “I did not know there was a Martial Master aside from the Monster, the Blood Goddess, and the Anti-Life who could equal you. He went even further and even defeated you, even if narrowly. And yet, he is not drunk on power. He possesses humility and a sharp intellect that does not let anything slip by. More importantly…”

She turned towards Amare. “He is one of the pillars of the Era of Darkness.”

“Pillars…?” Amare’s eyes lit up with wonder.

“Indeed, he came here to impart his power with us,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi nodded. “With the power of his Adaptive Evolution, human civilization will be able to resist and overcome the Beast Incursion and dispel the Era of Darkness. I believe that you can help him with that.”

“I can…?” Amare’s eyes lit up.

“Of course,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled. “The Era of Darkness cannot be dispelled with power alone. You see, darkness exists in people’s hearts. While the Dawnbringer gives civilization the power to fight against the Era of Darkness, you can give people the power to fight the darkness within their hearts if you so choose.”

The thought warmed Amare’s heart. “I would love to do that, but…”

Her smile grew bittersweet. “I will miss home.”

“Then you might choose to stay,” Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled easily. “Regardless of what choice you make, I will support you wholeheartedly. However, know that your time is running short. The Dawnbringer will soon depart. And while it is not impossible for you to make this voyage without him, it would be better if you go with him if you decided to search for the truth and dispel the darkness in people’s hearts.”

She gazed at her grandmother. “If I go, then… I won’t see you for a long time, won’t I, Grandmother?”

Bodhisattva Maitreyi smiled with a hint of melancholy. “I’m afraid so, my child. I don’t know how long I will spend in the Beast Domain fighting the most dangerous foes of human civilization, but I highly doubt it will be a short period of time. And yet…”

She gazed at Amare with affection. “You mustn’t let your attachment to me shackle you.”

Amare nodded with a bittersweet smile. “…I will miss you, grandma.”

Her grandmother’s eyes lit up as she understood the decision that Amare had made before smiling even deeper.

“And I shall miss you with all my heart as well, my precious granddaughter.”

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