Perpetual Samsara (Part 11)

The training with Sivanah continued for hours upon hours. There was never a spare second for the youth to truly take a break. The only time a rest occurred was when his concentration was broken for a brief moment before the Great Tengu chopped him on the back of the head to get him to try again. At the current time, Sivanah instructed him to move into something more physical than meditation; this was about practicing Tai Chi.

The idea with this martial art was to direct the body to flow like water. She directed him to move his body like a steady current free from abrupt and unnecessary movements; to differentiate when his body should move fiercely from a sudden burst of energy, to a rhythmic flow that continued on endlessly. This would allow him to get an understanding of how to direct not only his body, but his mind to channel its inner strength naturally.

"Whoa…!" he gasped upon losing balance before falling down to the ground hard.

"Good grief…" she sighed with disappointment before she loomed over him with a judging stare.

"You really are a klutzy, hopeless child…were I not following a directive…"

"Yeah, yeah…I get it; you'd probably throw me out of here because I'm not worthy of your time. You don't have to remind me every five minutes. I'm trying my best to get the stuff you're teaching me…I am, okay? Just…" Raizo gritted his teeth in annoyance and turned away from her, visibly frustrated over everything.

"Hmm…" pondered the infamous Kiichi Hogen as she observed Raizo's position with one enchanted glow in her eye. She examined the state of the Stormbringer's Karma to see what was really going on.

"I see…so he is hitting a crisis. There's a small seed of doubt and fear planted within him when he faced the Chaos King that was in his memories. No wonder why he cannot advance any further."

"Um…hey…would you mind not staring at me like that?" the young Crusader mused with apprehension in his voice.

"Hmph."

Sivanah suddenly yanked Raizo up to his feet. In swift motion, she stomped the ground causing a wall-like boulder to spawn before slamming the boy against it. She then pinned her hand against the rocky surface leaning dangerously close to him. Such a phenomenon brought to mind the other instances in his life when this occurred; Adena being the most suspect of it all. This caused his chest to swell up as his breath was seized by the intense moment.

"You need to let go…that is your next step in this long journey to enlightenment; you must embrace the art of letting go and embrace the Tao into yourself. To do that, you need to enter the Vaitarani, but that can only happen when you cross from life to death," she explained, uncaring of the distance between them at the moment.

"Um…what?" Raizo paused trying to digest the context behind her words.

"Goodness, child…were you not paying attention the first time? Very well, allow me to break it down into simpler terms," began the Primordial Rogue.

"The Vaitarani is a river that flows between the aspects of Life and Death. It is a sacred place capable of purifying one's truest essence. The righteous see the river filled with nectar-like water, while the sinful see it filled with blood. The nature of this realm is outside conventional duality such as good and evil, light and darkness; just like Akasha's Obsidian Wolf and its Aspectral Law – Defiant Wolf."

"Er…wait, don't you mean Outlaw…or Outlawed Wolf?" Raizo inquired, as he remembered when he first encountered the idea of the ability once the power was borrowed from Assana.

"That is not its original, proper name when invoked by the Goddess-Above-All or the Wolf Aspect. That name was something mortals imparted upon it and thus it became synonymous with it; but allow me to continue," she paused to clear her throat.

"This place we occupy currently is outside restrictions and opposites like the Defiant Wolf; thus those who bathe within these enlightened waters partake in the Vaitarani's nature and become capable of ascending to new heights beyond their full potential. That is why you are fortunate to be here.

You must come to terms with yourself and to do so, you must understand your origin. Therefore, I believe it best that you utilize the river to reach the source of yourself in order to grasp your true identity and shatter what is holding you back," Sivanah finished.

Raizo went silent for a brief moment. His eyes hazed over whilst he pondered his options. Quickly glancing around the area, the isolated paradise crafted an ideal environment for him to reach the root of his internal struggle once and for all. 

"At this point…I really have no other options, do I? After all, I feel like I'm constantly coming up short when it really matters the most. If I don't overcome this issue now, will I really be useful to my family going forward?" he debated as he relinquished a quick sigh.

"Let's do it. I don't see a way for me to move forward until I overcome this storm inside of me once and for all," Raizo responded.

"Follow me."

Sivanah led Raizo deeper into the heart of this mysterious island. As they weaved through the brush and greenery, the Crusader felt a strong weight pull on him. It was as if something was beckoning him to continue walking towards the source of it; like he was meant to make this journey. He relinquished a small cough and grabbed his chest for a period which prompted his guide to look over her shoulder towards him.

"You can feel it, can't you? The cry of the Vaitarani…it's calling out to you like it knows what it is you seek. That's good, that means that your resolve is ready for what is about to come next."

"How can I feel something so strongly when I know nothing about it?"

"Maybe because a part of you knows that this journey is destiny."

"Destiny…"

He softly chuckled to himself feeling like that word has followed him around more than he liked to admit. It was a funny concept, but regardless of his current reservations, it seemed that destiny was not through with him just yet.

"Here we are."

Sivanah brought Raizo before a giant altar that stood as high as a Red Torii gate leading up to her palace back in the Tengu realm. The entire structure was a giant Kamidana nestled into a strong rock formation at the base of a waterfall where bioluminescent aqua energy seemed to gather. A great golden tassel with crimson tapestry hung down over the entry. Dark, redwood comprised a rectangular doorway coming to an apex by a similarly colored trapezoidal roof. Outside of this doorway seemed to rest an engraving of two hands splayed open as if cupping something precious on its palms.

"This is Great Altar Where the River Flows; a shrine erected to be a gateway to the Vaitarani; as a being of Karma and the Keeper, this shrine is directly under my care," Sivanah expressed with a soft sigh of relief and awe as she basked in the splendor of the construction.

"Raizo, this challenge is one that is unlike any enemy you have ever faced before. Whereas you had the help of your family to get you through great battles, this time you are solely on your own. Once you pass through this gate, not even I will be able to aid you. Should you overcome this, you will be recognized by my people as a Tengu and receive the authority of such a title."

"You mean…I'll actually become like the Daitengu?"

"No, it won't be the same as a natural-born Tengu. Rather, it will be an additional power to your uniquely complex existence as a hybrid of human and primordial."

"That's…I guess I'll figure it out whenever I get to that point."

Raizo stepped forward slowly as he gulped down his nerves. He gradually reached out to touch the gateway but he felt it reject him.

"Neither the living, nor the dead may enter this place. In order to pass through to the other side, you must be in a state between life and death. Your best bet is to use your strongest weapon, Soteria, to 'kill yourself.' Don't worry, I will watch over you."

"Did you…seriously just tell me to take a flying leap with a straight face? How…regal of you," he chuckled nervously.

"No one said the path to one's own truth was an easy one," she countered with a small hint of sass in her voice.

"Right…"

Raizo inhaled deeply to steady his resolve before extending his hand out to summon the fabled blade of Promised Victory. He observed its illustrious edge, holding it with two hands before surrendering it to Sivanah. At that point, the Queen held the hilt of the weapon and pointed it towards his heart. He traced his hands along the blade, trying not to let anxiety creep up within him. They stood next to the open pair of hands before he nodded with affirmation to go ahead.

"Guh…"

In one seamless motion, the blade was thrust into his chest piercing through his physical body and into the confines of his soul. Instantly, the gateway illuminated and welcomed his consciousness as his body fell back against the hands that seemingly waited for him. His journey through the boundaries of life and death began.