Lore

Chapter 1: Panda

There was a time I thought the world was at ease. The sweet aroma of the Chinese Gansu mountains, the crisp air blowing across my fur. Life was easy then. Food was plentiful, my home was a safe haven for all. That was until the machines came and ripped my life away from me. They destroyed the forests, slaughtered my brothers and sisters, and pushed us survivors out of our habitat. With nowhere else to go, I decided to make a journey to the palace of my heritage. The hidden temple, “Xióngmāo miào”. The trip would be long and dangerous, but without any other option, I decided that this was my only option. I set forth on the journey, but the obstacles became almost unbearable. Poachers, leopards, food and water shortages, and the machines all delayed my travels, but I was able to persevere. Many months passed but I made it to my destination. Though the temple is hidden, there have always been rumors on its location. Upon arrival, there was a large opening in the side of the mountain, hidden by moss and fallen rocks. I spent days clearing the area enough to pass into the cave, as well as building shelter and finding food and water. Running low on supplies and energy, I struggled to finish my mission. As I cleared the last rock needed before I could enter, a strong gust of wind burst through and blew me off my feet and onto my back. I regained my footing and pressed forward into the cave. There wasn’t much light in the cave, except the sunlight coming from the cave’s entrance. The farther I walked, the darker it became. I noticed that there was a faint glow ahead. On the side of the wall was etched, “The sun of the night, when full of life, shall open the gate. A token made by a forged blade, made upon the anvil in the sky. Only those who are pure may proceed but those tainted by greed, will be blinded by their sins.” What did this all mean? Was it referring to the tiān jiàn? The fabled blade thought to only be a story passed down from generation to generation? According to the story, the blade is said to exist at the tallest point of the tallest mountain. There weren’t many options, so I decided to make my way. I gathered the supplies I could carry with me and made my second journey…

Chapter 2: Human

I was 19 and going to college to be an engineer. I wanted to be one of the best in the world. Looking back now it would have been one of the last times my life was ever truly “normal”. I was leaving class late one night. I had a few questions and stayed to talk to the professor. It was around 8 p.m. and it was getting dark. The sun was setting and there was storm clouds on the horizon. I was relatively new at driving, and had never driven in inclement weather before. I was rushing to get home, driving well over the speed limit. The storm was quick to approach, and it appeared that I was driving towards it. Lightning flashed in the close distance, and the boom from the thunder shook my vehicle as I progressed home. Only a few miles from home, the storm surrounded me. The winds blew my car back and forth across the road, the lightning lit the world around me, and the thunder was deafening. It was getting hard to control my car, and I began to panic. I sped up to try and get home before the storm got worse. The rain was too much, it was hard to see. I didn’t see the oncoming traffic, and I couldn’t see the lines on the road. A horn blasted in my ears. I swerved to avoid the impact. I lost control…

Chapter 3: Journey

The mountain was so cold. I knew the journey would be hard, but I wasn’t prepared for the turmoil I encountered. My body began to fail me, but I persevered. I arrived at the summit but without a sense of direction. The snow was thick and heavy, and the winds pierced my face. I could make out a faint outline of a cave. I needed shelter. I wouldn’t last in this weather…

Chapter 4: Damage

Lights… Sirens… I faded in and out of consciousness. Faces looked down on me, but all I could decipher were shapes and colors. I could hear voices, but I could not understand the words being spoken. I worked up the strengths to ask what had happened, but my voice was too weak to make any words. My arms and legs felt heavy, like the weight of the world pushed me down into the ground. Pain radiated through my torso and into my neck. I could feel liquid flow down my face, but I was unable to determine what it was. The lights around me began to fade again. Sounds became quieter and quieter until there was nothing. I was alone in my head with nowhere to go. I became lucid.

Chapter 5: Summit

Finally, I arrived at the cave’s entrance. There was an ominous warmth about this cave. It felt too warm. There was a small path in the cave, just big enough for me to fit through. A light flickered in the distance, but seemed to be getting farther and farther away. I made my way through the opening and ventured towards the light. The closer I got, the brighter the light. Soon the light became so bright, I had to advert my eyes. I pressed forward until I couldn’t see anything but white. Then, the light vanished. I could see nothing but darkness.

Chapter 6: Bed

Everything was blurry. My vision and memories, nothing made sense to me anymore. Everything felt hazy and my brain fragmented. There were lights, rain, and then I remember immense pain. Then, nothing. I could hear people enter the room I was in, but couldn’t make out the words they spoke. My arms and legs wouldn’t move, they felt like they were 500 pounds. There was a faint hum in the room and a beep every 5 seconds. I could deduce that this was some sort of hospital. Was I dying? I was unsure, and I couldn’t speak to anyone…

Chapter 7: Sky

I took small steps so I didn’t lose my footing. As I walked deeper down the path, the air became thick and damp. A small light shined through what appeared to be a keyhole. I pressed my foot against it and a door opened. Inside, a solitary blade with a cloud engraved into the handle. The blade rested upon a pedestal, and on the side read, “Only one pure of heart may lift the blade. Those of tainted faith will perish.” The warning had me doubting myself, but I had nothing more to lose. My family was gone, my home destroyed, and I couldn’t venture into the freezing temperatures anymore. Reluctantly, I grabbed the blade. It began to shine brighter than the lights from the cave. An ominous voice spoke to me, You are pure… Proceed…” it whispered. The room began to spin and the floors crumbled. I started to run, but I wasn’t fast enough. The floors gave out and I began to fall…

Chapter 8: News

Paralyzed. I would never be able to move on my own again. There was an accident. My car swerved off the road, and into a ditch. I flipped the car several times and landed upside down, pinned in the driver’s seat. It took several men, and hours to extract my body without damaging me further. All of this I overheard from doctors, nurses, and my family. My father spoke to my mother and mentioned that it would be more humane to pull life support from me…

Chapter 9: Temple

I awoke at the temple’s entrance. I’m not sure how I arrived but I could see the writing on the wall and the end of the cave. I wandered out to the cave’s entrance, and noticed the sun going down. The moon on the opposite horizon was full. I sat at the entrance and watched the moon rise into the winter sky. When the moon was overhead, a voice whispered to me again. It said, “Reveal me…” Was the sword talking to me? Or maybe I was going crazy. I pulled the sword from its sheath. The moonlight shined onto the blade, and pointed into the cave. I made my way back to the writing on the wall. The voice again whispered, “Blood…” it said. I took the blade and ran my finger across the sharp side. The cave walls began to glow, almost like it could sense me. A drop of blood fell to the floor and the ground began to shake. The dead end wall began to descend, revealing a staircase winding down farther into the mountain…

Chapter 10: Idle

I laid comatose for what seemed like years, in reality it was only a few days. I couldn’t do anything. So many tubes and monitors were attached to me, the muffled sounds of beeping and tanks hissing were my only release from my mind. I still had no movement in my limbs still, and my voice was so weak, there was nothing when I tried to speak. Some days I wish it would all end…

Chapter 11: Solace

I descended the stairwell that was revealed. I marched down for what felt like an eternity. My legs became weak, my breath became cold and the air grew heavy. The ominous voice whispered to me again, “It… is time…” The stairs ended, and a short tunnel leading to an old, rusted iron door. “Reveal me…” Was the blade the voice? I was unsure but as my only item, I unsheathed the blade. It began to glow and pulled me towards the door. I didn’t resist, and the blade flew from my grasp and impaled the door. A loud clang echoed from the door as it began to swing open. A gap barely large enough for me to pass was created, and I ventured forward. “Welcome, to my palace.”

Chapter 12: Sentence

Death. All I wished for was for my pain to end. An eternal silence and immense pain is all I was. I was no longer a human, but a body. Void of all life, I began to pray to any deity that would listen. Something or someone to help me… Completely helpless, I lost all my hope. I continued to pray until I passed out from pain or exhaustion.

Chapter 13: Oath

“Welcome, to my palace.” a voice boomed from across the large, open room. “I know why you have come.” I was unsure who this voice belonged to, but I proceeded with my wishes. “If you know why I have come, then do you have any guidance for me?” I asked. A giant paw stretched across the room. It must have belonged to the spirit of miào. “An oath. An oath to protect all of nature. To serve the forest and this temple, with an unbreakable bond. A blood seal. If you are willing, you may proceed. But, be warned my child, you will lose this form you have, and will be merged in Diyu with another being. Your worldly forms combined, and you will be granted the power to protect, with the guidance of the world, as well as the strength to do all that is righteous. Do you accept?” I dwelled upon the question for a moment before responding. “I accept.”

Chapter 14: Death

My wish was granted. The nurses were talking in my room, thinking I couldn’t hear them. I was being taken off the machines, and would be given a drug that would put me to sleep, one from which I would never awaken. I had accepted fate and began to pray again. To any spirits listening, I asked to be given another chance in another life. The beeping stopped. It was hard to breathe. Finally, I felt at ease. I felt my soul leave my body and I sank into the ground. The release of death had finally given me peace. I traveled slowly until I was in an empty room. A circle on the floor in the middle of the room was the only thing I could see. I began to wait.

Chapter 15: Merger

The ritual began. I stepped into the base of the spirits paw. It began to crush me with great force. The pain was unimaginable. I could hear the spirit chanting in a language I was unfamiliar with, something of ancient origin. I closed my eyes and felt my spirit leave my body. I looked up, and could see the spirit as a whole. Massive but peaceful, glanced as my soul sank into the spirit world. “Safe travels,” the spirit's final words to me were. My descent was too quick for perception, and before I could comprehend, I had fallen into a vast, empty room. A circle on the floor in the middle of the room was the only thing I could see. I began to wait.

Chapter 16: One

The room began to spin, faster and faster. A faint object blurred into vision on the opposite side of the circle. “Hello?” We both said at the same time. We mirrored each other's actions. Were we one in the same? We couldn’t tell for sure, but as the room spun faster, we became closer. Soon we were pressed together going at insane speeds. We began morphing into one being. The room stopped spinning. I was back in the room that the spirit started the ritual. My appearance had changed. I walked on two legs, I had opposable thumbs, but the paws and features of a panda. I could remember driving in a car and that my home was destroyed by large machines. Things seemed odd. The blade flew across the room and into my hand. “The merger is finished. You have been granted the powers of the world to wield me as your weapon. I will help you and guide you down the path you have chosen. Do not fear, all will be explained to you the longer you travel. For now, forge your own path. Create your own journeys, and follow your oath.”