The Rising Sun: Episode 4 Read Online Free PDF Page A

in his faith. He was a man who dreamt of changing our
world, and returning harmony to it. But alas … we were hardly at
harmony within our own selves. We were hunted down and threatened.
Nearly at the brink of collapse.”
     
    “And we still are.” added Qyro, to which
Vestra nodded.
     
    “Jedius wanted to bring peace to our divided
realm.” went on Mantra. “But alas, his dreams went in vain … Our
world could not be healed by one man alone. The loss of hope in his
goal caused Jedius great pain … But not nearly the pain of what
fate hurled at him next.”
     
    He gave a soft sigh, while the three others
followed him down the hall. “The Naxim had made a fine catch that
day, when they tracked down and caught Arigon in the middle of a
mission he had been sent in. And that fateful night, one of our
greatest warriors was lost … And another great warrior saw himself
reduced to half.”
     
    Ion listened, feeling sympathy stir inside of
him.
     
    “Arigon was the one thing in this world that
Jedius treasured more than anything life could have given him. Fate
snatched from him what he loved most.” Mantra’s voice was traced
with sorrow that echoed his own. “But through his brother’s death,
Jedius awoke to a new vision … a more powerful vision. His dream of
carving a better, safer world was renewed with fervour like no
other. But he now saw what he needed to do. And it brought him the
need to sacrifice much.”
     
    “What?” asked Ion.
     
    “He needed to sacrifice his dream , if
he wanted to fulfill it.” Mantra said. “For the Nyon needed him in
its present fight … But not as much as the future needed him.
Jedius saw that only in finding and training younger ones could he
fulfil his wish. And so, he left us … and found someone who needed
him more.”
     
    He turned and looked at Ion, who held his
deep gaze for a quiet moment.
     
    “And today,” His white eyes still fixed on
Ion, Mantra nodded. “his efforts have paid off.”
     
    Ion was temporarily speechless. Jedius’s life
… the pain he had faced … the fact that he had lost a brother as
well … the two of them now seemed linked in a way that went beyond
what he had thought earlier. He now saw that he was on a path that
his master had striven for, and lived for. And in no means at all
would Ion see it go in vain.
     
    Mantra gave another sigh, and Ion sensed
something a quiet turbulence within the elderly master.
     
    “Master?” Vestra asked softly.
     
    Mantra nodded.
     
    “Is everything all right? You seem a little…”
She looked at Qyro hesitantly.
     
    “Awry?” Mantra chuckled softly. “Yes, I
usually am.”
     
    He swept his gaze over the large hall, before
looking at the three of them again.
     
    “I think I’ll retire for the day.” he said.
“Why don’t you two carry on and show Ion around the temple … I’ll
head back to my room.”

Qyro and Vestra exchanged a glance, and then nodded. Beckoning to
Ion to follow, the two of them turned and walked off down the large
hall.
     
    Mantra stayed where he was, watching the
three of them disappear at the end of the large hall. For a quiet
moment, he surveyed the place about him. He then walked across the
hall himself.
     
    __________
     
     
    Having reached his room, Mantra quietly stood
gazing before his window. In the silence, he tried to wade through
his own thoughts.
     
    The train of events of the past day or so
would have rattled anyone else in his place. Uncertainty and dread
now blocked the path ahead, making it hard to see what waited ahead
… Mantra could sense the turmoil and confusion both within him, and
all around the spectrum. And all of it stemmed from one fact.
     
    The Xeni have
returned.
     
    The thought came with the same pinprick of
agitation. Mantra sighed softly, placing one hand on the glass
surface of the window in front.
     
    He had been seeing this coming for some time
now…
     
    For a few days, he had sensed a gathering
agitation. Even