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  LiShen     Created on Tuesday, 20 April 2010 18:20  
  HaKSaW  
  *light flickers as the wind blows gently*

Who am I? I had hoped you could tell me...

When I was a young teen I seemed to have suffered a head injury and become lost from who I am.
Since then I have grown up in a small Village just an hour's walk south east of Kugnae, with the family who found me while on an enjoyable picnic.
The family took me in like one of their own, provided for me and helped to educate me. Later in my teen years I felt compelled to travel the lands for a while, so i packed a small backpack of equipment and nourishment for my journey and set out across the vast lands.
Running out of food and water, I saught out the nearest town, Nagnang. I came to a small building with a sign saying 'Tavern of Wood' and decided to enter.
I realised this was in fact not just a mere tavern but indeed a lodging, so I wandered up to the Inn's keeper, offering trade services for food and shelter.
She nodded and said 'That is fine with me'. So I spent a few days within the lands of Nagnang learning many things about it's society.
During my stay I had a dream... quite a disturbing dream... something I do not quite understand.

A boy was standing near the ocean on a stormy night.. watching over the crashing waves from upon an old wooden pier.
He was standing out there staring blankly into the water, suddenly he dove in and vanished.. not having touched the water.
Suddenly he appears, falling from the sky with his eyes closed, head first.. speeding toward the ground.
In the blink of an eye he was again standing on the end of the pier staring blankly into the water.
He turned around and sending a shiver down my spine, I realised this boy was me... before my accident...
As the vision continued I watched, him.. well... me, for hours training in forms of tai chi and other martial arts in combinations.
I had never seen anything like it he was so controlled and determined, the storm did not bother him. Being sprayed by waves he did not move from where he wanted to be, not one inch...
Suddenly he turned towards the land opened his eyes wide in horror as the sky grew crimson. His face turned to anger and rage as he let out a blood boiling cry.
I have never seen a boy move in such haste, he ran and ran.. faster and faster.. towards the crimson glow from the sky.
Coming to a large house, he fell to his knees at the sight of truly evil demolition... rising to his feet enraged he entered the front doors despite the raging inferno encasing it.
Searching through the house desperately he realised that everyone had be slaughtered.. left to burn in the raging inferno.
Screaming out for his parents (I assumed to be those dead to be his family) murderer to show his face went blank... as he scanned the room slowly.
Snapping his head to the right he took haste and dove clean out of the window on chase for something...

At this point.. everything faded white and I awoke back in Nagnang. I was completely dazed as to this dream, how could I have ever been able to move so fast? How did souch a young child have such determination and courage, so much discipline?
Not sure what to do next, I sent myself into a state of excessive research.. I had to find out everything I could about those techniques.. maybe I could find out what this was all about.
During my studies I became what I would call slightly addicted to learning.. gaining knowledge. Slowly I got distracted from what I was wanting to research and learned more and more, sending myself into an endless quest for knowledge.
I did however research the symbol displayed within the house and on the boy's shirt, it seemed to be the symbol of a small monastary on the eastern shore of Kaya. The odd thing about that is the fact that the monastary had been destroyed for ever 3 generations. I needed something else..
Interested still in the martial arts of my dream, I spent a few years training my body and mind. I started training with many martial artists across the lands, learning new techniques from each one.

------

In my meditations I have stumbled on what seems to be a clue to my lost past...

I was sitting, mind clear of all thought, when before me appeared a blade of folded steel, crafted by a master craftsman. The blade was stained with blood. Looking around me, I saw I was in a dojo of royal grade.

In the blink of an eye, the blade was enveloped in flame, leaving ashes. The wind picked up and blew the ashes away towards a window.

My vision then followed the ashes to the window, where upon looking outside, I could see outside were two teen boys sparring with one another. Out of nowhere both boys were struck down by some form of projectile, presumably throwing stars.

There was a crash on the opposite side of the dojo, turning around I saw a dark figure standing ready for battle.

Something that I cannot explain then happened, while standing there, I.. stepped out of myself, my vision remained as it was, but I was watching myself walk forwards from third person perspective.

Watching on I drew the blade I had seen earlier in my vision, preparing for combat with the dark intruder. Before me a valiant battle raged on, both fighters high in skill. The battle ended in an unusual manner in that both lunged at one another at the opportune moment striking one another with mortal blows.

With a thud on the floor, both fighters lay slain against one another...

There was a rush and my vision moved to a King, praying for the roles to be reversed, for him to be the one deceased.. he was talking about feeling dishonored outliving his son... What does this have to do with me?

With a flash of light the King was struck down, and a figure emerged from the candle fire.. upon closer examination, it was me whom had risen from the candle flame. There was something wrong with me though, I was disoriented. I did not seem to recognise the man on the floor.

The vision faded and my mind was clear once again...

-------

While meditating this this evening, I came across what I believe to be the final piece of the puzzle of my history. I have had 2 dreams in the past, the first showing me of a child, disciplined and powerful. In my second dream I saw teens, training. Both dreams contained a slaughter of a whole family.

This third dream, I believe to be the final piece to explain my history, which has allowed me to find myself one step closer to Inner Peace.

This 3rd vision or dream, whichever you wish to call it, started with the teen boy(me) from the second dream reading a note, written by the person whom had ordered my family dead to the assassin whom had fallen by my family blade. After reading it he swore vengeance for his family to the one whom ordered the slaughter.

The dream flashed on by in time to a battle between the young teen(me) and whom I presume to be the one whom had ordered the death of my family, a rich power hungry merchant. The battle ended with a clean blow delivered to the chest of the merchant by the blade of the teen.

In a freak mishap on his way travelling home he fell down a cliff face he was descending and landed, luckily, into a river. He drifted for about 25 minutes unconscious before finally coming to rest on the shore. Still alive, very badly beaten with a massive head injury, but alive. This is where the family whom took me in found me.

I now know what has happened to me in the past, and where I am from. Though my blood family is dead, I now reside within the family of the Monks of these lands.

I do not however understand completely, the king's words about his son and myself being ressurected. The only conclusion that I can personally come to, however no evidence is present to prove such things, is that perhaps the King, my uncle, had an affair with my mother.

Something I will have to meditate further on, and hope that my clear mind may bring further clues to the very final part of my story.

 ----

*BAM*

I felt a cold trickle of blood down the back of my neck... what happened?

I was dazed, very confused about my location. In the haze before me stood a young man... I could not recognize this young man, due to the blurry image.

As my eyes adjusted, my head started to throb and all went to darkness.

When I awoke, a beautiful woman stood across the room. She called "So he's alive? It's about time you woke up! Who are you?".

I responded "HaK... Torrente... no... I remember now.. my name is HaKSaW!  I REMEMBER! OH MY GOODNESS!"

I threw myself out of the bed, ran over the the woman and gave her a large hug.

"Thank you!  Whatever you did, thank you! I remember!"

I ran into the street and suddenly fell to my knees.

"Calm yourself... this is no way for a Monk to act", said the voice inside my head. "Take a moment to gather your thoughs".

I returned to the building and explained the last few years and that I had forgotten my own self for a long time. The woman listen very carefully and kindly offered a warm meal before urging me to go out into the world and be free from the confusion which clouded me for so long.