Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Celestial Nights (Private)

In the near future of 20XX, the world was engulfed in flames...

The earth now stands a withered husk, the oceans dried, and most of the world's life is dead. The world of the past is dead, however, humanity has survived! They roam wastelands of earth, and just as the world of the past has passed, so has the humanity of yesterday. A new era of humanity has begun. Where the strong triumph over the weak, and roving gangs of bandits travel through the dead earth searching for new prey. In this new world, technology is long forgotten, instead, armor, horses, blades, and the martial arts have returned to the forefront of humanity's conflicts. In this hostile world, the weak are hunted down, those without power are mere prey. However, there is hope in these dark times. This hope is human compassion!

In this dog eat dog world, there exist those who wander the wasteland, defending the innocents from the evils of the earth!

Our story begins with the tale of a drifting shrine maiden, on a holy mission to help those in need of help, and an exiled Enkidu Prince in search of enlightenment...

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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Somewhere in the midst of the wasteland...

A single, lumbering figure traveled through the dead earth. The sun was scorching, there was nothing but sand in sight. There was not a sign of life for miles, and not a sound to hear but the winds. The figure eventually dropped down to a knee, before falling face first into the blazing hot sand. His eyes began to close, and he began to fade away. In his last waking moments, he could hear the sound of horses traversing through the wasteland and people talking. The sounds drew closer and closer, until they stopped as the sounds reached the figure. He could hear laughter filled with malicious intent, before completely drifting off.

Prince Kunala woke up in some sort of dungeon, his eyes opening wide. His eyes looked from one corner of the room to the other, he let out an annoyed grumble "W-what is this...? Who dares...?" the prince attempted to stand up, and he did, but he felt a big of weight on his left arm. He looked around, a grimace growing on his face "This is... a prison..." Kunala bit his lip in anger as he began to put together his current predicament. Who dares put a man of his status in a prison? They would pay dearly for this! The prince grumbled darkly as he attempted to take another step forward, but that weight was still there. He slowly turned his head to look at his left arm, only to see he was handcuffed to somebody else. A shrine maiden in particular "Is this some sort of joke!?" he barked out in rage "Whose sick joke was this!? To chain a PRINCE up with a dirty peasant is... is... irredeemable! WHERE ARE YOU FILTHY PIGSPAWN!? I WILL MURDER YOU!" the man didn't seem to give the shrine maiden much attention past that. Of further note, there was not a single reply given to the man, indicating that their captors weren't anywhere close.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

As Kunala continued to bellow out into the dungeon, a quiet stirring came from the shrine maiden cuffed to his wrist—and after a moment, her eyes fluttered open. She sat up quickly, seeming quite startled by Kunala’s shouting,
”Wh-What in the world is going on here—?” she asked instinctively as she got herself up to her feet, looking around briefly before looking at Kunala warily, obviously a bit wary about the large man before her. ”…Who are you? Where are we?” The clothes, the tattoos—it was fairly obvious that this guy had at least some money, indicating some sort of noble status, but Asuka wasn’t sure what to think of it—and whether she was chained to this man or not, she definitely wasn’t going to trust him right away. She tried to think back to what had happened before this….she had been travelling through the desert, and…she couldn’t remember exactly…had she collapsed…?

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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Prince Kunala continued to bark out from his cell in hopes of finding one of his captors to curse out "YOU FILTHY PEASANTS! WHO DARES!?" and then Asuka woke up. At first the prince didn't notice, but by the time she spoke a second time, he turned to the shrine maiden, raising an eyebrow to her. He seemed to look to her in utter disgust for a moment before a sudden smile appeared on his face. He suddenly opened his arms wide (In the process yanking the poor girl around) as he boasted "BEHOLD! You are in the presence of the GREAT PRINCE KUNALA OF ENKIDU! It's okay dirty peasant, it is simply natural to tremble on my presence! Hahahahaha!" he then returned back to natural demeanor as he stroked his chin in thought pondering Asuka's second question. He too had no idea where they were "I do not know how to answer your second question... we have been captured by somebody. If I were to guess... I'd say we are to be sold into slavery...!" he continued to stroke his chin calmly for a few moments... before suddenly his jaw dropped as he displayed a shocked expression "AAAAAAAH! THIS IS BAD- THIS IS REAL BAD! THOSE FILTHY PEASANTS WANT MY SEXY BODY!" the man's fists clenched together, literally shaking the entire room as he did so "Just try you dirty filthy peasants... tch... I'll crack all yer skulls! Hahahahaha!" this man seemed to be on an emotional roller coaster at the moment. He quickly pointed to Asuka, a big conniving smile on his face which just screamed 'I'm going to murder somebody' then spoke "You there peasant! You must assist me in my escape... I'm sure you don't have that much to lose... I mean, you are already a dirty filthy cattle pig with no personal belongings... and your mannish face and flat chest indicates you're more suited to a slave of labor than of pleasure... BUT BUT BUT... you must assist me in my escape! You see, I am on a great journey, you are dealing with a man so much larger than the world you live with. If you assist me your life might actually make something of your life!" it wasn't... entirely clear if the guy meant to be horrifically insulting and demeaning to the girl or not, he seemed just a bit too flamboyant in his actions to be taken too seriously.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

"I'm--not trembling--really I'm not--" she replied to him as he said it was okay to tremble in his presence, even as she got yanked harshly over to the side by him throwing his arms open, making a very sour face at the yanking. She watched him calmly as he contemplated her second question--up until he got to the conclusion of what he thought was probably the case, and her eyes opened up wide as she exclaimed, "What--?! Yes, it's bad--! Very bad, this is extremely bad, I'm--" She came to a stop as he began speaking again, her eyebrows rising just a little bit higher with each thing that he said. She simply stood there for a moment, staring at him, before composing herself and speaking, "I don't care for having too many personal belongings, and my appearance is what I was blessed with--I've no reason to feel self-conscious about it. However...I will help you because it's the right thing to do. Not only will it help you, but it will help myself, as well...it would be foolish of us to just wait around in this cell all day. But...we're not getting out of here through brute force. We need some sort of plan."

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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Prince Kunala nodded in acceptation as Asuka agreed to escape with him... not like it was possible to do so without each other anyways. An arrogant smile on his face, he spoke "Ah... so filthy peasants ARE capable of clear thought... I wouldn't have ever foreseen such a discovery..." he then looked over to the bars of their cell. "BRUTE FORCE YOU SAY!?" Kunala responded, apparently only hearing that part of what she was saying as he walked over to the cell bars dragging Asuka with him. He looked at them for a moment, then began to control his breathing. He closed his eyes, focusing, and slowly, a strange aura began to gather around him. The man opened his eyes and placed his hands on the bars, the aura still around him. His aura grew, and his muscles began to relax, before suddenly they intensified for a single moment as Kunala bended the bars open, giving them plenty of room to simply walk out of the cell. A big smile on his face, the man looked to Asuka "Impressive no...? Count yourself among the most fortunate of souls peasant... what you saw there was a secret technique passed down from within the might empire of Enkidu! Ki! Hahahaha!" Kunala then yanked Asuka with him as he left the cell, generally content with being a jerk for now.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

"I would really prefer if you stopped calling me filthy. We're both just as dirty as anybody travelling through the desert for days would be..." Asuka spoke calmly as Kunala first began to reply--but then he assumed that they needed to just use brute force to break out. Which...was kind of the opposite of what she'd said. "H-Hold on, wait--!" She fell silent as she saw him begin to focus--and then he managed to bust out of the cell with just his own power. This was...impressive. She had an inkling of how he had done that--some sort of spiritual energy...and then he went ahead and explained it. Ki...From the way he proudly explained it, it didn't seem like he thought she had any spiritual abilities of her own--as far as she knew, she could do things...somewhat similar...? Not necessarily quite as...brute force-y, but similar. Still, for now, she simply worked on following him, speaking again, "Ki, hm...? Impressive. You know, I've seen a bit of a similar power...I know of a few others who wield it..." She gave him a knowing smile, but didn't say more on the matter, instead changing subjects. "So, assuming that nobody else is here, considering that nobody came in here, we could probably simply get out of here easily...but to be safe, let's not blunder out of here like wild animals, alright? ...And could you slow down, please--? I can't walk as fast as your...large legs..." As much as she had been taught to not complain about her appearance, she had always kind of hated the fact that she was so short...

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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Prince Kunala was pretty much ignoring Asuka walking forward without even remembering her existence, especially after demanding he not call her filthy. HOW DARE A FILTHY PEASANT TELL HIM TO DO SOMETHING!? So yeah, the walking just kept on going until Asuka made it clear she knew what ki was. Suddenly, the man came to a complete stop, his eyes narrowing as he looked back to her, completely silent. "Tch..." could it be? Could it be that a lowly peasant could know how to use Ki like him? hAHAH impossible, nope, no way no way. He was about to laugh at her until she suddenly switched topics. He listened to her, nodding when she said that they shouldn't charge forward into what may be a trap. And then there was also the little tidbit about slowly down. She couldn't keep up with him after all. He stood still, just sort of looking at her for awhile before finally speaking "Do you want me to pick you up...?" he asked, though he seemed to be... deeply trouble by the idea. You could see he was about to hurl from the mere idea of having to touch a filthy peasant.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka continued to walk alongside Kunala calmly, not seeming too jarred by this whole situation. Apparently, she was pretty confident that they would get out alright. As Kunala came to a stop, she came to a stop, as well, looking at him inquisitively. Had that been in reaction to the Ki comment? He seemed...quite surprised.
As he asked if she wanted him to pick he up, she shook her head after a moment, replying,
"No, it's alright. I don't want to have to trouble you like that. I only ask that you please keep your pace in mind as you walk." She stepped forward a little bit, observing their surroundings, before looking back at Kunala again. "Unless you think that would be a safer course of action...? Whatever gets us out of here quickly and quietly..." Even though the whole 'quiet' part was kind of already out the window thanks to Kunala, they could at least try, right?

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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The Prince seemed to rise an eyebrow at the woman when she shot down his offer to pick her up "Suit yourself... I would rather I not stoop so low as to pick up a peasant anyways...!" he seemed somewhat offended by her dejecting his offer, and his pace seemed to quicken rather than slow down. So much for listening to her. He did, however, quickly come to a stop as Asuka spoke once more, which seemed to Kunala as if she had a change of heart on his offer. The man broke a smile before quickly shaking his head to her "That was a one time deal, peasant! Do you take me for a fool!? I am a great prince, from the mighty empire of Enkidu! You should know your place as a dirty insignificant-" Prince Kunala took a step forward, and a part of the floor caved in as he stepped on it. It was a trigger for a trap. Kunala's eyes widened as he quickly lifted his arms up. The wall in front of them opened up, and a wave of arrows shot out from it. The Prince's aura once again activated as he quickly snatched an arrow shooting towards Asuka's head with his free arm, this however left him exposed to the other ones. Three arrows lodged themselves into the side of his body "Tch... aargh! Shit that hurt-!" he barked out, crushing the arrow he had caught. Kunala dropped down to a knee as blood leaked out of his body from the arrow wounds.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka watched Kunala carefully as he went on--at first, her expression was neutral, but as he smiled, she actually gave a small hint of a smile, as well, simply noddng slightly--before suddenly, she immediately looked forward at the sound of the arrows whizzing through the air, and she saw Kunala's hand grip the arrow that had been sent flying straight towards her head. She looked surprised by this--and as the rest of the arrows struck him, and he went down on one knee, she spoke,
"Don't move. I'll treat your wounds the best I can, but moving around might worsen them." She moved closer to his side, observing the wounds and the points where the arrows were protruding outwards from his body.
After a moment, she took a breath, placing her hand featherlight onto the shaft of one of the arrows, closing her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled, seemingly concentrating--before pinching her fingers down against the shaft of the arrow, channeling some of her inner energy into it--and crushing the head of the arrow in on itself, making it a skinny point, rather than a jagged edge. This, luckily, when she pulled the arrow out slowly and carefully, made it come out smoothly without aggravating the wound any more than it already was. She examined the arrow in her hands for a moment, before placing it onto the ground and murmuring, "Thankfully, it doesn't look like it was poisoned..." She proceeded to go through the same process with the other two arrows, removing all of them from Kunala's side and putting them aside on the floor. "That takes care of that...would you allow me to bandage you? We can't just let you bleed everywhere..."

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

The Prince bit his lip in pain as he looked to his wounds. Well that certainly wasn't good, though they did not hit anywhere fatal he would surely die of blood loss before long. When Asuka suddenly got very close, Kunala's eyes widened and he tried to resist, but he was too weak to really move "W-wait..! Peasant!" too late she already started working on them. He grit his teeth angrily, until he saw her channeling some ki "So... you weren't jesting at all..." she pulled the three arrows from him with ease, by this point he stopped trying to resist her efforts to help him. He didn't say a word when she mentioned poison, he only nodded in agreement with her. When she asked if she could bandage his wounds he nodded once more and dropped his jacket to the ground. Of course all it did was just end up hanging on their handcuff chains... he didn't really think that through. Either way he just stood still to let Asuka work on bandaging the wounds, but eventually he worked up the courage to ask a question "W-where did you learn to use that...? You were using Ki back then... in my home nation only the nobles are taught such techniques..."

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka smiled calmly as Kunala agreed to let her treat his wounds, and she opened up her satchel, reaching inside and pulling out a roll of fabric. It wasn't the best of bandages, but it would do. She got to work wrapping the wounds, making it tight enough to staunch the loss of blood, but not so tight that it would make things worse. While she worked, she was quiet at first, but at his question, she replied to him as she worked,
"I learned how to do it from the head priest of the shrine where I worked. He taught everyone of the shrine how to use Ki. It took me a number of years to actually be able to use it like this--but I knew that I would gain the ability eventually. It...isn't necessarily a class thing--I believe that it's more...that you just need someone to teach you, and a desire to learn. It's just like any other sort of knowledge--so long as you have a want to learn, you can accomplish most anything." She finished up bandaging him, then, and stood back up straight, looking over her work. "That should do it...don't stress your wounds too much. And watch out for any more traps...although spotting them might be difficult..."

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

Prince Kunala's expression changed from a dismissive one to one of shock as Asuka explained her past to him "For a lowly priestess to be taught how to use ki... how does your kind keep the peasants in their place!?" Kunala seemed more surprised by this than anything else. When Asuka implied that anyone could learn ki however, the prince merely burst out laughing "HAHAHAHAHA! You are foolish, dirty peasant...!" he mocked Asuka, shrugging as she warned him not to fall into any traps "Bitch I ain't afraid of no traps-!" literally one second after he said that, he stepped on a pressure plate, to which spears burst out from the walls towards Kunala. The prince fell backwards on his butt at the right moment, narrowly avoiding the spears. Kunala stared at them for some time in complete disbelief, he looked to Asuka before looking away from her, his face red with embarrassment. He got back up on his face and started to walk forward again "T-that one didn't count!" he spoke, his voice cracking. From there, Kunala and Asuka would traverse through the dungeon with better luck, before finally reaching a door...

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

”It’s actually part of our job to help the unfortunate…” Asuka mentioned as Kunala asked how her people kept their peasants in line. She was beginning to figure that he must have come from a very sheltered background to think like this—and she really didn’t hold it against him. She was sure that in time, he would understand what she meant.
As he proclaimed his lack of fear for traps, Asuka watched him take another step forward—and almost fall into another trap. She looked at him in slight surprise—up until the moment when he said that that one hadn’t counted, and she couldn’t help but grin and stifle a small giggle, covering her mouth with her hand, then following him. As they approached the door, Asuka paused, looking upon it in interest. ”…I wonder how thick this door is…there’s a chance it might be so thick that nobody heard us through it—do you think that there’s anyone out there? We might do well to exercise caution…” As she said this, though, she did clear the area around the door a bit—because, after all, this was Kunala, and she wasn’t exactly expecting him to agree with her suggested caution so—better to clear the door then get broken down with it, she figured. She paused for a moment, though, and then looked up at him and spoke. ”Th-Thank you, by the way—for saving me earlier. It completely slipped my mind to say anything up until now…”

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

Prince Kunala stared at the door for a few moments, it was incredibly likely that opening this door would alert their captors to their presence. As Asuka pointed out, their commotion likely hadn't been heard because of the thickness of the door. He nodded in agreement to Asuka "Yeah... I mean... that door's pretty impressive... so big, and THICK- I must admit that even my royal doors are not quite as impressive as this one- though I wonder how practical having such a big door really is..." Kunala was apparently very clueless to how his words could be interpreted then moved on and approached the door. He was about to push it open, but Asuka's sudden thanks to Kunala made the man freeze. His eyes widened as he turned to look to the shrine maiden, gazing at her for a moment before perking up "Heh... you really shouldn't be thanking me peasant... after all... you'll be paying me back with your body!" he told her quite confidently "If we are attacked then I can't take on our captors alone... I'll need you to be fighting alongside me." he added... further elaborating on what he ACTUALLY meant, he apparently didn't notice how unfortunate his words were before he added that part. Kunala eventually walked over to the door and gently pushed it open... which surprisingly actually worked! However, they were in for a surprise as they were greeted by a sight. They were in some sort of abandoned fort... and the door they opened lead into it's courtyard. Within the courtyard were not bandits, but soldiers. Armed with spears, wearing armor, and with flags waving over the camp made in the courtyard... they were obviously some sort of army. Not thugs, not bandits, not slavers. Kunala immediately ducked down to make himself a bit of a smaller sight, they hadn't been noticed by their captors quite yet, and they were lucky for it.

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka couldn’t help but give Kunala a bit of a look during his description of the door—however, it was apparent that he was being totally serious, so he seemingly wasn’t actually aware of the implications of his words…Especially his next words, which made Asuka’s mouth fall wide open in surprise, her eyes widening—until he actually finished his sentence, and she exhaled somewhat frustratedly in relief. She really wished he would be clearer with his meaning…
”That sounds fair. I’ll do my part,” she answered to the needing to fight alongside him part. That was reasonable enough—after all, they were kind of chained together still. She waited as he opened the door—and as he did, and she was able to see what was outside, her eyebrows flew upwards in surprise. Soldiers…soldiers of all things were out there? And a lot of them, too… ”What in the world is this…?” she whispered to him as he bent down to try to make himself less noticeable, before she did her best to hide herself behind him since they were still chained together, peeking out from behind Kunala to still look outside. ”What would people like this want with us…?”

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

Prince Kunala's eyes narrowed further as he looked at the banners of the soldiers in the courtyard. He recognized them well, and their armor and weapons certainly matched with their suspected identity too "Kun'lao... they're an empire to the east of here... no idea why they're so far away from their home nation though..." he whispered in response to Asuka, turning to her to see her hiding behind him. He raised an eyebrow to the shrine maiden, something about her hiding behind him struck him as odd. He shrugged and decided to not pay it any attention, instead he decided to try and sneak around the outskirts of the camp the soldiers had made in the courtyard. It was night, and freezing cold. While the courtyard was well-lit thanks to the soldiers, just about everything outside of the fort looked to be pitch black. Nonetheless, Kunala wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. He'd rather deal with the harsh wastelands than the soldiers "I have no idea why they'd take us prisoner... they're what you'd call 'civilized'... at least compared to the bandits..." the man let out a sigh, trying his best to figure out a way to get them out of this situation "Should we try to get the hell out of here...? Or should we find a way to get these handcuffs off us...?" he asked, turning to Asuka as he spoke in a whisper.

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka seemed quite offput by the presence of the soldiers—although she wasn’t really saying much on why, and instead was quiet, her face fixated into a worried expression. After Kunala had spoken, she gave him a slight nod to indicate that she understood. The Kun’lao, hm…? The question of why they were here at all was a good one...
As they moved through the camp, she kept her eyes fixated on the path they took—not exactly ignoring the soldiers, but really looking as if she just wanted to ignore the fact that they were there. Still, as Kunala presented his question about the handcuffs, she paused for a moment, seeming to think about it seriously.
”…It depends on how easily we could get to their supplies and look for something to cut the chain with…even then, we would need to just escape with the item, since cutting metal here would be far too loud, and we would be discovered…” she replied, seeming uncertain when she spoke. She really just wanted to get out of there—but who knew how long it would be before they could get the handcuffs off if they just left now? Still…trying to get the cuffs off would be quite treacherous in itself…Kunala was already somewhat injured from the traps, and they were vastly outnumbered, so combat really was the worst-case scenario right now…

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎

While usually Kunala would jump into a chance for honorable combat... there were probably hundreds of soldiers here. The prince may have been blunt and gullible, but he wasn't a total idiot. He let Asuka weigh their options, when she put it like that, it sounded like they would have some trouble getting their handcuffs off "We're getting out of here..." Kunala muttered as he began to walk on the dark edges of the courtyard, trying his best to stay low for a man as large as himself. They would eventually reach a crack in the fort's walls, perfect for them to make an exit. Luckily this seemed to be some sort of abandoned fort that the soldiers were merely camping in. That meant there were plenty of cracks and holes in its walls for them to take advantage of. The Prince showed a smile to Asuka before suddenly grabbing Asuka and placing him on his shoulder (Which made his arm uncomfortable as HELL)... then he ran, as fast as he could to get out of there. The guy didn't let up, because he knew it was only a matter of time. And eventually, by the time the fort was in the distance, the two could hear horns blowing from the fort. The soldiers had discovered they escaped. Kunala kept on running until he would get tired, to which he'd literally falling over forward, hid face falling into the sand. He still hadn't eaten or drank in days, and the initial adrenaline produced by that whole little situation was gone now.

≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka followed Kunala as he snuck around the outside wall, really hoping that they would find some way to get out that didn't involve getting near to all of the soldiers that were everywhere. And that he did--soon enough, they had reached a crack in the wall. She looked to the crack for a moment, then looked back to Kunala--just in time for him to pick her up, which earned a startled, but stifled gasp as he perched her upon his shoulder. She gave him a concerned look over his injuries, but didn't have time to say much, since the next moment, he took off running. She held on the best she could as he went, occasionally looking behind them at the fortress slowly growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Once the fortress was just a speck on the horizon, the horns blared, and it was clear that they had been discovered--but Asuka didn't say anything. It seemed as though Kunala was concentrating on running--and she didn't want to interrupt him. Soon enough, though, he suddenly wobbled--and as he fell down into the sand, Asuka was also dumped down upon the dune, too. She paused for a moment, then turned slightly, looking at Kunala before quickly getting up and moving over to him, not even bothering to brush the sand off her skirt.
"You pushed yourself way too hard..." she muttered, moving to his side and doing what she could to roll him over onto his back, making sure to roll him in the direction where his wound wouldn't get full of sand--the rolling itself was difficult, but eventually, she made it so that he wasn't face-down in the dirt. That was progress. She paused for a moment, searching around the immediate area before coming to a conclusion: "...We need water. Well, you, more than me--you're probably already dehydrated from all of that running..." She hesitated for a moment, then walked over to his side, kneeling down and taking both sides of his face in her hands and making him look up at her from where he lay. "Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎≎
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Kunala laid there in the sand, letting out a few pained groans once he was flipped on the right side. He seemed pretty out of it, though he was still conscious "I... what now...?" he shook his head as he began to come to his sense. His eyes widened as she touches his face, to which his face turned a flustered red and he shut his eyes. He tried his best to get up, but even as he stood, his legs began to tremble. He was having difficulty standing "I... I'll be fine! Do not worry for me, peasant!" he barked out to her before falling down onto his knees. He began to breathe heavily as he looked over to Asuka then to the ground "Peasant... what is your name...?" he asked her, wiping the sweat off his forehead, he seemed very sick. The man ended up falling back down exactly where he started.

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

Asuka’s brow furrowed as Kunala got back up to his feet—it was clear that he was in no state right now to be gallivanting around—he barely even had the strength to stand. His suddenness with getting up had surprised her, though—did he dislike being touched? That could be it…
”Well, you’re not doing a very good job of making me not worry about you…” she replied plainly as Kunala fell down to his knees. And then in the next moment, he fell down to the ground. She did what she could to make sure that he didn’t fall on his face again, making sure instead that he was laying on his back. After a moment, she then answered his question, ”…I’m Asuka. And you said earlier that your name is…Kunala?” She paused for a moment, looking around again—not a single water source in sight. And it wasn’t as if they had any spare after being captured… ”…You strained yourself too hard on my account…It’s only fair that I find something to help you…” She paused for a moment, then placed her hands onto Kunala’s abdomen, one higher, one slightly lower, and her hands began to glow. ”There’s not much I can do right now in the way of water, but making sure your chakras are open will promote your healing—things should go faster once they’re all clear. I can’t reach one of them right now since it’s on your back…but I can at the very least do the others.” As she went through this, she seemed to be doing her best to keep her breathing even—and eventually, she moved her hands up, one hand moving to rest on his chest, the other one feathering just over his throat. Eventually, she moved on from there to the space just between and a little bit above his eyes, then the top of his head. Once she had gone through the spots she could reach, she sat back slightly—Kunala, by now, should have at the very least felt a bit more at peace—the opening of chakras would promote healing and speed his recovery. ”There…” she said after a moment, seeming tired, but trying not to show it. ”That should help for now...but we still really need to find some clean water…”

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship

ƁƠƜ ƊƠƜƝ ƤЄƛƧƛƝƬƧ
ƳƠƲ ƛƦЄ ƖƝ ƬӇЄ ƤƦЄƧЄƝƇЄ ƠƑ
ЄҲƇЄԼԼЄƝƇЄ



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The Prince's eyes widened in shock as Asuka said he wasn't doing a good job at making her not worry about him. He didn't understand why she would do that. They barely knew each other, and though he was a prince, he had no riches to give her in thanks. He was in reality, just as worthless as her and yet she showed him compassion "Why...? Why are you so kind...?" he asked, genuinely confused by her compassion. He stood there, still dumbfounded as Asuka told him her name "Asuka...? I've never heard a name like that before... I... I like it..." he replied, nodding to her in confirmation when she said his name was Kunala. From then on, he just seemed completely silent, letting her open his chakras and help him. The situation looked dire, if they didn't find something soon they would be in great trouble. Their futures did not look bright "Please..." he spoke in a tired voice "Tell me... why are you out here in the wasteland...? What are you trying to achieve...? You claimed to have learned to use your Ki from a priest, correct? Why leave your temple...?"

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"Ｉ ｈａｖｅ ｂｕｔ ｏｎｅ ｔｒｕｅ ｄｅｓｉｒｅ．．． ｅｎｌｉｇｈｔｍｅｎｔ！"
Prince Kunala's Theme - In The Depths of Night

░░▒▒▓▓Ｆａｉｔｈ  ｉｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｂｉｒｄ  ｔｈａｔ  ｆｅｅｌｓ  ｔｈｅ  ｌｉｇｈｔ▓▓▒▒░░



░░▒▒▓▓Ｅｖｅｎ  ｗｈｅｎ  ｔｈｅ  ｄａｗｎ  ｉｓ  ｓｔｉｌｌ  ｄａｒｋ▓▓▒▒░░

⧱Asuka Kato⧱
⧰Wandering Shrine Maiden⧰
☯-------------------------------------☯
Great works are performed. . . . . . .  . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .not by strength
but by perseverance
☯-------------------------------------☯

”I’ve got no reason to be unkind…” Asuka replied to Kunala’s first question, seeming almost surprised by his words. ”If you show compassion to people, then they will return it in kind…that is what we were taught…” She ended up flushing in surprise as he said that he liked her name, and looked away slightly, seeming shy. ”Th-Thank you…” She went back to tending to him for a moment, up until he asked his question, at which point she paused, and replied, ”Well…the people of the temple were practically like family to me, yes, but…with the world the way it is right now…I wasn’t going to help anybody just by staying in the temple. I had to go out and find the people that were suffering, and help them where they were. That’s the reason I started travelling. I had never travelled alone before, so I must admit I was a bit unprepared…but I wasn’t going to turn back. I’ve dedicated myself to this. That’s the reason.”

☯--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------☯
A Divine Faith - Fated Relationship