The Moon Tale

MOON PHASE - 26

The sky blue shutters loomed out of nowhere and gradually closed the drama play in front of me. I regained consciousness and found myself on Eosa's lap.         

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Eosa said with a bright smile. I sat up, one hand on the ground. I felt as though I had awakened from a dream. But not dizzy like the previous time.

Father Theia had taken a seat next to me and kindly spoke.

"So, now that you've heard the whole story. I am curious to know  your opinion.  Did you get what you wanted?"

There was no doubt that knowing everything made me feel more contented than before. So I merely smiled and nodded.

Father Theia stood up and dust off from his worrier coat and said.

"If your confusions have been resolved and your mind is clear to concentrate. So, we have to begin with what we have been gathered today. Shall we?"  He cheerfully grinned.

Well, I had already practiced with Mother Nature and was familiar with the procedures, so I was all bright and breezy. I stood up energetically and replied.

"Yes sir."

Father Theia swung his sword in the air with one hand and took his position.

" All right then. As soon as you are ready."

I too unsheathed my sword, took a long breath, and tried to relax my shoulder while grasping the handle with both hands tightly. Then I quickly glanced at my opponent's stance and shifted my left leg slightly forward.

I screamed and hit first. Both swords veered against each other, making a wailing sound. Father Theia easily parried with one hand. I was progressively picking up the pace. 

You could believe it or not. However, it was more like a painting or drawing. The blade moved through the air like a painter stroking a canvas. However, it took intense focus, much like drawing precise shapes of specific things. Every move and curve was meticulously crafted. If you overlooked even the smallest detail, you risked ruining the entire drawing. If you couldn't focus when painting, the color may be spread out and the entire artwork blemished in a split second. Similarly, one moment of carelessness while sword combat might be fatal. Perhaps your life is also in jeopardy.

However, if you've mastered the art, it's difficult to find anything as satisfying as swordplay or painting, I guessed.

It's like déjà vu. It was my first time carrying a sword, but my body and mind reacting in rhythm with each strike like a skilled soldier. I was already anticipating the moves of my opponent. I dashed forward like a ravenous leopard before father Theia attacked. He used both of his hands to thwart the strike. And I landed on the earth after thrusting.

I was exhaling heavily. I thought, I lost again. In an instant, A preaching light obstructed my side view. I shifted my gaze to look. The upper half of the broken sword spun and fell to the ground.

“But wait, what!”

I still had held my sworn in hand and It was perfectly fine. Then I realized, It was my final hit that split the opponent's blade into two.

                          *

                         As soon as I finish my training with Mother Nature and Father Theia, I return to my human world. However, not everything was the same. The impact of bad acts has spread throughout the world. I need to figure out who was the culprit behind all of this havoc as soon as possible.

There was stillness everywhere I looked. People on the street seemed like robots. Robots devoid of emotions. They were moving around and doing normal things, but they were emotionless. There were children sitting in the park, but none of them were smiling or screaming. One of the children was eating ice cream but not smiling. It appeared like they had been infected with a contagious sickness. It got everywhere. Everything appeared to be a puppet show with the poker faces. At least, puppets can convey happiness, hatred, or a variety of other emotions, whereas here there was nothing but sad faces.