Ink Portals

Initiation day

11

Early the next morning hot water was simmering in Kazunori's trusty old iron kettle. He had rolled out a blanket on the front porch of the temple before dawn, and now sat on it cross-legged watching the sun rise. The old man cracked his knuckles methodically, a tactile pop - pop - pop, while he gazed out over the garden, listening to the birds chirping in the trees. There was a muted grate behind him as the paper sliding door parted.

"Morning master Kazunori," Arthur said, stepping out onto the deck. "Hope I'm not disturbing?"

"You didn't interrupt anything," Kazunori said, smiling lightly at the corners of his mouth. The way Arthur showed respect instilled some hope that this would not be a simple case of handing power over to a brat; Arthur at least seemed open to discipline. Kazunori reached into the pocket of his robe and retrieved the vial Jack had given him the previous night at dinner.

"Sit for a moment, before we begin," Kazunori said, placing a hand on the blanket beside him. Arthur sat down and crossed his legs.

"Tell me Arthur," Kazunori said thoughtfully. "What do you suppose a wild animal thinks about?"

Arthur contemplated the question for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure, I guess-"

"You can't be uncertain about this," Kazunori said. "The difference between a wild animal and a human being, Arthur, is that an animal cannot be intimidated by the concept of tomorrow. It cannot be threatened by something that will happen in the future. To an animal, threats are empty promises of a time that has not yet come to pass. They live in the now. They sense and react to what is right in front of them. People could learn from that. We are the only beings on the planet that can exhaust our minds, worrying about things and situations that will likely never happen to us. Remember this when you are one with the minds of your spirits, think clearly, don't over-complicate your thoughts and commands; they will respond much better to you that way."

"I understand, or at least I think I do, but what do you mean by 'they'?"

Kazunori smiled and nodded, looking at the fragile glass tube in the light. "This particular sample is made up of multiple individuals."

"Does it say that on the bottle?"

"It does," Kazunori said, tapping the glass with his finger. "It is important that you do not show fear; just like living animals, they can sense it. Show weakness and they will turn on you."

Arthur, swallowed hard and cleared his throat, "Got it, no weakness."

"Then let us begin."

"What about the others?"

"They will join us once they wake up. In the meantime, I must prepare my tools."

Kazunori got up and went inside the temple, leaving Arthur alone with his thoughts. Arthur watched the garden waking up to the sunrise. Birds were visiting the pond to have a drink and a bath, shaking the chilled water from their feathers. The sunlight glistened on the snow with the crisp freshness that only early mornings can bring.

"Morning," Abby said, joining him on the deck with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "You're up early."

"Yeah, didn't sleep well. Kazunori is getting ready."

"You guys starting already?" Abby said, looking at the viale on the blanket.

"Yeah, wish me luck."

"Good luck," she said, bending down and kissing his cheek.

Kazunori came back out onto the deck, he was carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming hot water from the kettle and a set of hand-needles; they looked like wooden paintbrushes with groupings of needles at the ends where the bristles ought to be.