The Azure Lotus

Prologue -

According to The Legends, at the beginning of the formation, God prevailed like an amorphous dazzling glare. After this, God, in their consciousness, contemplated creating the universe and life. So they manifested themselves and created the entire universe.

When God created this vast universe, they felt certainly lonesome being the only one there. So much so, they felt that in such a universe, they wanted to become one of many. Then God brought to light the Female Ideology from themselves, and this female ideology was our beloved Mother Nature, who herself is the strength of this entire universe. She holds on one side as well as carries on the other side and nurtures everyone throughout their journey. However, then God and Mother Nature started bringing forward different ideologies one after the other for the welfare of the entire universe.

God and Mother Nature characterize each of these ideologies as individual deities, endowing them with some similar, some different, distinct and unique powers based on their definitions. They also assign each of them a symbol on their foreheads according to their nature. After this, God and Mother Nature give each of these deities their own weapons and make them aware of their proper duties.

After this, God and Mother Nature produced LIFE. Through life, they appended CONSCIOUSNESS and then implemented different ideologies such as STRENGTH, WISDOM, and God's greatest formulation LOVE and AFFECTION. (Nevertheless, these theories wax and wane in the minds of people through their movements over time.) With the purpose of configuring it, God contributed to the anatomy of 'The Panchabhuta.' In order to construct the mind, God has endowed it with feelings and given each a mixture of virtuous and vicious. Then he endowed them with such characteristics as some different, some alike, some strange, and a few unique. With this, He bestowed six wicked instincts at the core. (It is said that a person who can bring these wicked instincts to themselves is dissolved in the Supreme Soul, but that is not our discussion.) And yes...On one hand, there should be struggles and goals to improve life, and on the other hand, it should be based on the universal characteristics of receiving and turning down. Therefore, God and Mother Nature have given humans both the ability and consent to do all this by leaving them to their Karma. Maybe in this way, God's finest creation, human beings, was formed by combining all these traits.

God is the source of life, and Mother Nature is the flow of that existence, which commences with birth and concludes with death. Therefore, this is a cycle that has been ongoing forever. Life is progressing from one to many in its urge to express itself, and with God's permission, many different latent tendencies have been gradually awakened in the urge to conform, such as Felicity - Sorrow, Amour - Abhor, Fair - Wicked, Grace - Crudity, etc., among which one is Virtuous and the other is Vicious. Or, it can be said that one symbolizes gentleness, and the other fierceness. So, Virtuous represents life, or all that is 'Gracious.' While the other represents all that is against Virtuous, Anti-Life. They are maintaining harmony in the whole world by opposing each other. So, needless to say, they are complementary to each other, even though they are opposite.. ☯︎

(It should be said in this case that many of us have a concept that all the vicious or negative things that exist in the entire creation represent or are associated with 'Sin.' They never have anything to do with positivity from any angle. Is this concept correct in all cases? Well, it is thought that when a person commits 'Sin,' they go to Hell. But why can't we think that a sinful soul goes to hell after their death so that they can reform themselves and get rid of all their sins, paving their way to heaven. Isn't it? So this time, consider which place is more eminent or sacred - Heaven or Hell? I am just a simple, curious thinker who wants to know the truth.....)

It is said that whenever one of them becomes more powerful than the other, the entire creation is in danger. And God and Mother Nature, who is neutral, are then forced to intervene..!

Just like...!!

No, this part of the story will be revealed gradually..!

Before that, let's take a little trip to the future of this story..!

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CHAPTER 1

The time was..

Sometimes in between The Ancient Era..

Asa no Hana

A Village...

Where Mother Nature is satisfied and has poured all her beauty there

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The sun has yet to rise. A milky white swan descended from the sky and transformed into a human as soon as it set foot on the steps of the village's temple.

Though his structures were that of a human, his charm made it hard to believe that he was truly a human... (or maybe he is not...) The dawn was drizzled with dew drops.

A man with long silver hair and ocean blue eyes, with God-like charm, wearing a turquoise and white assorted 'Hanfu' and an azure crystal lotus followed by a few more small crystal drops all connected under a round dragon pattern Jade, all in a chime dangling from his waist. It was gently swaying with his movements, causing the crystal drops to collide with each other, making a sweet tinkling sound that echoed in the surroundings, giving the enchanting atmosphere a heavenly perception. He raised the azure umbrella with a white lotus pattern upon his head and slowly started climbing the stairs towards the temple..

"Who is She??"

"And This Song..."

A melodious female voice... A beautiful song... which supports life... which says, "if somewhere one ends, elsewhere another begins," and on the other hand, it says about "hope," "belief," and "firmness"! If your intention is honest, one day you will surely succeed... Just keep your aims fixed and move forward... Love and respect everyone... support what's true... if someone does anything wrong, gently protest against them... make them realize their mistakes if you can... finally, forgive them and move on... find happiness in everyone's happiness... but don't hurt yourself... God and Mother Nature sent everyone as free souls. If you do want to get tied, then get tied by the ribbons of love but never force yourself to compromise with anything or anyone... Be gentle to yourself, be generous to others without hoping for any appreciation, because you love to help everyone... Seek the best of all... Because the exterior is just a structure... The real gem is hidden somewhere in the core. Maybe it is much, much deeper. So, keep churning. Only then, one day you will find that hidden treasure. And the day when you finally find them, just tie them tightly to yourself. So that they stay with you on that eternal journey. This song carried such a great eternal message. And besides, the unusual sweetness in that voice and melancholy is really difficult to express in words.

He looked around, pleased, and thought, "Who came before him and cleaned the premises of this entire Temple?"... "So is it the work of that lady?"... "But exactly who is she?"... "I really need to know"... "Probably the voice was coming from the lake." He proceeded very cautiously. As he arrived at the lake, what he saw felt like a light drizzle of dew falling on his heart!

He saw, in the dimly lit environment, a young girl wearing a pale yellow but worn-out Hanfu, sitting under the cherry tree by the lake, dipping her feet in the lake's water, singing 'The Song' while being absorbed in herself... And perhaps to reward the melody and sweetness of her voice, one or two cherry petals from the tree were constantly falling all over her.

Even though this scene was earthly, for some reason the silver-haired man was getting a glimpse of a heavenly feeling. "Who is this lady?" he closed his eyes while thinking and started listening to 'The Song' with fascination. He tilted his head slightly forward, closed his eyes, and became so unified with 'The Song' that his unification instantly accelerated the slow changes in the environment around him, without him noticing.

Suddenly, the lotus buds of the lake, which were blooming slowly according to nature's rule, increased their blooming pace. Not only that, the environment around him came alive for a while and seemed to want to fall at his feet. Succinctly, a heavenly feeling began to oscillate in the entire atmosphere. And just at that moment, the sun rose in the lap of the sky. The first rays of its holy light fell on the soft, innocent face of that lass. Yes, finally, a morning came.

Hence, the manifestation of the silver head's spiritual power has accelerated some unique effects on the environment as it had created a gentle sensation in the atmosphere. So, the wind was playing around in a gentle rhythm, and while swaying, the breeze gently moved through the chimes which were dangling from his waist. Then, as if in a moment, that fickle gust of wind flew toward the temple and swayed the small hanging chimes there, paying respect to Lord Akimitsu before flying away silently. But in doing so, it spread a faint yet tinkling sound in the surroundings, touching the entire environment with a feeling of ease.

Then, at the tone of the chimes, the sweet music of the girl stopped, and she suddenly opened her eyes. Maybe this sudden change of environment or that faint tinkling sound is the reason; an unknown fear arose in her heart. So, without her knowing, a question came out of her mouth in a trembling voice... "Who... Who is there...?"

It was at this question that the silver-haired person regained his composure, opened his eyes, and looked around, realizing what he had done wrong! So naturally, he got anxious and immediately tried to hide himself with his ability, but what he saw proved that what he was trying to do was needless. On the other hand, the girl didn't get any answer to her question; instead, she got more scared and started groping on the ground beside her for her stick. She picked up the stick with one hand, stood up leaning on it, and her other hand was raised forward as she searched for something in the air! Yes, she is blind. Maybe that's why her sixth sense had told her that someone else was present beside her, and more than that, they were very close to her. So she decided to escape from there in a hurry. As she was about to move forward, she stumbled upon a rock and was about to fall, and at that very moment, a pair of strong hands saved her from the fall...

The girl survived the fall, but in the suddenness, she sprained her ankle. Upon dropping on the ground, she cried out in pain. Perhaps that silver-haired person could sense the unbearable pain of the poor blind lass. So naturally, he became sympathetic towards her, and therefore, he carried her to a sitting place. Even though through such pain, she still protested and tried to break free from the stranger's hand, but the pain became a disruption for her act. The silver-haired man closed his eyes for a moment, let out a gasp, and politely said to the girl, "Miss, don't be afraid. I will help you out appropriately, and I will try my best to ease the pain so that you can feel better..."

The poor girl got a strong sense of wisdom from the silver-haired man's voice, and surprisingly, she felt completely protected by this stranger's gentle touch, which strangely calmed her down. So, the girl's fear subsided a little, but she felt the excruciating pain in her ankle. While she sobbed with her face in her palms, the silver-haired man spoke again, 'Miss, please relax and allow me to observe your injury properly.' Hearing the tenderness of his voice, the girl eased a little even in such pain. She stopped crying, removed her hands from her face, and nodded slightly up and down in between the sobs. Her sightless large, murky pink-gemmed eyes twinkled with tears.

The silver-haired man then crouched before her, took her injured foot in his hand, placed it on one of his thighs, and began to observe. Immediately, he could feel the extent of the injury and the intensity of the pain. He looked at the girl and said in a protective tone, "Miss, no reason to be afraid, it's just a minor injury; it will be well soon. You sit here, I'll be back with some water." But he knows very well how major this minor injury actually is for this blind, helpless little girl.

He came down to the lake, took some water on a lotus leaf, and brought it to her. Then, he crouched before her, took her foot, and placed it against his thigh. He closed his eyes while pouring the water on her ankle. He actually healed it with his spiritual power, unbeknownst to her, while pretending to gently put the water over her injury. A silvery glow started to emanate from that place. Only someone with strong spiritual power can see it with bare eyes. With that, a strange tingle went through the girl's whole body. Unknowingly, chills ran down her spine as a startled tone came out of her lips.

Then everything went silent for a moment. After that, the silver-haired man spoke first. "Miss, tell me, are you feeling a little better than before? If you want, you can try to stand up a little."

The girl was astonished at what had transpired so far, so for some reason, she moved her leg a little bit with a very normal attitude based on a strange belief that she didn't even know about the pain, and surprisingly, there was no pain, which had probably exceeded her expression level.

"No! That excruciating pain is not there anymore. Then shall I try to stand up?" Thinking that, she stepped on the ground and stood up. "No! I really don't feel any pain at all!" Not only that, but the pain has disappeared from her ankle in such a way that it wouldn't be wrong to assume that the pain was never there.

"But how is that possible?" No, she didn't have any time to think about it. Because she started to dance almost like a butterfly out of the joy of releasing pain. And in the delight, she started to laugh and say, "I can't feel any pain!! My ankle is healed!" This joy was not so much to relieve her pain as it was to escape being tormented and punished by Mrs. Yajima and her younger sister Mizuki back at home.

But her thoughts had such a hold on her that her dance of joy broke the dam, and she might have inadvertently fallen again, but this time it didn't happen. Because this time it was as if someone was protecting her without touching her, removing all the obstacles that came in her way one by one. The girl's self-deprecating dance could have been going on for a while, but her last obstacle was her own balance.

So she was about to fall down again with her back on the ground. But like the last time, again someone was behind her. So the girl did not fall directly to the ground but hit the back of her head on a strong chest. And the man was almost forced to hug her in an urge to protect her once again, and suddenly his eyes fell on the girl's face. Yes, this time he noticed her comprehensively.

A little vivid face. Medium-fair complexion, radiating a soft glow of sanctity that can instantly captivate the mind. In such a face, there are two fixed large eyes, and thick dark circles under them, essence of an entire universe within, and which shows the helpless condition of that girl. In a word, those eyes are covered with a black shadow of helplessness, pain, anxiety, fear, insecurity, loneliness, inferiority, etc. But even then, the strange thing is that, despite all the emotional turmoil, there is a gentle touch of pure care and compassion.

But what is the reason for her feeling helpless? Besides, what is the source of her pain and who is she afraid of? And what about those dark circles...? Who is the cause of this, and by whom is this innocent, compassionate heart being oppressed? And who forced her to suffer inferiority? Moreover, why is she feeling so insecure? In this world, does she really have no one to call her own?

"And the most important thing... why do I feel that these two eyes, this gaze, this character, and also this incident are familiar to me? Who is this girl? And where did she learn that song? I must know..." The silver-haired man was thinking these words. Besides, it was too insignificant of him to take this matter completely without the girl's attention. But who knows why he quietly said to himself - 'No! Without her permission, I will never do it... Yes, I will know everything, but only when this girl will tell me everything willingly... Only then...' And he claimed - "Miss, be careful. You could have fallen again, and this time you could have been hit much harder than before."

The girl quickly pulled herself together, took a few steps back, and kept bowing her head while saying, "Forgive me, I have made a big mistake. Forgive me, I have made a big mistake." The silver-haired person smiled softly and said, "It's okay, miss. Please calm down, I don't mind." The girl stopped bowing but stood there with a blank expression of inexplicable bewilderment on her face.

The silver-haired man seemed to understand the girl's state of mind, so he said again, "Miss, there's really no need for you to be embarrassed because I really don't mind. You can be sure of this."

The girl let out a soft gasp. The silver-haired man said with the intention of normalizing the situation a bit.

"Anyways, look, it's been so long since I met you, but I don't know your name at all. And besides, I've never seen you here before, where did you came from?" The girl answered with a little hesitation. "I am Yajima." The person asked with a soft smile and in a soft tone, "Just Yajima?" The girl tilted her head slightly forward and said in a shaky voice, "Yajima Misaki." The person asked again with an expression that seemed to understand something, "Do you live in this village?"

Misaki tilted her head slightly forward and nodded in agreement. She stood with her face down to the ground, her sightless eyes fixed.

The silver-haired person asked, "What is your father's name?" Misaki was still standing as before with her head slightly tilted forward. A little nervous at the repetitive questions, she answered in a low voice, "Yajima Yamato." The silver-haired person was a little surprised and asked, "Merchant of this village, Yajima Yamato?" Misaki frowned a little, hesitatingly saying, "Yes, sir..."

This time the person noticed Misaki's attire and started thinking to himself, "What a strange thing! How is this possible? Okay... So it means something really terrible has happened here in my absence, which I had estimated...?" I must know the whole truth... And why do I feel that the truth I am searching for is directly connected to this girl? And maybe this girl is the only one who can introduce the whole truth to me…"

Now suddenly, he threw an unexpected question to Misaki in a serious tone. "Misaki-chan, where did you learn this song?" Misaki stuttered and replied in a very low voice, "F... From my mo... mother!" The silver-haired man seemed to be waiting for such an answer. Instead of getting excited at the expected answer, he became more serious and took two steps forward, suddenly grabbed Misaki's hands, and asked her in a firm voice, "Misaki-chan, what is your mother's name?"

Misaki was startled by such a sudden touch and yet serious manner from a stranger. At once, the fear rose again in her mind, and her reflection came into sharper relief. So very gently, she began to try to free her hands from the man's bonds. In such a situation, the person immediately felt that he had unknowingly done a humane act. So he immediately took his hands away and said to Misaki in a gentle tone, "Forgive me, Misaki-chan. I didn't mean to put you in such a position."

Misaki embarrassedly rubbed one hand over the other and said in a low voice, "No, no... I didn't mind. But it seems like a long time has passed, and I've delayed enough. So I should leave for home. Therefore, sir, allow me to depart."

The silver-haired person understood the matter and said, "Misaki-chan, let me take you home." As before, Misaki was standing with her head tilted forward and replied in a shy voice, "No, no... Sir, you don't have to worry about me. I can go alone." This time the person said in a firm voice, "No, I can't let you go alone. I will walk you a bit far, then come back."

Misaki could feel the firmness of the silver-haired man's voice, so she did not think of saying 'no' a second time. Moreover, she said, "It's okay, sir, you can just cross me this staircase." "Very well," the silver head claimed. Then they went on in silence. After crossing the last step of the temple, the silver-haired man said, "Misaki-chan, we have reached the last step of the Temple. Are you sure that you can go alone all this way? Or should I take you a little further?" Misaki bowed her head hesitantly and replied in a shy voice, "No, no, this will be enough for me. Thank you very much for getting me this far safely. This time I can go the rest of the way on my own." Hearing this, the silver-haired person told Misaki like a guardian, "Go slowly and carefully, Misaki-chan."Misaki bowed to the silver-haired man and took a step forward with the intention of leaving. But as if something struck her, she stopped and turned around, and said to the man, "Sir, thank you so much for doing me such a favor today. Well, if you don't mind, may I know your identity?" Misaki doesn't even know why she suddenly turned around and asked such a question to a stranger.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of the silver-haired man's lips. He said, "I am Mitsuo, the priest, teacher, and attendant of this temple."

Misaki bowed her head in modesty. Bowing to a respectable person, she said, "Thank you so much, Mitsuo-San. This time, please allow me to leave." Like a responsible guardian, Mitsuo answered with a gentle smile, "Sure, please go slowly and carefully, Misaki-chan."

Misaki bowed to Mitsuo-san once more and started walking slowly towards her house with the help of her stick. Even though Misaki didn't even know that after all these years of her mother's departure, her insecure life got an invisible shield of security again without her knowledge... Who is watching her from the sky today, whether she really reached home safely? A milky white swan spread its wings and flew across the sky...

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It's night. Dinner is being arranged at Yajima Merchant House. The waitresses are setting the dinner table. While Misaki is cooking all kinds of dishes according to the Mistress's instructions. From the very beginning, the governess has a strict ban on other maids; no one should help Misaki in any way. But yes, if there is any mistake regarding the taste of the food or in fulfilling their desires, then Misaki would receive more blows on her back than her food. So, some maids sneak up to help her. Sensing this, Misaki says with a gentle smile, "Oh, you have your own work, and you have to do those works too. So, please, don't waste your time trying to help me. Maybe in the end, Madam Yajima will punish all of us if she knows you are helping me. In that case, the amount of punishment you will receive will be doubled. First, for helping me and second, for not being able to finish your own work on time. So, you better go. I'll take care of this slowly!"

The old maid gently rubs the back of her hand on Misaki's head and says, "Misaki-chan, can't God see your pain? Are they really that cruel?" Misaki smiles softly and holds her hand, saying, "Oh God! Don't even think of such a thing, madam! Mother used to say, don't you remember? That when we give place to despair in our hearts, we should never bring God's name to our mouth because such actions hurt them! And besides, who told you I'm in trouble? Look, I'm smiling," Misaki says with a pained smile. "I can't see with my eyes, so you see how it feels when I smile." Yes, Misaki really smiles after enduring so many insults and so much torment. She does all the work with a smile on her face. Besides, she has been used to doing the same thing for many years. Yes, even though there is a great reason behind it, and that is - sitting in Mother Nature's lap, she wanted to experience many more springs. Actually, she really wanted to live at least one more time before she died.

However, like the other days, Misaki was still doing all the work by herself. But why is Mrs. Yajima's anger so high today? Misaki brought the bowl of miso soup and slowly placed it on the table. "Madam Yajima, do you want to eat something else? Then I..." Mrs. Yajima interrupted Misaki and said in a harsh tone, "Let it be! No need to be so pretentious anymore." Then she sarcastically retorts to Misaki, "Madam Yajima, would you like to eat something else?" "Your wickedness can't be tolerated anymore," she continued. "Well, if that's the case, if you're so kind to me and your younger sister, then you'll obey anything we say these days. Isn't it? But now you are standing up and doing melodrama? Have you ruined your ears too like your eyes? Last night I sent you a message that you will send us sushi and ramen for lunch today, other than that we will not eat anything else. Then why did you make the traditional gyoza, rice, and curry? What happened? Answer me?

"You seem to be getting more and more courageous day by day. What do you think, you will get married and run away from here...? Is it that easy?" Misaki said with a soft smile on her face. "Mrs. Yajima, I didn't have all the ingredients in the morning, so I couldn't make it. That's why I went to the market in the morning and bought back all the ingredients. But it was already too late, so I couldn't make it. And that's why I cooked this for you now... Don't be angry... Eat it and see, I cooked this for both of you with love..." This time the younger sister said from the side. "Hey... How dare you speak on my mother's face? Really, your courage is increasing day by day... I wish right now that... that..." The younger sister came forward, picked up the bowl of hot "miso soup" from the table that Misaki had brought, and threw the entire hot soup on Misaki...

The hot soup splashed on Misaki's chest and burned her skin. Misaki fell to the ground in pain, with her hands on her chest, and started crying loudly. "Mom, I wanted to eat katsudon the day before yesterday, but she served me 'soba noodles'... so today I poured some soup on her... but still, I'm not having peace. Well, Mom, don't you think that we should have this demon punished one day?"

With a wry smile on her face, Mrs. Yajima said to her daughter as she heated a metal chopstick in the candle flame in front of her daughter - "Yes, you are right. I will punish her because punishment is the only thing she deserves. But no small punishment is enough for her..." With that, she stood up. Misaki was still sitting on the ground with her hand on her chest, which was scorched by the hot soup, sobbing bitterly. Mrs. Yajima brought the hot chopstick in her hand and knelt down before Misaki. She sat up and firmly grabbed Misaki's left hand, pulled it towards her, then flipped the hand upside down, and proceeded to burn her hand with the hot chopstick eight times one by one.

And with every blow, she kept asking only one question, "Will you ever repeat such a mistake again? What happened? Answer me. Will you ever do whatever you want? Tell me." As Misaki cried out louder with each burn, the next one was pressed harder into her hand. And at the same time, they kept warning Misaki, "Shut your mouth. Don't scream at all, or else the next blow will be more intense."

Meanwhile, Mizuki was sitting in front of her mother with a burning candle in her hand. Mrs. Yajima was heating the chopstick on the flames of the candle, then pressing the hot chopstick on the soft part of Misaki's hand. On the other hand, except for some special maids of Mrs. Yajima, the rest of the maids were silently shedding tears with their heads facing down. Mrs. Yajima was about to place the ninth burn on Misaki's hand when Mizuki stopped her mother and said, "Mother, I think we should let this witch go this time. Because you haven't forgotten that her wedding date is fixed next month? Listen, Mother, I know her future husband is insane. Still, if her future in-laws come to know about this and inform father, we will be in great trouble because father doesn't know anything about all this. So for the sake of both of us, please calm down! Mother, try to understand. If there is even the slightest mistake in our plan, then all our performance and hard work will be in vain. Do you want to carry this blind witch around for the rest of your life??"

Hearing this, Mrs. Yajima calmed down.. but then there was such a conspiratorial expression flashing in her eyes. She says to her daughter - "Hmm.. you are right. Sometimes we have to give up some small satisfactions to achieve a bigger goal... Today I feel proud to consider you as my daughter.. Well done..!"

This time, Mrs. Yajima threw a sly look at Misaki and said, "Listen, Misaki, don't you ever have such audacity again. Next time, it won't be forgiven!" Saying this, Mrs. Yajima stood up and left after giving a kick to Misaki's stomach. Mizuki also followed her mother, but before leaving, she looked at the candlestick in her hand and said to Misaki, "I want to set fire to a corner of your clothes and hair with this candle." With that, Mizuki blew out the candlestick and placed it on the floor. She stepped on Misaki's shiny brunette hair and crushed it under her feet, and finally, she pulled it with her feet several times.

And she threw a look at Misaki mixed with abominable jealousy and said, "Look at her hair... that too, she got more beautiful than me... Why do you get all the beautiful things in this world, you blind witch?" This time she raised her index finger to the rest of the waitresses and said in a commanding manner, "Clean up the place and rearrange the table. I'm going to calm Mother down... and yes, take this witch out of here. Because if Mother comes and sees her again, she'll be angry. Then I can't handle her anymore... Oh, one more thing, yes... she is not allowed to eat tonight like every other time... but with that, today I also banned her from drinking water. And remember everyone, if somehow my order is disobeyed, then this time everyone will be punished. "Do you all understand?" she shouted with a question. "Answer me!" All the frightened maids bowed to Mizuki in agreement. Mizuki shouted again, "Then why are you all standing like statues with your heads down? Go and do your work." Misaki was still half lying on the ground. Mizuki gave her one last cruel look and a disdainful "huh" with her mouth, then left. And after her, their special attendants also left.

Misaki fell to the ground, feeling one pain after another. She had probably lost the strength to cry as well, so she kept wailing in a very low voice. "Mother, this is beyond my tolerance limit. Where are you? Believe me, I really can't bear this anymore! Show me a silver lining now. I want to live independently with my head held high. Mother, you say 'God and mother nature has sent all of us to be free in this world.' But why should some people live as puppets created by others? Why should they keep their heads down after accepting such slavery? And then there is my situation. Tell me, what remains of me here? Why can I not tolerate this torture? Why is my breath stopping again? What should I do this time? Were they right about me? Does that mean I was always weak? You tell me. Why is my dark life getting darker? Please, mother, tell me and show me a way." Misaki sat up and wiped her tears.

And kept saying to herself, "Well, whatever I have got, or whatever is involved with me, God has given me. I have not achieved anything by force. Besides, I don't know what I have and how beautiful it really is. So then, why? Why?" Saying this, Misaki cried once more. No, unlike the other times, none of the attendants had the audacity to go up to Misaki and say, "You should go to your room now." Can't say if it was their love for Misaki, or their respect as a merchant's daughter, or both. However, suddenly Misaki stopped crying by wiping her eyes and slowly stood up and walked towards her room because somewhere maybe she also knows that the maid is also helpless like her, neglected, and tortured. Maybe that's why Misaki herself took this step, and thus, the veil of this scene falls.

Yes... This is not the first time that Misaki went to bed starving. This has happened to her many times since her mother's death, even when she was a child, and since Mrs. Yajima became her father's second wife in this merchant house. What's new in this? All these years, she has endured all this... But today they took away her permission to drink water. So what? They have forgotten one thing in their addiction to torture... that the one who had been born with the whole ocean between her two sightless eyes, why is she afraid of thirst? And besides, to tell the truth... After so much care, Misaki felt disgust towards hunger and thirst that night... So, after getting clean, she lay down quietly shedding tears.

Although some maids sneaked in to give her something to eat and water, she wiped away her tears and turned them away with sweet words, saying, "Oh no! I am not really hungry now. Besides, today I'm not feeling well, so I don't need anything else today. You guys eat and sleep."

Still, the attendants with wet eyes insisted that she should eat a little and drink some water. Then Misaki said in a pained voice, "Why don't you understand that they have punished me today? And if they know that you have came to feed me, they will punish me more. Although I am not afraid of that anymore. That's more or less what I have been getting every day..."

"But they will torture you too... which will be the most painful for me. Look, I can spend a night with an empty stomach and throat. But how can I live being the reason for the pain of my beloved... You tell me?... No. Rather than that, please leave now... I'm fine... And besides, it's just a matter of one night... After I wake up in the morning tomorrow and feel better, I will eat something and drink water... Don't worry about me so much... OK?" An old maid sobbed and said, "Sometimes listening to you, I feel as if our beloved Izumi is still alive through you... You are truly her worthy child... I have nothing but blessings to give you... So only this poor old woman's blessing remains on you... May you be very happy in your life... May I see with my eyes the tide of eternal happiness in your life..." Saying this, they began to caress Misaki's head gently, and with that, Misaki fell asleep...

-----

Late night in Akemitsu's temple

Mitsuo sensei sat down at his desk in the bedroom and started to write his new book. *The story of a Brave Warrior, Dearest son of Mother Nature, who was the epitome of valor and virility, yet his only desire was Peace...*

Peace...! *sighs* He suddenly stopped writing. "The vision of an ever-smiling, sweet, lovely face of a woman flashed in his memories, as if streams of happiness always flow throughout her entire form. She is so spirited... Real beauty lies within, which can never be judged by physical and facial features. This gifted woman is the living form of this message. It's as if an endless stream of diamond fragments is getting scattered from her enchanting appearance."_"She dwells wherever there's holiness, under which peace prevails. Nevertheless, she is the resemblance of simplicity. On the other hand, spontaneous and lively, she provides hope and is kind-hearted to everyone without discrimination. Her main religion is forgiveness, and her main virtue lies in her affection towards others, whom Mother Nature has placed in her heart. Above all, she is the greatest creation of my God and Mother Nature." *sighs* While Mitsuo sensei was slowly closing his eyes, he exclaimed in utter relief... "Kiyoko"

"Suddenly, where have you gotten lost? Even my eye of knowledge failed multiple times to search for you. Not only that, even the Gem of Wisdom has refused to give me any information about you (Kiyoko) and Izumi. Why has the Sword of Justice erased every trace from the atmosphere? Why do I feel like whatever has been hidden by the Sword of Justice is directly connected to you (Kiyoko)? Do you not want anyone to search for you? Is that why you have concealed yourself or are slowly forgetting about your own essence?

If that's the case, are you present here in the form of a human? But why? And is there really no way to find you? At least it's a relief that your identity has been concealed and you haven't completely disappeared. Well, the events that happened that day, and then whatever happened to you in the court of the universe, that was a massive mystery. I believe that on that day, everywhere time had come to a halt. And in that blink of a moment, you disappeared from behind the closed doors of the courtyard of the universe. After time has resumed, I found out that you were gone. Ever since then, several questions have crossed my mind. The biggest question is why no one ever bothered to ask any questions about your disappearance? Not even Enya? Of course, why am I talking about others? I myself couldn't ask any questions, and I deeply apologize for that..." After letting out a big sigh, Sensei continued...

"And those are the questions that are crowding my mind. But I can't find any way to get the answers. It seems as if God doesn't want me to learn everything even though I want to. To be honest, why do I find myself feeling so incapable today? Why does the foundation of my own divine power feel so shaky in front of my own eyes? Yes... Today I also want to see 'a silver line'..."

A few moments passed. Suddenly, he remembered Misaki and immediately said to himself,

"Misaki-chan, I believe you have the answers to many of my questions. I really need your help. Will you agree to talk to me one more time? Can you help me a little more?"

Sensei took a deep breath, recomposed himself, and picked up the pen dipped in ink to start writing again.

___

At the same time, in Yajima Merchant House...

In the middle of the night, Misaki saw an astonishing dream! She saw that she had gone back to her childhood. But very strangely, those fresh burn wounds that she got on the dinner table tonight were present in the same place on the chest and left hand of little Misaki! And there were exactly eight burn wounds on her hand... Now Misaki sees her mother. She hugs her mother by her neck and sits on her lap. Her mother is lovingly applying the magical ointment made by her on Misaki's burns. As a child, whenever she got hurt, her mother would make that ointment and put it on her wounds...

And surprisingly, her pain was cured very soon. Misaki saw that she was asking her mother the same questions as innocently as when she was a child. And her mother, like every other time, answered her every question with love. Today, Misaki continued to watch this scene in her dream, as if from the other side of a glass window, with fascination... And with that, she started to feel her lost childhood. She sees little Misaki hugging her mother by the neck and questioning her in a low, soft tone, "Mom, what is in this ointment that after applying it, all my pains are cured very quickly?" Her mother replied, "Hmm... Maybe it has the blessing of Lord Akimitsu's affection. So..." Misaki asks again, "Mom, who is Akimitsu? And who taught you to make this magical ointment? Akimitsu?" Her mother replied, "Misaki, my dear... Don't mention Lord Akimitsu's name like that."

She looked ahead with a thoughtful expression and said, "Misaki... because of his presence, the whole world is illuminated with the 'light of knowledge'." Misaki asked, "Mom, what does it mean?" Her mother replied, "That means... Lord Akimitsu is our god of wisdom... Don't you remember...? Once I told you about him...?" Misaki nodded in agreement with a 'hmm' sound from her mouth, with a very serious tone in a childish manner, and asked, "Mom, what is knowledge?"

Her mother replied, "Misaki, my dear, the meaning of knowledge is so vast that its significance can never be explained so easily. And besides, everyone needs a real teacher to understand the meaning of knowledge. I believe that one day he will show you both the true meaning of knowledge and its value. And I also know that one day you will come under the umbrella of a great Guru. Then, blessed with His knowledge, you will shine like a radiant lamp. And those who have been immersed in the darkness of ignorance for ages will remove the darkness of their minds forever." Izumi smiles softly, her eyes glistened with tears. Misaki stood up and danced in joy, "Yayyy, I'll gain knowledge!" and suddenly a question occurs in her thought - "Well, mom... did Lord Akimitsu teach you how to make this magical ointment?" Izumi smiles and replies, "Who knows..." Misaki hugs her mother and says, "I know he's the god of wisdom... hehe," the two hug each other lovingly and laugh for a while. Then Misaki sees that her mother again takes some ointment in her hand as if to apply it on the wound that Misaki got today and tells her, "You know, honey, all the knowledge that your mother has is from her teacher... This ointment, which you think is magical, is also his gift... He is like an ocean of knowledge himself... where once you dive, you will never want to float again..." Izumi continued to say...

"You know, Misaki, at the Temple's gurukula, every day during sensei's lecture, someone would be captivated by him and look at him with a look of reverence! She felt that a white light was emanating from his entire body, which was spreading the light of knowledge to the entire world. And suddenly, someone would say from her heart, 'He is no one else but He Himself is the earthly form of our Lord Akimitsu.' At that moment, she thought again, 'No, it can't be possible. With so many virtuous souls in this world, why would Lord Akimitsu accept us as disciples?' Misaki, can you tell me who was that someone?" Misaki asked, "Who was she, mom?" Izumi said, "That someone was your mom, Misaki." Misaki said, "Mom, was that you?"

Izumi restrained herself from saying something this time. Then a wise smile appeared at the corner of her lips. Suddenly, she started singing That Song...

Yes, Misaki loves this song so much. The fact is, from the day she gained consciousness, from the day she learned to understand the language and its feelings, the meaning of this song attracted her. She thinks whoever is the author of this song may have written it by reading the mind of someone like her. And maybe that's why Misaki sings this song alone sometimes. As a result of this, she has felt a strange peace through this song even in the midst of many hardships. But to be honest, this song in her mother's voice impresses her more!

She stopped the song as she finished applying ointment on Misaki's hands and chest. Misaki was lying on her lap. Now she gently stroked Misaki's head and said, "Misaki, honey, this song is your favorite, isn't it?" Misaki nodded in agreement. Her mother continued, "You know, Misaki, ever since you were born, whenever you were in pain or you cried, this song was sung to you, and you would strangely calm down all at once.

You must have been told once about who wrote this song. This song is composed by your mother's teacher. He played this song only to your mother and her two friends, and it was his favorite song of all the songs he composed! Not only that, he also told the three of them before playing this song that this song is also Lord Akimitsu's favorite song. But their teacher said one more thing. Those three disciples felt very strange after hearing that! He said the greatness of this song is not in its melody but in its words and meaning. And this feeling did not originate from his mind. This feeling is of a great idol, whom he respects from the heart! The three friends were surprised to hear this. But they were much more impressed to hear this song! "..that was once..!! Then it was as if the song was embedded in their minds..."

Misaki asks, "Mom, is there a story behind this song that makes it the favorite song of both Lord Akimitsu and your teacher, like us?" Izumi took a deep breath and said, "Misaki.. baby.. I want you to find the answer yourself.. and one day I'll come back again, then let me know..! okay??

Misaki placed her muzzle on one of her mother's hands and let out an innocent sigh. "But I want to know the answer now, Mom... Hmmm," Izumi said with a smile. "Okay, sweetie, the day you will meet Lord Akimitsu or your mother's teacher, you will ask them that day... okay?"

.. With that, Izumi took Misaki's little face between her palms, looked at her lovingly, and said, "I believe that..." (Izumi suddenly goes silent, then repeats) "....no, it's nothing..."

No, Misaki didn't understand an iota of the deep meaning behind her mother's hint...

Instead, she hugged her mother and kept asking her questions on her own - "Mom, I don't like anything anymore. I have become very lonely. What should I do, mom? You tell me."

Her mother hugged her tight and said, "Misaki, I know, honey, that you are searching for peace of mind everywhere. Listen to me. I know you remember the words you heard from your mother once when you were a child. You went to the Temple yesterday, early in the morning, didn't you? Then listen to your mother and go there at least one more time, but this time don't be afraid like last time. You will never be harmed there; instead, all the darkness of your life will disappear. And I assure you that you will find the peace that you are looking for. Yes, and I come to you today just to say this."

Saying this, Izumi went silent.. then placed her hand on Misaki's chest and said - "Misaki.. would you follow your mother's advice??"

Misaki nods her head in agreement and feels that the image of her childhood that she has been seeing in her dreams for so long is no longer her childhood image.. but there she is sitting and hugging her mother..!

And with that, suddenly another strange thing happened. Misaki was watching the whole scene in the shades of black and white. Suddenly, she noticed that there was a change in all the things in the room, as if someone had done some magic. At the same time, like magic, some strange kind of questions arose in Misaki's mind. She was born blind, so how is she seeing all this so clearly for so long? Yes, it is true that she has dreamed before. But everything she saw in today's dreams, she has been hearing and feeling for a long time. "But is it possible to get such a clear vision? - and what are the shades on each object? So are those what they call colors?" Yes, once she heard that everything has its own color. Yes, she has sometimes sensed smells in her dreams, even heard various sounds, may have seen some blurry scenes as well, and yes...

Sometimes she may have seen some patches of faded shades, or something like a dot! Someone from behind said in her ear, "Yes... Those are the colors." Misaki trembled in her dream, but strangely she was not afraid at all. Maybe it was because of her mother's presence. Rather, she thought, 'It is reasonable to dream sometimes, it is reasonable to see splashes of colors too. But such a clear colorful scene! No, she had never seen such a dream before.' It is far from seen; rather, it is right to say that such a clear view is unimaginable to her. But from where did she get all this knowledge today? Suddenly something struck her brain, and yes, then Misaki might have understood something. So suddenly she asked her mother an unexpected question... "Mom, what did you say the name of your teacher?" Izumi's eyes lit up, and she answered with a soft, pitiful smile on her face. (And don't know why, that answer kept echoing...)

Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..Mitsuo Sensei..

At the same time, this dream of hers suddenly got extinguished.

And with that, her sleep was broken.

The burning sensation in her chest and arms is much less now... At the same time, only one name is running through her mind... 'Mitsuo Sensei.'

She sat holding her head with her two hands for a while. She was feeling a little thirsty. However, after sitting like this for a while, her mind calmed down, and immediately several questions came to her mind, such as: After her mother's death, she never had such a clear vision in her dreams. So how did she suddenly get the power to see so much today? Misaki felt as if she had truly gained sight in that dream! Then more questions arose in her mind. Her mother did not give her this advice to go to the temple so far. So why today? And besides, why wasn't her mother identifying herself as "me" or "mine" in some cases? Was she really my birth mother? Or was she someone else...?

Is it really so important for me to meet Mitsuo Sensei? Does he really have the answers to all my questions? Or...?" Suddenly, a thought struck Misaki's head like a lightning strike. "Or... can we both help each other? But what could that be?" "I must know the answer to all this... Maybe as soon as I get the answer, I will find a way to relieve the pain in my heart!" she thought. "Well, does that mean that my mother's teacher, Mitsuo Sensei, is the person who helped me at the temple yesterday morning?" Suddenly, something flashed in Misaki's memory. Yesterday morning, when he came down the stairs of the temple and suddenly asked the man his name, he introduced himself. "Mitsuo... I am Mitsuo... Priest, teacher, and servant of this temple." Yes, I remember he also said his name was Mitsuo! Well, that means... that song, which is my favorite, which has inspired me every moment to survive in this dark life for so many years, is that song written by him? Misaki's eyes lit up!

She started saying, "Is that why he was standing behind me yesterday and silently listening to the song? Moreover, I heard one more thing in my dream. Yes, the concept of the lyrics of that song is someone else's, whom Sensei himself respects from the heart. Who is he? So it was also a clue for me? Mitsuo Sensei sang that song only once, and he sang it to his three beloved disciples. And these three were my mom, uncle Aito, and uncle Chimon. Maybe that's why yesterday when he heard from me that I learned this song from my mother, then in his voice and demeanor, I felt a strange excitement..

Yes, I misunderstood him at that moment when he held my hand and asked me my mother's name. Actually, maybe he was trying to find out some information about my mother yesterday because maybe he guessed that my mother is one of his three favorite disciples! Oh god, why am I so scared? How much I misunderstood him! With that, a new question came to Misaki's mind. "Well, does that mean she is completely unaware of the fate of my mother, Uncle Aito, and Uncle Chimon? That's why he got so excited when I mentioned my mother yesterday? That means..." Misaki let out a sigh and continued to repeat in a voice mixed with tears. "Maybe there was only one reason, and that was he never found any trace of those three beloved disciples of his for so many years! And so he might be looking for his three disciples? But where was he when the atrocity happened? I have to know everything."

"Oh God... I have made a big mistake because of fear... but should I tell him everything? By doing this, will I defy the sword of justice, right? After doing this, if I end up like Uncle Aito and Chimon... then?" Now she said in a tone mixed with pain, "then what will happen... the life I am spending. What else do I have to lose that I feel so worried about? Mentally, I'm already dead. So having this life and not having it is basically the same! And if I have to die, then I will choose to die, the least I can do for my mother, Uncle Aito, and Chimon...!" "And besides, I believe that after God and Mother Nature, if anyone can help me in this whole world, it is only Mitsuo Sensei! I also believe that Mitsuo Sensei can help me find the answers to the questions that have been haunting me in this world. Therefore, for the satisfaction of both of us, I must meet him at least once. So, I have to go to the temple tomorrow early in the morning!" Misaki says again. "No, no. Why tomorrow morning? I will go now, but it's midnight right now. So... what's in it? From the very first moment of my birth in this world, for me, this entire world is covered in eternal darkness. I never saw any edge..." So in that case, what is the value of daylight for me? And also, what is the darkness of the night? So, I'll go there now. And besides, I have to come back tomorrow morning before Madam Yajima and Mizuki wake up because I have to prepare breakfast for them after coming back. So I can't delay anymore. Thinking about this, Misaki got up. I don't know if it was the pull of an invisible hope, but she wrapped herself in a thin stole, picked up her wand, and very solemnly walked out the back door of their house fearlessly into that dark night!

💙🪷💙

To be continued..