“Shall tell you everything you need to know. But first, have some tea, San. Its invigorating.” The monk said with a divine smile.
At one corner of a room, amidst other paintings and effigies, his eyes caught a glazing Armor of a warrior. Like what the stories were, like what the ancient paintings he saw at museum, the real one overwhelmed him. He tried to get up but he felt too drowsy.
“Take some rest. Here, this will keep you warm. Live by choice, not by chance.” He received a blanket from the monk.
The tea worked like magic. It replenished and re-energized him within a couple hours. Getting up he approached to the central hall. The monks were chanting and their vibration of hymning ushers in every corner. Without any intervention, he folded his legs and sat at one corner. Is this what his destiny is? The circle of life brought him… here? The ignition of his aspiration illuminated…here?
Buddhism entered Japan in the sixth century and from then it became a powerful force for the rulers. The monks were worshipping Saint Buddha, about 8 feet tall, an angelic deity. Not only today, time immortal the innocent gets oppressed, the discrimination of poor and rich, the dominance of powerful prevails and for this King Siddhartha left the impunity of his throne and taught mankind the true meaning of love and peace. Contradicting those musings, today’s world runs on privileges, egoism, self-centredness, and brutality.
“Are you lost traveller? You seem anguished.” The elderly monk who gave him tea, approached towards him after prayer and asked.
“Humbled and aimless I am! Ohh sire! From achievement I lost everything! I was wandering to find tomorrow, but the past hounds me!”
“Control your emotions and listen to your inner self, San. Think you’re the azure sky with plumage of clouds, light and feathery. Think you are the blue of the ocean, with vast possibilities and opportunities. Unentangle yourself, defense against the odds. Be like water, get accustomed in any situation.”
“Then transform me into water! Let the optimism flow through my veins!”
“Practice makes a man perfect. It’s not some days venture to transform your inner self. You have to break and mend yourself my dear. You have to live a dervish life to find peace.”
He stands up and stooped to the Monk in respect. He trows. finally, he got what he wanted, the meaning of life. As a protector of humanity, as a defender of justice, as an executioner of sinful. The ambience too played and important part of his inspiration; the serenity, the discipline, the sober stance of the monks and their disciples.
Survival for the next four years was really a man with infinite tolerance can do. Stories of great heroes can be cherished to hear, but their journey to become one, no one talks about. Everyone puts limelight on the success, but nobody heeds to their journey.
His soft palms toughened because of coarse grounds; nerves swelled on his wrists. More flexible he became than before. He was completely unrecognisable, from a college nerd to a fighter, those years changed him a lot.
“Your body is a temple, San. How you sculpt, depends on you.”
He knows, his tenure as a “Bushido” already started. He still has miles to go without stopping. And he wont give up either until he is worthy.
“Control your temperament in uncertain situations. Stay loyal to everyone. Value your honour above life”.
It was tough at first to acclimatize limited two-time meal and five hours of sleep, but gradually the lifestyle the defense sessions started to augment his anatomy and perception.
“From tomorrow onwards, your Kendo training will start. Now it’s time to work on weapons and defenses to subdue enemy at the field.”
Train, your body
From where it started, from where did it spread, nobody knows. Mild crapulous symptoms at the initial stage, followed by rotting of internal organs thousands were affected in Asia and the cities in its propinquity. Within 6 months almost in every corners of the world, zombies swarmed and decomposed. The infection was not contagious, because of inhaling an unidentifiable gas compound made their epidermis rot and brain functions disrupted and it didn’t spread from person to person like virus. Hordes of Zombies scurried and scampered on streets and buildings.
Like the pandemic 8 years ago, total lockdown and quarantined zones were initiated. The only difference was in 2020, Russia was the first nation to initiate human trials of the vaccine. Later Britain and US had invested in a vaccine developed by oxford university. Jade Viper also were in discussion as he started trading bodies of the dead with Taliban. However, in advanced cities like Korea, Japan, Latin provinces the infiltration of zombies were quite less as ionized shield were installed in borders to obstruct them for entering.
Then came in existence, the Dermatoxia. Originated from the corpses, this disease bursts the internal artery and death is abominable. Carried by fleas and mosquitoes, the latter part of 2028 was formidable and still continues. By the middle of 2029, Zombie counts were less in number, but no solutions of Dermatoxia are available.
Jade Viper was killed by an air strike at his divulged lair at Cambodia on the Same year. It was postulated that Viper and the insurrection of Zombie Apocalypse might have a thin line of connection, but no possible data were retrieved from this.
“On your feet, Senshi!” Master yelled.
He forwarded with this wooden sword towards his contender. With a secretive gaze he was observing the players fighting style.
“HIII YAAAH!” The two players fought with nifty skills. Within minutes he gained victory over the other.
“Admirable, your flamboyance is reaching high!” Master was impressed. “Again!”
Whatever he imbibed all these years, he didn’t hesitate to show off. Like a snarky beast, he continuously defeated other players in combat.
You’ve got a good grip on your weapon, Senshi. Come let me introduce you to all arms use to vie.” Master showed him the way inside. “this is our room of armor and weaponry. From the ancient period, these are Bushi s mark of protection. In a furtive way or aggressively, defeating your enemy would be more conducive if you have hands on expertise to these”.
He started introspecting the arms one by one, picking up. His eyes were gleaming with shining of galvanized metal swords and spears.
“That, San is a Naginata, a blade attached at the end of a staff. It was a symbol of Onna Bugeisha, the female warrior clans of Japanese nobility. Similar to that, this is Yari, a dagger like spear. Traditionally made from a Japanese blade called ninoto, it comes handy when fighting multiple enemies at a time.”
He picked up the Naginata and slashed the air a couple of times, Testing the two for a few times, he approached to the rest.
“ This is not a simple archers bow. Its Yumi. Highly effective in stealth mode, the arrow can pierce the heart beyond 100 meters. The arrows are made from fine bamboo shoots and metals and varies in weight.” Master forwarded to the Blade section.
“Always yield a Katana with two hands Senshi. Its not a one handed weapon. But this, slightly smaller in length than katana is Wakizashi. Stab or slit, this O Tanto always come handy in face-off.”
Picking up the Katana, his forefinger got slightly wounded and started bleeding as he tested its sharpness. Like what the Anime’s were like the stories, the longing is finally reaching the crescendo, he presumed. He chose with due respect, the weapon he yielded with two hands.
“Excellent choice, Senshi. Your training with Bokken has finally come to an end. As you have chosen your ultimate weapon, the expertise you must have to inculcate. Remember, the blade should not get smeared with the blood of innocent. Douse your inner rage and fight with honor. Your primary weapon will and always should be your intuition, your instinct should be like a hyena to ward off possible threats. And don’t get doomed in spite of trying continuously. This master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. Don’t sacrifice your life for the nation. Survive till last breath on you deathbed so that you can protect and fight.” The Master apprsised calmly.
Theres no emotion and suffering haunts him now. He broke the shackles of pain, anger, and despair. Who would have thought that a college nerd could go beyond the boundary of a simple life?
Adapt to changes
“There’s a letter for you, San.” A monk handed over a letter to him. He was about to finish his meal, with suspicion he received it from his hand.
In the past 9 years, no one wrote anything to him. He has no idea what Dada is doing now, How’s Baba and where is he residing, whereabouts of his friends. He expected some contacts in previous year during the apocalypse but got no responses.
No one is concerned about him now? His unwithering bonding with Dada, the inspiration he seeked from Baba, the college hangouts with friends, his love interest, what is their status currently? He is unaware of the world outside, obscured about the catastrophic ramification of zombie hordes and the aftermath of it. The Bushido life is phlegmatic, conscientious, and assertive. No soft-cornered feelings should inflict it. Achievement on mental and spiritual grounds is inherent.
What these 9 long years taught him? Nearly a decade that changed him from outer and inner self by the 7 virtues of Bushido were,
Gi-Always take right decisions.
Yu-Vigorous and depiction of courage.
Jin- Empathetic and benevolence.
Rei- Respect.
Makoto-Honesty.
Meiyo-Success and honour.
Chungi- Loyalty.
Adhering to the code of conduct his journey commenced. He became an expert in Bujustu, the unarmed combat that spawned karate, judo and aikido. He learned unarmed fighting to sculpt him physically and also indulged in Kata, a formal exercise of the meditative practice.
He studied the Zen-Buddhism, to find his inner peace amidst turbulence. He imbibed the self-control and non-reaction against aggression. This allowed him to become one with their sword and the free and spontaneous mind gave them the mental edge over the enemy. Despite leaving behind academics, he placed a high regard for education, as an ancient saying of the culture was Bun bu ryu do, which means ‘the pen and sword in accord’. He used to read books and nurture his competencies in computer and information technology. Constant upgradation of core skillsets is what he inspired from Baba and Dada.
Swordsmanship was an integral part of his training. Modern combats with Katana and Wakizakshi is far different than what was prevalent before the late 18th Century. The styles began to be supplanted with bamboo Bokken. Weapons and armour alike, made out of plant shoots, and used in a fast-paced combat style, that laid the inception of modern-day Kendo.
He was also deeply overwhelmed with the musings and principles of Go Rin Sho (The book of five rings). Written by the revered Miyamoto Musashi, his teachings of militant strategies, the surreptitious execution and the advocation of swords simultaneously in battleground, touched him. The astute proficiency of using the Yumi was what he learned from the book and by constant practice. The art of Kyujutsu, skills of archery adapted to a sporting activity in recent trainings, and he have participated in that as well as Yabusam, the practice of shooting from horseback.
Adaptation to diet was somewhat difficult to get accustomed with being an Asian. The mythical toughness of warriors are the consequences of intense workouts, 5 hours of sleep a day and two times of meal a day. The diet comprises mainly brown rice, miso soup, fish and fresh vegetables. A digression from routine could change a whole day’s contribution to work out, so with perseverance he maintained the schedule daily.
Not only donning on the men(helmet) and decking on the do(breastplate) and kote (gauntlets with bracelets) during competition and fair matches, but the body is also an armour and its upgradation is absolutely necessary. In Noijai, the open field competitions used to take place at the vicinities of temple and near the shrine, the fast-paced actions were conducted where the objective was to parry and deflect the opponent’s strike, he learned how to keep a keen observation on the opponent’s Kamae, the gesture and motions.
“Remember the enemy will improvise continuously to divert you. Its your strategy to irritate him and pretend to be weak, to turn on his arrogance. The path you’ve chosen is treacherous to reach the triumph.” His master once said.
He was unmindful for a moment. Washing his mouth, he teared off the envelope.
Manifesto
If you are reading this, I will be alive no longer on this world. I could not condemn from my sin I have committed. The nemesis rained upon me for my iniquitous and nefarious deeds. All I wanted to see you two happy, despite my loss; but alas, the almighty took you little ones too from me. I dreamed of a family where I do not want to feel the loss of my first love Deepti and not let my Rony, your Dada, to feel that too. I yearned for constant support and perfect upbringing for both of you. When Rony was born, his mother and I were over the moon. Rony spent his entire childhood was with me and Deepti, from vacations, from outings to participation in school sports, the moment was cheerful. Rony loved sports, especially football. Deepti’s Indian culinary was also great, she always used to give surprise to me and Rony with Punjabi cuisines. She was from Amritsar and we met on a medical campaign when I was 26. I fell for her, and together with Rony, we dreamt of a perfect world. Rony was the apple of our eye, and amidst my work hours we gave space to him too.
That day, when she was inflicted with cardiac arrest, was obnoxious for me. I somehow controlled myself, but Rony broke into tears and cried for 3 days. He could not stop himself, and no one was there to succour him. His inconsolable cry also made my heart shattered into pieces. But what could I do? Lying on her deathbed, she told me to take utmost care of Rony and myself. No one can stop death, and I am not an exception to that. A contributor to medical science herself died in pain. What could me more lamenting than that? Rony was in shock at her cremation, he did not utter a word. Deepti’s affection engulfed both of us and her concern was indomitable. I could somehow manage myself, but what about little Rony? What is even his age to understand what death is? At this point of time, who will take care of him like a mother? Who will pack his bags, who will feed him, who will read him bedtime stories? As a father can I fulfil the gap? I don’t think so. Deepti was everything in our life, from a caring mother, a loving wife to a contributor in medical science.
Rony’s behaviour and attitude abruptly changed from then onwards. He became more introvert, much more unmindful and suppressive. He stopped talking to me like before, his disposition towards football lessened. He just used to keep himself busy in studies. I took him to outings, movies and all, but he was a completely different man from inside. I tried to rejuvenate his excitement, his inquisitive attitude but as a father I failed to do so. I felt like Rony was not my son, in fact he is not in relation with me at all. What is a family without a mother? In spite of continuous attempt, when I was almost giving up, Suvantika, your mother came in my life. She knew my past and was compassionate about Rony too. I decided not to fall for her, but her rectitude and her concern towards Rony, I had grown infatuation towards her. She was an assistant of my lab, but who would know that she will be partner in future? With absolute generosity she married me and raised Rony as his own son. Rony got a mothers love but sometimes I’ve seen him weep in front of Deepti’s photo.
Rony was only 13, when you came as the youngest member in our family. I realized this was the absolute moment to cherish for till I get on my deathbed, with you little ones grown up to a gentleman. Rony was happy with my decision and was in confluence with Suvantika’s caress too. His eyes gleamed when you were born, as he always wanted a little brother. I loved the amusements you had, the mischiefs you guys carried out like tom and jerry still inscribed in my heart. You guys didn’t make us realized that you brothers are from another mother. Suvantika, like Deepti loved all three of us despite the odds. You, my son is not neglected at all if you think so or still possess repulsion about me as I disappeared without t
elling you guys anything. Yes, I failed as a father, but my love didn’t ethered away.
The bereavement and despair, no one hears. 2020 was a year of black swan event. And God seemed not so satisfied about my happy conjugal life and my career. Your mom was attending a science event at London, but her flight was cancelled and blocked because of the virus flourished. All modes of transport were continued to defer indefinitely, and lockdown was enforced across countries. She took a hotel at London and constantly kept connections with us, you know that. Protection and quarantine were not enough, and me and my assistants were our elbows greased to find out possible cure for that. We were out of any government privileges; we had not got any financial supports from any institutes as every concern and industries suffered huge loss and some got defunct. We, the group of 6 started funding our project but still faced problems like chemical requisites and human trials. Still, we kept our hopes high and with constant synergy, attempted to make a breakthrough. One of us sold his own house for funds and we were distraught completely. Where were those institutions, those industries now, felicitated and accoladed us with honor before? Where are their promises of constant support? Nobody stands during your hard times.
The Viper's Successor Page 6