Of Honour & Old Kostilu's Spirit Mystery.

Several days came and went on in the magical Sereti grasslands. Inside Shitu shrine, the young warriors were getting better and sharper with the spear. Another mid morning found them seated beneath Old Kostilu's large willowy tree. The enigmatic old head scribe was seated on his usual slanting chair as usual.

"Today we shall learn of honour , a most vital part of being a true warrior."

"And what is this honour? You may ask within yourselves..."

"It's to be true to yourself and to others." A young warrior volunteered. He had done his homework and was eager to stand out.

"Hmm.. true , this is true to a point.." the elder scribe smiled at the young warrior.

"Honour is above duty when it comes to being a warrior. Honour is simply the very rare quality of knowing and doing that which is morally right."

" Knowing and doing mind you. A warrior must be righteous. A warrior must be virtuous and above all a warrior must be trustworthy. "

"I put a heavy emphasis on trust. You all must show yourselves capable of being worthy of the trust your fellow warriors and your people place upon you."

"For you to further reflect on this, this old man has a story." Old Kostilu began, his voice smooth and soft.

"A long time ago, in some distant lands far east there existed a prosperous village. As with most villages there was the royal chief who ruled peacefully and with honour. Now it came a time...."

Old Kostilu then happened to look at Johari's calm face and discovered his mistake at once and changed tact seamlessly.

"...it came a time that the chief befriended a very good friend, a rich and influential merchant whose keen insights he relied upon greatly."

"These pesky brat, I almost gave him another chance to twist this old man's stories. hmmph making this old man change his old tales. I should give his loud mouth a good pinch." he muttered to himself.

"The Chief out of concern granted his friend a valiant warrior much like yourselves to guard him and his beloved family as he went on with his business."

"The chiefs friend grew to love and trust the young warrior and he did entrust to him a very vital treasure for safekeeping. It was a family heirloom that had been handed down from generation to generation. He wished to hand it over to his son when he came of age."

"The warrior was true to his duty and kept the treasure safely for many years. However as he continued to stay with the merchant family, one thing led to another and he came to fall head over hills in love with the rich merchants daughter."

"The daughter herself feeling restless in the village convinced the warrior to sell the family treasure so that they could elope and live an exciting life roaming the vast Sereti. The warrior gave in to the beautiful but bashful girl and he sold the treasure secretly to a group of traveling merchants and they eloped much to the ire of the rich merchant."

"They were of course tracked down and brought back to the village where they faced great punishment for their sins. But our young warrior was punished more heavily as he was blinded and sentenced to a life in chains."

"You see what invoked such a terrible punishment from the Chief and the rich merchant was not for selling the priceless treasure nor for deserting his warriors duty but the trust that he broke."

"He betrayed the trust of his chief and his dear friend, tainting his honour as a protector, as a friend and as a man."

"Honour is like a brittle egg, to break it is an easy thing but once broken it can never be repaired. Never."

"As a warrior a heavy burden of trust will be placed on your shoulders."

"You will be trusted with everything that is vital to your village. They will trust you with their lives, their belongings, their children, their future. All that is dear to them."

"It is up to you to live up to this trust. For honour is what makes a warrior stand tall amongst his other warriors and his people. Without honour you are no warrior."

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Later on in the night, Johari walked down the now familiar path to lay down on his private spot where he came to hide from the clatter and noise. He loved his silence. The night was still and the skies were clear, the starry skies littered brightly with numerous beautiful stars.

"Such a quiet night isn't it, hohoho its a pity most people are unable to appreciate such simple joys." a smooth familiar voice sounded besides him.

Johari did not rise or react hastily as he heard Old Kostilu's cheerful voice. He smiled at the twinkling skies.

"Back at Mariani, nobody remembers to either. I think people just forgot or simply don't know how to anymore."

"It is indeed sad." Old Kostilu replicated Johari's position. They gazed up, revelling in the silence and the simple beauty of nature.

"I heard you racked up a huge win the other day. The higher ups were impressed. Hohoho.." Old Kostilu prompted after a long silence.

"Yes , it was a tough one. I didn't think I could best that brute so easily. He was a bit stupid though. If it was the real deal my chances would have been dismal."

Old Kostilu laughed softly. " No, I don't think so. Even if you both went through a hundred more duels the results should remain the same. Its all about what's inside you."

"What do you mean Kosti.."

"Hmm Of course strength and skill matter in a duel but there's something else too. The spirit. You can say your spirit is much more powerful than his."

"The spirit?.... hmm so I had more heart, more zeal , more desire."

"In a way yes, but the spirit, the soul is much more complex and mysterious than just willpower and determination. It has a power within it, a power that lays still until its awoken."

Johari's silence shared his lack of understanding. Old Kostilu smiled before explaining further.

"Every form of life in this vast Savannah is endorsed with a spirit. This is its is source of life so it differs with different life forms."

"A life form with more developed spiritual power will stand above all its peers and species."

"A dog with more spiritual power is stronger and can defeat a wolf or leopard whose spirit is lacking."

"Why do you think the kai warrior , the most elite of our warriors stands above all others. Its not because he is more skillful or that he has more strength. Its because his spiritual power is the strongest and he has enhanced this by a very special method passed on from our great forefather the great warrior Lukani."

"Ooh, really?? Tell me more."

"The kai warrior is an enigma, so little is known about him even amongst the warriors and generals." Johari sat up intrigued to the bones.

"Hohoho.. This old man has spoken too much. This is the greatest secret of our clans. Our last vestige of protection, thus naturally it is kept hidden."

"All this shall be revealed to you at the end of the warrior training. If you are worthy.. Hohoho.."

Johari could only swallow his immense curiosity as the elder scribe kept his lips sealed and revealed nothing more.

Thus the young warrior and head scribe went on to pass the night in silence , speaking of many other things as they watched the starry night skies twinkle till dawn slowly approached.

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