Liu South Section 3: Yi Sang's Story

Hm...

A stroll in the City streets is a rare affair indeed.

This walk, the sun shining on my shoulders, conveys an unfamiliar sensation; days upon days I have spent in the archives, poring over volumes of books - the last time I saw any semblance of proper sunlight was on the day of my move up to Section 3, when my personal belongings were to be transferred to the new quarters.

If it were not for my colleagues pushing me outside in hopes of allowing me to bathe in the breeze and the sun, today would not have been a day of any significance.

Yet, well... this is quite pleasant, now that I am here.

The details of the surrounding hectic bustle fade into the background, becoming nothing more than white noise for me to focus entirely on text, enhancing my focus.

And, hm... how delightful it is, the flavor that infused this tea... Perhaps I will make a note of it to the Association to place them within our building.

The sky, though its tall and crisp blue but a reminder that it is all but a facsimile and a lie, brings a gentle and pleasant breeziness to my heart.

Much there have been to be gained from this excursion, given that it was a coercion that which pushed me to venture.

Perhaps this may be an opportunity to grow amiable to the unfamiliar; a learning experience this may become.

... Yet it may be a while afore I become eased into the activity of chattering and skittering about with one's colleagues.

I am not an unsocial creature by nature, yet I have remained skulking in the archives as long as I have been a member of the Association.

Like... a fool.

I believed ascension to higher stations achievable only by delving deep into volumes upon volumes of manuals and training my body.

... Yet I remained in Section 4 for a long while, denied from the much-wanted mobility of status.

My operation was formed on the incorrect proposition that the flame may grow by merely improving the firewood, failing to realize that flame cannot grow on its own.

On second thought, perhaps this is why the knifehand(手刀) techniques were taught in Section 4 of the South, to assist one in understanding this truth.

I initially failed to understand the bizarre notion that my hands were to be used like blades;

Yet, once my mind was freed from this limiting obstinacy, once it accepted that flame burns greater not in isolation but in collection, I could rise to Section 3.

... Now, I wield a flaming sword.

Tongues of fire, wreathing the blade, licks and burns the air; in contact, it burns our foes with utter ease.

I know that the technology that enables this is a culmination of the works of countless Workshops that shaped today's Liu weaponry.

Liu's flame. Its spark handily lit by all, yet catches fire only for those who understand it.

This is the truth for all of Liu's standard equipment; flame-wreathed weaponry of the Liu are known for their ease of use, yet to wield them to their fullest extent, a deeper understanding is necessary.

It can be traced back to the gloves of Section 6, and as the arsenal grows, so does the appreciation for the 'togetherness'; then, those who reach Section 1 would find their understanding complete. Such must be the philosophy behind such an approach.

Those who stand alone with the flaming sword are soon left with naught to burn, their spark and embers darkened;

Yet those who stand together, though they may wield blades of wood, may become a great bonfire that bursts with sparks of their fellows.

This is why I have requested to be dispatched eastward.

Though the martial forms, traditions, and the disparity between Sections may differ by region...

... should I find where and how the cores of Liu's philosophy, camaraderie and warmth, have settled...

... and should I learn how one converses and grows their understanding of their fellows... I should find myself moving forward.

And, in that process...

... I will learn how one might grow closer to the fellows of my Section, those who have pushed me to live this day.