Ōkuninushi’s Peak (169)

Storyboard Elements

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Recall previous events [C-Rank]
Decide on a new direction [C-Rank]

A new beginning

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Wei Wuxian slowly, and methodically descended the mountain, his thoughts swirled as the events which had transpired plagued his mind, tormenting him. The climb down the mountain was not a difficult one, in fact, every step seemed too easy, the local wildlife seemed to have scattered, perhaps scared off from the abundance of killing intent and the noise of battle. Each section he descended, Wei recalled the troubles he had with his inner self when ascending, they seemed so insignificant now. After taking his steps on the demonic path, his way of thinking changed, the chains and guilt that previously plagued him could no longer truly bother him, like a switch that had been flipped. Who would have thought that after going through all that, he would descend having embraced his inner demons, using them as a source for power, rather than shedding them. Life worked mysteriously, still, Wei never forgot his purpose. ‘Fang Yuan.. I will find you, and I will make this life a living hell for you.. But not yet, I am still too weak.’ Wei Wuxian thought, ‘First, I need to learn to wield this new power effectively.’ He thought back to his use of blood, while it seemed natural, Wei Wuxian didn’t know much about it, this would not do. This also seemed identical to what Fang Yuan used, was it his influence that caused Wei to unlock it, or was it already deep within him. Wei didn't have the answers..

Having reached the base of the mountain after a few hours of travel, noticing more and more wildlife as he descended. Wei turned and looked upwards, staring towards its peak once more. Seeing the grand scale of the mountain with himself at the bottom was a grand reminder and a symbolic contrast. His position at the base of the mountain showed where he would once again be starting in life, and to get stronger and reach his goals, he would need to struggle and claw to ascend a new peak. ‘I suppose I shouldn’t confine myself to the old ways of the righteous path, It is time I start using everything at my disposal. I could stay here and learn my abilities methodically.. but that is not truly suffering wind and rain. Only through life and death will I truly refine myself.’ Wei recalled his debate with Fang Yuan again, as much as he wanted to forget and refute, he found himself more and more unable to do so. This annoyed him slightly, the bottom line was that Fang Yuan was right, still, it no longer mattered and Wei quickly moved his mind to focus on something else. ‘I should first decide where to go.. a direction to search for opportunities to improve..’. only by coming across new experiences and other such opportunities could he improve. in hindsight, he could see the flaws of his previous thinking. 'A lake which stays still becomes stagnant. A lake or river that flows embodies life and change' Sigh~ Wei recalled an old idiom at this moment.. 'I was like a stagnant pool staying on this mountain...' and for the first time in a while, only through change and moving, did he reach this small enlightenment.

Wei thought about what to do for a while, he couldn't help but allow his mind to diverge, becoming distracted, trapped within his own thoughts as they flashed through his mind, forgetting the surroundings. His jaw would clench tighter and tighter as the look in his eye became fiercer and fiercer, as these flashes of images appeared within his mind, like watching a slideshow, he saw how his enemy walked up to his home, he saw the vicious look on his face and how vicious this person could be, He saw himself, as he was stabbed through with hardly an inch of resistance, then he saw the state of the temple.. completely destroyed, not a single soul left either.. While not many, there had been a few people living in the temple, looking to seek enlightenment, however now they were just piles of flesh.. their bodies scattered in varying contortions. Wei couldn’t help but sigh. He released the tension he had been holding during this mere few moments, seemingly allowing it to melt away again. There was nothing he could do now. there was no sense in recalling these events other than to remind himself of that one person he couldn't live under the same sky as. ‘Everytime I think of that wretch I feel like I'm going to lose my mind..’ These recollections of events were like an inner demon, not likely to leave him until he had settled all accounts with this person. ‘I should head for one of the islands for now.. he has most likely moved inland and I am unable to contend with him right now.’

Wei had decided on a new direction to head towards physically, and slowly, he was finding a new direction to head toward mentally. He had always been bound by the righteous paths standards for too long, always upheld to a moral high ground and placed on a podium. However, he could recall many of his elders dabbling in arts which were not considered righteous, and some of them considered outright demonic. When asked, they would simply say that it was a privilege of their position and to keep it quiet, not to disturb the family with such matters. 'Hypocrites' the lot of them. ‘Without being bound, I should explore the techniques this land has to offer, as well as those techniques the elders said I couldn’t learn.. I should start with the summoning one. I can’t quite recall how it goes at this moment though..’ Wei thought hard. His clan elders also had personal animal companions. When he asked about them, they would simply shoo him away, another 'privilege' he was told. Wei sneered, the more he thought about it, the more his own clan seemed to be hypocrites and the more he realised that the elders of the clan were only interested in their own gains. The wellbeing of the clan was important, they would say. But being on the outside, being able to look objectively, he could see it. The system they held was just a way of controlling people, the familial bond, just a chain that would prevent someone from acting against the interests of the clan. The clan's interests were the interests of the elders that ran it, while the masses of people that made up the family and the main body were used as fodder during times of strife. The elders only appearing should their hands be forced by a dangerous situation no one else could handle, and even then, some would choose to hole themselves up instead, fear of losing their lives.

‘Forget it, I will return one day and rid the world of them, it is time I start moving, the longer I stay, the more stagnant the air becomes. I will worry about learning the techniques I've seen later.’ Having now decided on his direction and clearing his mind of past concerns, Wei reiterated his next destination. ‘Heavens ocean. It sounds like it could be a place of opportunity, but this could be the trick. I should be careful on my journey, complacency could be the end of me.’ Slowly, Wei Wuxian walked in the direction of his destination. His plan was to pass through ‘Heavens Ocean’ eventually reaching the seaside. Once he was there, he would grab a boat or look for a lift from someone and make his way to the nearby islands for the time being. Perhaps there will be something of interest before he reaches his destination, Wei mused.

Storyboard Elements

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Re-enter the ninja world after a period of isolated cultivation [C - Rank]

The beginning of a new Era

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In a dark cave, somewhere deep beneath the Okuninushi mountain range, Wei Wuxian sat like a tranquil lotus above a calm lake's surface. His eyes were tightly shut, his posture in a cross-legged position in the center of the cave. The passage of time could be seen as debris had gathered upon and around him, like the aging of a statue. This cave was incredibly deep, and many would not think to look here, for why would you look deep down when the grand peak of Okuninushi sat above? Since his loss to a man long since gone, Wei had decided to enter closed door cultivation, a form of isolation one enters to steady ones mind and body, comprehend difficulties and allow the body to enter an enhanced state of understanding often leading to a break through of ones understanding of the workings of the world and workings of their own bodies, normally equating to an increase in ones own strength.

On this day, the calm lake's surface rippled in Wei's mind. This ripple caused the calm lotus, which was Wei, to slowly reopen his eyes. His cultivation had been disturbed this day by an event he could not quite yet understand, but something seemed different, even though he could not comprehend why. As Wei's eyes opened, a deep crimson pupil revealed itself; it seemed to radiate a killing intent unlike any other for a moment before it dispersed, as if it were an illusion. Sigh~ It seems like the time for me to leave has come, I have been gone from the world for too long, and I have no doubt that' person is still roaming...

How long has it been, I wonder. This period of cultivation was fruitful. I now have full control and understanding of my abilities. If I were to come across that situation again, I wonder how it would play out. No matter, this period of isolation in this place where it began was just what I needed to refocus and resolve myself once more.

Wei took a moment, his fingers moved slowly first, followed by some shoulder and neck flexion and rotation, as if becoming accustomed to his body once again. Slowly, he stood up onto his two feet, planting them firmly into the hard rock beneath him, before firmly stepping to stand up. The debris covering his body and armour fell to the floor, and a small pulse of blood, like chakra, burst from his body, as if releasing pent-up frustration from being inactive, fully removing the debris from his body in its entirety. It truly has been too long... Wei's body felt stiff due to its long period of inactivity, but despite this, he felt stronger than he had ever been.

A smile crept across Wei's face; his once easygoing, relaxed attitude before stepping onto the demonic path had somewhat returned, although not fully, and it now hid the deep cruelty and coldness of the demonic path for those who had wronged him. Wei was someone who went by the morality and principles of “A drop of water repaid with a spring; a grievance repaid with a flood,” meaning he would repay a small kindness with a greater return, but he would also repay hostility and unkind intentions a thousand times over.

Wei took another look around the cave, savouring his surroundings and the time he spent here, but he could stay here no longer. There was a certain eloquence about this place. It was the place he took his first step onto the demonic path, albeit at the peak, and now it was the place he returned to remind himself and hone himself further. Both times, he took his first step from this place into the world.

Slowly, Wei moved upwards towards the cave walls, his mastery of the elements easily carving a way out through the dark dampness until, eventually, a ray of light began to break through the rocks' gaps. Once again, Wei took his first step into the outside world, allowing the sun's rays to warm his body. His eyes were looking into the distance, somewhere far off.

I guess we will start with that direction