The Day of Thunder

"Truly, I am back to the beginning of my path with this one terrible sin," he replied with a laugh.

Ranmaru shrugged. "Right, because that's what monks do." He looked over their bodies and then smirked. "Right, you have to train your bodies too and all that." His eyes narrowed. "But okay, you can't help us against the Champion itself. But can you say anything at all about what it is? Will it real...

"Something something temperance," he said, looking a bit amused. "Do your best, Jiyo-sama."

He looked back to Sora. "You may not necessarily have been wrong back then. I don't remember if I mentioned it before, but Ningen-do's influence over beings is one of the strongest of all the realms. It makes Jigoku's influence look like a casual nudge. It's hardly a surprise that people change the ...

He closed his eyes and put his hand over his heart, taking a deep breath and letting it out with a smile. "I was so arrogant then. As if she didn't know from the beginning." He looked up and off into the distance, as if he could see her almost. "For all her dedication to propriety, she has always he...

He nodded, expression curious.

"I have. Better than I expected after speaking with Nanzi-sama," he said with a nod and a small smile. "Even if she makes a different decision before the end, I will be grateful for these extra days."

The monk in question is writing something, but stands and bows when Sora arrives. "Jiyo-sama, good afternoon."

"I imagine that's one way to get there - mental discipline," he said with a nod. "I'd be lying if I said I knew how to do it. It's mostly something I brought up because of the Day of Thunder bearing down on us."

"The real trick when you're sleeping is coming to awareness without waking," he commented. "The real trick while physically in Yume-do would presumably be convincing yourself that you can change things, since that is not true in Ningen-do."

the monk was there, as requested. He's keeping himself busy writing something on parchment with charcoal.

"I just thought of it upon hearing the trouble in question, but it is just the roots," he replied, taking a sip of tea. "As much as I wish to take a more active part, my role is as a guide for others as much as I can."

He nodded. "That is precisely my thought."

"Indeed," he said. "Of course, a lot of things are possible in a dream, because in the dream there's no doubt in the ability to do them."

He considered how to answer for a long moment before saying, "Are you familiar with the idea of lucid dreaming, Doji-sama?"

"The Champion of Jigoku is coming. This will be the Day of Thunder - the day, once every thousand years, give or take a few, where Jigoku and Ningen-do clash," he said, expression intensely thoughtful. The word that immediately jumped into Hikaru's mind, for some reason, was plotting . "But to clash...

He shook his head. "We may uncover a way in the process, but that is not the primary task of those gathered here."

"Actually... Hmm." Kichi tapped his lips. "Hmm hmm hmm."

He nodded. "Ah yes. I have heard of her heroic efforts holding back the tide of darkness," He said. "It can be easy to simply be grateful without considering the toll such a feat must take. Some may not even realize how terrible things would be without her. Our experiences these five years are a mer...

"In another life, I may have. That life is long gone, now, though," he said. Then he smiled softly. "'I am simply Kichi.'"

"Even if the desired result cannot be accomplished, the pursuit of duty in service to another is worthwhile. What are your circumstances, if I may ask, Doji-sama?"

He smiled a little. "I practice painting and poetry. It's good for expressing oneself truly within the bounds of propriety."

"As monks, we travel, study, help people who might need it and search for the lessons that exist in all aspects of the world."