Some Days are Diamonds
Apr 23, 2007 16:54:11 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2007 16:54:11 GMT
Tong Lieng was just an average young man. He was deeply spiritual and wanted nothing more out of life than normalcy. Unfortunately, in his line of work, it didn't always happen. The Order of the Eye decided not long before he was born that the ability to mold diamonds out of coal wasn't just a sign of technique mastery, it was also a good way to get their monasteries out of debt and to make money so that they could focus on more important things. Unfortunately, the added wealth also brought added opposition with it: thieves, con-artists, and angry jewelers disgruntled with the competition. What seemed like a crystal clear solution was now bringing up some very unexpected problems. So as a young boy, the ever mischievous Tong Lieng accepted the responsibility to learn how to fight, so that he could become a bodyguard to the couriers. At his young age, he took the Sage's offer as a sign that they respected him. In reality, all they wanted was to discipline the little brat, but they were perfectly content with letting him keep his self-centered delusion.
It worked better than they thought. Not only did he grow out of his childishness and learn discipline, but he also became the strongest boy of his age group. He became so powerful that the Order entrusted him as their special courier. He would personally transport their most expensive diamonds into the courts of the rich and powerful. And usually, he could count on it not being such a quiet trip. There were always thieves and robbers along the way.
Sometimes he wished that he could just turn as clear as the diamonds he was transporting-- become completely invisible. But somehow he had been unable to master the technique when the Sages tried to teach it to him. They said it was due to a conflict in his mind: a secret wish to be in the spotlight and to be seen. He denied it, but in the Order of the Eye, the Sages could see straight through him. All of the years of everyone making him think that he was the star of the Order filled him with secret pride. The truth was that despite the danger of his job, he loved being the front man. He loved the conflict because it gave him a chance to show his power. So the Sages said that until he learned humility, he would never be able to master the technique of becoming invisible.
Today his driver was taking him through Generica. They always transported diamonds in a plain, Generic sedan, and never trusted public transportation, because too many things could go wrong. They wore plain clothing, too, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves. And they were always on the look out for anything out of the ordinary or people that might be following them. Transporting something this valuable was always dangerous, even in a usually civilized country like Generica.
The diamond was meant for Captain Generica, who apparently was planning on proposing marriage to some super model. Tong Lieng wondered if such a huge rock could fit on such a dainty woman, but who was he to talk, he was just the delivery boy.
It worked better than they thought. Not only did he grow out of his childishness and learn discipline, but he also became the strongest boy of his age group. He became so powerful that the Order entrusted him as their special courier. He would personally transport their most expensive diamonds into the courts of the rich and powerful. And usually, he could count on it not being such a quiet trip. There were always thieves and robbers along the way.
Sometimes he wished that he could just turn as clear as the diamonds he was transporting-- become completely invisible. But somehow he had been unable to master the technique when the Sages tried to teach it to him. They said it was due to a conflict in his mind: a secret wish to be in the spotlight and to be seen. He denied it, but in the Order of the Eye, the Sages could see straight through him. All of the years of everyone making him think that he was the star of the Order filled him with secret pride. The truth was that despite the danger of his job, he loved being the front man. He loved the conflict because it gave him a chance to show his power. So the Sages said that until he learned humility, he would never be able to master the technique of becoming invisible.
Today his driver was taking him through Generica. They always transported diamonds in a plain, Generic sedan, and never trusted public transportation, because too many things could go wrong. They wore plain clothing, too, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves. And they were always on the look out for anything out of the ordinary or people that might be following them. Transporting something this valuable was always dangerous, even in a usually civilized country like Generica.
The diamond was meant for Captain Generica, who apparently was planning on proposing marriage to some super model. Tong Lieng wondered if such a huge rock could fit on such a dainty woman, but who was he to talk, he was just the delivery boy.