(Chapter unfolds:8" VESHTRA ")
That night, the four disciples sat gathered together. Haru still gazed upon his katana, vexed by his inability to control his strength. Jinso did likewise, while Sai, his leg feeling slightly better, applied the medicinal balm to his lingering affliction. Izuma sat contemplating the nature of his own failure.
Nobaya soon arrived, bearing a pot of warm, medicinal infusion.
"What troubles you, my young ones?" Nobaya inquired, setting the pot down.
"Sorrow, what else?" Sai replied, rubbing his leg. Nobaya smiled faintly.
"Why sorrow? Did you not hear the Master? This is but the beginning. Through endeavor, all will be set right."
"Nobaya," Haru pressed, his voice urgent, "what power does the Master expect from us? Why were we chosen? What is the secret of the Sapahan's katana?"
Nobaya paused for a moment before he spoke, the gravity of the secret settling upon the air.
"The power of the Sapahan blade originated within the Sapahan themselves. It was a Divine Grace born from the confluence of their effort, their fear, and their innate skill. The owners of that grace were five in number, and they were the ones who drove Shapta away. The power that manifested in them was unlike anything found in ordinary men or in the Samurai."
"What power was that, Nobaya?"
"It is named VESHTRA!"
"VESHTRA...?" they murmured together, confounded.
"VESHTRA is not a single word; it is the name that signifies many powers. VESHTRA is the Authoritative Essence from which all fundamental elemental forces derive their form."
"What?"
"Yes. The Zek, and even the Shapta, fear the elements: Air , Water, Fire, Wind, andEarth."
Nobaya then detailed the enemy: "The Zek are souls who have been lost. Furthermore, some Zek are those who self-converted themselves. For the self-converted Zek, their soul must be offered to Shapta, their leader, in order to advance their being. But the lost souls must devour another human soul to sustain their existence, else their bodies will decay. There is another difference: the self-converted Zek do not need to devour souls and can attack anyone even during the day, while the lost souls can only attack in the deep night. Be it night or day, only one power could destroy them both: VESHTRA."
He poured the warm tea into their bowls.
"Within VESHTRA reside many powers, of which only a fraction has manifested in the world. Much remains hidden."
"How is the power of VESHTRA meant to manifest in us?" Haru asked.
"There are many causes. In some, it awakens spontaneously. But the power that manifests in each Sapahan is based on his individual skill, specialization, and deepest fear. Whatever your greatest fear is, conquering it becomes your strength, provided that strength can be balanced by your skill. If you fear a serpent, that may become your strength."
Nobaya gathered the tea vessels and turned towards the inner hall.
"Then what is the connection between this power and the sword?" Sai asked quickly.
Nobaya paused at the threshold. "One whose power awakens can only channel that energy through his weapon(katana). He can never use his own body as the conduit."
Nobaya retired into the inner hall. Haru looked intently at his blade, still grappling with his failure of control. Sai looked at his own hand.
"Power from this? Remarkable! An impossibility," he declared with a laugh, before slowly rising to leave.
"Hey, Jinso, stop staring and escort me within," he called.
Jinso led him away. Haru, after one final, intense gaze at his katana, followed them inside.
But Izuma remained, fixed to his spot, lost in deep contemplation. Slowly, he closed his eyes and sat in profound stillness for a full half-minute. The night breeze gently caressed his face, yet his spirit remained absolutely motionless, a vessel of silence.
With his eyes still closed, Izuma tightened his grip on the katana and raised the blade high into the air with his left hand.
A miracle!
The feat he could not achieve before the Master was now effortless. The sword remained in perfect, unwavering suspension, its tip gleaming fiercely in the lunar brilliance. It stood utterly still, a rigid extension of his will.
At that moment, Izuma opened his eyes. There was a subtle metamorphosis in their depths, and his countenance was now marked by a profound, solemn gravity.