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“By knowing that which exists, you can know that which does not exist.”

~~The book of No-thing

Chapter Twenty One : Five rings shattering.

“Kato, the strength, speed, and stamina of the beast sleeps within you. Its power dwells within your very soul. That power gives you an edge over other men. But as you have just witnessed, that edge is as nothing when it is compared to those armed with experience.” Tying the blindfold around Kato's eyes Morishita pulled it tight and said. “You cannot rely solely on the gifts nature has given you and still hope to win.

“Master the different forms of combat, never limit yourself to any one style, and you will be able to understand any opponent that crosses your path.” When Morishita was satisfied that Kato could no longer see, he added. “And remember, half measures will only serve to get you killed.”

Standing alone in a world devoid of scent, sight, and sound, and forced to rely solely on touch alone to move through the invisible forest, Kato stumbled around aimlessly, all the while wondering what it was that he was actually supposed to do. Morishita had given no explanation of what this phase of his training was meant to accomplish, no clue that could allow him to uncover what it was he needed to do in order to secure victory.

Wandering through the oppressive nothingness, He was hard pressed just to find his way through the woods. Bumping into one tree after another he began to growl. Simply moving forwards was getting him nowhere, and worse, it was breaking his concentration.

Ceasing his movements through the darkened wood proved to be equally useless. Having robbed himself of even the ability to touch the world around him, he had just become well and truly blind.

Now, bereft of all his senses, Kato felt a mounting sense of frustration begin to take hold. I can follow the decaying scent of chimera through the endless streets of SynCity, hear the rhythm of the human heartbeat, and see in the dark as clearly as the day, but all of that is made meaningless in this endless vacuum of silence!

With no way of telling where he was, or even how far the forest stretched out for in every direction, there were times when the temptation to simply remove the blindfold was all but overwhelming. And it was at such times that Morishita's warning rang loudest in his mind. Do so, and this phase of your training will be over before it has even begun.

Dropping his hand, Kato sighed as he started out once more. How am I even supposed to fight like this? I know that its possible, and I get that I can't rely on my senses to guide me, but what about the enemies that I can't see? There has to be more to this then just endless self reflection.

Alone with only his thoughts for company, Kato's mind slowly started to wander off the beaten path. Exotica Geno-Works, Cyber-Life Industries, and Neural Dynamics, each one of these three companies is the best at what they do. Each one is able to set the standards which all industrialized countries must conform too. But what gives them that edge? What allows them to rule over us the way they do?

“They rule unchallenged because there's no one for them to compete with.”

Not sure if it had been his own voice he had just heard or someone else's entirely, Kato could feel a nameless fear begin welling up inside.

Without his ever knowing it, without his even realizing it, he had become accustomed to the darkness.

Am I alone? No . . . Kato could feel its eyes on him. Watching, waiting, drifting along the edges of his awareness it seemed to be testing his defenses.

And then it came to him. He wasn't simply being followed, he was being hunted!

Was it just to teach me fear? Thought Kato as he stumbled through the forest. No! There has to be something more! Something I— Crying out in pain and rage as something sharp suddenly pierced his shoulder, Kato reached back to discover what it was that had struck him. His fingers traveling the length of the shaft, he touched the end and felt the stiff cut bristles of feathers that had been used for fletching. “Son of a bitch!” Said Kato under his breath as he realized exactly what it was that had hit him. “Somebody just shot me with a fucking arrow!” Choking off a cry of rage that would further give away his position, Kato broke into a run. Because while the simulator couldn't actually inflict any real injuries, it could still approximate the sensation with a great deal of realism, and death was every bit as unpleasant in the virtual world as it was in the real thing.

Okay, pain is good, pain means that you're still alive. Forcing himself to relax and focus on suppressing the pain, Kato tried to adopt a calm he didn't particularly feel. “Think,” He said to himself. “Isn't that what Morishita has been trying to teach you to do all along? To always keep thinking?” Seeking the stillness hidden inside, Kato sought to clear his mind. Alright. What do I already know? Using a tree as a temporary shield He started painting a picture in his mind. I'm in a forest of some kind, being hunted by someone that I can't see. Someone with a bow. Kato reached out and grasped the shaft of the arrow, trying his best not to flinch as he did so. Trace the point of impact. Even that is enough to lead you back to the source. Gasping for breath as he tugged on the shaft, Kato's world went white with pain. Dammit that hurts. Releasing the shaft he had learned what he needed to know. The arrow went in straight. It was a clean hit, which means that it could only have come from behind. So whoever shot at me can't or isn't hiding in the trees.

Trapped by the nameless fear surrounding him in suffocating darkness, Kato desperately sought a place to hide. Run! Shouted some small part of his mind. Go this way! A trail of light appearing in his mind, He could only blink in surprise as he saw a vision of himself running through the forest. It was moving with an ease that defied his stumbling gait of only a few moments ago.

Suddenly, it didn't matter to Kato that he couldn't see. Because if he were willing to let it, his body would simply carry itself to safety.

Thinking about the way that he had allowed himself to be paralyzed by the nature of the threat that stood arrayed against him, Kato found that the essential paradox lay in the way his mind perceived the problem. Exotica Geno-Works was simply too big, too massive to put a stop to on his own. But there in lay the most insidious trap of them all. By refusing to act, by refusing to admit that discovering a solution was even possible, he had committed himself to a losing battle, and all because he had given up without even trying to fight.

Morishita Sensei, I think I get it now. Because there are times when there are no answers, times when you don't have any good choices, all you can do is make the ones you can and muddle through. So forget about the future for now and focus on finding the solution to the problem in front of you.

And therein lay the answer he had sought to find. Because if you take away their position of strength then the size of the enemy becomes irrelevant. Because if you make the place of battle one of your own choosing, then the forces he can bring to bear becomes irrelevant. Because as long as one man with a bow can shift the entire balance of power, then no one is truly invulnerable. What matters is this moment. Kato came to a halt as he grasped the essential nature of the problem. Because thinking about the battles to come, means losing sight of the one that's right in front of you . . .

Freeing his mind of the self-imposed limitations he had created, Kato started to laugh as the purpose behind the training suddenly became clear. “Morishita Sensei! Was this what you wanted to teach me! To use fear to sense my enemies!”

Narrowing his awareness, Kato focused on the point at which his fear was at its greatest, and thought. As long as you are alive, you can fight. As long as as you have the strength to carry on, you can fight. And as long as there is breath left in your body then reach out and grasp victory. “Its there!” Reaching out with blinding speed, Kato snatched the arrow out of the air before it could pierce his heart.

Smiling wickedly, he snapped it in half and said. “Seems like I can see you now.”

Rushing forward with a roar Kato's elation was short lived as the second shot killed him.

As the simulation terminated itself the words: you are now dead, flashed across his field of vision.

Rising up from the floor as he once again found himself standing in the private room that he had rented at the World Tree Cafe, Kato experienced a sense of total disorientation and was forced to reorient himself. “Damn, I got cocky. Computer, resume the simulation.”

When nothing happened Kato repeated the order. “I said resume the simulation. I want to keep trying until I win.” When nothing continued to happen, Kato turned to Morishita and said. “What's going on. Why won't it resume the simulation?”

“Because it has nothing left to teach. From here on, you must seek out new masters and progress on your own.

“Kato, no matter how much you may desire it, as your teacher, no, as your friend.” The hologram of Morishita began to flicker and fade. “This, is my final request. Whatever you choose to do from this point on. Do not come looking for me.”

Watching as the hologram disappeared completely Kato was left feeling more alone than ever. To the now empty air he asked. “But why?”