Divine Awakening

Ash couldn’t sleep. The scene above the Mediterranean kept replaying in his mind, and the revelations overwhelmed him. The shock of three world shattering events made focus impossible.

First, literal Death had arrived on a pale horse. Since the Pit had appeared rumors persisted of fairytale and mythical beings, but no proof had arrived that couldn’t be brushed off as a good photoshop. The incident in the Mediterranean, however, had occurred live on TV, streamed across the planet. It had all the proof anyone needed—a hydra had engaged the Chinese navy, a creature straight from the apocalypse described in Revelation had appeared in the sky, an angel had spread his wings, and Ra the Egyptian sun god had raced a winged black horse from hell.

As if things couldn’t get more surreal, the mythical creatures had used the Bamboo Viper Step Clan’s ritual greeting. Why in all that was holy would beings like that use those gestures? It just had to be a coincidence.

Ash knew it wasn’t. When he’d returned from the experience with the Crossing Stone, it had taken his grandpa almost a week to calm down enough to answer Ash’s questions. Ash had ignored his grandpa’s explanations because it meant the Universe was filled with aliens practicing martial arts. Clearly a ridiculous response and meant to punish Ash further.

Now however, Ash didn’t doubt Grandpa Pine. In the space of a few hours, he’d seen four practitioners of the Bamboo Viper Steps that didn’t come from earth: his new Sisen, the Angel, Golden Ra, and Death. They all practiced the same martial arts as Ash.

If that wasn’t mind blowing enough, the flying scarecrow had removed its mask to reveal the man who’d sacrificed himself to save Ash.

Ash had always considered his grandpa a bit eccentric because of his stories, but now Ash knew he had been the fool, and it shook the foundation of his entire existence.

What did it mean if the stories his grandpa told were true? Did Ash and his family really receive secret knowledge hundreds of generations ago? Did they practice sacred arts six thousand years before the pyramids were built? Could a real god have bestowed not only the Steps but also the secrets of chakras?

How could a philosophy focused on chakras take root in a small tribe in the Andes mountains of what was now modern Peru? It seemed ridiculous on its face since everyone knew chakras were an Eastern philosophy.

No one with any common sense would believe Ash’s heritage had included such knowledge. Despite the assurances of his grandpa and the few memories Ash had of his mother, he thought it far more likely that a few generations ago some crazy ancestor had latched onto this Eastern philosophy and created this story to make himself seem important.

That made far more sense than a remote tribe of marital arts experts who acted as judges and executioners. Or even harder to accept, among these Peruvian-ninjas, a priest class existed who received advanced training and techniques that made them virtually impossible to kill. Priests with such power nothing could stand in their way, and even the jaguars feared them.

A priesthood that came with an obligation, of course. A secret passed down from generation to generation, lip to ear, all the way down to Ash himself – a secret that defined their purpose and held the reason god had blessed them.

After finding Grandpa Pine’s hidden stone, Ash had experienced a vivid hallucination, which he’d written off as coming from some type of drug covering the rock. His new Sisen had recognized Ash’s savior which had shook him, but now he knew beyond any doubt it had all happened, and he reexamined that experience in a new light.

Ash had been whisked away to an alien planet filled with strange creatures, humans, and non-humans all with the same skills as himself. A Step trial that included snakes in a bamboo forest that would attack any sound or vibration, and larger ten-foot-tall cobras that, horrifyingly, spit smaller snakes out of their mouths like demonic snake Gatling guns.

Eating the wild berries there increased strength and speed and provided superhuman abilities. Some of the berries increased the time you had, measured by an ever-present ticking clock that counted down to failure. Other berries made one invisible once consumed.

Not all the suffering had been physical. In the forest below a lone mountain, the frightening dream had become a nightmare, as the trees dredged up memories of Ash’s mom and dad and their sudden and unexplained disappearance.

Ash had just turned seven, but he remembered the sensations of loneliness, fear, and sadness. The bamboo forest in the hallucination had brought all these emotions to the forefront of Ash’s mind, turning them into a crushing weight that had paralyzed him.

To continue up the mountain, Ash had needed to rid himself of the emotions that had swallowed him like a black hole. That necessity had forced him to develop the deeper third meditation. Dealing with his suppressed emotions in this way eventually allowed him to continue through the forest.

After climbing a cliff, Ash finally reached the mountain top, his destination only a hundred feet away—a glistening barrier where the rocky summit of the mountain suddenly turned into green grass. But only feet from the barrier, the snakes had ambushed him. He’d dropped into the second meditation, which worked like a pause button.

Ash had sat and meditated on his parents, the love for his grandpa, and their small avocado farm.

Then, in the most terrifying fashion imaginable, one of those snakes had appeared directly in front of Ash’s face, blood coating its mouth. Before Ash could react, the snake had smashed a handful of berries into his mouth, grabbed him, and chucked him across the barrier.

Ash’s muddled mind finally processed a face behind the foot-long fangs. A man who’d killed one of these creatures and wore its head like a trophy.

In moments, Ash had been teleported away to meet a terrifying dark-skinned woman. She called herself Thorn and claimed to be one of the Founders of the Viper Steps.

So, when Ash had seen the man’s face, and those eyes on the tv, it had confirmed the reality of Ash’s experience beyond any doubt.

When four AM arrived, Ash still hadn’t slept, and when his Third Eye screamed of nearby danger, he knew his Sisen had returned. He pulled on shorts and a T-shirt and quietly moved through the dark house and out the front door.

The Grandmaster stood with her back to the house, and she studied the moon which shone brightly.

Ash stopped a foot behind the Sisen and three feet to her left. He bowed, placing his palm over his fist. “Greetings, Sisen.”

The Grandmaster gave Ash a nod and after a moment of consideration spoke. “Echo is fine.”

Echo returned her attention to the moon. She wore a long shirt that almost reached her knees, loose pants, and slippers making her look like a shaolin monk.

After a moment Ash spoke. “Grandpa calls her Mama Quilla. She protects women and is the keeper of time.”

“I feel her touch,” Echo replied. “A gentle tug upward and toward her embrace. It is pleasing.”

Ash didn’t know if the comment was metaphorical or literal considering Echo came from outer space. Maybe she could feel the moon.

They stood silently for another ten seconds, and Ash asked one of the questions that had kept him up all night. “Last night, those beings we saw on the tv. Well, after you departed, you won’t believe this, but Death arrived. And here is the part that blows my mind. They all greeted each other like Bamboo Viper Step practitioners.”

“I know,” Echo said.

Ash waited for Echo to continue but she silently stared at the moon.

“One of them was the guy from my drawing. The one you knew. He was the scarecrow thing and then he turned into an angel.”

“It’s impossible,” Echo whispered. “I just saw those clowns days ago and now both have jumped an entire Cultivation tier.”

Elder Pheonix had mentioned Cultivation, and said they had levels. From Echo’s expression, the two clowns she referenced must have experienced impressive progression.

“Maybe they made a deal with the devil,” Ash said. “That’s what Grandpa says every time he sees magicians or the unnaturally lucky.”

Echo turned to Ash and a wry smile appeared. “The one thing I know is that they didn’t accomplish this with the help of your devil.” She turned back to the moon. “He would’ve done everything in his power to stop it.”

“Should it worry me that Death, a Scarecrow Angel, and a golden-eyed Superman all practice Bamboo Viper Steps? Or that my Sisen knows them.”

Echo bowed to the moon and turned to face Ash. “The only thing you need to worry about are your Steps. Mind your own balance.”

Ash bowed knowing the time for questions had ended.

“Where do you practice?” Echo asked.

Ash turned and strode into the avocado grove, retracing his steps to the same clearing he’d sat in with Elder Phoenix. The moonlight provided plenty of light and he didn’t tap his Root chakra to enhance his vision.

When they arrived, she looked around the clearing approvingly. “Show me your Steps, Sijun.”

Ash bowed and strode to the center of the area. The moonlight gave everything a soft light, and with the new Grandmaster evaluating him, it felt like one of those old kung fu movies. Now he would perform the Steps flawlessly and she would be shocked that this distant nobody had mastered her family’s impossible forms.

In most things, Ash remained humble—maybe ‘humble’ wasn’t the right word, but he didn’t boast about his abilities or show off.

In fact, the vast majority of people who’d seen Ash’s martial arts ability had died seconds later, so there really wasn’t anyone to brag with anyway. Maybe Maria, but she didn’t care about his martial arts.

If Ash was being honest, he felt immense pride in his abilities and had never met anyone who had lasted even a few seconds in a fight with him. Well, except his grandpa, but even then, the last two years as his grandpa had gotten sicker, Ash had easily overtaken the old man.

So it was with a high level of confidence that Ash started the Steps, knowing that he moved with incredible grace. When Maria had seen him practicing once, she’d thought he looked like a dancer. The odd thing was that even when people did see his movements, they didn’t seem to remember them very clearly later. It was as if the Steps had some way of keeping themselves hidden.

Ash finished the Bamboo Steps and transitioned into the Viper forms. When he finished, the eastern sky had lightened considerably. He kept the smile off his face but couldn’t help looking at his Sisen with a look of pride and accomplishment. He doubted she’d ever had a student with the skills he’d just demonstrated.

After a long five seconds, Grandmaster Echo finally spoke. “That was hard to watch.”