Jin and Gerlath, Luca Guez [reading strategies book txt] 📗

Jin

Act I

Scene I

Sen (behind the audience) 

Spectral world.

Sen

The name is Sen. I have been chosen by the Eye, and therefore I stand here. To enforce equilibrium. To keep the balance between the human realm and the spirit realm. Those two worlds, seemingly in a constant war, do need one another. And so it is I who serves this noble purpose: keep both worlds in peace.

Scene II

Spirits 1,2 and 3, Sen

The spirits sit in a circle and argue. 

Enter Sen

The spirits regain composure and look obediently at Sen 

Sen

I have been called upon and so I have come. What is it that you ask of me, my dear spirits?

SPIRIT 1

O kind Sen, we express our deepest gratitude for your will to help.

SPIRIT 2

Our land is troubled and in dire need of a wise man. A conflict has arisen with no resolution in sight.

Sen (hisses) 

Cut the formalities, I have no desire to overstay my welcome. 

Spirits guide Sen to the place of the problem

SPIRIT 3

Here a child has arrived at our realm and we have been arguing in vain for its ownership.

Sen

Whose is this kid.

SPIRITS (in unison) 

Mine.

Sen

The spirits have been known for their stubbornness. 

SPIRIT 2

Tis mine and only mine.

SPIRIT 3

There will be no way to check. 

SPIRIT 2

Let the wise man decide.

Sen

And so I shall ask one final time. Who is the mother of the child? 

SPIRITS (in unison) 

I am. 

Sen

Then we shall make this one suffice for all four.

Sen takes a saw and comes up to the kid

SPIRITS (in unison) 

So it shall be.

Sen slices the kid in two parts, to the approval of the spirits. The spirits walk away with their own parts of the child. 

 

Scene III

Spirits 1,2 and 3, Sen

Exit Sen

SPIRIT 1

The mortal has solved our problems once again.

SPIRIT 2

Yet to some extent his problems outweigh ours.

SPIRIT 1

He shall have a new problem shortly.

Enter Sen quietly

SPIRIT 3

Do you mean a mortal that passed recently? 

SPIRIT 1

Passed, (pause) yes. Although it would be more fitting to say he was made into artistic mush. 

Sen moves closer, tries to listen in

SPIRIT 3

It may trouble the mortal master. 

SPIRIT 1

Or so we shall see, Sen will find out about the death in the near future. 

SPIRIT 2

May the fallen Lee rest in peace.

SPIRIT 1

And let Sen handle the situation before it gets out of control.

The spirits go out in opposite directions, Sen swiftly runs away

Act II

Scene I

Kush, Zet, Sen

Top of a mountain, Order’s Monastery. Kush and Zet are sitting at the table, drinking tea.

Zet

How come can I enter the spectral realm no more? Why is Sen the only one to solve their conflicts?

Kush

Such was the choice of the Eye, Zet. Though you shall not envy your brother, as it may devour more than just your mind.

 Zet (gasps)

Mind in conjunction with the body. Never one without the other.

Kush (takes a sip of tea)

Exactly.

Sound of a small explosion behind the Monastery’s wall. Enter Sen

There you are my son! The tea began to grow cold. Come and sit with us.

Sen sits at the table

What was it this time? Apple distribution, or perhaps the child slicing?

Sen

The slicing.

Kush

Ah, yes, of course. Your blade seems to have retained some of the spectral blood.

Sen

Master, consider the conflict solved. The spirits have grown calm, albeit there happened to be a thing, that seems to disturb me.

Kush

What is it, my son?

Sen

The spirits, they… They never seemed to care about our world, did they? Yet I cannot have misheard this sentence. A mortal’s death has been mentioned.

Zet

What? This cannot be. The spirits do not interfere with our world just as we do not with theirs.

Kush

Hmm, indeed, nothing but the words of silence are to be spoken about the mortal realm by the spirits. The disruption has only happened during the crucial moments of the history of both worlds.

Zet

Such as the Darkins’ Imprisonment.

Sen

Or the Rune Wars…

Kush

My sons, we’re on a brink of a great event, which is to come.

Scene II

Kush, Zet, Sen, Courier

Enter Courier

COURIER (bows)

Great Master Kush! May I interrupt your tea time for a sole moment? I wish not for my humble presence to use up too much of your time.

Kush
Speak.

COURIER

The city of Zhyun desperately needs your help! A murder has been reported to the city council this very morning. Lee was the leader of the farmer’s group that supplied our city with wheat and fruits. We sent the local guardians to investigate the crime scene, yet none of them could have been described as sane after having returned to the city. O Great Master Kush! Zhyun begs for your help! You are the only one who can discover what fiendish mysteries unravel in this act of murder!

Kush

And so it will be. Sen! Zet! Gear up! Where the equilibrium is disrupted, there we shall go.

Sen

Father, do you think… Could it be him?

Kush

It may be, but may as well not be. Be patient, son. Ask no questions. Accept what is given.

Scene III

Kush, Zet, Sen

In front of a luxurious cottage

Zet

Here it is. The alleged source of what is better left unspoken.

Kush

We shall go inside.

Kush, Zet and Sen enter the cottage and investigate. Sen and Zet stay in the main room whereas Kush goes through the door on the other side of a room.

Sen

So many paintings and sculptures, yet no sign of a crime committed can be found. But this… atmosphere… so dense… so… familiar.

Zet

As if we waited only for the curtain to rise up.

Sen

But are we the mere spectators, or maybe tis us, who perform.

Kush (shouting from afar)

Sen! Zet! Come here!

Sen and Zet head for the door and open them, at the entrance the inscription painted in dark blue says “And now, the curtain rises”, but Sen and Zet look ahead

Zet

Is… Is that a man?

Kush

It was a man.

Sen

Shackled by the branches, his body bound eternally to the tree. May his spirit rest in peace.

Zet (in a fearful amazement)

So marvelous in all its terror. The body is harmonizing with the wood, whose colour perfectly imitates the one of a dead human body, lifeless and pale, merging both entities into one masterpiece. Flowers seem to emerge from the upper branches, leaving nothing but single solar rays guided by the little twigs only to gently fall on the human face, exposing its peace and beauty as well as its weakness and fragility. All the components are impeccable, but together they form the work of the gods themselves. As if perfection was no longer good enough.

Sen

Master, how is that even possible? Not even those barbaric invaders from Noxus defiled our nature in fear of the spirits’ wrath. The example of Ivern the Cruel was supposed to teach humanity a lesson.

Kush

My dear Sen, not all are afraid of the unseen, but that does not mean they cannot suffer from the unseen consequences. The spirits will have their revenge, of this I am sure, but what bothers me the most is the precision in all this. All murders have their purpose. Whether it is valuables that are to be stolen away or a vain hope of making the world a better place, there always is a purpose. But this… it escapes all conventions. Never have I seen anything like this.

Zet

Can this even be human work? The tree seems to grow out of the man’s body. No human is capable of such devilish cruelties.

Kush

Living in this world as long as I do, I have come to learn that human imagination has no limits. A woman I know made a fortune selling her very own invention. After coming back from Piltover College, she started selling the Instantaneous Trees, which could be grown on any sort of ground. The rich bought them to decorate their gardens without disturbing the balance of the spirits. She quickly raised in popularity becoming the Zhyun’s governor.

Zet

So, what you are implying is that Lee’s garden was a frightfully wonderful trap. The murderer must have known his every step, predicting where he would go. When the right step was taken, it activated the mechanisms which turned on the Tree. The branches bursted out, tearing Lee’s body, piercing his legs, melding with the bones and striking even further, through his arms and back, killing him in an instant, creating nothing more but a mere extension of a tree out of him.

Sen

It really seems like the governor could use a visit.

Zet

Let’s go.

Scene IV

Citizen, Kush, Zet, Sen

Kush, Zet and Sen are entering the city, citizen runs up to them

CITIZEN (bows)

O, Great Master, our luck could not have been greater! The smoke has just arisen in the middle part of the city where the governor’s palace is situated! The guardians are reported to be unavailable and the whole city is descending into panic! I beg you, you must help us!

Kush

Quickly, to the palace!

Kush, Zet and Sen head for the smoke-filled area

I know the way. Follow me!

Zet and Sen follow Kush, they all arrive at the palace

Zet (coughs)

This must be it. The palace entrance.

Zet wants to enter the palace

Sen (grabbing Zet)

Watch out!

A red flower-shaped sparkle emerges from the depths of the palace 

What is it? A flame?

Zet

Magic, perhaps?

Kush

No. I know what that is. Now quickly, get inside, for it may already be too late.

Kush, Zet and Sen go through the main hall and enter the governor’s chamber

No…

A dead body lies on the bed

Sen

She’s dead.

Kush
May her spirit be free.

Zet

But… Her back… It is gone. Where once spine tied the body together, a vast emptiness has now found its place. Yet on top of it the roses born of flames became to grow, covering the void, this imperfection, for only perfection is acceptable. As time passes by, the flowers lose their flakes, as if more lives were to be lost.

Sen

You are right, Zet. She is lost and there are going to be more just like her. We can wait no longer.

Zet

Are you…

Sen

Yes, I shall ask the spirits for help.

Zet (with anger)

But they never wanted to help us! Do you remember the invasion? All our land suffered, but the spirits left us! They did not want to help, so we helped ourselves! We need them no more.

Kush

No, Zet. Two worlds exist in harmony, not at war. If a danger exists to any of them, they shall help no matter the past. Go there, Sen, on our behalf. We shall meet you at the Monastery.

Act III

Scene I

Sen

Spectral world

Sen

The name is Sen. I have been chosen by the Eye, therefore I stand here. To enforce equilibrium. Keep the balance between the human realm and the spirit realm. Yet what is balance in a shadow of this monstrosity? Does a life taken demand a life back? How is this monster even to be caught? But all those people… Their sacrifice shall not be in vain. They suffered for the sake of a self-called ‘Virtuoso”. Tis not right. The madman is to be stopped, his crimes are dreadful and over the top. The balance is to be restored.

Scene II

Spirit, Sen

Spirit is sitting alone, Sen approaches him from the back

SPIRIT

I knew you would finally come. You must have.

Sen

Then you must know what I came here for.

SPIRIT

Yes. I do.

Sen

Will you help?

SPIRIT (slowly turning towards Sen)

Evil changes everything, my son. Wars, conflict, criminals… They all shed some light on things we very often considered indisputable. You cannot remember the ancient times where Darkins walked the earth, can you? In all honesty, such events leave their stains on everyone and this case right here… your case… is no different. The upcoming events are about to change you in the way you expect the least.

Sen

But, Master, how can we find the killer? How should we put his actions to an end?

SPIRIT

Sen, dear Sen. Are you so sure who is being chased by whom? Are you truly a mere spectator, or is it thy who is on the stage? The Virtuoso will reveal himself soon enough but is that really what you crave for?

Sen

All I want is for balance to be restored. No personal judgment shall interrupt the thoughts of mine.

SPIRIT

That is what you have been taught but