Anahata – The fourth or 'heart' chakra, associated with the color green, the
element of air, social identity, acceptance, balance, and peaceful
contentedness.
Fade in to a warm brown-toned room bathed in candlelight. Shai and Chakra Master
Anahata sit across a chabudai (low table) from each other. The Master pours tea,
and blows on his to cool it.
Shai sat, ignoring her tea, tensely awaiting the master's response. It was hard
to believe that his middle-aged, soft-looking man was the same man who had
earlier stood bare-chested, with great glowing wings of green chakra unfurling
from the smaller wings tattooed across his shoulder blades. She had to have that
power.
Master Anahata sipped his tea, studying her, then set the cup down, and sighed.
“No, it is not for you. A warrior needs to see with her eyes. True justice can
only be seen with the heart; true freedom can only be felt with it.”
Shai's eyes narrowed and she leaned forward threateningly, slamming her
palm on the table. “So, you refuse to help me? If you do, you may find
yourself sorely regretting it when the barbarian horde comes to burn down your
town and kill your people. And they ARE coming.”
The Chakra Master's expression grew sadder, but he remained impassive. “You were
a mother once.” The dismissive finality of that casual statement struck Shai
like a blow. The man continued speaking, unconcerned, his words falling into her
ears even as she was lost in a memory of the past. The visual of the two sitting
at the table talking is replaced with scenes of Shai's memories of her children
and their death, Master Anahata's words superimposed on them in white text.
“A mother sees with her heart, feels all the small triumphs and pains of a
child's life, things that would seem absurdly unimportant to a stranger intent
on his own business.” We see Shai kissing her son's scraped knee, then picking
him up and whirling him around, laughing.
“But when they were taken from you, you twisted your grief into rage, wrapping
it around your heart like a blanket, like armor... like a blindfold, because you
were too afraid of the pain of grief to allow yourself to care about anything
ever again.” We see again the children being struck down, then the scene of Shai
vowing vengeance.
“So. It is not that I refuse to teach you. It is that you are unable to learn.”
“Curse all the uncaring gods! I need your power, I need that damn tattoo, or
MORE children will die!”
“You don't understand what my tattoo is. Anahata, it is not my name. It is the
name of the fourth Chakra, the Chakra of the Heart. The wings are merely a
channel, opening that Chakra to the world, allowing power to flow out and
perception to flow in. Wings symbolize personal freedom – freedom from earthly
concerns, freedom to fly after knowledge and art like an eagle. But wings also
symbolize society – the mother duck spreads her wings over her children to keep
them warm and protect them from the rain. To gain the wings one must be both the
eagle and the duck. And as with all powers, there is a price, a sacrifice which
must be made to earn the wings.”
“I will pay any price, make any sacrifice, if it will give me the power to
defeat the barbarians! As I could not protect my own children, I MUST protect
our people's children! Please, Master Anahata, do not dismiss me! Only give me a
chance, tell me what it is I must do, and I will prove to you that I can learn
what you have to teach!”
The Master raised one eyebrow. “Oh? Will you sacrifice your anger? Will you give
up your passion? Because that is the price one must pay to gain one's wings. You
will be set apart from the world, even more than you are now. To receive the
wings you must have no hate or anger in your heart, and once you have them you
will be unable to feel such intense emotion ever again. And at the same time,
you will be able to feel others' pain more intensely, because you have no
passions of your own to block them out.” There was a long silence as they sat
there regarding each other – Shai with disbelief, and the Master intently
awaiting her response.
Finally, Shai spoke. “Once the barbarians are defeated I will have no need of
passion. I am afraid only that I might forget why they must be defeated.” She
paused again, looking down at her hands, making her decision. “Fine then, if
this is how it must be. I vow, on my honor, to defeat them or spend the last
breath in my body trying. There. Now it will not matter if my heart forgets to
feel rage at their crimes – my honor will make sure that I carry out my task.”
Now Shai looked up and met Master Anahata's gaze, her eyes burning with cold
fire. “Now, tell me what I must do.”
The Master raised both eyebrows in surprise. “Well... perhaps that will work.”
He shrugged, then regained his calm demeanor. “Then, the first thing for you to
do is go to Shin.” (Shin is Shai's love interest. Currently she is angry at him
for trying to persuade her to give up her thirst for vengeance.
“Shin! What has he to do with this?! Do not try to tell me he also is a Chakra
Master, I won't believe it!”
Master Anahata smiled in amusement. “No, no. Shin lives in his contact with
other people, he would never set himself apart from them. But he is capable of
healing your heart, helping you lull your rage and hate to sleep. And,” suddenly
his eyes twinkled, “you might consider it a test – if you can, with calm and
steadfast resolve, resist his persuasion to give up your revenge, you will not
need to worry about forgetting your goal when you receive the wings.”
Fade to black.