Music poured out of Sanjiva’s chambers. She was determined to complete the longest song she knew. Her calloused fingers brushed across the many strings of her guzheng. Each note that rang out from the smooth instrument showed her exhaustion and frustration. No one had challenged her to play this complex epic in its entirety. No one was keeping track of her progress. This endeavor was hers and hers alone. She couldn’t stop. It wasn’t her way. She refrained from taking any breaks. She was certain she had passed out several times, but that no meaning to her in her current state of being. Her lips curled upward slightly at the thought of continuing the song while unconscious. Signs of the time which had drifted away were visible in her room. Piles of ashes were all that remained of her bouquet of incense. Her lanterns had flickered out long ago. The light leaking in from the window lit up the layers of dust that covered everything apart from her hands.

No. Stopping is not an option. I’m too close to finishing the song!

The words had shook through her mind over and over again like rolling thunder. Visitors had come and gone. She said nothing to any of them apart from variations of the phrase, “Be gone! I’m almost at the conclusion.” Tension was boiling over from her. The song seemed endless and it demanded the full extent of her skills, but it appeared something else seemed to be filling her with anxiety. She tried to assess the source of the disturbance. A haunting sound echoed out from somewhere deep in her mind. It was some sort of a roar. She tried to remember what sort of beast made the roar. She began to tremble. The strings from her instrument buzzed as she began to feel like she was losing control of her fingers.

What was that roar? Who cares?! I can’t fall apart at such a crucial point. Soon the song will be over!

She cringed and brushed away the intrusive thoughts. The climax of the song was powerful it gripped at her emotions. Her fingers raced through the strings and her breathing became strained. The incomplete sound of that roar refused to relent. She plucked the strings harder as the roar steadily consumed her head.

That roar… I know that sound… The ocean?

Her face stiffened as the sound of the ocean gripped her spirit. She continued to play the song but her mind had drifted far away from it. She was reminded of those who had betrayed her people. She hated thinking about them. They brought out the worse in her. The sound of crashing waves was all she could hear as a whirlpool of emotions consumed her. Her nails scraped across the strings of her guzheng.

Who do they think they are? What right do they have? It doesn’t make sense. It was our world too! We belonged there! They wouldn’t even have what they do now if it wasn’t for us!

The mare of conquest felt her heart pound with ferocity. She snarled as she tried to bottle up the fury that she had been suppressing for so many years. She felt her fingers slowly go limp. There were no more notes left to play. She had finally finished the longest song she knew. The sound of the rushing tides were still swirling in her ears. Her vision was hazy now. She glanced at one of her paintings in the dim light. She saw a silhouette standing in the painting. The figure appeared to have a set of wings as wells a pair of horns. She blinked, her eyes adjusted, and the vague figure was gone. She shook her head and regathered her thoughts.

To think I have sunk this low? An offspring of Conquest that can’t even conquer themselves? Damn…

Sanjiva’s body felt as if nearly all of the FEAR had been drained from it. She grunted as she swung her head backward aggressively. She felt her horns collide with her throne-like chair. The rattle and scraping noises reminded her that she was still alive. She stood up slowly. Her joints popped and creaked. She felt like an old tree that had suddenly decided to come to life. Her throat was bone dry. She prepared herself some tea. It was ready before she knew it. Time seemed like it was moving so fast now. The warm tea rushed through her throat. She felt her throat loosen and she tried to speak.

“I need to go,” was all she could declare. She stretched and everything felt out of balance. She smelled like sweat and ashes. As she bathed, she could feel the need to create, but she also felt a lack of proper inspiration. Her paintings all started to look the same to her now. The sting of the soap on her fingertips, the scents from the bath, a fresh change of garments, none of these things invigorated her. She strapped her armor on tightly and stepped outside of her dwelling. The air, the light, and the sounds all seemed different than she remembered. Perhaps that song was longer than I remembered. I'm out of touch. I need to reconnect. Even before I started that song, I’ve been trapped in my routines. I need to go inspire others and be inspired by them. But where to go first? It’s been ages since I’ve visited the other clans… What does it matter? Wherever I go, I’ll conquer the day!

She laughed a little to herself as she stepped forward. Her legs still felt stiff but they soon began to loosen. Sparks of confidence lit up inside of her. The universe was constantly changing and there was always more to experience. She was eager to behold what she had missed and what was waiting ahead.