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His first sword was his own flesh and bone.\nWhen the sparks of war descended upon the village, they kindled an all-consuming inferno.\nIn the frantic flight of the masses, he alone remembered his sister, left solitary within their home.\nThe door bolt was far too heavy for a mere child.\nAnd so, for the first time, a desire took root in him, the longing for a sword.\nHeavens, of course, would not grant a sword from the void.\nThus, he used his own body, shattering the bolt with the raw force of his frame.\nWith hands as searing as branding irons, he seized his sister and plunged forward in a reckless sprint.\nHis second sword was a withered branch.\nHis sister seldom replied, yet he knew his words reached her.\nHe shared his heart's desire with her: he wanted a sword.\n"Sister, a sword is long and sharp, a thing to keep people safe!"\nThus, on another day, she brought him a branch, one exceptionally straight and keen.\nSo great was his joy that he slept with his "sword" clutched to his chest.\nUntil that day, when some word of hers, no one knew what, offended the villagers who shared their exile.\nThey rose as one against her, baring the malice in their hearts:\n"What use is there in dragging such a fool along!"\n"Mute and frail as she is, she won't last long. Better she becomes fodder for the wolves!"\nHe stood fast before her, leveling his wooden sword at the crowd. "I will never forsake her!"\nLater, Mother Halcyon led him into the mountains to study under her. In their relentless sparring, they shattered forty-nine blades.\nRaven, the father, watched with a sigh and a shake of his head. He eventually forged twin blades of Lapis Lazuli, one for him and one for his sister.\nHe cherished it beyond all else. Before his kin, he swore a solemn oath: "I shall treasure it with my life. While the sword remains, so shall I!"\nMother gave his head a sharp rap. "What 'life for a sword'? You've put the cart before the horse! A sword is but a tool to protect people!"\nAlas, fate willed otherwise.\nIn that catastrophic inferno, even the Skyward City, the crowning achievement of the Mohist, was shattered like a derelict hut.\nWith hands searing like brands, he gripped his sister and fled headlong, but this time, the flames outpaced him.\nThus, he broke his first vow: he cast his sister away from the heat.\nSoon followed the second: his father's gift, the sword, broke in the blast before he could fall.\n...\nAmidst the enduring darkness and agony, he struggled to open his eyes and reached a final decision.\nHis final sword would be his own flesh.