Scenario:Lu Woh - The Destiny Called Hope
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
The Destiny Called Hope
After receiving advice from the crew on how to look after a mortal who is unwell, Lu Woh goes back to nurse the elderly lady. When the woman wakes, the dragon learns that she has no one close by who can look after her. Lu Woh decides to call for a doctor.
After learning of the elderly woman's condition, Lu Woh seeks (Captain) and the crew in hopes that they can help with nursing her.
Unsure of the circumstances and surprised by the dragon's sudden appearance, (Captain) looks at Lu Woh curiously.
Lyria: What is it that you'd like to ask us, Lu Woh?
Lu Woh: It is in regards to what one should do when someone is physically unwell in the Sky Realm.
Vyrn: Huh? Are you talkin' about when someone else isn't feelin' so good, or yourself?
Lu Woh: The former.
Vyrn: Right... And is it an injury or some kind of sickness?
Lu Woh: Assume it to be... sickness. There isn't too much of a difference.
Vyrn: Okay...
Lyria: Are you thinking of when someone's caught a cold or something like that? In that case, you should have them lie down in bed.
Vyrn: Oh, so we're startin' from there? Come to think of it, I guess it makes sense that the Six Dragons wouldn't know about basic stuff like that.
Lu Woh: Understand that we are different from you in essence.
Lu Woh: Now, let us say I have already carried this mortal to their bed. What next?
Vyrn: You should take their temperature next. It's important to check how different their body temperature is than usual.
Lyria: That's a good idea. Doctors often ask if you have a fever when looking at a patient!
Lu Woh: A doctor... You mean to say that I should employ the help of a professional.
Vyrn: Yeah, treating an injury or sickness by yourself can be risky business—best to just have a doctor check it out!
Lyria: If the person is very unwell, usually the town doctor can go to their house to take a look at them.
Lu Woh nods sagely as Lyria and Vyrn continue their thorough explanations.
Vyrn: We told ya a buncha stuff... You sure you don't need to jot some notes down?
Lu Woh: This amount of information should not be a problem for me. Your guidance is appreciated.
Lyria: Feel free to let us know if there's anything else we can help with!
Lu Woh: Rather presumptuous of a skydweller to offer assistance to a pillar of the world such as myself—though I suspect it is simply manners.
Lu Woh: I apologize for taking up the precious time that you have so little of, mortals. If you'll excuse me.
Before (Captain) can say anything, Lu Woh disappears.
Lyria: I wonder if there's someone who's feeling unwell right now...
Vyrn: If that's what's goin' on, then we shoulda gone with him.
Vyrn: Well, I guess if he needs help he'll come find us again. We'll be ready to help him next time!
Lu Woh returns to the house to check up on the elderly woman, who is still fast asleep.
Grandma: ...
Lu Woh: She's comatose—er, asleep. I suppose I should take her temperature first to see if she has a fever.
Lu Woh: Although it is rather difficult for me to judge, seeing how the temperatures of our bodies are different.
Lu Woh: The temperature doesn't appear to be abnormal in terms of how a body constructed of organic matter should be.
Lu Woh looks around the room, searching for the items he learned about earlier that could be used to nurse the lady.
Lu Woh: I need to wet a towel and place it on her forehead. They told me to wring the water out first, but how much should I wring?
Lu Woh: This is more troublesome than I'd expected!
Grandma: Huh...
Lu Woh: Ah. You're awake.
The elderly lady wakes after Lu Woh nurses her—albeit unskillfully—for some time. She looks at him, surprised.
Grandma: Oh my... What's the matter with me... I'm feeling quite lightheaded...
Lu Woh: You were feeling unwell and collapsed. Is there no one nearby who can look after you while you recover?
Grandma: Well, let's see... My son lives in another town, and my daughter is on a different island...
Lu Woh: In other words, there is no one.
Lu Woh: We have no other choice—I shall call a doctor for you. Would that be acceptable?
Grandma: Oh dear... I'm sorry for all the trouble. I'm sure a young man like you is quite busy.
Lu Woh: No need to fret over something so trivial. Do take care of your own health.
Grandma: Who could he be? I feel as if I know him... Yes, he must be an acquaintance...
Grandma: Even so, what a kind person he is. I must thank him later...
Grandma: ...
The Destiny Called Hope: Scene 2
The doctor tells Lu Woh that as the woman is already well in her years, she does not have much longer to live. The dragon begins to visit the elderly lady regularly, and she tells him about her late husband and her children who live far away. Their conversations make Lu Woh think about the cycle of life and death—and of creation and destruction—within the skies.
Several days later, the elderly lady sits at her kitchen table preparing food.
Grandma: Mmm... A lovely color and shine. I should be able to make something delicious with these apples.
Lu Woh: Do you not experience any discomfort while sitting up in such a manner?
Grandma: Oh my, to think I'd see you again today. I do apologize for worrying you.
Lu Woh: It is a small matter—no need to think much of it.
Lu Woh: Small as it may be, however, once I have involved myself with something, it would be irresponsible of me to abandon it.
Grandma: Hehe. You certainly go to interesting lengths to be kind, young man.
Grandma: You remind me of someone I knew, back in my youth...
Unfazed by Lu Woh's sudden appearance, the elderly lady continues to peel the apples one by one. After cutting them up, she tosses the slices into a pot.
Lu Woh: I suppose being compared to a mortal is a sign of blending in well.
Grandma: Hehe. Ah, but you are much more handsome than the person I'm thinking of.
Grandma: He always had a stern expression on his face... The children would get so scared of him. He even made a baby cry once.
She walks over to the stove and adds sugar to the pot. As the apples simmer, the lady gazes at Lu Woh thoughtfully.
Grandma: The person I know loved sweet things, you see. Why, he loved apple pie so much that he'd fight over it with the children.
Grandma: Hmm, maybe a little more sugar...
Lu Woh: ...
Lu Woh: How is her condition?
Doctor: Hm... Her collapse was most likely due to anemia. She must be eating too little.
Doctor: At any rate, since she's well in her years, it must be hard for her body to digest the food even if she eats more.
Lu Woh: So her life is coming to an end.
Doctor: There are things even medicine cannot fix. It's hard to say what will happen next time she collapses—I would advise you to be ready for whatever comes.
Lu Woh: For whatever comes... It doesn't seem like there is anyone nearby to watch over her.
Doctor: I hear her children invited her to live with them, but she didn't want to leave the place she's lived at for so long and decided to live on her own.
Doctor: For now, I'll prescribe some medicine that can help warm up her body—have her drink it every morning and night. Though it's mostly for peace of mind, it's better than nothing.
Lu Woh: ...
Lu Woh: It's raining.
Grandma: Oh dear, that's too bad. Quite cloudy today, isn't it?
Lu Woh: It is only natural for the sky to be clouded over—that is how it's raining, after all. Though I suppose rain can occur on clear days as well.
Grandma: Hehe. Rain on a clear day is so beautiful. It almost looks like it's sparkling.
Grandma: It was raining while the sun was out on the day I had my youngest child as well. I felt as if the sky was congratulating me.
Grandma: Oh, yes. And the day he asked me to marry him... That was also a clear day with rain.
Lu Woh: Mortals look for meaning in natural phenomena based on their personal experiences.
Lu Woh: And in time, that meaning returns to the world, and then to the Six Dragons who uphold it. Albeit small, it is an effect that not even we can ignore.
Lu Woh: The light is glorified as a symbol of life because mortals have made it so.
Lu Woh: If rain on a clear day is a form of celebration for you, then one day, it may become so in the world.
Grandma: You think of rather difficult things, don't you, young man? Are you a scholar, perhaps?
Grandma: But there's really no need to think so hard about it. Rain on a clear day is special, and seeing it naturally makes me happy. Maybe that's all there is to it.
Grandma: Something out of the ordinary can be worrisome at times... but it also makes things exciting.
Lu Woh: Naturally, hm?
Lu Woh: I wonder... What is "natural" in this world that exists in a cycle of destruction and creation?
Grandma: Oh my. Careful not to knit your eyebrows like that too much, young man. It might end up becoming a habit.
Lu Woh: ...
Lu Woh: (The life and death of all things... Perhaps only this cycle constitutes as "natural.")
The Destiny Called Hope: Scene 3
The elderly lady collapses again one day and her condition becomes critical. Though Lu Woh tries to discuss with Orologia on a way to allow the woman to see her children once more before she dies, he is forced to give up on the idea, as any change made for the purpose of one person could lead to the world's downfall. Lu Woh uses his magic power, giving the woman a final dream in which the dragon tells her to go forth on her journey and rest in peace.
Lu Woh: Remember to take your medicine this morning. It seems you failed to take it the other day...
Lu Woh: ...!
Seeing the elderly lady sitting limply in her chair, Lu Woh immediately carries her over to the bed and calls for the doctor.
Grandma: ...
Lu Woh: Critical condition...
Doctor: As I mentioned before, she is quite old.
Doctor: I'll come take a look again once I've finished looking after the other patients at the hospital... but there's not much else I can do, I'm afraid.
Lu Woh: Understood.
Lu Woh: ...
Lu Woh: The wishes... of mortals...
Lu Woh: Singularity.
Lu Woh appears on the deck of the Grandcypher without notice and begins to speak to (Captain), who looks at the dragon speechlessly.
Lu Woh: What is it... that mortals wish for when faced with death?
Sensing the gravity of the question, (Captain)'s expression turns serious before reciprocating solemnly in return.
Choose: To see their family and friends.
Lu Woh: I see.
Lu Woh: Thank you for your time and response.
Lyria: Huh? Were you talking to someone just now, (Captain)?
Lyria: Lu Woh was here? And he's gone already?
Lyria: I wonder what's wrong...
Lu Woh leaves (Captain) to meet with Orologia.
Orologia: Weeell...
Orologia: Sorry, Luo. That's gonna bend the route a bit too much, so I really can't...
Lu Woh: I see.
Orologia: To reach the town on the other side of the mountain, you need to ride a cart with some other people heading in the same direction. But looks like the seats are all full...
Orologia: Even if I make it so there's a seat this time, next we'll be too late for the ship sailing to another island...
Orologia: And then from there we're gonna keep fluttering by in a butterfly effect...
Lu Woh: Very well then. It is only fate that the ideal circumstances cannot fall into place before her death.
Orologia: I'm sorry... If only the situation was a little more favorable, I might've been able to do something...
Orologia: Like if it was like this... Then I could do that...
Lu Woh: Don't meddle with small matters. That bad habit of yours will be your downfall someday, Orologia.
Orologia: Give a cat my tongue!
Lu Woh: We must not alter the way of the world simply for a single life.
Lu Woh: I don't think I need to tell you that.
Orologia: Then why bring it up?
Orologia: Not being able to grant all lives the end they wish for is a failure on my part...
Lu Woh: After all, this world is built on the basis of destruction. A happy ending is but an ephemeral dream and nearly impossible...
Lu Woh: But so long as we serve as the pillars of the world, we have naught but to do our utmost for it.
Orologia: That's right. The least we can do is wish for their happiness... in hopes that our wish can be restored to the world.
Lu Woh: If that is the fate you have chosen, then I will believe that is what's best.
Orologia: Oof! So nice of you, but so much pressure!
Lu Woh: It is up to you how you choose to interpret my words.
Lu Woh: Either way, this is the end for her. That remains a fact.
Lu Woh: In that case, I...
Lu Woh: ...
Grandma: ...
Lu Woh: ...
Lu Woh gently places his hand on the elderly lady's closed eyes and releases a small amount of magic power.
Grandma: Ah...
Grandma: Such beautiful weather today...
Lu Woh: Go forth, down the path in front of you.
Grandma: Yes... It's time for me to go.
Lu Woh: You have lived well. You have the right to depart and find your peace.
Lu Woh: I promise you I will do my best so that your next life in this world can be spent under beautiful, blue skies.
Grandma: You're...
Grandma: Hehe. Somehow, I feel like I can finally see your face clearly.
Grandma: You are a special young man—perhaps "man" isn't a correct description. But it doesn't matter...
Grandma: Thank you for your kindness. I'll go now.
Lu Woh: Farewell.
Grandma: It'd be wonderful... if we could have the opportunity to meet again...
Grandma: ...
With a peaceful expression on her face, she takes her last breath as her soul leaves her body.
Lu Woh: She's gone...
Lu Woh: Hm?
Noticing a package left on the table, Lu Woh walks over to it.
Lu Woh: Is this...
Card's Message: Thank you for always coming to keep me company. As thanks, I've baked an apple pie for you. I do hope you'll enjoy it.
Lu Woh: I wasn't exactly here to keep you company...
Lu Woh: ...
The Destiny Called Hope: Scene 4
The following day, Lu Woh takes the apple pie the elderly lady had baked as thanks for having taken care of her and brings it to (Captain) and company. Lu Woh tells the crew that they should take the gift, as they were the ones who taught him how to nurse the woman. (Captain) and the others invite Lu Woh to join them for tea time, and they enjoy the apple pie together. As Lu Woh continues to reflect on his recent encounter, he is determined once again to continue protecting the Sky Realm as a pillar of the world.
A day has passed since (Captain) was presented with Lu Woh's puzzling yet strangely earnest question.
Lu Woh: Take this. A gift from nursing the sick.
Vyrn: Whoa! You're back... Y-you scared us again...
Lyria: A gift?
Lu Woh: I've been told this is an apple pie. Is there a problem with that?
Vyrn: Did you say apple? Awesome, my favorite!
Vyrn: But wait. You're the one who looked after them, so isn't this a gift for you, Lu Woh?
Lu Woh: You were the ones who instructed me on what I needed to do. As such, you all should be the ones to receive this gift.
Lu Woh: I hardly spared any effort worthy of receiving thanks.
Lyria: Huh? But you were the one who actually took care of them, right?
Vyrn: And I'm pretty sure whoever made it for ya wanted you to eat it.
Lu Woh: ...
Lyria: Hmm... Well, we were just talking about taking a break, so let's do that!
Lyria: Why don't we have Lu Woh join us for tea today, (Captain)?
Vyrn: Good idea! I'll go cut the pie up!
Lyria: Oh, wait, Vyrn! I'll go with you and prepare the tea!
Without waiting for a reply from Lu Woh, the two head off to the galley. (Captain) turns to the dragon.
Lu Woh: What is it?
Choose: I want to apologize for that day.
There was a time when (Captain) had grabbed Lu Woh's collar, frustrated that Vyrn had been taken away by Galleon.
Puzzled, Lu Woh reflects on the captain's apology before the memory finally returns to him.
Lu Woh: You remember such trivial matters... Though I suppose it may not seem trivial to a mortal.
Lu Woh: At any rate, it matters little to me. I will accept your apology—but you should think no more of the incident.
Not quite satisfied with the exchange, (Captain) invites Lu Woh to the dining hall.
Lu Woh: No, I...
Lu Woh: All right. I suppose I can accept a cup of tea along with your apology.
Lu Woh's eyes narrow as he watches (Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn happily prepare for their tea time.
Lu Woh: (Mortals seek comfort in the smallest of things.)
Lu Woh: (Perhaps that is their method of surviving in this distorted world so filled with turmoil...)
Vyrn: Here's your slice, Lu Woh! There's more tea, so just say the word when ya want some!
Lu Woh: If you say so.
Vyrn: Okay then, dig in!
Lu Woh: (The reason mortals find peace at the end of their time is because of the troubles they must go through in this destructive world.)
Lu Woh: (When the world comes to an end, will that same peace fall upon the life in these skies?)
Vyrn: This is so good! The smell of apples and the sweetness go perfectly with the tea!
Lyria: Yes, it's delicious! Thank you, Lu Woh!
Lu Woh: I did not make the pie—it was meant to be a gift in return for your time and advice. No need to thank me.
Lu Woh: (There is no need for thanks... After all, I—we—exist as the pillars of this world.)
Lu Woh: (The short-lived yet courageous mortals who dwell in these skies... When the world ends, what awaits them will not be peace, but the despair of losing everything.)
Lu Woh: (In order for them to find peace at the end... we the Six Dragons must fulfill our duties as the pillars of the skies.)
Lu Woh: (If that is the case, then there is no need for us to find an end or peace. We exist to bestow those onto others.)
Lu Woh: (Everything is for the sake of the Sky Realm... and all who live within these skies!)
The White of the Six Dragons stands resolute, refuting even the god of destruction in order to protect the lives of those in the Sky Realm.
Having come face-to-face with the last moments of a mortal life, Lu Woh's conviction to carry out his duty grows stronger than ever before.