Never Die (The Mortal Techniques)

by Rob J. Hayes

The difference between the rich and the powerful was always made so much clearer by walls. The rich hid behind them, the powerful tore them down.

Such is the price a man pays when they regularly light their own fists on fire.

When it is done, you burn that to tell the stars I have kept my word."

There were monsters in the world, Cho knew that well enough, but none were nearly so monstrous as man.

"Because I can still remember what it felt like inside my heart."

Tomorrow is just more of yesterday.

"It takes a lifetime of evil to be a villain, and only one moment of good to be a hero."

Heroes were little more than fools waiting to find the one battle they couldn't win.

Death's Echo

"One can either let their losses define them, or define those losses by what is left to them."

It was deep, ruby red, like flowing gore,

The boy could quiet a raucous conversation from across the room with only a passing of his gaze.

The Master of Sun Valley only smiled at the taunt, extending a hand towards the forest.

"Sometimes peace is no more than oppression in disguise."

"Sometimes the few need to stand against the many, so all can see what is right,"

Some men were destined to be heroic, always putting others first, even at risk to themselves.

'For some, a sword is an extension of themselves, and thus any sword will do. For others the sword and wielder are one, two halves of one soul, and neither will ever be complete without the other.'

Peace steals the souls of its victims, trapping them so they can never be reborn.

And War releases those souls, should it ever be drawn, allowing them to re-enter the world as the stars see fit.

"Hakutaku doesn't lie," Ein said slowly. "But neither does he tell the truth."

"Why can't shinigami wear shoes?" Zhihao asked. "Because IoSen," Roi Astara rasped, "the goddess of consequences, cursed them to always feel the consequences of where they tread."

"With each oath I give a lock of my hair, tied into a knot, and when my oath is complete, it is burnt so the smoke will reach up to the stars, and they will know an oath has been completed. When a Shintei dies, the stars judge our worth by the number of oaths we have kept.

suffering their noise.

"Some things are more important than victory."

He deflated, as though he had just admitted to something truly shameful.

nothing. For once in his life The Emerald Wind has chosen to be a hero. We should respect that by completing our part of the plan."