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The Warrior knows about the "waterfall effect."
He has often seen someone mistreating another person who lacks the courage to respond. Then, out of cowardice and resentment, that person vents his anger on someone weaker than himself, who takes it out on someone else, in a veritable torrent of misery. No one knows the consequences of his own cruelty.
That is why the Warrior is careful in his use of the sword and only accepts an opponent who is worthy of him. In moments of rage, he punches a rock and bruises his hand.
The hand will heal eventually, but the child who got beaten because his father lost a battle will bear the marks for the rest of his life.
When the order to move on comes, the Warrior looks at all the friends he has made during the time that he followed the path. He taught some to hear the bells of a drowned temple, he told others stories around the fire.
His heart is sad, but he knows that his sword is sacred and that he must obey the orders of the One to whom he offered up his struggle.
Then the Warrior thanks his traveling companions, takes a deep breath and continues on, laden with memories of an unforgettable journey.
EPILOGUE
It was dark by the time she finished speaking. The two of them sat watching the moon rising.
"Many of the things you told me contradict each other," he said.
She got up.
"Goodbye," she said. "You knew that the bells at the bottom of the sea were not just a legend, but you could only hear them when you realized that the wind, the seagulls, and the sound of the palm fronds were all part of the pealing of the bells.
"In just the same way, the Warrior of the Light knows that everything around him--his victories, his defeats, his enthusiasm, and his despondency--form part of his Good Fight. And he will know which strategy to use when he needs it. A Warrior does not try to be coherent; he has learned to live with his contradictions."
"Who are you?" he asked.
But the woman was already moving off, walking over the waves toward the rising moon.
