Legends Unbound. (Adventure in the Trojan Saga and Try to Survive.)

The Grand Enemy Called I
i. The Lie of the Giant and the Ant
YISUN sat once with his disciple Hansa in YISUN's second clockwise glass palace. Hansa was one of his most ardent students and a grand questioner of YISUN. Unlike Yisun's other disciple, Pree Ashma, he had no hunger in his heart for dominion of the universe, but a miserly scrutiny and a heart of iron nails. He was not an aspirant for royalty, and thereby attained it through little effort.
Hansa's questions were thus:
'Lord, how must I question space?'
'With an age, an ant may encircle a giant five million times,' spoke YISUN.
'Lord, how then may I question time?'
'A giant's stride of a moment takes an ant a week to surpass.' YISUN spoke and smiled in the 4th way.
Hansa was discontent with this answer and rubbed the stem of his long and worn pipe which he always kept with him and would eventually lead to his annihilation. Since he was royalty, he knew this, and kept it close to him as a reminder of his circular death.
'Lord, then which should I be, the giant or the ant?'
'Both,' spoke YISUN, 'or either, when it suits you. Destroy the grand enemy called 'I'.'
Hansa contemplated this in silence. Later he would recount this proverb to his daughter.[2]
ii. The Lie of the Iron Plum
There was once a king named UN-Payam who sat at the right hand of YISUN's throne and ruled a palace of burnished gold and fire and dispensed justice in all things. It was let known once that Payam had grown an extraordinary plum – enormous in size, with adamant skin that was burnished as a breastplate and fifty times as hardy. Payam was desirous of a pillow friend of fiery heart and excellent skill with their mouth and let know that whosoever could break the skin of that plum with their teeth he would swear to share his bed with for three nights in whatever disposition they may desire.
Many gods were in attendance at Payam's hall on the first day, and even more on the second day, but by the third day of this strange contest few remained who had not tested their mettle, for the plum remained implacable and immaculate and turned many away with sore teeth and roiling frustration in their brains. A great cry rose up and YISUN was called forth from the twenty third clockwise palace of carbon where YISUN had been meditating on the point of a thirty acre long spear of crystallized time. In companionship with YISUN was Hansa, who followed along.
"See this Payam!" cried the gods, "He deceives us! He cruelly abuses our lustful hearts!"
YISUN was very fond of plums and immediately grasped the iron plum and took a long, succulent bite, praising its merits to the amazement of all.
"How!" wailed the attended.
"Why, it is a plum of flesh, and quite ripe as well," said YISUN plainly, and indeed, it was apparent to those gathered that it was the case. The plum was passed around and touched and indeed it was sensual and soft and pliant. Hansa was not so convinced. "It is still a plum of iron," said he, "there is some trickery here, oh master of masters."
"Indeed, it is so," said YISUN, and it was again apparent to those gathered that the flesh of that plum was as hard and impermeable as a fortress. "How can it be so?" said Hansa, "How comes this fickle nature? Plums and the fifty winds are not so alike I think."
YISUN said, "I told you of this and, believing it, it was so. We are all secret kings of our own tower. In truth, it is whichever you prefer. In truth, there is no plum at all, just as there is no YISUN. A plum has no shape, form, or color at all, in truth, but these are all things I find pleasing about it. A plum has no taste at all for it has no flesh or substance, but I find its sweetness intoxicating. A plum is a thing that does not exist. But it is my favorite fruit."
"A pipe is a thing that does exist, and it is my favorite past time," said Hansa, lacking understanding, and growing in cynicism.
"What a paradox!" said YISUN, smiling, "I shall share my love tenderly with Payam."[3]
iii. The Lie of the Water House
YISUN and Hansa walked the king's road once, drinking plum wine. They were enfleshed as maidens at the time, for boastful, drunken Ogam swore on his high seat at the speaking house that any feat accomplished by his brothers he could redouble seven times again. Hansa, of crafty mind, and bearing little love for a brother whose raucous singing frequently interrupted his philosophical fugues, immediately saw an opportunity to deprive Ogam of his prized and well-boasted-about manhood for a fortnight, and challenged him to a contest of womanly love-making, sewing, and hearth sweeping, and for a time there was great mirth in the Red City.
"Dearest Un-Hansa," spoke YISUN, after a moment, as they strolled along an expanse of fractal glass and cold fire, "Art thou not flesh of my self love? Springst thou not from my recursive womb?"
"Sprung I from your brow, for it is my lot in life to beat my hands against it in return for ejecting me," said Hansa, in jest, but in truth he listened.
"Knowst thou the meaning of my name Y-S-U-N is the true name of sovereignty?" spoke YISUN plainly.
"I do," spoke Hansa, for it was true.
YISUN then assumed a speaking form that was bright and very cold, from her breath she inhaled the void, and when she exhaled, beautiful water came forth from her pliant lips in great rushing gasps, and there was a sound like a clear bell that meant emptiness. Hansa was very moved by this display and watched as the shining water curved and bent upon itself and crystallized, and suddenly before the pair was a great, beautiful house, translucent and all filled with light of many colors.
"Observe my work," said YISUN, pleased.
"It is an astounding work," said Hansa, clearly impressed. They strode inside the house at YISUN's bidding. The walls were clear and smooth as crystal, and warm to the touch. It had a wide hall, and a full hearth, and was full of light and air, and the openness of the place with the starkness of the void was incredibly pleasing. Hansa would have given half his lordship for such a house, in truth, for his own was a dark and cramped tomb of iron and dust.
"Observe again," said YISUN, with a keen eye. Hansa did, and as he looked closer, he saw the walls, the floor, the vaulted roof, the wall coverings, and even the altar with the flowers in the visiting hall were all made of water – water as clear and still and solid as smooth and perfect glass.
"Water, lord?" spoke Hansa, sensing some purpose.
"What," spoke YISUN playfully, "is the meaning of this allegory?"
They reposed for a while as Hansa thought, in the resting hall of that great water house, and gazed through the shining rim of that house across the great void, where the empty sky was perfect in its nothingness. The house rung gently like a bell and it was pleasing to Hansa as he sat in his woman's flesh and thought.
After a while, he said this:
"The house is a man's life."
"Why this?" answered YISUN, as was the fashion.
"Because although it is very beautiful and filled with many fine things, it is only water, after all. It would be poor to rely on its existence - it is only water pretending to be a house. In truth, there is no real house here at all, just as there is no Hansa, or no plums."
"This is a good answer," said YISUN, and made a small motion with her long white fingers, and smiled.
"It is an infuriating answer," said Hansa, his mood darkening, and his borrowed brow furrowing, "As is common with you. How can one grant themselves the pleasure to enjoy such a fine thing? It sparkles and shines like a gorgeous jewel, but its sparkle is an intimate falsehood."
"Death is my gift to you," spoke YISUN in reply.
"What's the point," spoke Hansa, bitterly,"Of such a fine house, if it is only a lie? What is the point of Hansa, if Hansa is only a lie?"
"I am a fine liar," spoke YISUN in reply.
Hansa was silent a moment.
"It is a beautiful house," he admitted, after some time, "It is a beautiful lie."
"Our self-realization is the most beautiful lie there is. I am the most conceited and prime liar. Lies are the enemy of stagnation and my self-salvation. How could we appreciate the shining beauty of my house of lies," spoke YISUN, arching her supple back, "if there was always such a house? How could we appreciate Hansa if there was always such a Hansa?"
They sat in stillness a while longer.
"In truth, we would get very bored," said Hansa, after a while.
"In truth, we would," said YISUN.[4]
iv. The Lie of the Small Light
Hansa was of sound mind and proud soul and only once asked YISUN a conceited question, when he was very old and his bones were set about with the dust and bent with age. It was about his own death.
"Lord," said Hansa, allowing a doubt to blossom, "What is ending?"
It was said later he regretted this question but none could confirm the suspicion.
"Ending is a small light in a vast cavern growing dim," said YISUN, plainly, as was the manner.
"When the light goes out, what will happen to the cavern?"
"It and the universe will cease to exist, for how can we see anything without any light, no matter how small?" said YISUN. Hansa was somewhat dismayed, but sensed a lesson, as was the manner.
"Darkness is the natural state of caverns," said he, vexingly, "if I were a cavern, I would be glad to be rid of the pest of light and exist obstinately anyway!"
"Hansa is observant," said YISUN.