{"id":3118,"date":"2026-01-18T09:46:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T09:46:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/?p=3118"},"modified":"2026-01-18T09:46:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T09:46:46","slug":"lesson-six-painful-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/?p=3118","title":{"rendered":"Lesson 6 &#8211; Painful Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cOne will always remain weaker than his opponent unless he is not afraid to face his own demons.\u201d<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If only it were <em>that<\/em> easy, grandfather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why did the weapon stash <em>have<\/em> to be hidden in the basement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why didn\u2019t he store them in the attic, or shed, or anywhere really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Delia were here, I\u2019d have <em>her<\/em> retrieve a nunchaku to replace the one I\u2019d so foolishly broken this morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Delia, fortunate, Delia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She had been too young\u2014far too young\u2014to witness our parents being so cold-bloodedly drawn through by that bastard\u2019s katana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019d recognise it anywhere. The immaculately crimson-polished blade, the thin, gold-edged <em>tsuba<\/em> etched with serpents\u2014as venomous, as deadly\u2014as its master\u2019s stroke. The black-red lacquered <em>saya<\/em>, its colour so deep it appeared wet in the dim light of the basement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The crimson and black <em>sageo<\/em> my father managed to cut off that murderer\u2019s <em>saya<\/em>, just moments before he\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I clenched my teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2014fell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I looked down at my fisted left hand. That same reminder has been entwined in my palm ever since I can remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Damn you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will <em>not<\/em> take it off until the moment I take you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Teeth clenched, blanched palms shaking, I descended the dreaded place I had been avoiding for seventeen years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I <em>will<\/em> find you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you <em>will<\/em> pay for what you\u2019ve taken from us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If it\u2019s the last thing I do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cOne will always remain weaker than his opponent unless he is not afraid to face his own demons.\u201d If only it were that easy, grandfather. Why did the weapon stash have to be hidden in the basement? Why didn\u2019t he &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/?p=3118\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":652,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3118"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3120,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118\/revisions\/3120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/self-editing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}