A fearsome hammer that has the power to steal memories. With each blow of the weapon, the victim loses more of himself till he forgets his own identity.

One day, a soldier who carried the burden of a sorrowful past acquired the hammer. He began to strike himself in the head so that one by one, his memories began to disappear.

But as each unhappy memory was extinguished, an earlier one welled up in its place: Deaths of his comrades... The unhappy decision to become a soldier... The murder of his parents...

When at last all the sad thoughts were gone, and only the memories of a child full of hope and promise remained, it was too late. The soldier's skull was broken, and he fell over dead.


A philosopher was troubled by the ancient question: What is man? From whence is man born, and to what purpose?

Did the gods place him here on this world? The philosopher brooded on the question, his eyes cast skyward for the answers. Amidst all of creation, surely mankind had a special purpose?

Then the philosopher came a realization. Amongst creation, amongst the stars, the sun, and the moon, only man has the power to destroy. Proudly, the philosopher announced his discovery.

In the philosopher's audience, a single old man laughed. He took out a great mace and placed it before him. "Right," he said, "so this is the meaning of life?"


In a far-away Eastern land, there was a poet who made a living reciting songs. But he keenly felt the limits of his own skills, and so he made a pact with a ghost.

With the power of the ghost inside him, he began to compose glorious and beautiful songs. His fame spread through the city, and before long, he was named the official Poet to the Imperial Court.

But one day, the ghost returned to the him, and she said thus: "Your life as a genius poet is over. You shall henceforth never sing a song again."

It was as the ghost said. The poet fell silent and no more songs came from his lips. His dream gone, he plunged this sword into his breast. It still gleams with the glistering of his blood.