"One thing I can say for certain is that in life, in growing up, we all face our own trials. For some people these are minor, for some, earth-shattering. For some they bite so deep they leave claw marks far below the surface, where none may know of them. Sometimes you can confide in your family, sometimes your comrades or friends, and sometimes you can't ever tell anyone and it burns a hole deep inside of you.
There's something that I've learnt in my life, and it's difficult to explain, but I'll try. It is simply the nature of strength. You may be broken, you may be damaged, and you may have fallen low. You may be crushed and you may be despairing, but when you feel like there is nothing left and you cry your heart out in the depths of the night, take one last look inside yourself.
Deep inside, past the loneliness, the self-loathing, the sadness, you will find one thing. A rage so pure, so hard, so undirected. A rage that hates everything. A hard nugget of pure hate and darkness that you might not even want to look at.
But have another look. Tap that jet black obsidian core with a whisper in the dark and watch it scream back at you. As you curl up in defeat, stubbornly feed it encouragement and it will roar with you. And when you lay on your last legs, grasp it in hand and feel the power rush into you. Defiance, pure defiance, is the birthright of every human that has ever lived and ever will. It is what defines us, what makes us strong, what makes us not go quietly into the night. It is what makes us spit in the face of death and refuse to back down from what we feel is right.
Defiance is your soul burning, the shining gold underneath the black of night. Nurture it, Temper it, Control it. Make it your strength, not your weakness, and you will become a force to be reckoned with."
- Denthar Vaun, Five Minutes of Hope ~
