Whiteleaf Monastery sits on top of Mount Whiteleaf. The mountain isn’t cold itself, it receives warm southern winds and plenty of rain. However, beyond the northern ridge lies the frozen territory.

Because of the strange geography there are two sides of the same mountain, one which is green and lush, the other is completely white.

And in the centre of these two contrasting worlds is the Whiteleaf Monastery. One of its gates are swept to clear the snow, while the other is swept to clear the leaves on the stone floor.

*THUD*

"UP!" A monk banged open the door in the southern quarters of the monastery, where a child of age around fifteen was sleeping soundly.

The sun had not yet shone its light on the monastery but it’s a norm for the monks to wake up before the sun.

And as a felial and problem child that lives in the monastery of Whiteleaf, Jinhai is a lazy Munk.

"I’m up, I’m up, I’m up---" Jinhai repeated those words sitting straight up, but his eyes were still closed.

"Jinhai."

"Yes, senior brother."

"You’re asleep."

"No, I’m not."

"You just called me senior brother while snoring," the Munk said.

Jinhai slowly opened one eye, and the monk sighed.

"Bell Duty."

"Right...Bell Duty..." Jinhai was still half asleep.

"Why didn’t you ring the bell yet senior brother?" Jinhai asked.

"...Ring the bell before I call for---"

"I’m on it, I’m on it...Don’t worry," Jinhai got up slowly, yawned stretching his mouth.

"But why me?" he asked.

"Because you lost the game of pebbles," The munk replied, stepping sideways for Jinhai to get out of his room.

"That was just one game,"

"You lost seven game of pebbles, and you bet the workload of other monks in turn for your play," The munk said.

"Monks don’t gamble, Amitabha," Jinhai closed his eyes again as if asking for forgiveness.

*Pat*

"Bell-Duty," The monk said slapping the bald head of Jinhai with a smirk on his face.

Five minutes later, Jinhai was dragging himself across Monastery Quarters.

The morning mist still lingered between the white leaf trees, moonbell flowers swayed gently in the wind.

Most of the whiteleaf Monastery was already awake.

Monks crossed the stone paths carrying buckets of water, others swept the fallen leaves in a clean pile.

The mountain felt half asleep before the sunrise and someone has to still wake it up.

That someone was Jinhai, standing before the great bell.

The bell tower overlooked both sides of the mountain, Jinhai took in a deep breath looking at the scenery, and grabbed the wooden beam.

I was almost as large as he was.

"Why couldn’t enlightenment happen after breakfast..." he muttered.

Then he pulled, and the beam swung forward.

*BOOOOOOOONNNG*

The soft, heavy and melodious sound travelled across the Mount Whiteleaf, resonating to every leave, pond, and waterbody in its way.

Bird rose from the forests, the villages below slowly awakened.

Jinhai released the wooden beam, and stretched his back.

"Done."

The hardest part of enlightenment was officially complete.

Now all that remained was pretending to be useful until breakfast.

He descended from the bell tower, followed the stone path that curved around the monastery.

"Morning, Jinhai."

A monk carrying two buckets of water greeted him.

"Amitabha, Senior brother."

Another monk was sweeping leaves near the courtyard.

"Amitabha."

"Amitabha."

An elderly monk sat beneath a white-leaf tree drinking tea.

"Amitabha."

"Morning."

The old monk frowned at that.

"That’s not how you reply, Jinhai."

"Then don’t greet me before breakfast, when you’re enjoying a fine tea yourself."

The old monk sighed.

"The monastery truly has no future."

"It has me." Jinhai commented.

"Exactly." The old monk said.

Jinhai clicked his tongue and continued walking.

The mountain was peaceful today. The mist was thin, the winds were gentle, even the snowfields beyond the northern ridge seemed calm.

His eyes wandered across the grounds, and immediately spotted a familiar figure.

"Senior Shen," he raised a hand, calling the monk out.

The monk sat upon a stone near the ridge, legs crossed, back straight, facing the horizon and meditating as usual.

"There he is." Jinhai grinned.

Unlike most monks, Shen actually listened when Jinhai complained.

Which automatically made him one of Jinhai’s favorite people.

A broom was rested against a nearby tree, Jinhai grabbed it.

Since he had already lost seven pebble games, and inherited half of monastery’s chores, he might as well start somewhere.

The stone path around the ridge was covered in white leaves and he began sweeping, the soft scraping of the boom mixed the sounds of morning wind.

"You know, I am fully aware of how Senior Brother Ming cheated," and then began a morning complain session of Jinhai, where Shen would address all of em.

*Sweep*

"He keeps pretending he’s bad at pebble games."

*Sweep*

"Then suddenly wins seven times in a row."

*Sweep*

"That’s not just skill."

*Sweep*

"That is mastery."

*Sweep*

Still no response. Jinhai wasn’t surprised. Shen often entered long periods of meditation.

"You know what the worst part is?"

*Sweep*

"He made me ring the bell, as if he was ready to mock me..."

*Sweep*

"Before the breakfast."

*Sweep*

"Before"

*Sweep*

"BREAKFAST."

The broom stopped.

Jinhai frowned.

"Actually," He glanced at Shen’s back.

"You’d probably tell me breakfast isn’t important---"

There was no response at all.

His eyes settled on the sleeve of Shen’s robe.

There was a dark stain there.

A small dark red stain. Almost hidden by the folds.

"Senior?"

Jinhai took a few steps closer.

Until now he had been talking to Shen’s back.

The faint smile on Jinhai’s face disappeared and turned into a cautious concern.

The meditation posture that Shen had was near perfect. But Shen was too still.

"Senior Shen?"

He approached the stone, and circled around it slowly.

The moment he saw Shen’s face, the broom clattered to the ground.

Shen’s eyes were open, or what remained of them.

Two dark, glistening rivulets of blood had poured from the corners of his eyes, carving red paths down his cheeks like tears, more blood had pooled in the hollows beneath his eyes, and stained the front of his robe in a wideneing bib of dark red.

His pupils were dilated, fixed on the distant horizon he had been meditating towards.

Shen was dead.

Jinhai’s stomach lurched, and for a second he couldn’t breathe.

The world itself felt obscene to Jinhai now.

.-.-.-.-.-.

*Tug*

Darin plucked out a notice from the expedition board which was on the second floor just outside their classrooms.

"Whiteleaf Monastery?" Elyra muttered the title on the expedition notice.

To take on a request now, cadets needed approval of professors, and until then the exact details and protocols of the expedition could not be shared. That was the condition that several professors including Marcus Rile had to sign in order to have expeditions continued for second year onwards.

"Why would a monastery request for investigation? I mean..." Elyra murmured.

"Munks are not awakened individuals, but they can steel feel the negativity in the air," Darin said. "If they have requested for an investigation then it shouldn’t be taken lightly."

"But why would anyone target monks, Whiteleaf monks are known for not leaving their mountains right?" Elyra asked.

"We’ll find that out, besides its just you and me here, everyone else picked up their own expedition notices and got approvals," Darin flicked the page.

"We need points too," he said.

"Who will you take approval from from?" Elyra asked.

"Isn’t that obvious...?" Darin smirked.

"No...Professor Marcus seems to have personal problems with you, I don’t think so..."

"Personal problems, what do you mean?" Darin frowned.

"I mean, he did scold a top cadet just for no reason at all, in the training grounds, remember?" Elyra replied.

"That felt more like an advice," Darin said.

"That’s because you’re so dull to look at the big picture!" Elyra murmured.

"Why would you say that?" Darin faked a smile, and raised his brows, warning her to look behind.

"What if he’s handsome, plenty of guys are handsome, but being mean to someone who’s just a cadet and not even a professional,"

"Elyra..." Darin groaned.

"Did you ever see him talking like that to any of the cadets? I think he hates commoners, he might be all powerful but beneath that mask is a hypocrite noble who looks down on commoners like they’re some lesser species, and you’re going to ask for his approval?"

"Why not?" Marcus who had been listening to her rants from earlier, finally spoke.

"Eik-!" Elyra jolted and turned around in a hurry.

"I love listening my character being assassinated by my own cadets, please continue," Marcus said.

"Besides you seem to have a strong opinion," he said.

"..."

"..."

"I didn’t me-"

"You didn’t mean that? Come on you have to be more creative with sudden answers." Marcus scoffed.

"Professor, I can explain,"

"I know, I just had a demo session," Marcus replied.

"I was just merely making an observation," Elyra tried to explain herself.

"I loved the handsome and powerful part, and ignored the rest of it, you don’t need to worry about it."

’That’s all that matters, to be honest.’ Marcus thought.