CHAPTER 97: THE SHADOW CULT’S DESCENT

As the morning sun shone brightly on the courtyard, causing the animal symbols on the pillars at the corners to shimmer, two black-and-white dressed monks stood by Kai’s door, their hands folded on their chests.

Breezing warm wind gushed through Kai’s room, waving through the open window and filling the room.

Small green leaves floated with the rhythm of the wind, spiralling and falling on the white-laced bed, landing on the top surface and the square-patterned ground.

Shovelling sounds echoed in the room as Kai remained in the loop of picking and placing the books he was given the first day he entered the temple in the unzipped black bag placed at one side of the bed.

Kai sighed as he saw the black book Lieutenant Gray had gifted to him on his eighth birthday.

He picked it up, wiped the slight dust covering it, and traced his fingers on the words carved on the top surface, then closed his eyes.

And in that moment, Gray’s voice echoed in his mind: Learn this to understand all the basic aspects of Tai Chi.

The voice was so loud that when Kai cracked his eyes open, he tilted his gaze around, hoping to see Gray by his side.

When he realised he was the only one standing in the room, two drops of tears appeared under his eyes and slid down his face.

Kai moved his left palm across his face, clearing the tears, then placed the book in the bag and zipped it.

He stood up from the side of the bed where he’d crouched, tilted his gaze at the glorious view the window was showing him, then inhaled deeply.

Kai turned, facing the door, then walked toward it. When he reached the side of the door, he turned toward the things he was leaving in the room.

"The boy is taking long."

Hearing the heavy voice echoing from the back of the door, Kai smiled at the walls dressed with crossed lines, then stepped out.

As his right leg moved out of the room and stepped on the ground outside, a new electric feeling moved through Kai’s spine like a snake. Then, when he stepped out fully, he closed his eyes and breathed.

A calm wind brushed on his face as he cracked his eyes open, blowing the strands of hair covering his face and letting strands move to his cheeks.

When Kai reached the centre of the two monks, he bowed slightly and greeted them.

Seeing how the boy bowed to them, the two monks exchanged shocked glances, then smiled and bowed to the boy as well.

For a few moments, as the two shadow cult monks and Kai walked out of the courtyard and began descending a long brick staircase, wine-colored dressed monks stood at the side of the stairs, staring at the three people descending.

The wine-dressed monks shook their heads as they saw the boy following the two shadow cult monks.

And in that moment, only one thought ran through the minds of the wine-dressed monks: "The boy won’t see the bright morning sky in the next months."

When Kai tilted his gaze at the monks standing by the side of the staircase and watching him as if he were a prisoner sentenced to death, he smiled.

And when he saw the gap between him and the two shadow cult monks increasing, he rushed forward, closing the gap, and held the straps of the bag.

...

A soft wind moved as a lady stopped at the top of the staircase Kai and the two shadow monks had descended, sighed, then turned her gaze at the wine-dressed monk standing by her side.

"Are you sure he’ll survive their training?" Clara asked, her voice sounding with great worry that made her neck quail.

The monk smiled, unfolded his right arm from his chest, then brushed his palm on his face.

"Nothing can break someone like this kid," the monk whispered in a cold voice that sent the lady standing beside him shaking.

"I know he’s strong, resilient, and fearless... but..." Clara said, tilting her saddened eyes at the ground.

"But what? Don’t worry..." the monk said, placing his left arm on the lady’s shoulder.

"Why do you think your brother, Gray, made it specific to bring him here, I mean this temple..." the monk said, tilted his gaze at the bright blue sky, and inhaled.

"Look at the birds circling under the clouds..." he said, letting the lady by his side jolt her gaze at the birds.

"Do you know why they keep on flying above and not walk on the land?" he asked, pointing toward the birds in the sky, and tilted his gaze at the lady.

"Because they have wings," Clara responded the moment she saw the monk staring at her.

"No... no... no... If that’s the case, why don’t chickens also fly but walk on the ground... they also have wings, don’t they?"

"It’s not about the wings they have... It’s about the perception they came to meet... the things they want... and the environment that fits them and gives them comfort."

"I know it’s been just a few years I’ve known the boy... watched him... and spied on him... and during all those times, I saw something in the kid that even I, the master of the Radiant Palm cult, fear."

Clara’s eyes widened the moment she saw the monk’s expression change.

...

Meanwhile, as Kai and the two Shadow Cult members reached the end of the staircase and turned to the right, he squeezed his eyes and looked at the two figures standing at the far distance like ants, and waved at them.

When he tilted his gaze at the two Shadow Cults’ direction, he froze.

At the vast space at their front, the sound of countless vibrations struck him like thunder, piercing into his bones like sharp needles freshly picked from hot fire.

Though he had felt lots of vibrations since he entered the temple, he had no idea of the ones he was feeling at that instant.

The more they stepped into the land beneath the half-moon arc door, the more the vibrations increased.

But as they reached another area where seawater kept falling from above and blasting into the small dam at their left side, the tension that had risen in him calmed.

Kai’s mind reeled to the building he saw in his dreams years back, as he saw the building they were walking beside, which had the same Chinese temple look.

For thirty minutes, Kai followed the two men without saying a word or asking them where they were headed.

And when the two men at his front halted, Kai halted, removed the bag at his back, and placed it beside him, then swiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Welcome... Kai," A heavy voice echoed from behind Kai, forcing him to turn and look at his back in shock.

Seeing the man who walked by him and placed a hand on his shoulder, the day he broke the arm of the short, broad-shouldered guy among the bullies, the shocked expression vanished.

"Jim... Jack... you can join your friends in the meditation chamber," the man said, gesturing to the two men standing behind Kai.

As the men moved out from Kai’s side and entered a building standing in the middle of the pool of water, Kai picked up his bag.

"Follow me..." Yung Mai said, gesturing to the boy standing by his side and letting him follow as he walked toward the same building that Jim and Jack had entered.

"What is meant by meditation room?" Kai asked as both he and the man stepped on the bridge, which was raised over the pond, giving them access to reach the building.

"Meditation... haven’t you heard anyone saying anything about meditation?" the man said, paused, and tilted his gaze at the boy.

"No... this is my first time," Kai said without hesitating.

"Okay... I will give you what will help you know and understand it."

"Meditation is simply the practice one goes through to calm the resilient spirit racing in him. In simple terms... to calm your spirit. Also," Yung Mai paused, tilted his gaze at the entrance of the building they were walking to.

At that moment, a loud bell sounded, echoing like thunder, so loud that it made the pond surrounding the building spiral and turn like waves.

"There are stages of meditation... you’ll learn about them when you start your training."

After the man’s words ended, Kai smiled, "Thank you. I’ll do my best to learn them all."

As Kai and the tall man entered the dark section of the building, they stood by its gate. Kai turned and looked at the silent environment.

’Are there humans here?’ he thought, tilted his gaze for a while before entering into the darkness completely.

Outside the building, a soft water-dripping sound echoed as another loud bell rang, causing the fish in the pond to rush to their covers, leaving the pond empty.

...

At a far distance from the West side of Westeros to the Southern side, countless heavy military vehicles scurried on the road at the centre of the large forest closer to Gilgal village.

And on the hood of the vehicle at the front, countless countries’ badges shimmered as the afternoon sun shone on them.

At the centre of the vehicles moving, two highly armed motorcycles moved, lined up alongside one vehicle that had a Westeros flag hanging on the sides of the hood.