One day later, near the monastery entrance, Aren stood quietly beside the monks.
Daojin gently ruffled his hair. “Take care of yourself,” he said warmly.
Aren nodded softly.
Beside him, Tejo stared at Aren with a strange expression, as though trying to compare him to his newly proclaimed “goddess.”
From time to time, his gaze drifted toward a cluster of nearby bushes.
Several leaves trembled suspiciously.
Hidden behind them were five children desperately trying not to be discovered.
Tejo smirked faintly but pretended not to notice anything.
Seeing Aren still somewhat weak from the fever, the monk who is supposed to take Aren back eventually sighed and lifted him into his arms.
“The stairs will be difficult for you in your current condition,” he said.
Aren looked slightly embarrassed but did not resist.
The stone steps leading down the hill were long and uneven, and even standing for extended periods still exhausted him.
As the monk carried Aren down the mountain path, a gentle breeze swept across the quiet hilltop.
Instinctively, Aren on the shoulders of the monk turned back.
At the monastery entrance, three figures stood silently beneath the morning light.
Daojin waved, smiling.
Tejo lazily waved one hand.
And beside them, the abbot stood quietly at the edge of the stone steps.
His robes fluttered gently in the wind as his calm gaze rested upon Aren.
********
“Is the child okay now?” the abbot asked quietly.
“Yes.” Daojin lowered his head slightly. “The doctor said he should fully recover by tomorrow. I’ve already made arrangements to escort him back.”
The abbot silently nodded.
After hesitating for a moment, Daojin spoke again. “Sir…Could we perhaps take that child into the monastery?”
The abbot remained silent.
Before he could respond, Tejo immediately frowned. “What are you saying old man?
“You know the requirements. We can’t simply take in random people.”
Then he glanced down the mountain path where Aren had disappeared earlier. “…Even if the brat does look unusually pretty.”
Daojin ignored the comment completely.
“When I visited him two days ago, he was reading the manuscript sir is still writing regarding Entities and Circles.”
This time, even Tejo looked surprised. “So what?”
Daojin continued seriously, “The surprising thing is that he was able to relate to its contents.”
Tejo’s eyes widened. “What? That’s impossible.
“It took me nearly a year just to barely understand portions of that thing. How could a child possibly relate to it?”
“Exactly,” Daojin replied calmly. “Although not everyone is as dimwitted as you."
"Hey" Tejo looked irritated.
Daojin ignored him, “That is precisely why I believe he should be raised here.”
Tejo fell silent.
Daojin slowly continued, “You can find people who have potential to become fighters.
“You can find people who have potential to become scholars.
“You can find people who have potential to become wealthy or influential.
“You can find many people with different skills.
“But people capable of genuinely seeking truth…are rare.”
“What this child showed is the potential to realize the truth. To achieve Zen.”
His voice gradually softened.
“Everyone in this world has that potential to achieve zen.
“Yet, in millions upon millions of people, very few ever truly attempt to understand the nature of existence.
“And even among those few…almost none begin seeking from childhood.”
The wind quietly swept across the monastery entrance.
Daojin’s gaze turned toward the distant mountain path.
“Even if that child never becomes a great warrior or leader…
“…he is someone who can become a philosopher.
“And someone like that would be more valuable to this monastery than most cultivators.
“I have been observing him since he came here.
“He possesses the temperament and the makings of a true ascetic.”
Then Daojin looked toward the abbot once more.
“So why not let him remain here, sir?”
“No need.” The abbot’s response was immediate.
Daojin’s expression stiffened slightly.
The abbot calmly looked into the distance.
“What you see is only light.
“Where there is light…
“…there are shadows too.”
His gaze deepened slightly.
“His light is indeed extraordinary.
“So are his shadows.”
Silence fell.
Daojin could not fully understand those words, but he could still feel the weight behind them.
A trace of disappointment appeared in his eyes.
After some hesitation, he spoke again.
“Then I will arrange to transfer him to another orphanage.
“If he returns there while the staff remains unchanged, his life will only become more miserable.
“He will continue being mistreated.”
“You need not do that either.” The abbot’s tone remained calm and unquestionable.
Daojin frowned slightly.
“But sir—”
“You all should return now.”
The abbot suddenly shifted his gaze toward the nearby bushes.
Silence.
Then—
Rustle! Rustle!
Several children immediately stumbled out from behind the bushes like criminals caught in the act.
“S-Sorry!”
Kiki and the others hurriedly fled in panic.
Tejo burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, the abbot merely watched them quietly as the wind brushed against his robes.
The abbot’s expression remained calm as he looked toward Daojin.
“I will not repeat myself.”
His voice was neither loud nor angry. Yet it carried unquestionable authority.
“This monastery is a sanctuary to everyone.
“Anyone who comes here will receive protection, guidance, and peace without exception.”
A gentle breeze swept across the mountain path.
“And that child will return here again.”
Daojin’s eyes brightened slightly.
But before he could speak further, the abbot continued:
“However…
“For Aren, this is only a place to rest…
“…and to learn.
“This can never become his home.”
The atmosphere quietly stiffened.
“Am I clear?”
Daojin hesitated briefly before finally lowering his head. “…Yes, sir.”
The abbot then slowly walked away, his robes fluttered quietly beneath the morning wind.
Even after he disappeared from sight, Daojin remained standing there with a troubled expression.
“I don’t understand…” he muttered softly.
Beside him, Tejo suddenly snorted. “You call me dimwit. But you are the one who is really dimwitted.”
Daojin frowned immediately. “What do you mean?”
Tejo lazily crossed his arms.
“Didn’t you notice? I spotted those kids hiding behind the bushes from the very beginning.
“I’m sure the boss noticed them too. Then why didn’t he say anything?”
Daojin blinked.
Tejo grinned slightly.
“Because he wanted them to hear.”
Daojin froze.
Tejo continued, “Think about it.
“You spent all that time praising Aren in front of them.”
“You called him talented.
“You said he could understand the abbot’s writings.
“You even suggested letting him stay here permanently.”
Tejo glanced toward the bushes where the children had hidden earlier.
“To us, those words don’t mean much.
“But to children?
“It’s different.”
Daojin slowly frowned as realization began to dawn on him.
“They’re orphans too,” Tejo said quietly. “And this monastery is the only home they have.
“Now imagine suddenly hearing that some new kid might move in…
“…and that the adults already seem to value him more than everyone else.
“They’d naturally become uneasy. They may think he will replace them. They might think they will be thrown out.”
Daojin immediately shook his head.
“But we would never do such a thing.”
“Of course we wouldn’t,” Tejo replied.
“But children don’t think rationally.
“They compare.
“They worry.
“They get jealous.
“And once those thoughts start growing, distance naturally forms.”
Daojin slowly fell silent. Only now did he begin understanding the abbot’s intentions.
Tejo stretched lazily.
“Boss let you praise Aren in front of them on purpose. But he refused him to stay here only after he sent away the children.”
Daojin’s eyes widened slightly.
At the same time, Tejo smirked.
“The boss also said that aren will come back and if he wants, we should allow him to study with the children like those outsiders.
“He’s probably planning to use that brat to pressure those little rascals into working harder.
“Once they start competing with each other…
“…they’ll naturally become friends eventually.”
Daojin finally understood. But another question still lingered in his mind.
“Then why refuse to transfer Aren to another orphanage?”
Tejo shrugged casually. “No idea. Boss probably has some other plan.”
Then he glanced sideways at Daojin.
“So stop overthinking things and just do what he says.”
Daojin quietly stared at Tejo.
Then he suddenly muttered to himself: “…Am I getting old?”
Tejo blinked.
“How is it that even a dimwit like you can understand sir better than I can?”
Tejo’s face instantly darkened. “Hey. I heard that. Who are you calling a dimwit?”
Daojin finally chuckled. “You of course. Who else?”
The tension between them gradually disappeared as the two monks continued bickering on the quiet mountain path.
*****
Copyright © [May] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
As the monk carried Aren down the mountain path, he quietly looked back toward the monastery atop the hill.
The wind brushed gently across his face.
The distant monastery stood silently beneath the morning sky.
Peaceful.
Warm.
Safe.
For the first time since his grandfather’s death…
…Aren felt as though there was somewhere he truly wanted to stay.
Somewhere he wanted to belong.
Without realizing it, he slowly reached his hand toward the hilltop.
A faint ache spread through his chest.
‘I want to stay here…’
The feeling was small—
Yet painfully sincere.
‘It felt warm…’
Just as his fingertips stretched toward the distant monastery—
Tia suddenly regained his senses.
His outstretched hand froze midair.
The warmth disappeared.
Only the dim darkness of the bedroom remained.
For several moments, Tia sat silently on the bed, his breathing slightly uneven.
Then he slowly lowered his hand.
“…So it was another dream.”
A memory from his past life.
He started to recall this memory as he contemplated.
'That place felt warm, and I always wanted to belong there, to call it my home. But it never did.’
Tia quietly looked around the room.
Sera slept in the middle of the bed, while Vina lay peacefully beside her.
The soft moonlight pouring through the window illuminated the room faintly.
Tia stared at them silently.
His gaze slowly softened as it rested upon Sera and Vina.
‘But now…
‘This room.
‘This family.
‘This castle.
‘…this is where I belong, where I want to belong now. This place is my home.
‘But somehow, I feel uncomfortable.
‘It’s like there’s a barrier between us, like we’re not complete yet.
‘Like it could fall apart at any time.’
Tia clenched his fists. Then he took a deep breath and exhaled, unclenching his fists.
Tia lowered his gaze quietly.
At that moment—
Sera unconsciously reached toward him in her sleep, intending to pull him close like a hugging pillow.
But her hand touched only empty space.
Her brows twitched slightly.
Then she slowly opened her eyes.
Groggy and half-asleep, she saw Tia sitting upright beside her in the darkness.
“What happened, Tia?” she asked softly. “Why are you awake?”
Tia remained silent for a moment before answering quietly, “It’s nothing, Mom. I just woke up suddenly. I couldn’t fall back asleep.”
Sera looked at him for several seconds.
Then, still half asleep, she gently said, “You should go back to sleep. It's still the middle of the night.
She then suddenly pulled Tia into her embrace, pulling the blanket up, draping her leg over him in a spooning position and holding him tightly.
Tia felt her breasts on his face and struggled a bit. But then, after some hesitation, he hugged Sera's waist, feeling her body completely. Which made sera feel more comfortable, feeling herself complete in Tia’s hug, as a satisfactory smile formed on her face unconsciously.
The warmth of her body, the slow rise and fall of her chest, her rhythmic heartbeat gradually calmed the uneasiness within his heart.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
After several moments, Tia suddenly asked, “Mother…
“Can I ask you something?”
Sera gave a sleepy hum in response, sounding as though she was already halfway back to sleep.
Tia hesitated briefly before speaking again.
“Why does it feel like we’re still so distant…
“…even though we’re this close?”
For a few moments, Sera remained silent.
Then she answered softly, her voice still heavy with sleep.
“Isn’t it obvious?
“We all have our own secrets…
“…and our own insecurities.”
Her arm gently tightened around him unconsciously.
“We’ve never truly opened ourselves completely to one another.
“We stay close…But we still hide parts of ourselves.”
The room fell quiet again.
“We might live together…
“…care for each other…
“…even love each other…
“But there are still things we don’t know about each other.”
Sera’s voice gradually grew softer and softer. “That’s why…
“…even when we are so close…
“…we still feel so distant.”
Tia quietly lowered his gaze.
After a long silence, he finally asked once more. “Then…
“If we reveal our secrets…
“…will we become closer?”
Sera gave another sleepy murmur.
“…Probably.”
Then, after a faint pause, “I hope so too.”
Her breathing gradually became slower and steadier.
Before Tia could continue speaking, he realized that Sera had already fallen asleep again.
For a moment, Tia simply stared at her quietly.
A faint sadness appeared within his eyes.
Slowly, he moved closer and hugged her gently.
‘But Mother…
‘If I truly reveal everything…
‘Will you and Vina still accept me for who I am?’
His fists clenched.
‘I still don’t understand what I really am.
‘Am I truly your child?
‘Or merely someone who took over this body…?’
The thought quietly lingered in the darkness.
Tia lowered his eyes silently.
Then, after a while—
Another thought surfaced within his mind.
‘…Maybe Mom and Vina feel the same way too.
‘Maybe they’re also afraid.
‘Afraid if their secrets are revealed…
‘…they might no longer be accepted either.’
Tia slowly closed his eyes.
“So I’m not the only one with insecurities.” He murmured softly.
Unable to find an answer, Tia simply buried himself deeper within Sera’s embrace.
Smelling her fragrance, feeling her warmth and comfort.
Listening quietly to her breathing —
Tia slowly drifted back to sleep.
Copyright © [May] [2026] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher at [
therainyimp@gmail.com
].