After the evening's eventful dinner and the introduction to Bobo, the night settled in with a peaceful quietness. The shrine was illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns, casting long shadows across the ancient walls. The day had been long, and fatigue began to settle in for both Kian and Jay.
The priest, noticing their exhaustion, led them to a modest room where they would sleep for the night. The room was simple, with two futons laid out on the wooden floor, a small window letting in the cool night breeze, and a single candle flickering in the corner.
Jay flopped down onto his futon with a heavy sigh, stretching out as if he'd been carrying the weight of the world all day. Kian followed suit, though more slowly, still amused by the earlier events.
"Man, this place is something else," Jay murmured, his voice already tinged with sleepiness. "One minute we're nearly getting killed by cliffs by climbing , the next we're meeting a bear. What kind of 'disciplinary action' is this supposed to be?"
Kian lay down on his futon, his hands behind his head as he stared at the wooden ceiling above. "I know, right? It doesn't feel like punishment at all. I mean, sure, it's tough, but in a weird way, it's kinda fun too."
Jay turned on his side, facing Kian. "Do you think the headmaster really sent you here just to punish you? Or is there more to it? The priest… he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who's here to just make us suffer."
Kian pondered for a moment, his eyes tracing the patterns in the ceiling. "Maybe it's not about punishment. Maybe it's about making me think. I mean, we've done some crazy stuff, and i never really stop to think about why. i just do it because it's fun, or because it feels right at the moment."
Jay nodded slowly, his eyes heavy with fatigue. "Yeah… maybe it's more about reflection. Like, the headmaster wants you to figure out what we're really about, you know? But this priest guy… he's something else. He's calm, almost too calm, like he knows something we don't."
"Maybe that's the point," Kian replied, his voice softer now. "Maybe he's trying to teach us something without actually telling us. It's like we're supposed to learn by just being here, by living this life, away from everything we know."
Jay let out a small chuckle, though it was laced with weariness. "Yeah, well, I'm not sure how much I'm learning, but I am getting one hell of an experience."
Kian smiled faintly, his thoughts drifting as he spoke. "You ever think about what it'll be like when we go back? After a month here, living like this… I wonder if we'll be different. If we'll see things differently."
Jay didn't respond right away. When Kian glanced over, he saw that Jay's eyes were closed, his breathing steady and deep. He had fallen asleep, mid-conversation, a peaceful expression on his face as if all his worries had drifted away.
Kian chuckled softly to himself, then turned back to stare at the ceiling. The room was quiet now, save for the soft rustling of the wind outside and the distant sounds of the forest. Despite the peacefulness of the shrine, his mind was still active, replaying the events of the day, the questions about the priest and the headmaster, and what this time at the shrine really meant.
As he lay there, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was more than just a punishment. The shrine, the priest, even Bobo the bear-there was something deeper going on, something that was meant to change them in ways they didn't yet understand.
But for now, Kian let those thoughts drift away. He closed his eyes, letting the quiet of the shrine and the warmth of the futon envelope him. Sleep didn't come easily, but eventually, he felt himself drifting off, his mind still pondering the mysteries of the shrine and what the coming days would bring.