The path was particularly difficult to walk upon as the snow was quite high. But our sheer determination was enough not to falter at all, even while our feet felt as though they fell deeper into the snow with each step. It took us roughly two hours to reach the other side of the mountain path and find ourselves at a cliff face overlooking a circular white meadow, completely surrounded by steep and clean mountain slopes.

The snow here looked fresher and whiter than any part of Fjalhun we had seen so far. In the middle of the snow-covered meadow was a high circular structure, presumably siege walls, bathed in sunlight. It looked like it had a hole in its center. The hole was not covered in snow but was rather filled with lush greenery and vibrant trees while a similarly shaped hole in the cloudy veil above allowed the sun to completely envelop the structure.

So bright was the light’s reflection on the snow surrounding the monastery, that it resembled a halo around it. Somewhere in the middle of the forest, I could see a small tower rise from the ground.

“This is it,” I mumbled, and saw Kai already heading down the slope in front of us.

Some very steep steps were carved into the mountain itself, in order to allow descent to the valley where the monastery stood. Climbing down was not easy, but neither Kai nor I cared at all. We were almost there. We had almost reached our destination and even though only a week had passed since we embarked from the jungle city of Yubna, the day we left seemed like it was months ago.

The monastery looked even more majestic up close. Its walls stood firm and bright under the sunlight, a blinding contrast to the white and gray of the landscape we’d crossed since we left Snjokomu.

A gigantic wooden door stood in front of us, slightly ajar but not quite open. It looked as if someone had forgotten to close it. A circular iron ring hanging in its center seemed to be the way we were supposed to announce ourselves.

Kai wasted no time and pulled the iron door knocker, letting it hit the door on the metal cymbal placed in its center. The sound was loud and clear, but no matter how long we waited, nobody answered our call. Kai moved to strike the door’s cymbal again but I held his arm.

“If they were going to come,” I said, as I let go of him, “they would have by now. There is no way they didn’t hear this.”

“Okay then. Let’s go in,” he said, and took a step toward the door.

I was a little hesitant of entering the monastery uninvited but realized there really was no other option. Whatever habits or traditions the monks had, we would have to find out once we met them since there were none out here. I nodded at Kai and he pushed the door open slowly with his body, entering the monastery’s yard.

Directly beyond the door was a corridor that seemingly stretched long enough to reach the other side of the monastery’s thick walls. We walked through the long room and reached another door that was slightly ajar, albeit much more similar in size to the ones we were used to. This time, we didn’t knock on its wooden front but instead I pushed and walked through it without announcing myself, to be met with a pleasant but very unexpected scenery.

The forest we had seen from afar, was actually a very lively garden in the middle of the frozen tundra. But nothing here was frozen. Quite the contrary, the temperature was closer to that of Leka An, while the sun provided the necessary light for plant life and trees to thrive.

The garden of the monastery was as lively as any forest I had seen, though no natural forest would have so many different tree types next to each other. In every forest, a fruit falling from a tree will have its seeds eventually make a tree of the same species next to it.

This forest, however, had birches next to elms, firs next to maples, and oaks next to sycamores. Everything in here had been—without a doubt—created and maintained with mana, from the smallest plant to the perfect weather conditions. The view was stunning and I jumped in surprise when I realized Kai was already strides ahead of me, moving through the trees.

“Wait for me!” I shouted. I didn’t want to get distracted in a place like this.

It didn’t take long to reach the tower we had previously seen. There was no door present here, but rather an opening leading into it. We crossed the tower’s doorstep and were faced with yet another door which was completely open some ten steps in front of us. We walked toward it as we announced our presence, only to realize we were heading into another empty room.

This one had several long empty wooden tables and benches. It looked like it served as the monastery’s dining room.

Inside, we saw two men in white robes walking toward us from a corridor on our left.

Name : Ian Hyther

Race : Human

Class : Divine Monk Priest

Level : ??

Name : Hiate Nonu

Race : Orc

Class : Divine Monk Priest

Level : ??

“Hello,” I said, trying to sound as non-intrusive as possible. “We tried knocking but nobody responded.”

The men didn’t seem to take notice but continued walking toward us, albeit at a slightly wider angle, as if to avoid having us in their path.

“We’re sorry for coming without notice,” I continued, my voice quieter as they were now almost next to us. “We would like to study here.”

The two men didn’t respond and simply passed us by, but we were at least able to take a better look at them. Their white robes had no seams, no discoloration, and no sign of wear and tear at all. They didn’t even appear to have shadows. But what seemed even stranger to me were their faces.

They had extremely long white hair and both of them were stroking their thick white triangular beards, seemingly lost in their own thoughts and didn’t even glance at us. They seemed indifferent and disinterested in us.

“Didn’t they see us?” Kai asked, puzzled.

“They must have,” I replied, and rushed in front of one of the men. “Excuse me sire, can you see us?”

The man tried to avoid me, but I quickly shifted my body to block him again.

“Yes,” he responded finally, and instead of stopping to face me, he flicked his hand and levitated above me.