Bao stood at the edge of the monastery courtyard, staring toward the horizon. The plume from Mount Atsui rose like a black dagger, cutting through the crimson sky. Smoke and ash twisted upward, thick and clinging, blotting out the sun. A cold shiver crawled down Bao's spine, and he felt the hairs on his arms stand erect.
An old monk shuffled beside him, leaning heavily on a gnarled staff. His face was lined with worry. "This is no ordinary eruption," he said quietly. "It has been foretold: on the day Mount Atsui erupts, demons shall descend, and chaos shall reign across the lands below."
Bao blinked, trying to grasp the words. A knot tightened in his chest, and a subtle tremor of fear stirred beneath his calm exterior. His training, his meditations, seemed suddenly fragile against the enormity of the threat.
"In the past," the monk continued, "we were to be prepared through Buddha's teachings. But some of our brethren strayed. They formed the White Lotus, a sect that uses forbidden magic, infused with demonic essence. Their power is dangerous, and imperfect mastery only strengthens the darkness inside them. Legend tells of five survivors… and I fear those five are moving toward the villages at the foot of the mountain."
Other monks gathered, faces pale, eyes fixed on the plume. The ash-laden wind carried a bitter scent, and Bao's stomach twisted with dread. Jin… he thought. I hope he is safe.
Meanwhile, Jin had emerged from the training hall, muscles still taut from practice, a flush of pride in his chest. Yet as he walked through the corridors, the sense of unease he had been ignoring crept back with icy persistence. A tall monk in dark blue robes fell into step beside him.
"You have done well, Jin," the monk said. "You are ready to begin training for the White Lotus."
"The White Lotus?" Jin's voice wavered with equal parts curiosity and fear.
"We are chosen by Buddha to fight in his name," the monk explained. "An elite enclave. I believe you have the potential to rise among us."
Jin's chest swelled with hope, but beneath it, a flicker of anxiety gnawed at him. He bowed. "I will do my utmost, master."
The monk guided him through twisting corridors, past storerooms stacked with grain sacks and supplies, and into a high courtyard. The mountain air carried the acrid scent of smoke. From a distance, Jin glimpsed the first curling wisps from Mt. Atsui. A shiver ran down his spine. Something primal stirred in his gut—a sense of wrongness, of an approaching storm.
Suddenly, the monk gestured to a group of senior monks huddled in conversation. The Monk Supreme, seated at the head of a polished wooden table, glanced at Jin with a penetrating gaze.
"I am Jin, master," he said, bowing.
The Supreme's lips tightened. "He wishes to join us on the battlefield," said the lotus monk.
"No," the Monk Supreme replied sharply. "A trainee has no place in battle."
"But master—" Jin began, desperation rising.
"Leave." The word struck him like a blade. Jin's shoulders slumped, disappointment and fear gnawing at him. The lotus monk leaned close, whispering, "Wait outside for me."
Jin obeyed, heart hammering. Around him, monks prepared carts, saddled horses, and packed supplies. A foreboding sense of urgency pressed against his chest like a vise.
Bao raced down the monastery steps, his feet crunching over loose gravel. The air was thick with ash, a metallic tang clinging to his tongue. Trees shivered in the wind, branches snapping like dry bones. Across the valley, Xidi lay veiled in smoke, and he could hear faint screams carried up the mountain by the gusts.
He caught sight of the first smoke trails rising above the village, the black plume of Mt. Atsui looming like an omen. His chest tightened. He ran faster, ignoring the sting of ash in his eyes. Somewhere down there—Jin…
As he reached the village outskirts, the devastation came into full view. Homes lay in ruins, mudbrick walls toppled, roofs burned to blackened splinters. Soldiers carried bodies across the streets; cries of the wounded and mourning filled the air. The smell of smoke and charred flesh burned his lungs.
Jin was there, small and tense, kneeling amidst the rubble, hands trembling as he uncovered the remains of his family. Tears streaked down his soot-covered face, eyes wide with grief and shock.
Bao's throat tightened. He wanted to rush to him, to offer comfort, but knew words would fail. He swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the world pressing down. Slowly, he approached, keeping his gaze low, letting his presence be silent and steady.
Jin's voice cracked as he whispered over the remnants of his father: "All… all gone…" His body shuddered with uncontrollable sobs. Bao knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Jin flinched at first, then leaned into the contact, desperate for connection.
"It's not your fault," Bao said softly. "We will survive. Together."
Jin blinked through tears, nodding, a glimmer of trust forming. Around them, monks moved with practiced efficiency, tending the injured, lifting rubble, and organizing survivors. The sounds of chaos were deafening: crackling fires, shouts, screams, the distant roar of the erupting mountain. Yet within that storm, Bao and Jin found a fragile moment of steadiness, a tether against despair.
Bao's heart ached, and he felt a fierce determination ignite. If demons are coming, if the White Lotus is here… we will not fall. I will not let this village, these people, or Jin be consumed.
The plume above Mt. Atsui churned, black as ink, twisting ominously into the sky. A low rumble shook the ground beneath them. Bao clenched his fists, eyes narrowing.
"Jin," he said, voice firm. "We need to move. There are others depending on us. This is only the beginning."
Jin drew in a shuddering breath, straightened his back, and wiped ash from his cheeks. "Then let's go," he said, determination flickering in his eyes. "Together."
Around them, chaos swirled—the first signs of the prophecy had arrived—but for the first time, Bao felt that he was not alone. Not entirely. And in that small seed of hope, a bond was formed, one that would carry them through fire, smoke, and darkness to come.