Chapter 12: Heart of Gold
BONGGGGGG.
Tuk… tuk… tuk…
BONGGG.
Tuk… tuk…
BONG.
Tuk…
Monk Shin slowly opened his eyes.
Sweat dripped down his perfectly round head as the intense heat in the room began to cool down.
As he let out a deep breath, a dense energy flowed and dispersed into the air.
He stopped shifting the wooden beads in his hand and stared at the golden bell that had come to a halt.
After looking at it in silence for a while, he closed his eyes again and rubbed his forehead to ease his headache.
A headache…
"To think that I would get a headache."
Shin muttered to himself.
Of course, Monk Shin was human and wasn't invulnerable, but he was also an enlightened deity, a human known as the one closest to godhood, without being a god.
Yet here he was, suffering from a headache.
He was never the same after the fight.
The fight with Lenier.
That battle changed Shin.
He was a man with many beliefs, someone who spent countless hours reflecting on life, morality, humanhood, and a many great other topics.
All that shattered after the fight with Lenier.
After that fight, Shin's body had become partially crippled, but the worst injury he suffered was psychological.
No matter how much time he focused on mediating, he couldn't return to his mindset before the battle.
Every time his thoughts drifted off, it would naturally drift to the image of Lenier… and he would become paralysed with fear.
The wounds on his body would ache and were a constant reminder of that fear.
After time rewound, it got a little bit better as the wounds disappeared, but he was no longer the same.
Shin took another long deep breath.
Still, he has time.
Even if he is struggling, this isn't the first time he has failed before.
His beliefs were shaken, but with enough time to reflect, think and meditate, Shin believed he could overcome this.
Not only would he return to his former self but become an even better version of himself.
That was the teachings of the Gold Summit Temple, the temple that Monk Shin had founded.
Shin was patient.
He knew overcoming trauma like this would take time.
So, he intended to resume his meditation after taking a quick drink of herbal tea.
Sippp…
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Shin placed the teacup back down.
"Head Monk Shin, I apologize for interrupting your honorable meditation."
A voice called from the other side.
"It's fine. What is it disciple."
"There is a visitor…"
"A visitor?"
Shin's eyebrows furrowed.
A visitor was definitely unexpected.
The temple that he resided in was surrounded by a magic array that completely hid them from detection.
No one without explicit permission would be able to find their way in or even know that they were here.
A visitor would be impossible otherwise.
"Who is it?"
"Um, it's a little boy. He said his name was… Lenier? Should we let him in?"
Lenier.
"Are you sure his name was Lenier?"
"I do believe so. Is he someone you know Head Monk Shin?"
"Perhaps."
"Then should I let him in?"
"Yes. Let him in."
"As you wish."
Monk Shin closed his eyes again.
He allowed his body to relax and cleared his mind.
It was a process he had done a hundred… a thousand… millions of times before.
His fingers slightly trembled.
"Hello. Can I come in?"
The voice of a young boy called from the other side.
Shin could feel the power naturally flowing from that boy's voice.
"Come in."
The door never opened, and yet, when Shin opened his eyes, there was a boy sitting in front of him.
"It's been a while."
The boy greeted him with a bright smile.
"It has."
Monk Shin stared at Lenier, taking in his current form.
Lenier looked like a small innocent defenseless child.
This was the same person who nearly ended all life had he not been stopped.
Monk Shin slightly tensed up, his nerves all on edge, ready to fight if needed.
Why did Lenier come here?
Did he come here to kill Shin?
Was he going to finish what he started in the past timeline?
If so, Shin would not be able to stop him.
"Haha, please relax. I'm not here to fight."
Lenier smiled, slowly grabbing the teacup that Shin drank earlier and began drinking it himself.
"Nice tea."
"It is high quality herbal tea, infused with natural energy."
"It's good."
Lenier tossed the empty teacup into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
"Please don't be so nervous, Shin. I promise I won't do anything bad."
Oddly enough, Shin found Lenier's words to be reassuring for some reason.
He didn't feel any evil intention in Lenier, and Shin's judgment was known for being accurate.
"So why are you here then."
"I want to become a monk."
"May I ask why?"
"Well, I have nowhere else to go and no clue what to do with this life. But what I do know is that I want this life to be different from my last one. I want to live a life free of pain."
"Free of pain, you say? If I remember correctly, the reason why you became a demon lord was because of your masochistic tendencies."
"That's true. I couldn't resist my addiction to pain. However, after coming back, I felt… good. I felt good even without needing to put myself through pain. I no longer felt my addiction. And I want to keep a promise I couldn't keep before and live painlessly. I figured that a monk's life would be the most suitable and peaceful."
"A painless life. I assume that also means you don't want to inflict pain on others?"
Lenier nodded, his smile never leaving his face.
"I never wanted to hurt anyone."
"Yet you did. On an astronomical scale. The pain you've caused nearly ended the world."
"That's true. I did."
Monk Shin just stared at the monster sitting in front of him.
"Do you even feel an ounce of remorse for what you did?"
"No. At least, I don't think I do. I know I've done bad things before, but I've never remorse for doing it."
Lenier didn't bother sugar coating the truth.
It was as Lenier had said, he knew that what he did was considered bad by other people, but he just didn't feel remorse for doing it.
Afterall, how could someone who enjoyed any and all forms of pain, physical or mental, understand remorse or what makes something "bad" in the first place?
He also knew that feeling remorse wouldn't lessen his crimes, so he didn't bother with it.
"However, if you'd allow me to become a monk…"
Lenier got onto his knees and placed his forehead onto the ground, lowering his body before Shin.
Although he has never felt remorse or guilt, there is a first time for everything.
Lenier wholeheartedly believes that Monk Shin is capable of teaching him these feelings.
"…I will do everything I can to redeem myself. Even if I don't understand it, I know what I did is wrong, and I should make up for it. My old man told me to always clean up my own mess. So, I will do anything you say to atone for what I did."
Shin swallowed a lump in his throat.
Lenier will do anything that Shin tells him to…
"Anything?"
"Yes. You're Monk Shin, you know what's best when it comes to redemption. I'll do anything you say."
"Then kill yourself."
Lenier nodded softly upon hearing that and got up from the floor.
He raised a single finger, pointing it at his own chest and without any hesitation… he plunged it straight into his heart.
Squeelshh…!
But before he could pierce it all the way through, Shin abruptly spoke up.
"Stop."
Lenier stopped pushing his finger further in.
"What is it, Shin? Did you not want me to kill myself?"
"For now, I don't know."
Lenier pulled the finger out of his chest, blood dripping out of the hole.
The hole was wide enough for Shin to see Lenier's pierced heart.
"You stabbed your heart. You're still alive?"
"You told me to stop, did you not?"
"I did. Still, it's surprising to see you alive with a pierced heart."
Lenier just shrugged.
"I will kill myself if you want me to."
"I know. I can tell when people are lying. You're not."
Monk Shin's enlightenment allowed him to see the absolute truth, and Lenier's willingness to do anything he was ordered was exactly that.
Shin's eyes narrowed as he gazed at Lenier, observing his very inner nature and essence.
This man is beyond saving.
Lenier is not evil by nature, he is worse.
He does not seek to cause harm, but his very existence causes it.
Like a volcano or a meteor, he has no regard for the harm he causes, he just simply does.
Monk Shin knew that this man must die for the safety of the world.
The risk he posed was too great.
If Lenier were to ever become addicted to pain again, it'd be the same scenario as before regression.
All Shin needed to do was tell Lenier to kill himself, and he would do it.
Yet… it conflicted with Shin's ideology.
Throughout his entire life, Monk Shin had developed certain beliefs and ideologies, one of them being that anyone can turn over a new leaf given the right circumstances.
Even the vilest criminals, after receiving punishment, and then given the right circumstances, can have the potential to be reformed.
This entire temple that Shin had built was proof of it, a vast majority of the disciples living here are not good people.
They were criminals.
Criminals who were all punished.
And then were given a chance to change.
He has done it time and time again.
This temple had converted over thousands of the worst people into respectable monks, who then in turn did good for the world.
By claiming Lenier is beyond saving, despite him willingly allowing himself to be punished, would go against what Shin believed in.
He knew that doing this was foolish, putting his own beliefs over the safety of the world, but…
Monk Shin looked down at his sweaty palm.
It was subtle, extremely so, but he could see himself shaking.
Self-doubt.
Fear.
Uncertainty.
These were all things Monk Shin faced after the fight with Lenier.
His beliefs and ideas were all turned upside down.
He felt like he no longer understood himself.
Now that Lenier is in front of him… Shin felt like this could be an opportunity to find his true identity and beliefs again.
"How can I be sure you'll listen to me? That you won't go crazy one day and kill everyone."
"I don't have anything to convince you. But I do owe you my life. I can only give you my word that I will do anything you tell me to."
"I see."
Shin knew it was selfish.
Risking the world just to validate himself.
This was something he'd never do before meeting Lenier, allowing his own selfish motives to dictate his actions.
But still… Shin was human.
And humans tend to be selfish sometimes.
"Starting today, you'll be a novice monk. You'll eat, sleep, and meditate with your fellow monks. And you will follow the same training and teachings that the other monks do."
Lenier's smile widened as he politely bowed his head.
"Thank you for giving me this chance, Shin. I promise I won't disappoint you."
Shin wasn't exactly sure what he expected of Lenier, so he didn't doubt the fact that Lenier wouldn't disappoint.
"Don't misunderstand. This is only a temporary arrangement until I decide what to do with you."
"Of course."
Monk Shin let out a sigh hearing Lenier's short response and then got up from his meditation position.
"Follow me. We don't usually just randomly accept new monks like this so the other monks might find this odd. Try not to start any trouble."
Shin opened the door to the room and walked out with Lenier following close behind.
Outside Shin's meditation room was a pathway with a great view of the entire temple, built on top of a massive mountain peak.
Grand temple structures extended into the distance.
Vast open fields and gigantic trees extended into the sky.
Monk Shin was the one who built all this from nothing over the span of many centuries.
The two of them continued to casually stroll along the paths through the temple.
Monk Shin remained silent while Lenier was softly humming a tune as he followed behind.
Shin's eyes slightly narrowed as he heard the humming, it was a melody that he recognized from a long time ago.
He wanted to ask Lenier how he knew that tune, but he refrained and just kept walking.
"Good evening, Head Monk Shin."
From a nearby area, a big muscular monk bowed his head.
"A good evening to you too Brother Chad."
Seeing Shin bow his head towards the other monk, Lenier did the same.
Chad noticed Lenier and also bowed back towards him.
"Oh, I don't recognize you. Is this a guest, Shin?"
"No, he's a new disciple."
"A new disciple? I didn't realize admissions were open."
"They're not, but this is an exception. This works out quite well actually. Since you're here, do you mind showing him around and getting him settled in as I prepare his initiation?"
Chad bowed again.
"Of course."
"Thank you. I'll be back to check on things later."
Monk Shin said that before walking away.
In truth, Shin just wanted an excuse to get some alone time to reflect and think things over.
After all, it's not easy to walk side by side with your trauma and act totally normal.
Chad turned to Lenier.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Monk Chad."
"I'm Lenier!"
"Lenier. That's an interesting name. You seem like a good lad, cheerful too. Come with me, I'll show you around."
As the two of them began exploring the temple, a vast open field of crops and farmstead appeared to their side, stretching far into the distance.
"This is our farm. We grow all sorts of things here, from fruits to vegetables to even animals and cattle. Many monasteries tend to have strict diets, but here, we eat whatever we can cultivate. If you can obtain it here, you are permitted to eat or drink it. That's why a lot of monks here make their own wine and alcohol."
As Monk Chad gave the explanation, he went over to a tree and picked an apple.
After cleaning its shiny red surface with his monk robe, Chad handed the apple to Lenier and encouraged him to give it a try.
It let out a juicy crunch noise as Lenier bit into it.
"It's delicious. Very sweet!"
Monk Chad seemed proud as he smiled.
"Well, let us keep moving. There is plenty more to see."
Lenier continued munching on the delectably sweet red fruit as Chad continued his tour.
As they walked, they passed by the dining hall and kitchen next to the farm.
Well, one of the many dining halls and kitchens within the temple.
"We have a couple dozen kitchens and dining halls. It may sound like a lot but trust me, there are a lot of disciples who want to cook their own meals and sometimes none are available! Oh, that reminds me, I haven't eaten yet. Have you Lenier?"
"Other than this apple? No."
"Then what do you say we go get something to eat together?"
Lenier happily agreed and they entered the dining hall together.
The dining hall itself was quite luxurious, the wooden interiors and detailed decorations were all polished shiny clean.
If not for the monastery decorations and color scheme, one might even mistake it for a five-star hotel's dining hall.
There were long counters that stretched from wall to wall, on them were bowls filled with various different types of food.
"Don't hold back and take whatever you want. There's more than enough food."
Chad picked up an empty plate and just started scooping food onto it.
Lenier didn't know what to get so he just took a bit of everything before sitting down next to Chad at some table.
The two of them were chowing down on the delicious food for a while when suddenly someone sat right next to them.
"Yo Chad, who's this little punk?"
It was a muscular dude, smaller than Chad but still very toned, and had big spikey hair.
But what stood out was the single demon horn on his head.
Chad stopped eating for a moment to respond in a stern tone.
"Vander, it's rude to call someone a little punk. It's not a good example to be setting for someone of your position. Especially to a new disciple."
"Wow, so this brat's a new disciple? Hm, didn't know we were letting the kiddies in already."
"I don't think we are. Head Monk Shin told me that he's just an exception. Speaking of which, this is Lenier."
Chad gestured over to Lenier, before turning back and gestured to the other man.
"Lenier, this is Elder Monk Vander. Although he may not look it, he is of a monk position equal to mine, and second only to Head Monk Shin."
Lenier didn't say anything and just stared at Vander.
"What's wrong kid? Never seen a demon monk before? Well, sorry to tell you, but I'm a half blood, I'm only half a demon."
Vander grinned as he pointed at the single horn on his head.
"Our temple does not restrict anyone, regardless of their species, to join so you may see demons, demi-humans or even beasts, but we are all fellow monks here. You are safe. No one will hurt you here, we make sure of it. Though I do understand your surprise, after all, it is quite rare to see a demon, much less a non-aggressive one."
Chad made sure to explain and reassure Lenier, as it wasn't uncommon for new initiates to be shocked and frightened.
However, Lenier did not seem scared, in fact, he was the opposite.
"It's nice to meet you Vander, for the first time!"
Lenier stuck out his hand for a handshake, which Vander didn't hesitate to grab.
"Nice to meet ya too kid! I like ya already. Most people piss their pants when they see a demon like me."
"Well, I'm half demon too!"
"Oh really? You're an interesting one, aren't ya lad. Say, what's your relation with Shin? Apparently, you're an exception or something. Those don't happen quite often."
"I guess you could say I'm a relative of his."
Both Chad and Vander visibly narrowed their eyes upon hearing Lenier's response.
"You sure kiddo? As far as I'm aware, Shin's last living family died around a century ago, I didn't realize he had any relatives left."
Lenier just nodded.
"Something like that."
Chat and Vander glanced at each other before looking back at Lenier.
They didn't sense any lies when he spoke.
"Damn, to think I never knew…" Vander mumbled as he munched on a steak.
Chad let out a minor cough and finished up the rest of his food.
"We'll have lots of time to discuss this with Shin if needed. For now, have you finished eating, Lenier?"
Lenier nodded with his empty bowl in front of him.
"That's good. We should continue our tour of the temple then, please excuse us Vander."
Vander just grunted as his mouth was stuffed with food.
Chad bowed as they left the dining hall.
"The temple is very big, but now that we are well fed, we have the energy to continue."
Chad said this with a smile, causing Lenier to smile back brightly.
"Ok!"
Chad wasn't expecting such enthusiasm, but it was a welcoming sight.
He wanted to do his very best to ensure that Lenier had a good first impression of the Gold Summit Temple.
The two of them continued exploring the temple for the rest of the day.
The temple was huge, not just in size but in content as well.
Massive gyms and training facilities, gardens, meditation halls, recreational activities, hot springs, museums, workshops, sport fields, libraries… you get the point.
Pretty much anything you could think of, there was a dedicated section of the temple that had it.
Chad and Lenier made sure to stop by and do some of the activities.
There were so many places to go and things to do that even after the sun had gone down, they were still busy strolling about and having fun.
It was getting dark out as Lenier and Chad got out of the sauna, the cool fresh air blowing on their slightly sweaty faces.
They hadn't even realized it was becoming night until they got out.
They wouldn't be able to properly tour through every individual area, so they decided to just walk and view the places they haven't been yet.
"You'll have plenty of time to explore and experience every part of the temple in the future."
The sky continued to grow darker as they approached the end of the tour.
As they were walking, a door to a nearby building opened as a few monks walked out.
Upon noticing Chad, they quickly bowed, looking ever so slightly flustered.
"Elder Monk Chad! It's good to see you… although, I will admit, it's a tad bit embarrassing to be seen here."
"No worries. There is nothing wrong in simply utilizing our available services."
The monks bowed again and excused themselves.
Monk Chad turned back to Lenier and gestured at the building.
"So, this is… the brothel."
"I see."
Lenier nodded without batting an eye.
Chad waited for a reaction, but Lenier didn't say anything beyond that.
"You're not surprised?"
"Surprised? About what?"
"That we have a brothel. New initiates are usually very surprised. I mean, what kind of temple has a brothel in it, right?"
Even after giving it a little thought, Lenier just shrugged.
"I've seen much weirder things. Plus, this is Shin's temple, I'm sure it's here for a reason."
"…you really are quite mature for your age. But you are right. I told you before that anyone, regardless of their race, can join us. And among those are the succubi and incubi race. They are naturally sexual beings who feed on, well, sex. While they can technically survive without it for a time, they'll become extremely weakened. According to them, the lack of sexual energy feels like going through severe withdrawals."
Lenier nodded as he listened.
"I understand, I know how that feels."
"You do…? Well, I won't pry into it. Many of us here also share similar stories before coming here as well. Just know that no matter your past, we won't judge and will help if you need it."
"Thanks for the reassurance, but I'm already all good now though!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Unfortunately… many others here aren't quite as lucky though. Whether it be an addiction to drugs, murder, or even sexual energy. Many succubi and incubi wished to follow Shin's teaching, but giving up sex would go against their own biology and cause great pain to themselves. In consideration of that, Shin established the brothel. Normally, this would go against all traditional monk and temple teachings, but Shin follows his own beliefs. He believed sexual desire is normal, and not something to suppress. We should not deny our very nature and biological desires.
I'm not going to bore you with a long lecture, but basically what Shin teaches is moderation. We should control our desires and urges but not get rid of them completely. For example: Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth. To many, these 7 deadly sins are harmful parts of us, and should be eliminated. Shin believed otherwise, proposing instead that it's what makes us, us. Pride gives us a sense of achievement and self-confidence, greed gives us motivation to strive for improvement, lust encourages us to reproduce and experience the joy of creating life… you get the point. There are people out there who lack those desires and emotions… and Shin has seen what has happened to those people. Desires are essential. Shin has structured this entire temple based on that belief.
Of course, we should not become slaves to these desires. It is very easy to fall prey to ourselves and become addicts. That's why new initiates don't have unrestricted access to all of our services. We must find a balance in ourselves, where we can fulfill ourselves while not letting it control us. Once mastered, it's even possible to surpass biological needs and desires, but even then, simply indulging is not wrong. That is one of the core beliefs of Shin's, and by extension, this temple's teaching."
After finishing his lengthy lecture, Chad's mind finally wandered back to reality, seeing Lenier's child-like face staring up at him, listening intently.
"Ah! Sorry about that, I said I wasn't going to go on a long lecture, but I did end up doing just that… bad habit I have. I'm an Elder Monk, so I do a lot of teachings and lectures for initiates."
"It was very interesting!" Lenier's eyes sparkled.
Chad scratched his head and wondered to himself.
Where did this kid come from?
He was almost too perfect for a new monk initiate!
Chad was almost excited to continue giving lectures to Lenier, who seemed almost too eager to learn, but alas, it would have to wait for another time.
"That concludes the tour. Welcome to Gold Summit Temple, new disciple."
Elder Monk Chad bowed his head and gave his formal welcoming to the new initiate Lenier.
With that, it was finally nighttime as most of the lights in the temple went dark.
Chad guided Lenier back to the dormitories, where he was assigned a room and living space.
On par with the rest of the temple's quality, the room was spacious and well maintained, albeit somewhat simple.
"I'll be heading back to my own room now, but I'll speak with Shin tomorrow and we'll get you settled in as an official initiate monk."
Then Chad left after wishing Lenier a good night, leaving him alone in his new room.
Lenier looked around the room that he'd be staying in from now on, and with nothing else to do, he went to bed for the night.
His bed was comfy and soft, making his body feel like it was sinking into a cloud.
Lenier let out a content sigh with a smile on his face as his eyes drifted shut.
Meanwhile, from the opposite side of the temple, a certain someone was spying on Lenier…
Monk Shin was in his own room, but he was not asleep.
Sitting at the edge of his bed at an upright position, he expanded his vision, allowing him to sense everything within the temple.
His focus zoomed straight in on Lenier's room.
For a while, all he did was simply observe.
Lenier, who seemed to have been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
He waved his hand to say hello with a sleepy smile on his face.
Upon seeing Lenier's gesture, Shin immediately retracted his senses and returned to the darkness of his own room.
Shin had spent the entire day mulling over his decision to keep Lenier alive.
Gold Summit Temple was a place that had managed to reform many criminals that were regarded as "irredeemable" into proper monks, many of whom have even gained enlightenment.
However, not everyone who came here managed to change.
Shin was idealistic, but he was no fool.
He believed that everyone has the potential to atone for their actions. To turn over a new leaf and change their ways, even if they were once evil... but not everyone will.
Gold Summit Temple is a place to nurture that potential and allow it to come to fruition, but it does not force change.
There were a number of evil people who came here and remained that way after leaving.
Usually in those cases, they could easily be stopped and be properly punished for what they've done.
Reforming someone should not come at the risk of other's safety.
Meaning, the only practical way that Shin's belief can be implemented was if one had the necessary strength to ensure evil could not harm anyone.
In Lenier's case…
If Lenier were to decide one day, he no longer wanted to atone, or he got bored of this temple, no one would be able to stop him.
Shin knew all this, and yet still chose to not kill Lenier.
Whether this choice leads to calamity or not depends on if Shin is able to properly teach Lenier to be a proper monk.
It's been a very long time since Shin faced such a difficult challenge, one where even with all his efforts, he might not be able to overcome, and that failure would be catastrophic.
It had been peaceful for far too long, so Shin's mentality had naturally softened and grown weaker.
Yet… Shin couldn't stop the corners of his lip from slightly curling upwards.
A strange excitement spread through him.
His mental growth had been stagnant for a while, but Shin had a feeling if he could overcome this, he'd go through another enlightenment.
Despite the risks, this is a massive opportunity, both for Shin's personal growth and for the world.
If someone as powerful as Lenier wanted to do good, then there would quite literally be nothing that could threaten the planet's safety.
As of now though, that's merely a possibility, and until then, Lenier is the thing that is potentially threatening the planet's safety. In fact, he had already almost destroyed the world once before.
Only time will tell if Lenier becomes a calamity, or something that can stop it.
In the blink of an eye, several months passed by.
Lenier fit in perfectly well.
In fact, he was a model monk.
He attended every lecture and seemed genuinely interested in what was being taught.
He was kind and enjoyed being helpful to everyone.
The sight of Lenier smiling as he went apple picking with the other monks almost made Shin's worries seem stupid…
Still, Shin did not let his guard down. He just silently kept observing.
But from what he saw, Lenier almost seemed like any other normal monk in the temple.
Of course, Lenier wasn't "normal" and the monks around him couldn't help but notice the scars all over his muscular body.
There were many people with rough pasts on Gold Summit Temple, but Lenier was quite young and seemed awfully cheerful despite it.
No one asked about it though, since it was an unspoken rule that one didn't pry into another's past unless they wanted to talk about it, thus only Shin and Lenier knew.
One day, as Lenier was heading to the lecture hall, a messenger came to him.
"Monk Shin wishes to speak with you, Disciple Lenier."
The messenger bowed politely and left after passing on the information.
Lenier hadn't spoken to Shin since their initial meeting, so he was excited to see him again.
Lenier warped space to quickly arrive at Shin's meditation room and knocked on the front door.
"Come in," Shin replied from the other side.
Lenier did as told and sat down in front of Shin, who calmly observed his every move.
"So what'd you want to talk to me about Shin?"
"Before we start discussing that, I'd like to ask a favor."
"A favor? Of course Shin! I'd do anything!"
"May we have a sparring match?"
"Not what I expected you to ask, but sure!"
Upon hearing Lenier's agreement, Shin stood up and raised his hand before his face, forming an "OK" symbol with his fingers.
In an instant, the entire room turned into gold as Head Monk Shin activated his enlightenment and formed a completely separate space.
Any damage or impact that occurs in this room would have no effect outside due to this isolated space.
Without so much as a "begin", Shin immediately condensed a large portion of enlightenment into several golden balls the size of marbles.
These golden marbles were about as dense as a black hole, and had it not been for Shin's enlightened space, the gravitational pull would tear apart the planet itself.
Shin flicked his fingers and launched the gold balls forward.
They were only moving at light speed, so Lenier easily dodged them.
But Shin had anticipated this, appearing beside him in an instant with a punch… only to narrowly miss from Lenier elegantly rotating his body.
The golden balls that Lenier dodged earlier had ricocheted and started bouncing back.
Using the rotation from his earlier movement, Lenier spun into the air and kicked them away.
Knowing he couldn't give Lenier any time to breathe, Shin created several golden enlightened clones of himself and rushed in all at once.
The clones worked together in perfect unison and attacked in waves.
Lenier flowed like water, deflecting attacks, and even used the ricocheting golden balls to his advantage, redirecting them towards the Shin clones.
Within a few seconds of their creations, Lenier had destroyed all the clones.
Shin used those few precious seconds to materialize a golden armor of enlightenment with several buddha arms sprouting from the lotus flower floating behind him.
Each arm held a different golden weapon.
Shin charged in first, launching an onslaught of attacks.
Yet not a single one of those strikes managed to land on their target and were instead knocked away.
Despite having only two arms against Shin's many, Lenier parried every single one without even taking a step back.
As Shin swung down two of his arms, Lenier grabbed them and then, like a frog, hopped right over Shin's head, using the momentum to completely flip and toss him aside.
It lacked force, but Shin was surprised he was so easily thrown.
Lenier's movements were nothing like before when he was a demon lord.
Back then, his attacks were simply so powerful it overwhelmed everything. But now, there were no signs of that former strength and instead, only pure optimized movement.
If that were the case, Shin would simply have to use an overwhelming amount of power that no level of skill could avoid.
Shin swung all of his arms and recklessly poured out as much of his enlightenment as he could without bothering to refine it into a weapon or physical form.
A tsunami wave of pure enlightenment blasted through the entire room, leaving no space untouched.
But before it could flood the entire room, the sea of enlightenment was suddenly split in half.
With both hands stretched out, Lenier had parted the golden sea into two halves of the rooms, leaving himself completely untouched.
Lenier extended his arms further apart, and then in an instant, clapped his hands together.
The force of that clap sent several shockwaves through the entire room, causing all the enlightenment to erupt and smash Shin straight into the wall.
The room and the space surrounding it began trembling as it threatened to collapse.
Lenier clenched his fist and was about to take a step forward to attack when Shin raised his hand.
"I yield."
Shin dispersed his enlightened space, turning the golden surroundings back to normal.
His armor and extra arms also went away.
"I see you're as strong as ever."
Shin commented as he sat back down.
Lenier also made a comment as he sat down.
"I wish I could say the same for you, but I can't! What happened to you Shin, why are you… so weak? Comparing your current strength to what I remember is almost pathetic! Shouldn't you be in your prime???"
"Those are quite some harsh words. But you are not wrong. I have grown weaker. You see, my strength grows the more enlightened I am, and it's also true in reverse. After we defeated you, my mind grew weaker, and as such, I did too. This spar was meant to see if in the worse case scenario, if I would be able to subdue you. My hopes were that you had also weakened from the regression, but that was just wishful thinking. Don't worry though, I will not go back on my word, I still intend on reforming you. Speaking of which, you seem to be progressing quite well. How do you feel about life here so far?"
"Everything's been great! I'm having fun, and I feel like I'm learning."
Shin nodded at Lenier's response.
"That's good to hear. You've only been here for a couple months now, but I think you're ready to advance to the next stage."
"Ooooooo, next stage? That sounds cool…"
"Yes, but it's nothing special. We have a loose hierarchy of ranks that's mostly used to keep track of our progress to enlightenment. Right now, you're an initiate, ready to advance to a proper monk. But there are a couple extra things we'll have to discuss before that though. First thing is your masochism. It is the biggest problem right now. Luckily, I've dealt with a few people with addictions and other mental illnesses before, so I do have some experience in this. How has your masochism been lately?"
"Actually, I turned off my ability to feel pain! So I don't feel anything anymore. Remember Nile? I'm just like him now! I can't feel anything and that includes pain, so there's no risk of me getting addicted to pain!"
Hearing this, Shin stayed silent for a moment.
He was clearly still skeptical.
"No risk? I don't know if I believe that. Maybe for the short term, but I have a feeling that this solution won't last long. And I'm usually right. If I were to guess, physical pain isn't the only pain that gives you pleasure. It's emotional and mental pain too, right?"
Lenier recalled some of his fondest memories and nodded enthusiastically.
"You're right. Some of the best memories I have are when people I know die!"
"I thought so. Shutting off your pain receptors won't help against that. It might be a good temporary solution, but it won't last forever. Eventually, something will happen that'll make you feel pain. And you may get addicted to it again. What you need to do is to learn to control that desire, not suppress it."
Lenier understood Shin's logic, but he still wasn't certain about it.
"Yeah, but… wouldn't that be risky? Letting myself be exposed to it again that is. It'd still be safer to just try to avoid anything that could hurt me than to control it."
"I know. But I told you that I would rehabilitate you. And I intend on doing it properly, I won't half ass it just because there's a high risk."
Lenier stared in awe at Monk Shin.
The already large respect Lenier had for Shin had increased even further.
"So my point is, I want to actually fix the problem and not just avoid it. First, I need to know more. What brings you the most pain, or I guess in your case, the most pleasure."
Lenier's masochism was actually quite simple.
The more painful something was, the more pleasure Lenier felt.
That includes all forms of pain, including nonphysical ones, hence why being saddened or heart broken also brought him great pleasure as well.
"I think my favourite was when my girlfriend died. That was the first time I felt so good!"
Shin's eyebrow slightly perked up upon hearing this potentially useful information.
"I didn't realize you had a girlfriend, Lenier. If you don't mind, can you tell me about her?"
"Oh, where do I even begin… she was the worst person I ever knew. I loved her a lot!"
"I see. I would assume someone who would be in a willing relationship with you would also not be ordinary."
Lenier's girlfriend was someone truly special to him, so he nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"Alright, now that you know about my love life, what about you Shin? You have anyone you love? It's only fair you tell me since I told you!"
For some reason, Lenier was treating this as a gossip session and wanted to hear all about Shin's life.
Despite it offering no value to the current conversation, Shin still decided to humor him.
"Yes, there was a woman I loved dearly in the past. We wed and started a very beautiful family and even had a daughter. And before you ask, nothing bad happened to them. We lived happily together for a long time, but they passed away many years ago due to old age."
"Oh… you must've been really sad when they were gone."
"There is nothing to be sad about. Both my wife and daughter lived a happy and long life. My wife passed after 103 years of life, and my daughter was a talented monk, so she was able to live longer than most. However, as all life must, they passed on. Instead of being sorrowful of their passing, I am happy I got to spend so much joyful time with them, and that they lived a great life."
"You say that but weren't you crying at our fune- I mean, at their funeral."
Shin couldn't help but feel that something about what Lenier said was slightly suspicious.
This wasn't something that Lenier should know…
"Just because I was crying, doesn't mean they lived unhappy lives or that it was a tragedy. I was sad, as a father and husband, that I would never see my daughter or wife again, but as a monk, I was overjoyed that they lived a long and happy life and died peacefully."
"What if you could bring them back though?"
"Are you implying you are capable of that?"
"Would you?"
"It's been a long time since they died. With that time, I have thought about it a lot. My answer is no. If I brought them back, I would only eventually lose them again. And if you're implying you could make them immortal, then my answer is still no. Life and death is to be respected. Life without death would eventually become meaningless. Even if they come back, there is no guarantee they'll be happy. They lived a content life, so let it end on a good note. Do not risk souring their life by bringing them back."
"You really thought this through huh?"
"Like I said, I've had a lot of time to think about it. And I do miss them. A lot. I look forward to the day I meet her and them again, if there is an afterlife."
Lenier nodded and just kept smiling as he usually does.
"We got a bit off topic there. Let's try to get back to what's important. If you were to be tortured, how confident are you that you could remain calm?"
"I'm actually quite confident. The pain from most torture methods don't hurt that much. They stopped becoming an effective way to pleasure myself a loooonngggg time ago."
"Good. We'll start with that then."
Monk Shin got up and gestured for Lenier to follow as he left the room.
The two of them once again strolled through the temple with the mountain's beautiful view in the background.
Instead of going the same route as before though, Shin led them to a path into the mountain, deep underground.
Judging from the dust and cobwebs, it was clear this was a part of the temple that wasn't visited often.
They passed by several big wooden doors, only stopping when they had reached the very end of the path.
Shin pushed open the very last door and stepped inside with Lenier.
With a snap of a finger, the candles lined on the walls lit up, revealing a small dark and dirty room filled with various torture devices.
However, despite its dust, the room itself was surprisingly neat, seemingly in good condition, with all the tools organized and no visible blood or signs of prior usage.
Shin wasted no time preparing the tools and dusting off the equipment while giving an explanation as he worked.
"This is our temple's torture room. We'll be training your pain tolerance here. I'm honestly not sure it'll work but the idea is that it'll be like a form of exposure therapy, to hopefully desensitize you to pain. Feeling pain is a natural part of life, and one should be able to experience it without an extreme reaction."
Almost as if on instinct, Lenier plopped onto the torture chair as a wave of familiarity washed over him.
It'd been a while since he sat on one, but it was as comfortable as he remembered.
"I'm going to assume I won't need to strap your hands and feet, since you won't be resisting, and because it wouldn't be able to restrain you anyways. Go ahead and reactivate your pain receptors if you haven't already."
After starting a fire in the furnace, Shin began sharpening the rusty torture blades, his focus drifting off to the familiar sight of bright embers reflecting off their edges.
In truth, Shin didn't really like using the torture room.
He found torture to be quite an unpleasant thing.
Still, Shin found that experiencing pain is important to understanding it, and as such, many monks on Gold Summit willingly allow themselves to go through it.
Many people underestimate how painful pain truly is, you'd be surprised how many fools think they could withstand torture through sheer willpower or are too strong to crumble under pain.
That's why, many years ago, a youthful Shin, naïve to the world of pain, allowed himself to be tortured as a "learning experience".
This room's purpose is education, and is never used without explicit consent.
Shin hovered the blade over the fire, allowing it to turn orange from the sheer heat.
"I shall begin. If you ever feel like you cannot contain yourself, rush to the room opposite of this one. It is an illusionary room and should calm you down."
With that said, Shin began the rehabilitation.
Lenier's flesh and skin sizzled like meat on a barbeque as the burning blade was pressed onto his palm.
It was the first pain Lenier had felt in a while, so he could feel himself becoming excited.
"I can hear your heart pounding. Calm yourself. Try to separate the feeling of pain, and the pleasure you receive from it. Distinguish the two."
The torture continued on for hours.
Despite not having done it many times before, Shin was exceptionally skilled at torture.
He knew exactly how to inflict pain, and to control it.
Lenier was subjected to continuous torture for hours… which might sound awful, but don't forget who's being tortured.
Funnily enough, this torture was actually more straining for Shin.
Shin was especially careful not to ever abruptly raise or drop the pain, as he feared any sudden change in intensity could trigger something.
Although this level of pain was nothing compared to his peak, this was still the first pain Lenier felt in a while, and damn was it delicious.
The way Shin conducted the torture felt like he was edging Lenier, keeping the pain steady and constant, yet never becoming too intense.
By the time the torture sesh was nearing its end, Lenier was panting heavily and his face was flushed.
Shin nearly had a PTSD flashback seeing Lenier like this. It reminded him too much of the face that demon lord Lenier was making when they fought in the past life…
He gradually lowered the intensity of the torture until it finally came to a stop.
"I think we will end it here for today, both for your sake and my sake as well."
Shin wiped the blood off his hand and swiftly cleaned the entire scene while Lenier stood up and stretched his limbs, with not a single wound on his body as if the last couple hours hadn't happened.
He also did some breathing exercise he learned from one of the temple lectures to calm down from the excitement.
By the time he breathed in and out a couple times, the room had become cleaner than it had ever been in decades.
After putting away all the tools and dusting himself off, Shin left the room with Lenier in tow.
"We will continue this in two days. During the off days, I want you to recall the torture and reflect on it. Intention is important for this step, your goal is not to savor the pain, but to grow past it. Remember that."
Shin felt slightly conflicted as he watched Lenier obediently nod at his instructions.
"One final thing. I just want to say that if it were anyone else in this situation, I wouldn't have much faith in them succeeding, but I believe you can overcome something as trivial as an addiction if you tried."
"I won't betray your trust, Shin!"
"Good. You may head back to your regular schedule disciple."
Once they had left the mountains, Lenier went off on his own to go attend a lecture or hang out with his colleagues.
The moment Lenier was out of sight, Shin took a deep breath in and let out the biggest sigh of his life as his shoulders dropped like a sack of bricks.
He was on his way back to his room to meditate on what happened today when he bumped into Monk Chad.
"Greetings Head Monk Shin."
"Ah, greetings Brother Chad. I was just heading back to my room, did you need anything?"
"No, I suppose I didn't really need anything, I was just… looking for Lenier. He never misses any of my lectures, so I was wondering where he was today…"
"My apologies Chad, I had important matters to discuss with him."
"That is alright, Head Monk. However, if it's not too presumptuous of me, may I ask what your matter was with him?"
"We were simply discussing about his advancement, as he has been progressing well thus far. Is there a problem with Lenier?"
"There's no problem, head monk. He very much deserves an advancement. It's just that, earlier, I... felt a great surge of enlightened energy. It was being concealed within another realm, but I recognized it as yours. Within that energy, I also felt another… I believe it to be that child's… he also mentioned some strange things before. Who exactly is Lenier?"
This wasn't something Shin particularly wanted to keep a secret.
He never told anyone because he had no reason to, but if someone asked, he'd have no reason not to answer truthfully.
"Lenier is someone I would be unable to stop if he were to decide to destroy this temple."
"…that is alarming to hear…"
"It is. But I do not intend for that to ever happen. You've observed him for a while have you not? Do you think he would ever do such a thing?"
"From what I've seen so far, I wouldn't have considered it a possibility… until what you just told me. What is his relation to you?"
"I suppose a former foe would describe him well."
"That is quite hard to believe for such a young child… but I know you're not one to lie about such a thing."
"Please don't treat him any differently from now on. It's important that he is treated like all the other disciples."
"Haha, of course Shin. You know I'm not one to let such a thing affect my teachings. Enlightenment is not about strength, but of mind."
Shin smiled.
For a moment, he had forgotten that he didn't need to deal with Lenier alone.
He had the entire temple on his side.
"Yes, I do know. You always have been the one to understand me most."
The two of them bowed before parting ways.
Shin knew that Lenier's road to enlightenment and redemption might not be so easy, but he had faith.
Faith in himself, his beliefs, his teachings, his comrades, and even faith in Lenier.
Time would pass and the torture training continued, each time the intensity would increase ever so slightly.
Lenier continued following the temple's teaching, allowing himself to become accustomed and indifferent to the pain.
There were some "dangerous" moments where it looked like Lenier was going to snap, but Shin managed to contain the situation by tossing him into the illusionary room next door just in case…
For the most part though, Lenier progressed well.
At some point, Shin even had to use a dozen clones all torturing at once just to make Lenier feel anything.
Eventually, the tortures escalated until they had finally reached the pinnacle of physical pain.
Pain so great that simply being near the torture chamber was enough to cause great agony, so a barrier had to be set up.
At first, the torture started off as usual, but halfway through, Shin noticed something strange about Lenier.
Lenier was not reacting at all to the pain.
Even if he didn't get excited over the pain anymore, he'd still at least respond to it.
But he wasn't.
It was almost as if he was deep in concentration…
Shin knew exactly what was happening.
"He's going through an enlightenment."
It was a phase that many monks go through as they eventually come to realize the true nature of the temple's teachings, or when they finally come to realize some belief.
Shin paused the torture and simply observed, making sure not to cause any disturbances.
Enlightenment was a delicate process and could last anywhere from a few minutes… to even years.
He wasn't sure how long Lenier's enlightenment would last, but he would sit here and watch over it to ensure nothing went wrong.
Or at least, it was what he planned to do.
WHOOOMPPHHH!!!
A shockwave of pain itself burst from Lenier's body as its core.
Shin was pushed back as he felt his skin tingle.
But that was just the start, dozens more shockwaves exploded out.
It was so powerful that the barrier nearly shattered and Shin had to focus on keeping it stable.
Lenier's body instinctively dropped to the ground in a meditation pose as his entire body vibrated rapidly, continuously sending out more and more painwaves.
Shin could only force a grin seeing this.
"I've never seen such a violent enlightenment."
With such a risk now present, Shin couldn't just sit around and watch.
He had to make a choice, to either stop Lenier's enlightenment or to let it continue and try and contain it.
It would be significantly less dangerous to just stop the enlightenment but… that would be equivalent to undoing and stopping Lenier's growth.
"FUCK IT, WE BALL."
Shin left Lenier alone inside torture room and swiftly left the barrier.
"Head Monk Shin! What is going on?! Are we under attack?"
Elder Monk Chad along with the other three Elder Monks showed up immediately upon sensing the danger.
"No, it's far more dangerous than an attack. Lenier is going through an enlightenment right now. We need to contain and stop it from leaking out, or the entire continent might be erased."
The Elder Monks had no idea what was going on but they knew it was serious.
They reinforced the barrier with several layers, activated the golden summit formation and hundreds of magic arrays.
Shin sat in the center of the formation, with each four Elder Monk in the corners, providing power and energy to sustain it.
They could feel the fabrics of time space shaking from within the torture room.
At the very center of this chaos, was Lenier, deep in his own mental mind.
He was meditating.
Concentrating and reliving the pain he had experienced.
Just the mere memory of the pain was enough to rip apart his flesh and body.
His muscles regrew itself almost as quickly as it had been torn.
Lenier's body continuously expanded, growing from the cycle of meat being destroyed and regenerating.
It was to the point where his body had filled the entire room and had no more space left to grow.
With nowhere to go, the muscles grew inwards, condensing upon itself.
As if in reverse of before, his body began to shrink, his muscles, bones, blood and flesh compressing into a singular bodily mass.
All the while, his mind was going through a major transformation.
And then…
One final shockwave.
The formation shattered.
Every single barrier shattered.
All the hundreds of arrays shattered.
Lenier had awoken from his enlightenment.
Very slowly, he stood up from his crouching position, feeling his own body and the world around him.
He felt good.
He felt alive.
He had gone through several transformations since regressing, but this one was the most drastic, as it had cured his lifelong addiction.
He took his first step as an addiction free man.
And then his second, and third, and then fourth, and so forth, until he eventually reached the exit.
As he stepped outside, into the sunlight, his entire body began shining…
Why?
Because he had become golden.