A strange noise jolted Unas awake. He slowly opened his eyes. Morning sunlight streamed through the window, and a gray figure stood motionless beside his bed.
He jumped out of bed in fright, smacking his head against the low ceiling with a thud. It woke him up considerably.
"You're still as unwatchful as ever," the gray figure said in a familiar voice.
Unas rubbed the top of his aching head and took a closer look. It was Gordon, back after a week without a trace.
Gordon's outfit had completely changed. A gray linen robe covered him, and he wore cloth shoes. His pale face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, with a faint smile on his lips. He looked like a completely different person.
Unas was puzzled by his outfit, but didn't think much of it. He complained, "You really do come and go like a ghost. You just can't learn to knock."
"Do I need to knock when I'm coming back to my own place?" As Gordon spoke, he pulled back his hood, abruptly exposing a completely bald head to the air.
Unas stared dumbfounded at the bald Gordon. "Your hair really was too long and needed a trim, but you didn't have to shave it all off."
Hairstyles really were important. Bald Gordon's looks had instantly dropped by more than half.
"Heh." Gordon gave him a "sincere" smile.
Unas took another careful look at his outfit and suddenly understood. "So you're leaving worldly life to become a monk!"
He had seen some bald men dressed like Gordon in the Monastery. They were called Monks, and were similar to Ascetics. They swore off wealth, women, and desire, never married, and served the Holy Light. They lived, studied, and worked only in the Monastery, tempering their souls and