A leaf drifted by on the wind, rustled, and fell onto the clearing. Faint ripples seemed to rise from the ground.
Two old men stood on opposite sides of the clearing. They looked alike, one dressed in black robes, the other in flowing white. When the black-robed elder saw the leaf touch the ground, he furrowed his brow. A flash of sword light crossed his eyes, and the leaf was instantly sliced in two. Looking again at the clearing, crimson blood was oozing from the cut in the leaf.
The white-robed elder smiled faintly and swept his sleeve. The leaf and the blood on the ground burst into flames. Before long, it was as though the leaf had never been there at all...
Looking again at the clearing, the pattern of the Eight Trigrams could faintly be seen...
