Arsh was a curious boy. However, the resources he had to satisfy his curiosity about the world were quite limited in their small village on the edge of the desert. So, whenever a researcher, adventurer, or a merchant group happened to cross through the village, he tried to get close to them. They were his only sources.
He would try to befriend them, and when they saw his curiosity and eagerness to learn, they would share what they had with him. This would sometimes be a book, sometimes a magazine or a newspaper. Some of the merchant groups he met would also bring him the books he was curious about on their next visit.
But his grandfather would sometimes complain about the friendliness he showed toward these people.
The elders always said he should be careful around foreigners. It was said that these people brought great destruction to the places they visited, and from both the history he had studied and the things he had witnessed, he knew it was true.
Back then, there had been no real reason for him to question whether he should trust those people. Like everyone else in the village, he had simply been cautious with strangers passing through.
But now, although it was late and came after the painful experiences he had endured, he knew he had to be cautious and that he shouldn't trust them too blindly. However, he had begun to trust Juan—and Juan trusted the man sitting in front of him. So, he chose to follow the advice Juan had given him before coming here and decided to trust these people a little for now.
"I'm looking for the people who killed my family and my fellow villagers. Juan told me he would help me find them. So, he sent me here."
"Hmm… I see. If you want me to help you, then first I need to know your story and exactly who you are searching for."
Arsh began to tell his story, just as he had told Nesame.
He hadn't told Juan the full story; although Juan had overheard parts of it, Arsh realized that he had not shared this information with Herman or Professor Reiner.
So, this time, he decided to share something he had never told Nesame or Juan. He spoke about Will's notebook and how, after drawing the siuni, he had managed to get out of the well.
Still, he left out the part about the girl he had seen inside the sarcophagus, as well as the river of blood. He didn't know why, but something inside him told him not to speak of it to anyone. He chose to listen to that instinct and decided to keep those details to himself unless he truly felt it was necessary.
He purposely mentioned Will's notebook. It might help him gain their trust, and they might be able to use what was written in the notebook to find Professor Millway's connections. It could also give him a chance to learn more about siunis.
"So, your siuni is meant to find… things, people, paths," Professor Reiner said once Arsh had finished his story.
"Yes, it seems like it. And also, if there is a danger, I can feel it. When there are dark shadows around the golden threads, it means there is a danger. And the brighter the golden thread, the more direct the way to find what I am looking for. If I follow the faint golden threads, I end up on a less direct path... that was how I encountered Matthew Tiffany. For now, this is as much as I have been able to learn," Arsh said.
"Actually, I've never heard of anything like that. The siunis we've encountered so far usually provide physical abilities or certain mental powers. Yours seems quite different—and useful. If you decide to stay with the FFSD after your training, I would be glad to have you... Anyway, for now, you will be staying here with Mes and Bera, and they will be responsible for your training."
They had told him before that he might be able to work with them. He knew what Juan's job was, and it was obvious that they worked with the police. Yet, he still couldn't figure out what his own role in all this would be. If he acted according to his own plans, would they still allow him to work with them? 'I don't think so,' he answered his own question silently.
"Actually, I don't know exactly what you are working for," Arsh said.
"Let me explain it simply. FFSD is an organization affiliated with the government, though not directly. It operates secretly on behalf of certain government divisions. Our main goal is to deal with organizations that research siuni."
'Is this organization for people who have siunis? It actually makes sense that the Symran government has an organization for this. Especially after seeing Juan and Herman, I now have an idea of how powerful a siuni can be,' Arsh thought.
"What kind of research?" he asked.
"When you were with Juan, you saw those children. They weren't kidnapped for slavery; they were experimental subjects... Siunis have been known for about fifty years. Or rather, they were powers that had been lost in human history. Somehow, someone brought these powers back into the world again. But when they tried to use them, they must have realized it wasn't as simple as they expected. Instead of experimenting on themselves, they chose to test these siunis on other people."
"As far as we know, they first experimented on adults, but the adults who managed to use their Siuni either escaped, killed, or died in the process... After that, the focus of the experiments shifted to children, who were easier to control. At first, they used the poor from Symran. Then the colonial wars started. Naturally, the land became filled with orphaned children... Perfect test material, wouldn't you say?..."
Professor Reiner paused for a moment, his gaze dropping to the floor as his expression went blank. After a brief moment, he looked back up at Arsh, a smile returning to his face.
"And that is our purpose—to find these organizations and eliminate them. But doing so publicly and officially would mean revealing the existence of siunis to everyone. That would invite an even greater disaster. People are greedy; they will do anything for power when they see a way to obtain it. We are also conducting research on siunis ourselves. However, our research is focused on uncovering their true origins."
"But it was your country's General who helped kidnap children for experiments. Doesn't he also work for the government?"
"We've been investigating this for a while. We suspect that some of these organizations have established ties within the government. We have our suspicions, but we still haven't uncovered exactly who is involved or how these ties were formed. The fact that you and Juan managed to track down General Debriz on his last mission was a great help. We finally have a thread to pull. In time, the rest of the connections will come to light."
"What happens to the children…? I mean, the ones they experimented on until now?"
"Some escaped, most died, and a few ended up under our protection, like Juan and Mes... There are those who grew up and managed to live normal lives, and others who simply survived on the streets. That is another part of our organization's purpose—to find these people. They are victims, yes, but we must also remember that they carry the potential to become criminals. That is why we keep records of them. There have been cases of people using the power of their siuni to cause serious trouble."
Arsh remembered Juan had mentioned these things before.
They talked like this for a while longer, until the conversation eventually turned back to him.
"Let's talk about the people you are looking for. You want revenge. And actually, it isn't that difficult for you to find them. But what is your plan? How do you intend to take your revenge?"
"…"
"You aren't sure, are you? You want to kill them, but you have never killed a person—or even an animal before, right?"
"I have killed animals," Arsh said. "For meat."
Arsh understood the meaning behind the Professor's question. In truth, he used to think that killing someone was hard, and that death was even harder. But now, death seemed the easiest thing, and living had become the hardest. The only decision left was to kill—and he would only understand the weight of that act after he had carried it out.
Professor Reiner smiled at Arsh's response and continued speaking.
"I advise you not to do anything without telling us. Actually, I know who Professor Millway is. I recall seeing him at a dinner organized for university professors. He works at the same university as I do. I don't know his connections, but if he would dare to do something like that, there are definitely people backing him up. You should try to get used to life here. While you do that, I will help you find information about them. One step at a time."
Arsh still didn't say anything. He didn't want to risk his chances by acting without a plan, so he simply nodded.
"While I am looking for Millway and analyzing the situation, I want you to improve yourself and your ability to use your siuni. Mes will be the one to teach you history and about life in Symran. Bera will teach you martial arts; we need to see your physical capacity. You will also work for me. We are a bit short-handed right now, so you will work for us during this time, and we will take care of all your needs... As for the notebook you mentioned before, if it's okay with you, I'd like to see it later."
"Okay, I will bring it to you later," Arsh replied.
"Thank you, that will be all for today."
He rose from his seat and stood in front of Arsh.
"Now, take off your clothes."
"What! Why?"