Arsh felt a sharp pain stabbing into his head. It felt like something was trying to push its way out of his skull. At the same time, it was as if a voice were repeatedly whispering something in the back of his mind.
"Arsh, are you okay?" Reiner said, coming to his side immediately. Taking Arsh's head between his hands, he tried to figure out what was wrong.
"Just a sudden headache. It's nothing important," Arsh said. As the voice in his head faded, the pain also subsided.
He took the notebook from Professor Reiner's hand and began flipping through the pages. At that moment, he noticed something that hadn't caught his attention before. He returned to the page the Professor had first shown him and looked at the siuni in his hand. Despite the similarity, it was definitely a different siuni.
"What happened, Arsh?" Professor Reiner asked.
"This is not my siuni—not this one."
"Is that so? I thought it was that one because of the notes written beneath it. Which one is it, then?"
"No, not like that. I don't know why, but it's not in the notebook. It should be on this page—I'm certain of it. But this siuni is different from mine... I'm sure this is the exact page. I remember reading these notes before I decided to carve it myself."
"How can that be?" Professor Reiner said. He took the notebook from Arsh's hand and tried to see if there was anything strange about it. "Arsh, can you show me your siuni?"
"No, I can't. Even though Bera tried to show me how to reveal it, I couldn't. I'm the only one who can see it. I don't know why... but I can draw it for you."
"Okay," Reiner replied. "Let's do that."
Professor Reiner pushed a blank piece of paper and a pen from among the clutter on the table toward Arsh. Arsh carefully drew the symbol on his hand. Actually, there wasn't a significant difference between the two siunis; the one on the page and the one on his hand were quite similar. However, the crescent symbols in the notebook were less curved, and there were more than seven of them. Instead of the star-like symbol in the middle, there were intertwined squares.
After he finished drawing the symbol, he handed the paper to the Professor.
"To be honest, I have no idea how this could be possible. I would like to say that maybe you saw it wrong or drew it wrong in the heat of the moment… but that would have resulted in something deadly. To have a siuni like that, at random... I have never encountered such a thing before. I am certain no one else has either."
"You're right, I haven't heard of such a thing either," Bera said.
"Well then, that's one more thing to investigate. It's a good decision that you joined us, Arsh, thanks to you, our workload has increased," Professor Reiner said with a laugh. He placed the paper Arsh had given him inside Will's notebook and put it away.
Arsh was sure that day he carved that symbol his skin carefully. It was impossible to see it wrong.
Arsh was sure he had carved that symbol into his skin carefully. It was impossible for him to have seen it wrong. Or had he imagined the whole thing in the heat of the moment, just as the Professor said? 'I suppose I should just be glad I'm not dead,' Arsh thought .
But now, another question was on his mind. He had asked Juan this before as well.
"Well then, is there no way for me to obtain another siuni, besides these siutis?"
"Actually, I believe you are strong enough to handle a second siuni. Besides, these siutis will strengthen you, serving as a pillar for a new one," Professor Reiner said. After putting the notebook away, he began rummaging through the cabinets.
"There is only one way to acquire new siunis. The requirement is that the siuni must be compatible with each other. You already know that. But siunis have only been in our lives for around thirty years. Therefore, we still do not have enough information and experience regarding them. It won't be easy to find a siuni that could be compatible with yours. Furthermore, you mentioned that your siuni more like a guide. So, I suggest you don't get your hopes up about something that will give you physical strength. I thought your siuni something related to earth because of the notebook. If it were something compatible with earth, we would have a good option. But that option is no longer on the table."
After a while, the Professor came over with a metal tray and set it down near Arsh.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
First, he cleaned the top of Arsh's wrist with a liquid, then began to gently cut into his skin with a scalpel. Arsh felt only a slight sting.
When the Professor finished carving the siuti, Arsh felt a pain in his chest. It was similar to the pain he felt when he first used his siuni, though it didn't hurt as much this time. He noticed a faint light emanating from over his heart. He looked at the others to see if they noticed it, but it was clear they didn't see it.
As the pain faded, the cuts on his wrist disappeared as well, leaving only golden lights that only Arsh could see. Unlike the golden threads, this light didn't disappear; instead, a faint shimmering remained.
"Faster than I thought. It formed a bond without any issues," the Professor said.
Arsh wanted to know if it had worked. He felt no different than before.
"I don't feel anything
"Don't be hasty. You will notice the difference soon enough."
Then, he continued to carve another siuti into his skin.
…+++
Over the past few days, the intensity of the training with Bera had increased. But just as the professor had said, his resistance, speed, and recovery time had increased—and continued to improve. Unlike his siuni, these siutis activated on their own and did not tire him out or drain his energy.
He felt better, but it was not enough. Somehow, he needed to find another siuti that were compatible with him. He still felt physically behind Bera, Walter, Juan, and the others on their team.
'At best, I'm on the same level as Flora,' he thought. But then he realized he didn't even see her while fighting. There was a possibility that even that fragile-looking girl was better than him.
He also kept asking Mes more questions about siunis, trying to understand from legends and history whether there were any siunis that could be compatible with him and where he can find them.
About a week after he got his siutis, he came to the library to study with Mes. When they arrived, Herman was quietly reading a newspaper. When he saw Arsh, he folded the newspaper and turned the page he was reading toward him. There was a photo on the front.
"Arsh, aren't these the children you rescued?"
When Arsh looked at the photo to see it more closely, he recognized several faces of the children and the man with the mustache standing right behind them. The headline of the news was: 'Slave Trade to Symran Thwarted.' Arsh took the newspaper in his hand and began to read the article.
"Matthew Tiffany, a prominent lawyer and advisor to Senator Hill, spoke upon his return to Symran regarding the recent events in Thage, the capital of Kurshan. He stated that efforts would be pursued to ensure the government takes stricter measures against smuggling organizations that exploit regional instability to traffic slaves and forced laborers."
"He noted that investigations indicate children have become more frequent targets following the abolition of slavery laws, as they are easier to control. In the wake of the tragic events in Thage, he added that new campaigns have been launched to support local orphanages and strengthen child protection efforts."
"Following the recent incident at the Royal Hotel, approximately thirty children—presumed to be homeless and without families—were placed in an orphanage established through donations led by Mr. Tiffany."
"It was good luck that you met Matthew there. He is a cunning type, but he doesn't use his wits for evil. Still, he will use this news to the fullest," said Professor Reiner as he came out of his study.
"I'm not sure if we could have gotten those children out of there so safely if he hadn't been there that day," Arsh agreed. If Matthew hadn't been there, the Symran city guards wouldn't have allowed them to take the children out, and they wouldn't have escaped the fate waiting for them.
"By the way, there is a telegram from Juan. He plans to finish his work and return with his team soon. But gathering information from someone as highly protected as a general is difficult. Focus on improving yourself until he arrives. When I told him that you had officially joined us, he said he wanted you on his team," said Reiner.
Then Herman spoke.
"Actually, I came here to borrow Arsh for a while as well. I need help with a small case."
"From now on, he can start participating in official missions regularly. But first, let's hear you. Why do you need him?"
"The police have been chasing a thief for a while now. You've probably heard of him; he's known as 'The Ghost.' He is a real headache... We haven't been able to catch the man. He has broken into the homes of many socialites and wealthy people, yet there is still no trace of him. Naturally, the pressure from above is increasing. The chief asked me to seek your help, and Arsh came to my mind. He's a perfect fit for the job."
"Is there a photo of him?" Arsh asked.
"There is no photo... and there is no one who has seen him in the act or while escaping. Arsh, maybe you could see this as an opportunity to develop your abilities; what do you say?"
Arsh thought about how he could use his siuni in such a situation. Although he had recently discovered that his power could help him in different ways, finding a person whose face he hadn't seen was difficult. He needed to see the man's face somehow. But maybe, as Herman said, it could be an opportunity to help him improve. Perhaps he could learn ways to find him even without seeing the man's face.
"I don't know how I can help you. But I want to try," he said.
How difficult could it be to catch a thief for someone who could find everything and everyone he searched for?