Juan was sitting on a rooftop, gazing down at the streets under the faint light of the moon. Figures in black robes moved through the narrow alleys. Some were here for gambling, some for the brothels, and others to visit the black market for goods like smuggled artifacts, slaves, or drugs.
These were Thage's forgotten streets—a place most people avoided even in broad daylight.
At night, the unpatrolled areas became havens where all kinds of immorality were carried out freely.
He had been on this mission for more than three months. There were many small underground organizations that kidnapped children and sold them into slavery. It was a highly profitable business for many criminal groups. This wasn't happening only in Kurshan; there were many children from other colonies as well.
However, the number of children kidnapped from Kurshan was higher than the others. They needed to find the links that connected the organization here to the slave trade in Symran. But they had lost the trail of the man who was supposed to lead them to those connections.
Juan ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he recalled his mistake. He couldn't understand how they could have let that chance slip through their fingers. They must have exposed their presence somehow.
Technically, this wasn't even the FFSD's job. However, the abducted children were often used as test subjects in experiments related to siunis. Many were either left disabled or died, and no one was certain what became of the children who actually survived the experiments.
What those children went through was familiar to him. He had managed to escape from the same fate somehow, but only because luck had been on his side, and he knew it. After the Colonial Wars, however, the situation grew even worse. The instability brought by the wars had provided those organizations with even more resources and test subjects to study the Siunis. These days, things seemed completely out of the government's control. Despite slavery being forbidden, the task of uncovering how these children were being smuggled into the country had fallen onto their shoulders.
Although there were suspicions that these organizations had strengthened their ties to influential figures within the government, proving such claims was difficult. They had not yet been able to find a single lead.
Although they held records of the children smuggled into the country for these experiments, exposing the truth was tricky. They had to find a way to handle it without mentioning the siuni experiments. The higher ranks of the FFSD were sure about that letting this information out would only bring more trouble. People were greedy creatures. If they learned about the abilities they could gain, many of them wouldn't hesitate to do anything to get their hands on a siuni.
There were four people in the team accompanying Juan on this mission. According to the information they had gathered, a transaction was supposed to take place here tonight. They had learned that a group of children brought from desert villages would be handed over to a group arriving from Symran. If they were lucky, they hoped to pick up the trail they had lost. However, despite waiting for a long time, nothing happened.
Everyone waited on standby, but there was no movement at all. Juan realized that the men they were tracking somehow knew they were being followed.
Just as he was about to leave the rooftop and move in another direction, a hand grabbed his shoulder. But no one from his team would ever approach him this quietly, and an enemy wouldn't simply grab him either. Juan tried to seize the hand on his shoulder and pull the person forward, but he had already missed his chance.
When he turned around, he saw a young man smiling at him. A few wavy, light-brown curls slipped out from under the white traditional Kurshan head-wrap, and the faint freckles on his face gave him a boyish look. The golden earrings in his ears shimmered under the moonlight.
Juan wasn't sure what to think the moment he saw Arsh. It was a face he hadn't expected to see. Especially on a rooftop in this part of the city, of all places.
"Your reflexes aren't bad at all."
"You... what are you doing here, how did you find me?"
Arsh was enjoying the sight of the bulky man's shocked expression.
"Make a guess."
Arsh raised his left hand. He had already removed the bandages. When he opened his palm, Juan saw that there was no trace of the wound left. He knew what it meant.
"You've learned the meaning of your siuni"
Juan was amazed. Arsh had figured out it faster than he had expected.
Arsh nodded. He was still smiling
"So, what is it?"
"You can't just ask that question randomly, you know."
Juan was taken aback. This guy had been copying him since earlier.
"Got it. I'll show you mine, you show me yours... But don't be scared, kid."
A sly expression appeared on his face. Within seconds, his form blurred, and then he dissolved into mist. Before Arsh could even understand what was happening, the pitch-black mist suddenly dispersed and vanished.
Arsh quickly looked around, to see if there was any sign of Juan but before he could look any further, he felt something wrap around his neck.
Arsh tensed up. It was a hand, wreathed in black smoke. However, the hand didn't apply any pressure. Even when he turned and looked back, the owner of the hand was nowhere in sight.
"Juan?"
"What do you think, did you like my trick?"
His voice didn't seem to come from a person, but like a whisper carried by the wind.
Soon, he felt the presence of someone behind him and the warmth of the hand on his neck.
"What was that?"
"My siuni. But you didn't seem scared. No fun. Now it's your turn."
Arsh wasn't scared, but he was surprised. Just moments ago, Juan had vanished into the air like smoke and then reappeared. On the other hand, even though he had come here to show his power to Juan, he suddenly felt his own ability was insignificant.
Now, he wasn't sure how to show his power to Juan.
He closed his eyes and tried to focus on something, but nothing came to mind.
"What are you doing?" Juan asked, looking at the guy who had his eyes tightly shut and was standing there doing nothing.
"Wait a second."
Thoughts raced through his mind. He couldn't focus on anyone else. The last thing that came to mind was Juan's face in front of him.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a golden thread weaving through the air straight toward the spot where Juan stood. He smiled, pleased with his success. But he got no reaction from Juan. He didn't even glance at the golden thread. The smile on Arsh's face quickly faded.
"Can't you see it?"
"Is there something I should see?"
Arsh had assumed Juan would see the golden threads. Instead of telling him what his power was, he'd wanted him to understand it on his own. But it seemed only he could see them.
"That's no fun. I thought you'd be able to see it. My siuni is like… a guide, I guess. I'm not sure yet how far it goes, but I know it helps me find the things I'm looking for. It's how I got out of that well, too."
Juan looked at Arsh for a second, trying to figure out what he was saying.
"You found me like that?"
Arsh nodded.
Juan had never heard of something like that before. But almost all siuni abilities were unique, and new ones were constantly being discovered. There was a lot he still didn't know about them.
"Tell me how it works."
"I just… thought I needed to find you. I pictured your face in my mind. That's all. There were golden threads weaving in the air, and I followed the brightest one. Just like that it helped me find you."
"Actually, that's a good one. Pretty useful. It is good…" Juan looked satisfied, mumbling to himself.
If Arsh's words were true, if his siuni actually granted a guiding ability that helped you find whoever you were looking for, then it could be incredibly useful.
Especially during a mission like the one he was currently involved in. Arsh's ability could turn out to be something they could benefit from.
But even if the boy showed potential, Juan couldn't let himself be greedy. No matter what, Arsh was still not an adult and not part of his team.
"Now, what you need to do is understand the limits of your siuni. You can improve your connection with it, but most people can't go much further than the stage they reach when they first obtain it."
Arsh wasn't so sure. He had only just discovered his power. Even after trying a few more times, he still had no idea how to make the golden threads visible to Juan. But since it had led him to Juan, his ability clearly worked.
Juan was still thinking about how he could make Arsh a part of their mission. The kid would definitely be helpful. It wasn't easy to fully master a siuni in such a short time, but even in its current state, it could still be useful. On the other hand, he didn't want to bring the kid with him. It could be dangerous. He would have to think about it, and the others on his team would also have to approve it.
"Hey kid, would you like to work with me on this mission?"
"What mission?"
"The one I told you about—the case of the kidnapped children."
"You think I'll be able to find them? But… I think I can only find people whose faces I know."
"That's okay. I have some photographs. I'll show them to you. It'll be a chance for you to test your siuni."
Arsh thought it was a good idea. It could help him understand this new world he had just entered and, as Juan had said, to grasp the limits of his siuni.
"You really are a man who exploits innocent kids."
Arsh's unexpected arrival gave Juan hope. He had a feeling that things might finally start going well.
There was no movement on the streets at all. Juan was sure that there wouldn't be any transaction tonight. They could leave this place.
"Let's go." he said to Arsh.
Then, whistling a melody, he signaled his teammates to retreat, and they left the rooftop.