"No, I don't want to become a core member right now."
The words were sharp, surprising even to myself.
Elder Harun's brows raised the faintest fraction. "No?"
I straightened.
"I'll reach the Core on my own effort. Not because I was handed a seat for spitting out secrets. I won't owe anyone that kind of debt."
The silence stretched for a moment as he studied me it was the way a scholar studies a rare text. Then, slowly, he eased back and nodded.
"Good," he said.
That caught me off guard. "Good?"
"Too many grasp at the easy road. Too few understand that strength without struggle is hollow." His gaze held mine, unflinching.
"Still, you should not refuse forever. Think on what you could request in exchange for your knowledge. I will not ask you again soon, but the door will remain open for you at any time."
I ground my teeth as I heard the undercurrents in what he said. "Why choose me? Why not another?"
