Arsh was a curious boy. Because of his nature, he always treated the archaeologists and adventurers who came to the desert in a friendly way, even though his family sometimes scolded him for it.
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.
He didn't fear them, but 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 this man who was 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. 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 who exactly you're searching for."
Arsh began to tell his story, just as he had done with Nesame. He hadn't told Juan the full story either, although Juan had overheard him once and given his teammates a brief explanation. Arsh realized that Juan hadn't shared this information with Herman or Professor Reiner.
But this time, he added a detail 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 skipped the detail of the girl he had seen inside the sarcophagus, as well as the river of blood. An inner voice told him that, for now, this detail should remain with him. If he found this necessary, he could tell them the details later.
For now, he had only mentioned the notebook. Perhaps this would give him a chance to learn more about the siunis.
"So your siuni is meant to find… things, people, paths." Professor Reiner said once Arsh finished his story.
"Yes, it seems like it. If there is a danger I can feel it. And the brighter the light, the more direct the way to find things that I am looking for. Something like that."
"Actually, I've never heard of anything like that. The siuni we've encountered so far usually have given physical abilities or certain mental powers. Yours seems quite different, and useful. If you decide to stay with the FFSD after your education, I would be glad to have you. For now, you'll be staying here with Mes and Bera, and they will be responsible for your training.."
"Actually I don't know what you are exactly working for?"
"Let me explain it simply. The 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 had an idea how powerful a Siuni can be.' Arsh thought.
"What kind of research?"
"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 were 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 their handlers, 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 their own country. 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 Siuni to everyone. That would invite an even greater disaster. People are greedy; they will do anything for power when they see a way to obtaining it."
"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 with the government. We have our suspicions, but we still haven't uncovered who is involved or how these ties were formed. The fact that you and Juan managed to track down the General on your 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, Mes, and Bera. There are those who grew up and managed to live normal lives, and others who simply survived on the streets. That's 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's why we keep records of them. There have been cases of people using the power of their siuni to cause serious trouble."
Like that they talked for a while. The things Arsh learned were beyond his imagination. They were disturbing. Then, the topic shifted back to him.
"Let's talk about the people who you are looking for. You want revenge. And actually it is not that difficult for you to find the people you are looking for. But what is your plan, how do you take your revenge"
"…"
"You are also not sure. You want to killl them but you have never killed a person or even an animal before, right?"
"I killed animals. 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 was the easiest, and living had become the hardest. The only decision he had to make was to kill. And he would only understand the weight of that act after he carried it out.
Professor Reiner smiled at Arsh's response and continued speaking.
"I advise you not to do anything without telling us. I know Professor Millway; I recall seeing him at a dinner organized for university professors. He works at the same university 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 try to get used to life here. While you are doing that, I will help you find information about them. One step at a time."
Arsh still didn't say anything. The Professor said a similar thing to what Juan told him before. And Arsh didn't want to risk his chance by acting without a plan. He simply nodded.
"When 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 who teaches you the 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. You will work for us during this time and we will take care of all your needs… As for the notebook, if it's okay with you, I'd like to see it later."
"Okay, I will bring it to you later."
"That will be all for today."
He rose from his seat and stood in front of Arsh.
"Now, take off your clothes. I will look at your body."
"What! Why?"
The Professor laughed.
"My apologies, I didn't tell you. I thought Mes already did. I am a doctor, and my siuni helps me to understand someone's physical condition and heal them."
Arsh remembered that Mes said the Professor was the one who kept him alive.
"Your physical condition is not bad, but because you have been through a lot and you are tired, so there are some problems with your mental and physical health. But you are strong in both aspects, I can say that. Now let me heal the wounds."
Arsh took his shirt off. There were still scratches from when he first fell into the well, some bruises, and the burn mark left by the man in Royal Hotel.
The Professor ran his hand lightly over the scars. Thin green lights unfurled from his fingertips like worms, curling and sweeping across the wounds. The sensation wasn't painful—more like countless tiny needles pricking gently at the injured skin. It didn't hurt, but it did tingle. Within moments, every wound on his body had healed completely.
"How is it—do you feel better now?"
"Yes. My body feels more relaxed now. Thank you."
While Arsh was putting his shirt back, the Professor smiled and held Arsh's head.
"We're not finished yet. Sorry, but this might hurt a bit."
Suddenly, his whole body trembled as if struck by an invisible force.