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 streets. Some were here for gambling, some for the brothels, and others to visit the black market for goods like historical 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. He was looking for the people behind the organization responsible for kidnapping children from native Kurshan towns and cities. This wasn't something happening only in Kurshan; there were many children from other colonies as well. It was quite a profitable job for many underground organizations.
But the number of children kidnapped from Kurshan was alarmingly high. This was not actually the FFSD's job. However, the abducted children were often used as test subjects in experiments related to siunis. Many of them were either left disabled or died. And no one was sure what happened to the children who survived the experiments.
What those children went through was familiar to him. He had managed to escape somehow, but only because luck had been on his side, and he knew it. But after the Colonial Wars, the situation grew even worse. The instability brought by the wars had provided those people with even more resources and test subjects to study the Siunis. And these days, things seemed completely out of the government's control.
Although there were suspicions that these organizations had strengthened their ties to the government, proving such claims was difficult. And exposing it to the public through the Siuni experiments was impossible. 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 siunis.
There were four people in the team accompanying Juan in this mission. According to the information they had gathered, a transaction was supposed to take place here tonight. Everyone waited on standby, but there was no movement at all. It had always been easy to track down the kidnappers and deal with them, but the one who actually took the children from these kidnappers and use them was not so easy to handle. They already 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 headpiece, 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. The power of the siuni had become internalized within him.
"You've learned the meaning of the siuni"
Juan was amazed. Arsh had handled 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, wrapped around his neck. However, the hand didn't apply any pressure around his neck. Even when he turned and looked at the area, the owner of the hand was nowhere in sight.
"Juan?"
"What do you think, did you like my trick?"
The sound 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?"
"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 swinging 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 be able to 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."
"You found me like that?"
Arsh nodded.
Juan hadn't heard something like that before. But almost all siuni abilities were special, 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. That's all. There were golden lights, and I followed the brightest one."
"Actually, that's a good one. Pretty useful. It is good…"
Juan was 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 incredibly useful.
But even if he showed potential, he 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 swaying in the air 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. He also didn't want to bring the kid with him. It could be dangerous. He would think about it, and the others in his team would also have to approve it.
"Hey kid, would you like to work with me on this job?"
"What job?"
"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 try out 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.
…
Arsh arrived with Juan in a neighborhood filled with old buildings. They entered an old two-story Thage house that looked as if it could collapse at any moment. There wasn't much furniture inside; and what was there looked just as worn-out and ready to fall apart as the house itself. In the kitchen area, there was an old table and several mismatched chairs around it. The people sitting on those chairs were watching Arsh intently. Some were cautious, some were curious.
"So how is he supposed to help us? He just got his siuni. You know it takes time to get used to it and to control it."
The one speaking was a tall, burly man in his early thirties. Juan introduced him as Tedor. He looked so intimidating. If he ever tried to attack Arsh, it seemed he could pin him down and crush him with a single move. This man didn't seem very pleased with Arsh suddenly joining them. With his arms crossed, he looked at Juan as if to say he wasn't going to accept this situation.
"Do you know how to fight? It's impossible to keep you safe during a fight. We're already at a disadvantage in numbers," the woman with a scar over her left eye asked Arsh.
This woman, Eliz, appeared to be in her forties, but a closer look revealed she was actually in her late twenties. She might once have been beautiful, but life seemed to have taken its toll on her. The scar on her face seemed to testify to the hardships she had endured. Yet her physique resembled that of a young Kurshan warrior, agile and ready to spring into action at any moment.
"Hey Juan, how did he get a Siuni? Are you sure we can trust him?" This guy was in his early twenties. He looked a bit sullen, as if he didn't want to be here. He had a slender build and was shorter than Eliz. He also couldn't exactly be said to be looking at Arsh's presence with enthusiasm. His name was Ray.
None of them let Juan or Arsh respond; they continued asking questions and talking.
The name of the last team member was Flora. She was leaning on the table, resting her face in her hands, watching Arsh with a faint smile. Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Arsh tried his best to avoid looking at her. Like Ray, she also appeared to be in her early twenties. She had fair skin, light blonde hair, and large brown eyes. She was beautiful.
When the others finally fell silent, she spoke.
"You've been too hard on him. Calm down a bit. The kid means no harm."
Her eyes were still on Arsh as she spoke.
"It's a shame… if only you were a few years older,' she added, smiling again.
Although he didn't know why, Arsh felt himself blushing. Fortunately, when Juan spoke this time, his attention shifted to him.
"Look at him. He's not a child. He's nearly eighteen."
"He's got two more years to go," said Ray.
"Anyway, he has good reflexes. I don't intend to throw him into a fight, just avoiding danger is enough"
"I can fight. I was trained in the village. I'm not sure if you know, but we desert people take pride in our warriors. I don't think I'm bad either."
Arsh felt the need to speak up. He had felt treated like a child who couldn't take care of himself.
"We'll see about that," said Tedor, speaking to Arsh directly for the first time since he had arrived.
"Anyway, what's your plan, Juan? It's not like you to include a child in this" Eliz said, approaching the situation more optimistically than the others.
"Okay. Let me speak now. I'm your team leader. A little respect." Juan looked serious. Everyone fell silent.
"This guy has a Siuni that can help us. He has the ability to find people. We don't know its full limits yet, but he thinks he at least needs to know the appearance of the people he's looking for."
"So if his ability is this limited right now, how can we use it? We don't even know the faces of these people," said Ray.
"Actually, we know one of them. That's enough for now. Just wait a bit"
He left the kitchen and went upstairs. Once again, everyone's eyes were on Arsh, and Arsh's gaze focused on a large brown stain on the table. Before long, Juan returned with a piece of paper and placed it in front of Arsh.
Arsh began quietly reading what was written on it: "Paul Smith, from Symran, 36 years old, works as a merchant and trades goods from the colonies." A photograph of the man was in the upper right corner of the paper.
The man had a thin mustache with the ends curling upward. His cheekbones were prominent, while his cheeks were sunken. His eyes looked like small holes squeezed between his cheekbones and eyebrows. His hair was parted in the middle, slicked tightly back, and he wore glasses.
"This is the man I want you to find. If you can find him, we'll at least have a lead."
Arsh looked at the man in the photo a little longer, trying to memorize every detail of his face.
Then he closed his eyes and pictured the man in his mind. He could find him. He was sure of it.
When he opened his eyes again, the golden lights were once more drifting in the air, gently swaying as they slipped out through the kitchen window.
But something was strange. There was a slight darkness around the golden threads.
Arsh instinctively knew what it meant. It was danger.