"Hmm... You did what I asked, right?" Professor Reiner said.
"Yes, I did. Sorry, Mes. I know you worked hard on that list, but we changed it. Fortunately, we hadn't submitted the original one yet. At least, not yet," Matthew Tiffany replied.
"Whose names are on the list?" Herman asked.
"I took Edwin's advice. You have a sanctuary here that is easy to defend. For that reason, we made a list containing the names of those who stay here and—I hope I am not being rude—who have no families."
He glanced around the room.
"Edwin, Bera, Juan, and Mes are on it. I would have liked to include Walter and Arsh as well, but their identities make that difficult. Instead, I filled the rest of the list with a few people living in remote regions and the colonies. They are already informed, and I am sure they won't have any trouble defending themselves. But since your names are written there, I advise you to be careful when you go outside. The Minister of the Colonies people, officers in the military, and several aristocratic families... right now, they all see us as just a minor nuisance that needs to be cleared away. Meaning, it won't take long for them to act"
"There's one more thing," Matthew said, turning to Arsh. "I'm aware of your history with Professor Millway. Mr. Herman may have already told you. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but he's gone into hiding. I'm sure finding him won't be difficult for you. Before coming here, I spoke with the Police Chief. The warrant will remain in effect, but no one will be sent after him. Millway is yours. You must have been holding yourself back until now. So now... do whatever you want." Matthew smiled.
Although the news he had brought and the topics they had discussed were anything but pleasant, Matthew discussed it all with the calm ease of a wealthy merchant negotiating another business deal. Although Arsh sensed there was something odd about this man, he couldn't be sure what it was.
Still, the news brought him a sense of relief. When he turned toward Professor Reiner, he saw that the Professor also approved of letting Arsh handle the matter as he wished.
"Everything here is our responsibility from now on," Professor Reiner said. "While we take care of this, do what you need to do. We promised you that."
Arsh could feel something boiling inside him. Even though he remained perfectly calm on the outside, keeping his expression unchanged, there was no hiding it from Bera, who was sitting right beside him. Leaning closer, he spoke in a low voice.
"Stay calm. You can do whatever you want, but I'd advise you to take it slow... It will be more fun that way."
...
Leaving Haru with the others, Arsh retreated to his room alone. Tonight, he wanted to find out where that man was and how far away he was hiding. Once again, he pictured the face he hated so much. Then, in a quiet voice filled with restrained anger, he murmured,
"Where is he?"
Before long, he could feel the golden threads beginning to weave through the air. But he didn't open his eyes. Instead he focused on the vision that had just appeared in his mind.
"Is this real?" he whispered.
The image before him was no longer just the Millway he had pictured in his own mind. The man's shirt was untucked, one of the suspenders stretched tight over his belly had fallen off, and the remaining hair on the sides of his head looked as if it hadn't been washed in days, greasy. He was pacing back and forth beside a sarcophagus with carvings that Arsh was familiar with. It was obvious that he was anxious just by looking at him.
Even though Arsh wanted to look around a bit more, he was suddenly pulled away from the image in his mind and found himself back on his bed. The golden threads were still coming out of his palm, continuing to drift in the air.
"What was that?" he murmured. "I think I was just... somewhere else."
"Congratulations. You've crossed another threshold." the girl said.
"What does that mean? So... does this mean I can do more than just find where someone is? Can I actually see where they are now?"
He heard a faint sound of approval inside his mind.
Now he understood his power a little better. A power whose limits he could define himself just as she said. It was a power that evolved according to his needs and desires.
Perhaps, in the future, he would be able to see not only where the people he was searching for were, but also who they were with. He might even be able to observe and follow people whose faces he had never seen before.
He kept sitting there with a smile on his face. After a while, a question came to his mind.
"Threshold?" he repeated.
"Hmm... Look at your hand, let me show you" the girl said.
Arsh looked into his left palm. First, he saw his siuni glowing with a golden light. Then, the siutis drawn by Professor Reiner began to shine. After that, fine patterns and symbols starting from the inside of his palm appeared on the back of his hand and up past his wrist.
"What are these?" Arsh asked, a bit surprised. It was obvious that these were also siunis. Siunis that he hadn't carved onto himself.
"The one on the back of your hand is the siuni you use in fighting. It shows you your opponent's openings, like when you face an Apeirolimos. Whenever you don't know what to do, it guides you. The one on your wrist is the siuni you just started using right now, the one that shows you where your target is."
"So this is how siunis develop? They just appear on their own in connection with your growth?"
The girl made that faint sound of approval again.
"The others didn't tell me about this before. Do you think they don't know?"
"I don't think they do. I'll teach you how to show them when the time comes. For now... goodbye," the girl said, her voice gradually fading away.
As her voice disappeared, Arsh looked at the symbols on his hand as they slowly faded with it.
'She must be exhausted,' he thought. Long conversations were difficult for her. Although Haru's energy helped her recover, she had told him that even it was no longer enough. Arsh knew there was another way to help her. But she stubbornly refused to tell him.
For a while, he experimented with his new ability. First, he tried finding Walter. Just in a second Walter and Haru came into view, running and jumping around as they played together.
'That kid's bedtime was a long time ago,' Arsh grumbled to himself.
Then he focused on Ezra. He was wandering alone in the garden, as usual. There was a calm expression on his face. Before long, when Ezra saw Helen running toward him, Arsh saw his expression change. He looked frustrated.
Arsh didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry about this reaction.
Then he stopped spying on his housemates and returned to the main matter at hand.
"He's far away... but not far enough to run from me," he said, letting out a deep breath.
Now the opportunity was right in front of him. He could take his revenge however he wanted.
"But how? Like Bera said, I should take it slow. I need to find a way to calm this rage inside me. Even if I take him in my hands and tear him to pieces, it feels like it won't be enough," he whispered to himself, holding his head between his hands. Then heard that familiar voice again.
"Do you want me to tell you a way?"
"...What kind of way? And besides, weren't you tired?"
"I am tired... but don't mind that. Do you remember the book from this morning. There was a siuni inside it. It was a dream siuni. I can show it to you."
"How is that going to help?"
"It's simple, really. A person controls their own dreams. If they get a bit stronger, they can enter the dreams of those near them. If they get even stronger, they can control other people's dreams... And if it combines with the guide you are using right now, that person doesn't even need to be near you. You can find him in his dreams... It is a good way for torture."
"So you're saying I could travel through dreams?"
"Yes. Would you like me to show you now?"
The idea actually appealed to him. But using another siuni on his own without telling anyone would never go unnoticed. One way or another, he needed Professor Reiner's approval first.