Arsh was trying to seriously consider joining the FFSD. Despite thinking about it for a long time, he couldn't decide. He wasn't sure what he might gain or lost.
But there was one thing on his mind. Juan had told him that it was difficult for a person to possess more than one Siuni. However, Bera had two siunis. Yet, just as Juan had said, his siunis did not conflict with each other; they supported one another. So it was possible for Bera.
Arsh had realized that to find a new siuni on his own was difficult. Although he wandered through the library, he could not find a detailed source about siunis. There were only things about siunis in legends and cultures, but there was no detailed information about how they look. Professor Reiner was propably keeping the important sources elsewhere.
If he wanted to grow stronger, the idea of having another siuni was tempting. Perhaps with the support of the FFSD, he wouldn't even need it while taking his revenge. Still, deep inside, there was a desire he couldn't suppress—to take his revenge by himself. He wanted to kill those men with his own hands, and he didn't want even a friend to interfere while doing so. If joining the FFSD meant they would help him to find a new siuni, then becoming a member might not be such a bad idea.
He also couldn't say that he disliked being here. This place wasn't "home," but the companionship of the people around him was helping him move forward.
He spent most of his time with Mes, and contrary to what Walter had said, spending time with him was actually enjoyable. From what Arsh could see, because of Mes's frail body and gentle nature, the others were fond of him as well. Professor Reiner and Mr. Herman showed him interest, respected his academic abilities, and supported him. Although his thoughts about Bera remained the same, he had begun to notice how attentive Bera actually was toward the people around him—though this was probably due to his siuni, which allowed him to understand people's needs well. On the other hand, Walter was someone you could have fun with, and Mr. Herman was reliable.
The person he felt most distant from was Professor Reiner. Still, he could comfortably make daily conversations with him, and they regularly discussed his progress.
That evening, after dinner, he decided not to wait any longer and to share his decision. He was staring blankly at the book in front of him, lost in thought.
The clicking sound he heard pulled him back to the present. Mes, who was sitting across from him, put down his book and went over to the telegraph in the corner. When he saw the message written on the paper, he smiled cheerfully.
"There's news from Helene. Her ship has arrived at Eldoran port." he said happily, then continued reading.
"Ah… it'll take about a month for them to get here. There was damage to their ship, so they need to deal with that first."
As Mes spoke, Arsh stared at him curiously. He had no idea who the person he was talking about was. He had never heard the name before.
"Who is Helene?" he asked.
"Ah...right, we never told you about her. Helene is the Professor's sister. She set out to sea. She's a bit of an adventurer. It's been over a year since she left home; we haven't heard from her in a long time. I need to let the Professor know," he said, heading toward the stairs with the paper in his hand.
Arsh put down the book he was reading and followed Mes.
"Wait for me. I have things I need to talk to the Professor about too."
Together, they walked through the forest toward the glasshouse. Mes was still excited about the news of Helene's return. He kept talking about her non-stop.
Suddenly, silhouettes appeared in front of them. Both of them stumbled and grabbed onto each other to avoid falling.
"What did you say? Helene is finally coming back?"
"Walter… don't do this. I've told you a million times. Just don't do this," Mes snapped, trying to steady his breathing.
"Tell me. Did I hear you right?"
"Yes. You heard right. She'll be here in about a month."
"I miss Helene. She's the only person who's fun to be around… I had high hopes for Arsh, but he's also boring, just like… well, nevermind."
"She's older than you. Don't act like she's your friend—be respectful."
Walter disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. The only thing left behind was his voice.
"I'm older than you too. Show me some respect as well."
"Ah, whatever. Let's go, Arsh."
As they continued walking, Arsh asked,
"What is the Professor's sister like?"
"Hm… I think the most suitable words to describe her would be eccentric and marginal. Actually, everything that's the opposite of the Professor could be used to describe Miss Helene. This is her second time setting out to sea. Even though the Professor was against it, she didn't listen to him."
"Neden denize açılıyor?"
Mes turned to Arsh, looking hesitant, as if unsure whether he should say more.
"You'll learn the rest after you join the FFSD," he said, then added with a mischievous smile.
"Actually, I'm coming with you now to tell Professor Reiner my decision."
This excited Mes.
"Really? You're going to join?" he asked, his eyes wide with curiosity.
Arsh smiled and nodded.
"You'll find out in a moment."
...
When Professor Reiner received the news of his sister's return Arsh saw a sense of relief on his face.
"I'm glad she's safe," he said, taking the paper from Mes's hand. After reading what was written with a serious expression, he folded the paper and put it into his pocket.
"Arsh, what brings you here? Do you have something to say?"
"Yes, there's something I wanted to tell you as well... I've thought about it, and I want to join the FFSD. But I have a request. Would you help me find other siunis that would make me stronger?"
Professor Reiner looked as if he had already been expecting Arsh's question. It didn't surprise him at all. Arsh had thought that, perhaps, Professor might think he is greedy for power and his request would be rejected—but it didn't turn out that way.
"Then it's time to give you new siunis," Reiner said briefly.
"Isn't there any danger? Not every siuni is compatible."
"You're right. But aside from Mes, most people here have certain basic siunis—strengthening the body, speed, endurance. They take very little from the soul, so they form a continuous bond without exhausting the person."
This was new to Arsh. Juan or the others had never mentioned it. If he wanted to grow stronger, having at least the same level of durability and endurance as the others would be beneficial.
"Don't worry. Once the official procedures are completed, you'll have access to more information."
"When will we do it?"
"I have to go out for work shortly. I'll probably be back after dinner. Come to my study then," Reiner said.
...
Once Arsh finished his meal, he followed Professor Reiner with Mes. They went to the study inside the library.
When he knocked on the door, he heard a voice telling him to come in. Bera was inside as well, along with Reiner.
It was Arsh's first time entering this room since he arrived. The room was filled with various plants, jars containing strange liquids and objects, scattered papers, and many other things. Yet nothing was dusty or dirty.
Professor Reiner noticed Arsh looking at the clutter around him.
"Forgive the mess. I have a rather peculiar sense of order. When everything is neatly arranged in its proper place, I lose my motivation to work."
It was an interesting way to stay motivated Arsh thought.
When Professor Reiner opened a book, Arsh saw that it there were illustrations of various siunis. After turning a few pages, Reiner stopped at a particular one.
The siuni consisted of three parallel lines. The middle line was straight, while the two on the sides were wavy. Beside them were several small symbols. After studying them for a moment, Arsh thought they belonged to an ancient language he didn't recognize.
"These are different from ordinary siunis. As you can see, there are inscriptions here. We don't know which civilization they belong to or where they came from. It's a dead language. However, these types of siunis are among the least dangerous. When we give someone a siuni, we usually start with these. That way, it's easier to see whether their body can handle it. In the worst case, they're either ineffective or their effects are negligible."
"Then why doesn't Mes have them?"
"My soul–body connection has already been severely damaged. Because of that, it's impossible for me."
Professor Reiner nodded, confirming what Mes had said.
"Organizations that experiment with siunis probably have no knowledge of these. These records were passed down through Bera's family," Professor Reiner added.
"My family didn't have much information about the origins of the records either. Although they tried to pass them down from generation to generation, some parts were lost over time… These symbols, as Professor said, are different from siunis. In the records, they're called siuti… I'll leave the rest to you," Bera said, leaning back in his chair.
"Most of what's in the book is written in a language we don't know, as I just said. Bera's family seems to have partial translations of some sections. I'm trying to decipher the language based on those," Mes explained, taking the book from Professor Reiner and opening it to a page written in Symraniese, though it is also clearly an old translation. Arsh didn't hear some of the vocabularies.
"'This was something that should never have happened in the first place. An ancient mistake. But the mistake was made once. Now, is it to be corrected—or exploited to gain more power?'... What does this mean?" Arsh asked, reading the translation on the open page.
"My grandfather always used to say that... We are the inheritors of an ancient mistake," Bera said.
"Siunis are divine symbols. But these—these siutis seem to be man-made. We think it represent a kind of misuse of divine power. The 'mistake' mentioned in the text likely refers to the moment humans reached out to seize what was never meant for them... The theft of the divine. Will these be destroyed, or used to obtain even greater power? We're not sure. But that's what it seems like to me. Maybe one day, if I fully decipher the language, I'll understand more," Mes said.
"Anyway, we'll talk about this again later. Before giving you these siuti, Arsh, take a look at this," Reiner said, standing up and opening a drawer in one of the desks. The notebook he took out was familiar—it was Will's notebook, which Arsh had handed over when he first arrived.
"I examined this notebook. There are records of several siunis. Some of them are similar to the siunis you showed us before," he continued while flipping through the pages.
"Yes, here it is… This is your siuni, isn't it? If that's the case, a siuni similar to Tedor would be compatible with yours. It carries the fundamental characteristics of Earth-type siunis," he said, turning the notebook toward Arsh.
The moment Arsh saw the symbol in the notebook, he felt something was wrong.
The siuni Professor Reiner was showing was not his siuni.