"Alright, how many do you usually take?"he said softly, crouched down next to Mya and extending his open palm filled with pills.

  Mya blinked through her watery eyes, still shaken. "I-I'm not sure… but I remember my sister, Ano. She gave me two. That's all I can recall."

  Assad frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes as he turned the small, glimmering tablets over in his hand.

  'Two, huh?If she's right, that should trigger the reaction without overdosing her… probably.'

  He hesitated for a moment longer, studying the faint glow of the pills against his skin. Just as he was about to move, a low voice cut through the air.

  "Two is the right call," Shuren said flatly from behind her desk.

  Assad froze, his head snapping toward her. "Wait, how did you do?"

  He stared for a heartbeat, caught between confusion and disbelief, but Shuren's expression gave nothing away, just a quiet, knowing smirk.

  With a slow exhale, he turned back to Mya and pressed two pills into her trembling hand. "Here, take them and you'll go back to normal." he said gently.

  Mya hesitated, her fingers shaking, but she nodded and swallowed the pills dry. For a moment, nothing happened, the air seemed to pulse, a faint shimmer rippling over her skin. The fins along her arms flickered, turning translucent before fading completely. Her tail began to recede, scales dissolving into pale skin until her legs returned, trembling beneath her.

  Assad watched in awe as the transformation completed the glow fading, leaving just a girl sitting weakly on the couch, breathing hard but human again. Shuren stepped closer, her heels echoing softly on the floor. She leaned down just enough to study Mya, her cold eyes reflecting the girl's tear-streaked face.

  "Good,that's one problem solved." Shuren said finally, straightening up.

  After Mya was given the pills, Shuren leaned back in her chair and let out a soft sigh. She turned to Mya and said, "Why don't you go hang out with Taura for a bit? I need to have a private chat with Assad."

  Mya looked a bit bewildered at first, even a little frightened. Her eyes flicked back and forth between them. But when she caught the serious expression on Shuren's face, she nodded slowly and got up.

  "Okay," she replied quietly before stepping out of the office. The door clicked shut behind her.

  Assad glanced at the door, then back at Shuren, a slight frown creasing his brow. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice calm but laced with caution.

  Shuren didn't respond immediately. She sat there, her gaze fixed on the desk, her fingers lightly tapping against the wood. It was clear something was troubling her. Assad could sense that much.

  He leaned in a bit closer. "Shuren?"

  Shuren leaned forward slightly, her voice steady but icy. "How was it?"

  Assad blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

  Her eyes narrowed.

  "What was it like… killing Mya's sister?"she said slowly.

  The atmosphere in the room turned tense. Assad's breath hitched in his throat, his expression hardening. For a moment, he was frozen only his eyes moved, searching her face for any hint of deception.

  "…How do you know that?I'm pretty sure I never even addressed it with you nor did Mya so how did you know about it?"he asked in a low voice. It was calm, but there was an underlying tension that suggested danger.

  Shuren sighed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You're still in the dark, you really don't grasp what's going on around you, do you?" she said, her tone flat, almost disappointed.

  Assad stared at her, his mind racing, the silence between them thickened, and for the first time in a long while, he felt a strange sensation unease. She rose from her chair and started to pace, the sound of her heels softly clicking against the floor.

  "Here's something you might not know, Assad."

  He watched her intently, trying to decipher her expression but her face was a complete mystery.

  "Do you remember when you told us about being stabbed with a syringe?" she pressed on.

  "Yeah the liquid inside was red and black?" Assad replied, a hint of caution in his voice.

  Assad frowned, tilting his head slightly. "Yeah, I remember, Shuren. You said it was sacred water. Kiichi mentioned the same thing during our sparring. What's your point?"

  Shuren's gaze dropped to the floor, her voice steady yet laden with significance.

  "Those powers you have…" she began slowly, "they're known as Kensei. But I just shortened it to just Sei."

  Assad blinked, confusion flickering across his face. "Kensei?"

  She nodded.

  "It's what happens when someone gets injected with sacred water. The color of that liquid or the blend of colors decides what you become. That's how Sionel's come into being."

  Assad leaned in, curiosity piqued. "Sionel? What does that mean?"

  Shuren let out a weary sigh and settled back into her chair, crossing her legs.

  "Sionel's are rare individuals who unlock their powers through the sacred water, like you… others, through entirely different means."

  Assad frowned. "Different means?"

  "I don't have the energy to explain it all right now but you'll get it when the time is right. When you witness it for yourself."she said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her tone was gentle, but her eyes remained sharp

  Assad glanced down at his hands, recalling the searing sensation in his veins from that day, the mix of pain and power he could never quite articulate.

  "…Sionel, huh," he murmured.

  Shuren offered a faint, almost wistful smile. "Yes."

  Shuren's expression turned serious as she leaned against the desk, her pistol catching the light just right.

  "You know, you can actually advance ahead in rank," she said, her voice low and measured.

  Assad glanced up, puzzled. "Advance?"

  "Yeah and to do that, you either have to find the opposite color of the sacred water you were injected with… or the same one." She paused, locking eyes with him.

  "But that's a one-way ticket to death."

  Assad's eyes widened a bit. "Why's that?"

  "Because to truly unlock those powers, you have to stab yourself in a vital organ. That's the cost. You might survive it once, maybe by sheer luck or willpower, but try it again, and you're done for. No doubt about it." Shuren said, her tone icy,

  Assad fell silent, his mind racing back to that day the burning syringe, the agonizing pain in his chest, the sensation of something fighting to break free inside him. He had been stabbed near his heart which is a very dangerous vital organ.

  "…That makes sense," he muttered.

  Shuren smirked slightly, though her eyes remained devoid of warmth. "Of course it does. But there's more to it."

  Pushing off the desk, she stepped closer to him. "When you awaken, there's always a flaw, a weakness ,some hidden cost tied to your power."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  She leaned in, her cold gaze locking onto his.

  "And yours…has been right in front of you this whole damn time."

  Assad raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

  Shuren let out a sharp breath through her nose, crossing her arms. "You're too much of a fool to even see it. Typical."

  Her words hung in the air like a knife, cutting deeper than any insult. Turning away from him, her shadow stretched long across the office floor.

  "Your flaw…isn't something you can see or touch. It's worse."she began, her tone sharp and deliberate,

  Assad frowned. "Worse?"

  She glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes cold and unreadable.

  "Anyone stronger than you can read your intentions every single secret you think you're keeping completely exposed to them."

  Assad froze, his eyes widening just a bit as the air around him suddenly felt thick and heavy.

  'People stronger than me… can actually read my mind?What if I've already been discovered? What if someone knows everything?'

  Shuren interrupted without even glancing back. "See? Now you're wondering, what if I've already been caught.'"

  Assad's heart raced. His face hardened, but the slight twitch in his jaw gave him away. Shuren turned to face him, her intense gaze locking onto his.

  "Don't worry," I can read it. I know the truth. But I'm not going to pry,"she said in a calm voice.

  She walked past him, her boots making soft clicks against the floor. "At least… not yet."

  She made her way to the door and opened it, before heading out she told Assad to follow her somewhere as it's important. Assad, confused and still in shock after what he just heard, stood still for a moment. He still had many questions that desperately needed to be answered but seeing Shuren's expression this was not the time so he followed behind.

  They walk to the end of the hallway passing the family hall and the rooms, reaching the elevator. Shuren pressed the button of the arrow that goes down and the doors opened with a ding and Shuren entered first, Assad came in after and the doors closed behind him.

  The elevator started to head down and it was silent during the trip. Assad at first was curious about where their location is, maybe they are heading for the training grounds but why. Is it for him to just get beaten to a pulp again just like their first encounter?

  But why would that be?Asking a measly question is now a sin or is it because of something entirely different? Well whatever the reason might be he just has to prepare himself for it even if he still has more questions to ask and mostly it being about his flaw and if Shuren knew the truth from the beginning.

  The elevator stopped and the doors opened again with a ding and Shuren did not step out for a moment. She was slightly shaking which was weird but then she moved. Assad luckily did not see that and because he was wondering where they were at. Instead of the big white room with an octagon training ring they landed at a dark almost church-like place filled with depression and sadness.

  "Why are you standing there? Come on, we don't have all day." Shuren said.

  Shuren walked on ahead without another word.

  She paused beside a small stone altar near the entrance and reached down, picking up a bundle of fresh white flowers. Their petals were plain, unadorned until she took a single candle.

  She didn't light it but instead, she turned and pressed it into Assad's hand.

  "Hold this," she said.

  Assad looked down at the candle, confusion tightening his chest. He opened his mouth to ask but stopped. Something about the way Shuren moved now, slower, heavier, told him this wasn't a moment to interrupt.

  They began to walk.

  The chamber stretched far wider than he had first realized, but they didn't go deep into it. They stayed near the front, where the stone floor was worn smooth by footsteps that no longer echoed. No one spoke, each step made the silence louder. Assad's eyes flicked between the candle in his hand and the flowers Shuren carried. His grip tightened.

  'Candle… flowers, must lead to one thing," he realized silently.

  They stopped and six gravestones stood before them.

  The stones were all black and really clean. Somebody had taken care of them. The names on the stones were carved deeply; the letters were so sharp they looked like they could cut you. Assad swallowed hard.

  Shuren said quietly, "These were the Sweepers."

  The woman moved nearer to the stones. She took a few steps to get closer to the stones. The stones were really interesting to her.

  "The people who went on these missions died on these missions."

  Her eyes traced the carvings

  "We do detective work now, handling missing persons, smuggling and simple jobs. Detective work is what we do.

  She turned a little to the side. Her voice became really cold, even colder, than when she was angry.

  A detective is still a person who still bleeds even if the truth comes out. It is not what they wanted to hear. The truth can be very painful for a detective when it bites back.

  Shuren held out two flowers to Assad. She gave Assad the two flowers. The two flowers were for Assad.

  Shuren told them to put those things on the two graves that were on the side and she nodded to point that way. She was talking about the graves on the left.

  She didn't explain why those two and Assad didn't ask. He walked forward, knees stiff, and placed the flowers carefully at the base of the stones. His hands shook just enough for him to notice. Behind him, Shuren placed the remaining flowers on the others, one by one.

  When they were done, she reached out and finally lit the candle with a single practiced motion.She nodded at Assad and they stood before the graves.They bowed their heads, hands together and their eyes closed.

  After a long time Shuren stood up straight. She turned to face Assad. Her eyes were cold again. Now they had something more in them. Something that had been there, for a time something old.

  "These people...died either on their first job or later. When things spiral or when plans collapse." She said this in a calm voice.

  She looked at him. Her eyes were fixed on him.

  "And that is when Sweepers actually die." she finished.

  "So I know we were just moments ago talking about your flaw and you still have many questions that you wish to ask but I already told you that I won't waste my breath being a teacher to you but there is one thing that I want to hear coming out of your mouth. You better answer this question with caution or otherwise you're going to end up like one of the people written on these graves."

  She paused and took a deep breath before looking dead into Assad's eyes almost like she was directly staring into his soul.

  "Are you ready to die for something that won't matter?"