Sekai Break

" What is it you wish know ? " Dym asked setting his green tea down on the table.

The platform they were sitting on was slightly raised from the log house floor. Its floor was made up of polished wood coated with tree sap from a special tree that made it look shiny with slight reflections of what was above. On it was a small wooden table with short legs , enough to slip once feet under. A little farther back was another sliding door where the maid had exited the platform.

Dym and Elder Lin were seated on the platform , no seats, as they conversed with steaming tea cups on the table. The room was quiet with some chirping from flocking birds as they hovered past the town. The sun rays , warm reflected on the wooden surface with the warm receding with every passing minute.

" Do you remember the upfront two years back in Laptove ? " Elder Lin asked resting her arm on her lap.

" Yes . It was a few weeks after the Miasma event. Even before the current guild regime was established. "

" Yes . What more happened ? " the elder asked as though curious.

Dym spared a glance at her . Her calm , silent demeanor was unsettling.

" Lead by the current guild official, Sir Rusty, the uprising proved to be a little too much for the then current guild regime and thus among other factors that regime changed to the current, now under the imperial gentry " Dym answered.

" The reason ?... " she asked .

" Reason ? " Dym asked a little bit puzzled.

" Every uprising has a reason. A thirst. Something that they wanted quenched. "

Dym was silent for a while.

" I arrived a few months after the uprising. By then the case had been sealed and Rusty had been assigned the official's post. " he finally broke the silence.

" There have been speculations that it was all because of a lost love … but speculations don't stay for long until they are snuffed. " he added.

Shifting her hand onto the table the elder turned her gaze to her empty cup. At the bottom were tea leaves still dumpy and wet from the tea.

" Your right. Two years ago that fool , Rusty, … " she said with a little spite in her tongue.

" lead a desperate attempt to get justice … or rather revenge for his lost beloved. " she added.

" He somehow managed to rile up the still scared people to rise and beckon to the guild for justice. At that time the guild was also shaken with surprise from the miasma event that had occurred and were easily over ran by them. "

" It was quiet surprising to see how much people with no hope would do when pushed back to a corner. "she said in a contempt way as though mocking them.

" What does this have to do with Sen. " Dym asked.

" Fragile as they were , the people would not have followed Rusty if they didn't see a solid conviction in him. Something to quench their thirst. "

With a sigh she continued .

" Back then , blazing in Rusty's eyes was hate. Hate for the people who he strongly believed caused and took away his dearest from him. "

" Sen . " Dym said.

" Yes . "

" Back then He and his grandfather lived in the very same village ,the previous Salur village, where the miasma event took place. "

" Rusty , back then, preached to the people that those two were the cause of all their suffering and the deaths that had occurred. What accelerated it more was that both Sen and his grandfather disappeared a few weeks after the Miasma event. " she added.

" So with them gone no one was there to plead for them . " Dym said his eyes searching blindly across the table.

" Looks like you've finally put two and two together. " the elder said.

For a second Dym's eyes flared wide open. How much does she know. Dym wondered. He lifted his gaze to her and with a slight chuckle said.

" You saw right through me , huh. "

" Pretending not to know means you were searching for something. " the elder said .

" Hope I have quenched your reasons."

" Yes . I thank you for that. "

" But judging from your tone there is more than that isn't there. "

The elder's eyes narrowed as they gazed at Dym.

" Yes . There is. "

" It's about Rusty's love. " she added.

" His love ? "

" Her name was Chin. You might know as The Virelune Chin. "

"Virelune Chin?… Wait you don't mean the first recorded Miasma survivor ? "

" I would say survivor more of a walking corpse to me but yes… the miasma event survivor Miss Virelune Chin . "

Dym was taken aback. He had heard stories of the sole old woman that had survived a recent Miasma event but never thought she would be tied to the official.

" So what is Sen's part in this ? If she survived the miasma event shouldn't Rusty have been glad ? "

" Yes he should but shortly after the event she was escorted to the capital and hasn't since returned. "

" Hmm. " Dym said as he gazed at his empty palms.

" A few days before her departure Rusty visited her . Since then to the end of his revolt against Sen and his grandfather he kept lamenting saying ' Why did this happen to her . She had a heart of gold. ' ."

" A heart of gold !? " Dym thought.

" As for Sen , I have sensed his arcane and the conflict going on within him. For a young boy like him he posses rather mature arcane within him stirring up his latent arcane capabilities. "

" Whatever caused it must have been devastating, enough to make him tremble at just hearing the word Salur. " she said shifting her gaze to Dym.

" So you think Sen was involved in the miasma event in someway ? " Dym asked returning the same gaze to her.

" In as much it's highly unlikely, Yes. I'm sure you had your suspicions. " she answered.

" Yes . But based on what I was informed not this far. "

Dym's jaw tightened, his gaze drifting from Elder Lin to the polished wood of the platform. He idly rubbed a thumb over the rim of his empty teacup, a faint crease forming between his brows as the Elder's words echoed in his mind.

"I guess this explains the official's reaction back at the guild. "

" What more have you been hiding, Trojn. " He wondered .

" If I may why tell me all this ? " Dym asked .

" Whatever it was , Sen's involvement in this is pivotal and I wish to know what it is. "

" Is that a request or a mandatory suggestion ? " Dym asked cautious of her actions.

" Neither. " she answered after short while.

" Whoever choose you didn't do it arbitrary. You must have something unique about yourself to be trusted with a mission this important. All I ask is to be the one to nurture Sen in his time in the guild."

" As for updates I already covered that. " she said with a small grin almost forming on her face.

" Covered… ?!"

Then it finally hit him.

" The tea. " he said as he looked at the tea leaves resting at the bottom of his cup.

" You bugged my tea ? " he said his eyes wide in surprise his head fell to the table defeated.

" No need to worry. They'll relay an information I need without obstructing your activities."

" Also you seemed like a feisty person and flames don't mix well with wood. " she said with a suppressed chuckle escaping.

Dym slowly rose from his seated position. He took a slight bow then turned for the exit.

" I'll take my leave. " he said as he walked towards the exit his arm rested on his stomach.