4.

‘The tower of Harvest. A warding totem found on the site experts think the first battlefield of the Meteora Wars. It is said to goad unknowing spirits—’

Kanai went on a roll after explaining the history behind the item, calling increasing number left and right.

Rose had gone quiet in Silvah’s lap ever since Asher gave her the stone. She was fiddling with it, covering it with both hands so Silvah couldn’t tell what exactly she was doing.

‘Though there’s not much that can be done with so little time, Asher was right,’ Shisui said.

May brought him a sweating glass filled to the brim with an orange drink. The dreaded Ishwari Standard.

‘My Uncle enjoys that drink, too,’ Silvah said.

‘Huh. Does he? The classic or new version?’

‘In his opinion the new one is the same as distilled water.’

‘A man of taste, then. I’d love to meet him.’

Silvah didn’t think it was just a polite comment.

‘Back to what I was saying, though,’ Shisui said, ‘there’s not a lot of time left. So, I will quickly explain to you why you and the other two are here.’

‘I’m here to find my sister,’ Silvah said, leaving no room for discussion.

And locate my parent’s murderer. The primary suspect of which just walked out the door.

‘You won’t find your sister,’ Rose said, finally aware of the outside world again. The stone was no longer there but Silvah spotted sprinkles of dust on her palm.

‘How do you know that?’

The tone of Silvah’s voice took a deep dive but the little girl only smiled.

‘I don’t mean it like that, big sis. You cannot search for someone who is already at your side.’

‘What?’

Rose pointed at her necklace.

‘Touch it. Think of the cold and push.’

Silvah looked from Rose to Shisui who had his hands under his chin and patiently waited.

‘Okay.’

She grabbed a hold of her necklace, her fingers twining in the gaps between the beads. There was indeed a cold. A chill unlike the one she had felt before. She focused on it. The frigid temperature penetrated deep into her chest, freezing her lungs in place.

‘Push,’ she heard Rose say faintly.

Silvah pushed. It was easy. Easy like moving her dominant arm which she had been using her entire life. When she opened her eyes, Asha was there, sitting in the seat Ryu had vacated. Silvah could only stare in disbelief.

‘So she wasn’t in my mind…’

The last syllable hitched in her throat, turning into more of a sob.

‘I don’t know what or how it happened, but she’s become a part of you,’ Rose said. ‘You are linked.’

‘In the world of us sorcerers we would call such a being a “summon”,’ Shisui said. ‘More specifically a cellite, since your sister consists of only cele energy. Had she been foul, she would be called a foulbeast. Both terms are considered belittling if that is your sister, though.’

Asha wasn’t leaning or sitting on the chair as a normal person would. She was floating on top of it. Like a log on sea. Her long, white dress billowed above the floor, and if you looked carefully, her feet never really touched the ground either. She wasn’t truly a part of this world.

‘Is she dead?’ Silvah asked. It was the one thing she wanted to know.

‘That depends,’ Shisui said.

Silvah turned to him, her eyes pleading.

‘Most summons—especially those in the form of real people—are dead, yes. However. Whether or not that is the case here depends solely on you and your ability which put her in this state to begin with.’

‘My ability?’

Shisui’s glass clinked on the table. He stood and strode to the window looking down at the auction below.

‘Through fate or coincidence, you’re a sorcerer, Silvah. Someone blessed with an innate talent if you will. Ryu is one. Asher, too. And so are those two men who you took on as guests.’

In the craziness that was happening, Silvah didn’t even question how Shisui knew about Miles and Damien.

‘Those two in particular are part of a group of sorcerers—the Meteora Society. The younger of them is a student at their school: Yumekyo Meteora Art College.’

‘It’s where young folk learn about their abilities,’ Rose said. The way in which she said it left something unspoken that Silvah couldn’t place with her current state of mind.

‘My guess,’ Shisui said, ‘is that by the end of the week you’ll be among their number. They’ll help you discover your potential to the fullest, so there’s no need to worry about your powers just yet.’

Silvah tried to take everything that was being said in.

‘I’m afraid I don’t see your part in this,’ Silvah said.

Shisui smiled.

‘I am a fair man. I do not believe in forcing or misleading others—that only leads to betrayal. And so, you will find that I have no part to play in the mess coming your way in the short term.’

‘Short term,’ she repeated.

‘Yes. Can I give you a hypothetical? An idea of mine.’

Silvah leaned forward.

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‘A person’s abilities are of course unknowable until they discover them themselves. But. There is a concept known as “hereditary arts”. Abilities inherited from ancestors. Now, let us assume you are one such person and that I for whatever reason am aware of what your powers are.’

The man turned, glancing back from the window frame.

‘Let us also assume that your sister is not actually dead. Instead, she is a soul separated from her body. In this scenario, should you find her body, you can bring her “back to life”.’

‘Where do I find her?!’

Silvah’s hands gripped her armrest. She would’ve flown off her chair if Rose wasn’t still in her lap.

Shisui raised his hands in a placating gesture.

‘Calm down. We’re speaking in hypotheticals, remember?’

They both knew they weren’t.

‘Safe to say,’ Shisui continued, ‘I am one of two people on the planet who can not only tell you where she is but also help with the eventual retrieval. Here is a spoiler: the other will not help you no matter what. They will simply keep you on a leash until you fulfil your purpose.’

‘Big brother is not like that,’ Rose said.

‘I am indeed not. Always. Always. I will offer all a fair chance, a fair hand at the game. That way we can help each other in good conscience.’

Shisui sat back down in his chair.

‘Shortly after you become a member, the college will send its yearly quota of members to one of the islands in the Forlorn Isles. It’s part of the annual Sorcerer Exam. You should join. If afterwards you are convinced of what I am saying, visit me. Rose will tell you how.’

‘I do not need to be convinced.’

The man opposite her chuckled.

‘That is good. However, you are not ready—would not be ready. Hypothetically speaking, of course.’ He grinned.

‘You simply lack the skill, big sis,’ Rose chimed in.

‘Think of the place your sister is being held as a fortress,’ Shisui said, ‘right now you’re just a foot soldier. Unless you turn yourself into a siege weapon, you’ll just get gunned down in front of the gates.’

‘Then how do I do that?!’

He was talking circles around her, and it was starting to grate on her.

‘Let’s see.’ Shisui rubbed his chin. However, Silvah could tell he wasn’t really thinking about his next words. ‘Retrieving the egg would be a start.’

Egg…the one Aoki had mentioned?

‘I’ve heard about it,’ she said. ‘What is it supposed to be? A rare creature?’

If so, she could understand it would have value for the rich but it sure as hell didn’t mean anything to her.

The man considered.

‘A spirit would be the explanation you’d understand best at the moment,’ he finally said.

‘An extremely powerful one,’ Rose added. ‘One that would give you the potential of becoming a siege weapon.’

And retrieve Asha, they left unspoken. Which settled the affair in Silvah’s mind.

‘Where do I find it? It’s being auctioned off, isn’t it?’

‘Telling you that would make this too straightforward,’ Shisui said. ‘And unfair to boot. This is a task you need to complete using your own abilities and connections. If you can’t? Well. You would never amount to anything close to what you need to get your sister back.’

Unfair? I see. Ryu being after it was obvious since Aoki spoke of his superior searching for it. But it wouldn’t be only him. Asher was after it, too. That’s why they were here. They must have their own reasons for wanting this ‘powerful spirit’.

However, Ryu had spoken of winning Shisui’s allegiance. What was that about? Was it just for information? The way Shisui phrased things made it seem like there was more to it, though.

‘Is there a price for winning the game just now?’ Silvah said.

‘My power,’ he said.

Silvah’s forehead scrunched.

‘I thought you weren’t going to help me.’

‘Not directly. No. But victories need to be rewarded. What I will give you is a fighting chance. Something you sorely need since you are new to this.’

‘You have three choices,’ Rose took over the explanation. ‘One, big brother teaches you how to cloak melee weapons in spirit energy. This will allow you to hurt spirits and get through the defences of other sorcerers. Two, he can teach you how to enhance yourself. This allows you to protect yourself from other’s attacks. Three—’

‘I teach you the basics of spirit manipulation,’ Shisui finished.

Steam exploded from the top of Rose’s head. The man stuck out his tongue.

Silvah thought hard as the two flew into a playful fit of brother and sister squabble.

‘Spirit manipulation is not the same as manipulating energy?’

Shisui kept his little sister at a distance with a single hand on her forehead.

‘Everything is energy manipulation in the end. What I was talking about was your summon—your sister—though. I cannot tell you how to “use” or interact with her. For that I need intimate knowledge of your innate ability. What I can give you is the most common ways summoners have found to manipulate their bound companions.’

‘I thought you were aware of my ability already?’ she said. ‘In your hypothetical scenario,’ she added before he could.

‘In broad strokes, yes. Which is why I specified “intimate.”’

Right. Silvah wasn’t sure if she was buying that.

‘Which is also why spirit knowledge could end up being worthless,’ he added as a warning. ‘Not every spirit companion’s ability is useful. Some are extremely specific and getting them to work for you requires careful planning, setup and expertise.’

Expertise that she lacked.

So. She could choose between offence, defence, or how to communicate with Asha. Easy choice. If her intuition was correct, the first two were things almost every sorcerer could already do. Knowing how to do them would level the playing field at best. However, Asha was something only she had. Not only that, but she also wouldn’t choose anything over a chance of getting to connect with her sister. Even if it was life or death. Think about it. Maybe she could speak to her. She could already hear her sister’s voice in her ear, the memory a little faded with the time that had passed since she had last spoken to her.

‘I shouldn’t have tried,’ Shisui said.

‘My mind was made up from the start.’

He motioned her closer.

‘Give me your hand.’

She did. When nothing happened, she looked up and found him amiably looking at her.

‘Is something—’ she begun.

There was no explanation for what she felt during the next sequence of events. If it could even be called a sequence. It was like waking up without having dreamt. An instantaneous process between the infinitely small units of time making up the universe. Between those instants, knowledge had simply entered her brain. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

The siblings went silent, giving her a moment to digest the new information.

‘If you are ready, you should hurry,’ Shisui said. ‘The first break is almost starting.’

Silvah blinked. This was…no. Think and move, Silvah. Ryu and Asher were already outside, doing what they could to increase their chances of getting the egg. She was falling behind. Leaving now would leave some queries unanswered such as how Shisui had done what he just did and more importantly—what Shisui’s stake in all of this was. But it didn’t matter. Not one bit. It could all be magic horseshit for all she cared, and if getting that stupid spirit would ultimately help her recover Asha, she would retrieve it and shove it down Shisui’s throat.

‘I just have to bring the egg back here, right?’ she asked.

Shisui’s lips curved upwards like he was listening to a joke only he could hear.

‘Sure. That will do.’

‘Then I will beg my leave.’

She sped towards the exit. Too fast. Because she staggered after her first step and had to lean on a nearby chair for support. Her head was pounding. Had this been a minute ago, before Shisui worked his trick, she would’ve explained this as the lingering remnants of almost getting knocked out upon entering the room. She knew better now.

Keeping Asha out is draining my energy. And that drainage left less energy for herself. She needed to recall Asha. Store her in her body again so she had enough energy left to call her when she needed her. Cold. Look for the cold. She focused, trying to search for the chill energy inside herself. Slow and easy. She simply had to do the opposite of what she did when pushing her out. Touching her necklace, Silvah accidentally yanked on the icy temperature in her mind. Damn. Too much force. She looked to where Asha was on instinct. Her sister was now standing in front of her, gazing directly at her. This was the first time she had made eye contact since Silvah started seeing her.

Shisui chuckled.

‘A natural, like I said. Amusing how the chips stack up sometimes. Ah. Before I forget, I’ll give you a name you can ask after once you’re in the college. It’s to lend my hypothetical story of your sister some credibility.’

He gave her the name. Then said his goodbyes. Misha coincidentally started waking up as their conversation ended. His mind wasn’t fully there yet, though, and May helped him outside.

Rose handed Silvah an earring. Infusing it with cele energy would allow the two of them to talk as long as Silvah was in Yumekyo, the little girl said. With that she said her goodbyes, too. Despite not wanting to, Silvah recalled Asha all the way and strode outside. The door closed behind her, leaving her by herself to support a barely standing Misha. In a strand of good or maybe bad luck, Ryu wasn’t waiting for her like he had promised. Perhaps the conversation inside took too long. Silvah didn’t think so. She gouged Ryu as a patient individual if anything. So, if he decided to leave, it meant he was up to something.

Silvah trudged towards the elevator as quickly as she could and headed downstairs.