If an Oracle had gone and told Gin that one day he would be seated with the 5 legends, and the Master of said legends wanted to teach him the Divine Art to attain his revenge… He had no idea what he would have done or said. He was sure the Oracle would have thrown their foresight gifts away and wondered alongside Gin at the ridiculousness of the matter. Gin sure was.

Chuckles could be heard around the room, but none came from Gin or Il San.

"Do you see these?" The Master waved his hands towards his students.

Gin nodded, his eyes still on Il San. He wasn’t sure what the question had to do with the issue he thought should take precedence, but he willingly went along with it. His mind still hadn’t wrapped around the 'R' word just yet, and this question just may lead to the whole thing being a big joke. The elder did seem to like to take his time in reaching the points that Gin could understand.

"Loads of horse crap; all of them," Il San grunted out bitterly.

"B-but, they are your students, prodigies of the Nation of Jade," Gin countered, still flustered. He breathed in, trying to take reign of himself, but he struggled to calm down. He knew if his current state of mind continued, he wouldn’t get much done.

‘When overwhelmed, take several steps back and see everything outside of yourself’. This was what his father had taught him. Not because Gin had had tough life decisions to make, rather, working in the large fields of land sometimes made him frustrated to no end. There were times he felt like the work wouldn't finish, but his father would take him to where they started so he could see how far he had come, and then he would say those words to him, all so he could find it in him to work more diligently. He was surprised that the words had more importance than he had given them credit for.

Il San humphed in disdain, "Students? I disowned them long ago! Prodigies? For who? Me? These selfish ingrates?!"

This... What is going on? Gin turned towards the 5 students. They all didn't look half bothered by the insults being hurled at them. They looked quite content actually. Was it a normal occurrence? Was it the new tradition between Masters and disciples? What did it all have to do with revenge? Even with the many questions, Gin had to admit that their nonchalant behavior gave him an anchor for calm.

"That is why you shouldn't follow them, young Gin. Stay here and receive the best studies from Master," Spear said gently.

"Ha! When will you be leaving here, Spear? Or do you think Master was only chasing us out?" Kiri asked with a ridiculing grin.

"Impudent! My place is at my Master's side, unlike you filth!" Spear admonished with intense righteousness.

"Mhm. Right where the money is," Lock smiled, still in her snoozing pose. If she didn't talk, someone would have thought she was napping throughout the conversation.

With that remark, Gin saw Spear in a new light. Was he going to suddenly believe in Lock’s words after the folly she had pulled on him? Yes. He was a person outside of their bubble, and they all seemed to dislike each other, so their truths about themselves should be most accurate. He had come to learn this the hard way when bickering, but fiercely loving husband and wife saw each other as their better half.

Honestly, what did all the happenings have to do with the revenge? Gin was already given all the pieces of the puzzle, and he pieced them together as he sat there in a contemplative daze. His conclusion, if he went on with the absurdity of the situation, was that this Master wanted revenge, and the five prodigies had been his way towards it.

If, when the Master had taken them in, he had offered, possibly more considerate, the same thing as he did Gin, then it meant that the so-called legends had completely disregarded his wishes. From the way the prodigies led their lives, and the Master's distaste towards them, it didn't seem like the vengeance had been successful or even attempted to be acquired. To Gin, all this meant was that the 5 tossed the pile of wishes in the Glazing Seas of Center, never to be seen or known of again!

Father... Mother... This truly wasn’t a good idea... Gin lamented with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Master, I am only to stay here for three months. I don't think this is an agreeable decision," Gin gave what he praised to be a leveled response. But…

Why does this sound like something so casual? Like declining tea... Gin pondered. Revenge was what the Master wanted, so this meant that the issue must certainly be serious. And, serious added with revenge meant dangerous. Gin and danger should never mix; in fact, danger should never be mixed with anyone. Unless the idea behind danger was losing control of plowing oxen, an experience Gin understood all too well, he believed it wasn't worth it, and most certainly, none of his business!

"I have decided! I am your benefactor, and now, your Master. You will learn from me and your method of payment for what I teach you will be to avenge me!" Il San proclaimed, his voice coiled with finality. Gin's input on the matter became irrelevant.

"But Master—" Gin began.

"Give it up," Flower raised their hands in mock surrender, "Once he decides on something, it's next to impossible to stop him."

The rest of the group nodded in grim assent.

And that's supposed to deter me?! Gin raged to himself. He didn’t know if getting accepted into one’s house for a singular purpose, then driven towards another, more outrageous purpose, was something normal for the 5, but to him, it definitely wasn’t! Gin's rattled emotional state settled well in his boiling rage; right where it needed to be so he could calm down enough to handle his current predicament.

The seemingly random, nonsensical offers the other 4 had dashed at him made sense to Gin right then. It explained why they were so adamant in recruiting him. The Master had planned to have him be his avenger. But, how long had this plan been in motion? Was that why they had come to the Distant Jade as well? Should he feel flattered!? Say if he agreed to the preposterous situation, did that mean he was to be their lackey when he learned the Divine Art at someone else's expense?

Actually, did his parents know about this? He highly doubted it. However, would he do it even if this was, unusual as it may be, their plan? Of course not! Absolutely not!

Pressing his lips, Gin decided to have another go at his refusal. "No, I don't think you understand. My parents—"

"You don't have to worry about them. I'll inform them. I'm sure they would be happy to know that you chose to go through this path," Il San interrupted before Gin could use his parents as his saving grace.

Chose? You stubborn old man... Gin fumed painfully in his heart. He bowed his head slightly to hide his hate-filled glare, he felt his body start to tremble. The only reason he didn't allow his ‘smart mouth’ to emerge and have him saying what he felt, was all because his parents had warned him of the importance of Il San to the Ena family. Gin couldn't believe he had thought the man to be wise! The lesson of that day was most definitely ignoring what one heard and accepting what one saw as truth instead! He did have to admit though, the old fogey was indeed full of tenacity!

Gin forced a smile on his lips, which relaxed his expression a tad compared to the dissatisfied look that was itching to claim his face, as he raised his head. "Master, I do not believe this is the right path for me." If a polite and long winded ‘no’ couldn’t suffice, he might as well take the other longer route. Having to explain why he didn’t want to be an avenger—the thought of that made his brain a bigger mess—forced the matter beyond fictitious for him.

Il San furrowed his brows. He clearly didn't want to take the bait, but he did so anyway. "How so? Do you not want to gain the use of the Divine Art?"

Gin didn’t understand why the man had such a one-dimensional view of the Divine Art, or maybe it was Gin himself that had said view. When Il San had announced the ‘offer’, it was as if he had set the matter in stone, not to be contended with, because everybody loves the Divine Art.

"Not at all," Gin waved his hand with disinterest. His boiling anger dissipated a margin seeing that Il San was willing to listen.

His answer, though short, had piqued everyone's interest. Being given a chance to gain the use of the Divine Art was no easy fit. Gin's opportunity landed nicely on his lap, yet he was swatting it away to the ground like dirt. Compared to other various art forms that could easily gain a Master, the Divine Art was the complete opposite, and definitely the most expensive art form to learn. Having someone take you in as the five had been, meant you had the gods dealing you your luck personally, or a fortune to your backing.

"Do you understand the value of the Divine Art?" inquired Il San, his interests ensnared.

"Not at all," Gin repeated his answer with the same wave of his hand.

The interest everyone had doubled over. Some had their eyebrows raised, others their mouths open, another still in their sleeping pose but attentive nonetheless with a tilt of their head. They saw Gin's answer as willful ignorance towards the rumors, and they couldn't even call it the country bumpkin syndrome because he didn't act as they had expected.

"Why is that?" Flame asked, her gaze staying on Gin.

"Well..." Gin started, "frankly, it's of no use to me. Say I agree, which I don’t, with all this and things end well, I will be left with the powers but nothing to do with them. What value would they add then? I guess it could have various values, but it doesn't apply to me. With or without it I lose nothing. And, how could I understand something that is closely guarded? Rather than it being expensive, precious, and tempting, it's more of a privilege. Entertainment for the rich, even. I don't want to learn something of such nature. Maybe if I was born in the high ranks of those in the Royal Capital, it may have been a different story altogether; maybe. However, the question of its value is rather redundant to ask a commoner."

"It could earn you a fortune!" Flower countered.

To Gin though, Flower's statement meant their very own definition of ‘earning a fortune’, and nothing at all to do with caution or lawful activities.

"Yes, and take more of said fortune from the get-go than probably what I would get in return," Gin mumbled in further disinterest.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, he wasn't a lost cause altogether.

"Well, that's what the rumors say about such a thing. What I want is a simple life as a farmer, like my father, and become a small scholar settled down somewhere nice and die in peace; in my sleep preferably."

Farmer? Cold sweat dripped from the six people in the room as they looked at the contented expression on Gin's face.