If Gin expected a long touching reunion, he was thoroughly mistaken. After he got off the carriage, he had made a swift trot towards his parents' smiling figures. Sato and Sari had then started to move shortly after, making their way towards him. Gin had felt his heart contract with joy so painful the tears in his eyes threatened to fall. However, the emotions, the welled up tears abruptly halted as his parents pushed him to their side and made to greet Il San and Spear fervently.

From that action, Gin wanted to be shocked, or disappointed, and he wanted to be angry and throw the rowdiest tantrum, but he didn't. He calmly accepted the situation and stood behind his parents expressionlessly.

Why, some would ask? Was it the height of maturity? Was it the rudeness of parenthood that focused more on title than bond? Fine questions indeed. Yet… Gin had his own questions to make the choice of the answer easier.

How could his parents be any different just because they haven’t seen each other for a couple of months? Which pedestal was he placed on to make such significant changes happen? It would have all been so strange that Gin would choose to stand by the old geezer's side instead and scream, 'Fakes!', towards his parents. For good measure, he would make sure they didn't want to break any of their promises, like buying him the books he requested, before shouting his lungs off.

After the general greeting customs, they all headed inside the Little Distant Jade. The name of the place wasn't Gin's sense of humor taking a dive, no, to Gin’s disconcertment, that was the name that Spear had given the small estate. The story behind it was, for starters, the construction done on the Distant Jade had been quite cheap, so Spear had the same architect go to the Royal Capital and use the same design to build the Little Distant Jade for almost half the price of the original due to the size of the area had being put into consideration. This was the noted and hefty summarization that Spear made on the matter to Gin.

When the young one heard the story, it wasn't a surprise that his heart ached terribly. And he couldn’t even begin to imagine the feelings of the architect. To top this off, Spear had tempted the man by stating that since he was unknown, the work he would do for the Master and him would make him very famous not only in Janln but the Hanhal as well.

Again, Spear had made it abundantly clear that the architect wouldn't be building the estate for just anyone, he was doing it for the one and only Il San. What more would a struggling artist need for a promotion, the long-term promotion!

At the end of it, the trade-off did work to the architect’s advantage, he did become famous. The Art he adopted from his family was seen by all, praised by many, and used by some. Except, it didn’t go too far, maybe not as far as he had hoped. Yes, his remnants in Janln remained, but in the Royal Capital, he was only a speck in the dust.

The grandest places were done by architects renowned in the field, some, from Spear's telltale, with the use of the Divine Art. Though the architect had shared a cup or two with those in the big league, there was always a limit he wouldn't surpass. In Janln and other outwards city possibilities existed for him, but any desires for the Royals and wealthy only ended with said desire.

Hanhal's Imperial District. This was where the Little Distant Jade was located. It was near the edge of the Noble Ward, and only a selected few could purchase or be granted land on these outskirts. The select few obviously had some weight to them, and this led Gin to ask if it wasn’t detrimental to Il San to have a home that was below average. Especially compared to the other buildings spaced out in the outskirts.

Spear had rolled his eyes and told him that their Master was a humble man, the life of riches didn’t attract all, and he was one of those few. Also, among the expensive houses, what would attract you more would be the little humble home snugged in securely, no?

It was indeed logical, but when Spear had ended his talk with an evil grin, Gin had to redouble his efforts to question Spear's moral compass. The grin had let him know that Spear was only talking out of his arse and taking advantage of everyone including their Master's nonchalant attitude towards materialistic matters. Shameless!

While frowning, Gin saw Spear make his way to the front where some servants carried their luggage as well as other items to different parts of the building. Soon enough, Gin too moved from the back and made his way to the front to walk next to his mother. Since the layout of the Little Distant Jade was the same as the original, Gin knew that they were headed to the Reception Hall. While being baffled at the annoying design decisions and at the same time understanding its efficiency, Gin suddenly broached a question to Sari, “Mother, did you miss me?”

“Let's say I did,” Sari answered with a wave of her hand. She resumed ignoring Gin as she continued the conversation with Il San and Sato.

Gin sent her a side-eye and pressed his lips in annoyance. He didn’t know if his parents noticed that he had lost weight and his previous youthful charm. He was a little taller, and he had more muscle and wrinkles of worry! His steps were slightly gliding across the hall and not stomping on the wooden floor like he used to. In such a small amount of time, he had become a weapon of mass destruction compared to them, yet! Clenching at his chest and nearly tripping over his own feet, Gin was left wondering.

As Gin's pained one-man show went on, he heard his father's accusing voice, “What’s this? Not asking me? Do you think I have no feelings? Don't you think I've done more for you to at least acknowledge me?”

Gin looked to the side, away from Sato's view, and rolled his eyes. Sato’s voice was like a bitter cup of medicine to him. The only thing he could remember from the man was the one sentence: ‘What spending money?’. Gin was a proud person, and his pride came from being able to hold grudges. Gin didn't respond as he, his parents, and Il San walked into the Reception Hall. Gin saw Spear return from his peripheral view and entered right after him. With a solid humph, Gin sat down next to his mother, making Sato have to sit to the other side of Gin where he could be in the best position to receive his resentful glances.

A strong pinch to his side made Gin jump. “Behave yourself, silly child.”

If that chastising was all, Gin would let it go, but another pinch from his father made him tear up. A giggle escaped Sari as she leaned in and kissed Gin’s cheeks. Sato pulled him to his side for a tight hug.

“We missed you, indeed,” Sato said as he let go of his brooding son and patted his back.

Gin hummed, feeling content. He knew he was too easily swayed, but he couldn't help it. When he looked again at his father and mother, he felt the contentment grow. They didn't seem to have had any issues, this in itself was good. While the Ena family jested with one another, Spear and Il San had become bystanders as they watched the family’s amusing show of affection.

When the Ena family had come to the Royal Capital, Il San had them stay at the Little Distant Jade as they got things settled for their new home and business. The family had taken another fortnight to have all their things arranged and then moved out from the Little Distant Jade without any delays.

Il San had told them to remain in the estate and use their home as a place of operation to store and sell their harvest, but the two had denied his invite. They told him what they received was more than they had hoped for, and would have been too ashamed to ask for more.

“How has your stay been?” Il San asked when the servants brought in some refreshments.

“It was wonderful, Sir. Thank you very much for making it possible,” Sari spoke while giving Il San a respectful bow.

“You have been gracious to us, Sir, we do not know how to repay your kindness,” Sato added with his own respectful bow.

“Mm,” Il San hummed looking mildly satisfied.

“Why not rest and we can have dinner after. I’m sure the journey was an arduous one,” Sari suggested. She and her husband were to stay at the Little Distant Jade with Gin and take him home the following day. So there was no rush for anything else at that moment.

“No, we have some matters that are too important for us to discuss and it cannot be delayed any further. This has to do with Gin and his future. I hope you can spare me some of your time,” Il San spoke with all seriousness. Before he went on, he turned and looked at Spear.

°°

Nodding, Spear went to the Hall's door, a servant passed by then and he left them with a few instructions. When he was done, he closed the screen door and came back to settle down again on his seat. As all this happened, a curious Gin was left to question what was about to happen.

He knew the matter of the King's invitation wouldn't be easy to hide, so seeing his Master being proactive was a good sign. But he wondered whether Il San would tell all that had transpired between them, especially about the ‘revenge’. As Gin's eagerness was stoked, he saw Spear remove a circular object from his sleeve and put it on the table that they surrounded.

With a quizzical raise of his brow, Gin looked at the item curiously. Suddenly the item shook and just as quickly, stopped. This action made him even more puzzled, and if it wasn't for the tension that was gradually rising in the Hall, Gin would have asked several questions, but he didn't and kept his inquiries to himself for the time being.

“I had sent you a letter explaining that Gin will be extending his studies with me for the better part of the future, and you had both consented to this and left Gin in my care.”

The two parents nodded in assent to Il San's words. This was true and Gin had known about it as well. Il San's letter was sent with his own during the second week of his parents' departure. His Master had explained what he would tell them, and it didn't include the revenge aspect of their agreement.

Gin had rolled his eyes inwardly but had accepted the Master’s plan and gave the go-ahead. Even with this being the case, Gin felt it was within his rights to complain and have Il San be held accountable for the torture he was put through!

“There have been some unprecedented developments with Gin’s training and study of the Divine Art,” Il San announced.

Gin was caught off guard by the words Il San was using. What 'unprecedented developments' in my training? How did this turn to be my fault? The King is obviously after you? And we haven't even started proper lessons on the Divine Art, so where are you basing all these problems from?!

“Is it anything serious?” Sato asked in concern. Gin wanted to scoff at the unnecessary worry.

“Yes and no. Gin has an amazing talent and his adaptability to the training has been very promising. Although, this is only for his physical training which is important to get his body up to par with the acceptance of the Divine Art. The main issue comes in his immersion to acquire the Divine Art.”

Il San paused and looked at the three family members closely. Two had frowns and tense looks on their faces, while one looked like his mouth was about to open and spout nonsense again.

“This is told to you because I am your benefactor, and you are all under my protection. This is told to you because someone precious to you is involved and it's always best to get a head start on such matters. This is told to you, most importantly, because I trust you. Understand, unless stated otherwise, this knowledge is to be kept close to your hearts. And do comprehend that your very lives are at stake. I hope we are clear up to here. And I hope to have your Oaths before moving on.”

The atmosphere in the room plummeted. Gin's loss at what was going on made his mood far worse than the rest. But while everyone made their own guesses, they all had one person in mind: Gin. The young man who was as confused as they were, experienced a sense of dread creeping up to him.

He wasn't sure how the announcement of him going to see the King suddenly turned to the making of Oaths to gods, Oaths that weren't taken lightly in any space, or time, but he knew the feeling he was having was always right. Instincts were doing their very damn best to prepare him. For what though? That was the question.

Yet, he knew the particular nerves that were active meant he was about to lose control of his life's path once again. He wasn't going to be facing the 50/50 chance of simply dealing with the Royals and leaving scot-free. No, this was more. However, what was more important to him was, how did being the Master's student have anything to do with costing the lives of his parents?! Ah, yes, and that of Spear.

Il San didn’t dawdle. He never did. He went for the well-known long-winded chant from the Braquen religion, the Oaths of secrecy vowed and the gods to bear witness to the involved party's integrity. These Oaths were the one thing Il San knew the gods kept close track of no matter how irrelevant, and so he went on confidently to tell Sato and Sari about Gins training, the events that resulted in the Summons which was the reason that they were there. He finished with giving a short knowledge about the Divine Art. He didn't mention the revenge of course, but what he did next made that detail fade into the abyss. The climax of the matter; the Jade of the day: Gin was a Vessel.

All the people at the table were puzzled, this included Spear, and not to mention Gin. Il San understood the sense of confusion, thus he explained who and what Vessels were. He didn't skip on the finer details and told them the Vessel's importance to the King and the whole world, or more specifically, the Six Unity.

He told them that Gin may have to be registered to the University of Divinity, and by a slight association, the Schools of Life, at the Royal Palace. However, he would be much closer to the King than most Divine Art students or descendants. This was simply because Vessels were directly under the King, highly guarded and monitored due to their nature, and again, importance.

“No, I don't understand… I’m sorry, Master, but how am I a Vessel?” Gin asked, his incredulous tone was hard to hide. His disbelief didn't help him cover the emotions of how absurd he found the situation. Yet… what about the short experience he had with Il San and the 5? They seemed far-fetched but were nonetheless a part of reality. This conclusion kept Gin's wit about him.

“You are not able to see the Divine Aura, Gin. At most, what you see are fluctuations in the space around those that use the Divine Art. Disturbances of space, as my confidant had put it. Sari, Sato, what do you see surrounding us?” Il San looked at the two parents and motioned his hand slightly upwards.

Furrowing her eyebrows, Sari answered, “A glowing blue circle, well, a dome-like shape if I’m to be specific.”

When he heard that answer, Gin raised his head sharply to look up. He saw nothing. Not a speck of blue, or grey, or anything. What in ba’s sake…

“It's called a Protective Circle. Its use is rather simple as it prevents people from eavesdropping in our conversation,” Spear supplied. “It’s made by Crafters in the University, of course, and it’s easily purchased there or outside of Jade Nation. Their illumination of this specific Aura function can be manipulated to fit a small space like it is now, or the whole Hall. Every room in the Distant Jade, and the Little Distant Jade, has this device. It can be remotely accessed by either Master or me.”

As Spear spoke, Gin hadn't moved from his posture of looking up at the ceiling. He stared up and tried his best to see what they were seeing. Though Spear's words gave resolution to some issues, Il San's words didn't. And Gin knew they never would.

“Gin, you really can’t see it?” Sato asked while placing his hand on Gin’s shoulder. His voice was drenched with more worry.

This time, Sato's concern was justified to Gin. He would have felt the same way if he learned of some bizarre things as his son sat in a daze while his future morphed completely beyond their imagination.

“No, father… I really can’t see anything,” Gin finally turned and looked at Sato. He felt helpless. He truly felt lost. Was his life always going to be so out of his control? Was he to be dragged from one mess to another, no choices or options provided? Would he ever remove that growing boulder blocking his path?

Gin looked back up at the ceiling. He saw nothing but the ceiling's wood. However, this time he wasn't looking for the Aura, no, he had strayed too far to spare any energy to the fruitless labor. A deep sigh escaped Gin as he closed his eyes in weariness.