“This was not at all what we had discussed, Jin-Sei-Ahhad.”

In one of the Jeunoan backstreets, nestled out of sight of both townfolk and adventurers alike, sat two figures on a bench. An Elvaan dressed in Far Eastern equipment, and an elderly Hume man dressed in a white robe and holding a staff adorned with beads. The same Hume that had been following Siren’s Sword on and off for the past couple months.

When the Hume did not reply, the Elvaan grew frustrated. “Do you have nothing to say for yourself?”

The Hume, Jin-Sei-Ahhad, paused a moment, thinking over the Elvaan’s words. He reached into his cloak, and removed long, decorated pipe. Briefly he held it towards the head of his staff, and quietly uttered an incantation that lit the pipe, and he brought it to his lips, and inhaled deeply. As he exhaled, he glanced to the sky.

“I did what I said I would do. I would offer what guidance I could, to set them on their destined paths,” Jin-Sei-Ahhad uttered.

“We told you to keep them away from the Empire…!” The Elvaan growled at him, though hushed, trying to keep his voice down.

“That—my friend, was never something I agreed to.”

“So you betray us then? Allowing them to travel to Aht Urhgan, to potentially aid the Empire… our enemies?”

The Hume glanced sharply at the Elvaan, but only momentarily, as he stared ahead, eyes narrowing. “You are young. And your ears do not hear, or see the play that is at work,” he said, gesturing to the streets. “Aht Urhgan, in the form of Salaheem’s Sentinels, has come to the Middle Lands, seeking recruits. Seeking to gain the adventurer’s aid. Does that strike you not as odd?”

“Odd, yes. But only if you play the fool. The Empire would use these same adventurers in a war against us, the Far East! Are you blind to this!?”

“That is not the talk of these streets. The Empire would not turn to the Middle Lands unless it was absolutely necessary to its own survival. There is cause for concern in those lands… cause for concern, indeed.”

A silence forms between the two. The Elvaan moves to speak, but Jin-Sei-Ahhad interrupts, saying, “Some in the Far East, might see this as an opportunity—to strike the Empire when it is fragile,” he turns, and narrows his eyes on the Elvaan. “Lord Tenzen does not know you came to speak to me, does he?”

The Elvaan moved to stand, but Jin-Sei-Ahhad quickly brought his staff before the Elvaan’s feet. “Then this is a personal errand of yours,” the Hume replied. “I wonder who it is that you truly serve?”

The Elvaan forced the staff away and stood, beginning to quickly walk away. “Do not block my path aga—“

“Then it would have been you,” the Hume interrupted, eyes narrowing. “…that convinced the Tenshodo to not allow me to obtain a pass to Aht Urhgan?”

The Elvaan stopped walking, and stood silently. The two remained that way for a few moments, and Jin-Sei-Ahhad went to staring at the floor again.

“It is of no matter. My contacts in Aht Urhgan will see a pass into my hands in due time. As for you…,” Jin-Sei-Ahhad looked up, at the Elvaan’s back. “Pray that Lord Tenzen does not learn you serve another master. Ours is a holy mission, for those that Altana has chosen. Do not return to threaten me again.”

The Elvaan left, and like a true shinobi, vanished as soon as his form made contact with the shadows. Jin-Sei-Ahhad looked down, at a puddle before him, staring at the ripples in the water. He quietly reciting to himself, a poem.

It's always after the day
When light shines brightest
That during the night
The dark is deepest

As light shines bright
It consumes itself
Leaving a greater void
The dark grows deeper

As the dark consumes
Light shines less
And thus the veil of darkness
No longer lingers in the shadows

If light shines too bright
Then all light will die
If the dark consumes too much
Then all light shall die