The Silver Seer

Chapter 4: Flour & Flame

Reko looks up at the sky, watching as the helicopter's black body disappears out of his sight. His face stings with the few pieces of gravel imprinted in his face from leaping at who he thought was a spy or enemy, only to find out it was none other than Felix. He runs his hand over his face several times, feeling where the gravel is and either picking or rubbing the pieces off of his skin.

Why did his captain leave? Where is he going? When will he return? Why didn't he tell Reko about this? He tells Reko everything (as far as the teenager knows), so something must be different about this situation.

Feeling something touch his shoulder, he whips around, and sees Hesekiel retract his hand and stare at Reko with an expression between surprise and concern. The teenager just averts his gaze and walks past his peer, in the direction of Felix's office.

He doesn't want to talk to anyone unless they will provide him with answers of where Felix is going. Even if he has to search for those answers alone, he will find them. Nothing can stop him. Everything he does is for his captain. Switzerland's safety is just an added bonus.

As the office comes into view, emerging from within is Lumi, and Reko stops, wondering what business the quiet girl had with his captain. She catches sight of him, and turns her body so they face one another, until Reko takes it upon himself to approach her as calmly as possible and ask his necessary question.

"Why were you in Komentaja's office?" Reko can freely use Komentaja as a way to address Felix when chatting with Hesekiel, Kal, Lumi, and some of the other officers like Thilo, Rainier and Sigfried. If he used the term in front of, for instance, Berlyn, he would get a confused look.

"I wished to speak to him about the situation on the horizon." Lumi's voice is soft, and she looks over her shoulder at the office's closed door.

Reko stares at the door, a realization coming over him. Since Lumi exited later than Felix, it must have been left open. Which means Reko can find what he desires: answers.

The teenager nods and walks past Lumi, not caring whether or not she sees him enter his captain's office. Felix always locked the door whenever he left, meaning wherever he left to this time was urgent. He needed to go somewhere, but exactly where and for what, Reko does not know.

Upon entering, Reko sees the small first aid kit his captain keeps in a drawer out on the desk, with a roll of bandages and tweezers laid out beside it. As he approaches the desk, his eyes catch the glitter of something on the far right side of the floor.

It appears to be...silver paint? Does Felix like painting? Reko doesn't recall him ever expressing an interest in painting- only reading in his spare time.

Speaking of, a reflection of the bookcase on the other side of the room should show up in the mirror, but it is turned around, so the glass faces the wall. Reko peeks behind it, and notices not only the fractured state of the mirror, but also a dustpan filled with glass, as well as the silver paint.

Is his captain creating some kind of mural that requires destroying his office in the process? Reko believes it is highly unlikely. But it is hard for him to think of anything else that explains the mess.

Felix always kept his office extremely clean, mentioning it is hard to work on anything if the desk and the area itself is in need of cleaning, whether it be items on the floor, or dust on the desk's dark wood surface.

Coming up to the right side of the desk, Reko spots Felix's phone, turned so the screen faces up. He almost always has the screen facing down, especially when talking to an officer, if his phone is out at all, in order to show he is giving them his utmost attention and respect. It's all in an attempt to prevent another incident like Forchhiem. But Reko will ensure nothing like that ever happens again.