Emerald Hearts

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Hae Ri

Is this the place?

After a few weeks of searching, I got word about Insai. It was said to be the land of knowledge - a place to get answers. My first target was this gem around my neck.

I was hoping to find someone to speak to, but it was a ghost town. The man that sent me here never mentioned that the city was abandoned. Nevertheless, I continued to explore. The houses were in bad shape, left structurally unsound. I stopped at the first one I came across. Water settled around its perimeter and tiles from the roof laid broken on the floor. I ducked through the small opening and entered the dim house.

The air was stuffy and the harsh smell of mold hit me. The people of Insai were an advanced group, so I expected to find some scholarly writings. I searched, but could not find anything of the sort. There were however, some contraptions that I had never seen before.

One machine was made of wood and had some old parchment under it. In its center, there were several circle parts with groves that interlocked with each other. I took hold of a bar that was attached to the side.

I fiddled with it and found that I could move it in a circular motion. The odly shaped circles moved together, simultaneously moving a wooden block up and down on the parchment. Like magic, characters I could not read faintly appeared on the parchment. I marveled at the invention.

Wow, this is so innovative.

That message would have taken forever to write by hand. I looked at the other Insaian items, but they were badly damaged. The other houses had interesting inventions, but they did not offer the information I needed. I eventually came across a rather ancient building. My wooden soled shoes echoed as I walked on the stone floor.

The building reminded me of the temple in Juran. I imagined Areum running around with her green aura following her. Instead of the Sacred Crystal there was a statue of a faceless man in the center. Dead flowers and incense ash laid by his feet. His hands were out, with his palms faced up. This was clearly a religious figure and it would be disrespectful to touch it, but I had to investigate.

There had to be more to this statue. I leaned in to get a closer look when I was met with the tip of a blade. It was dangerously close to my neck. I backed away slowly and it followed.

"W-who are you?" I asked.

The person in the shadows remained silent and took a few steps forward. Before I knew it I was staring in the face of the person behind the sword. Someone I wished to never see again.

Light illumined a chiseled jawline, defined nose, and almond shaped eyes. The swordsman.

"You," I said with hands readied.

His expression was cold and unwavering, his gaze intense. "Who sent you?" He asked, his voice deep and his words slightly accented.

"Sent?" Confusion fell over me. "I don't know-"

His voice was forceful. "Lying will get you nowhere. Who sent you?"

Wait, he can't be serious. Does he think I am an assassin or something?

I let out a short laugh of disbelief. "I am not working for anyone. You think I want us to keep meeting like this?"

"I have reasons to believe that you do. We can do this the easy way. Tell me what I need to know and you will be on your way."

"There is nothing to tell." My hands glowed purple. "I don't know what your problem is, but you are not my concern."

"That is just an excuse so I would not suspect you. It is all a part of your plan." His eyes narrowed and his grip strengthened on his sword.