Enigma of Sin

As Kayn stood there, he slowly brought his fingers up to his lips as he smiled. He then shook his head and began walking to his own home, lost in thought.

'Why am I acting like this with her? It's not like this is the first time I've kissed someone. While I'm not able to remember what love felt like from my life on Earth, I don't think I ever acted like this. It's like being around Kinzie makes me stupid, or at the very least makes me act like a little child.'

He didn't think he was in love with Kinzie, he just liked her as a potential partner for his future. Or was he really just that infatuated with her that she could influence his brain function?

If he hadn't experienced another full 22 years of life, maybe he would understand. However, Kayn had lived through the pubescent stages already, so he was having difficulty with coming to the understanding why he was reacting the way he was.

Kayn then just put his hands behind his head as he walked, "Well whatever, all is well that ends well." Kayn once again smirked, from this point on he and Kinzie could steadily build their relationship as they now knew how the other felt.

That night, Kayn slept like a rock, even sleeping through his usual training time. Maria's morning session went without a hitch, but she once again found Kayn's mood odd. Though, since he was in a good mood she wasn't worried.

If there was one difference about today than previous days, there was a communication crystal in his pocket that he would pull out on occasion to see if anyone had called or left a message.

That afternoon, Kayn received a call, just as he expected. Unfortunately, it wasn't the correct communication crystal, instead it was from Charlotte Erving.

"Hello Kayn, I hope all is well with you and your role as a professor. I apologize for only calling you back now after that incident, but I've been quite busy as of late. I'll get straight to the point though as my time is precious currently." Charlotte paused momentarily to let Kayn respond so she knew he was there.

"Yes, hello Charlotte. And it's been going amazingly, I have no complaints after the assassination attempt. Go ahead though, I'm listening." Kayn responded with minimum details as she really did seem in a hurry.

"First, you had asked me about one Marco DeMarco. I'll be honest, I haven't been able to find much. However, I know that he is someone who is somehow involved in the next topic I'm about to mention. This is also where a request I have for you lies.

"If you remember back when the attempt on your life happened, you had asked about information to locate the Black Hand Society. I am willing to give you that information under certain stipulations.

"There has been an increase in the number of children being abducted from the city as well as surrounding areas. So far, we can only assume this is the work of slavers, but the empire is having difficulty getting concrete proof. This is due to corrupt nobles being a part of this ring, and they are interfering with the investigations from the shadows. I believe your Marco DeMarco is one of these shadows." She paused here to let Kayn process for a second.

"Now, I am assuming you wanted the information on the Black Hand Society in order to either infiltrate their ranks or directly attack them and search for clues. The second option is not an option, it is suicide as they have multiple 6th rank cores in their upper ranks. However, the first option is viable and also what I would like to request of you.

"None of us that are actually investigating this are able to use thing angle ourselves since our combat styles are all well-known and documented, however, yours is not. What I would like to ask of you is to infiltrate the Black Hand Society as an assassin.

"You can choose which elements you would like to show, but you are not allowed to use light or water, at least anything flashy that would demonstrate your ability to use them anyway.

Once you are qualified as a member, you will be taking and are only allowed to take, contracts pertaining to slavers or other criminals. You will not target innocents, even if they can lead you to your target. Do I make myself clear?" Charlotte's stern voice echoed out from the crystal in a commanding tone.

"We also cannot just attack and destroy the Black Hand Society. They are a necessary evil. They accept contracts for innocents, but they also remove the scum as those type of people tend to contract the Black Hand to get rid of their competitors.

"Now, I'm not asking you to do this for free. If you agree, I will allow you to select one of my treasures for yourself, and once we have successfully dealt with the ring of children traffickers, I will have a special item prepared for you.

"I know you have other priorities, and your time is also thin as it is, but this is very important. For you, you would be killing two, no three birds with one stone. Two powerful items, and information on your target.

"I also know this is a low blow, but think of the families and children suffering because of these people. They murder entire families just to take the children and sell them into slavery. Please, help me with this Kayn. I will help you in any way I can."

Kayn sat back in his chair as he processed everything she said. He had a bone to pick with slavers ever since the incident with Kinzie, and the fact that they were kidnapping and selling off children for who knows what purposes marked all of his checkboxes.

The fact that his target, Marco DeMarco, was involved made him more than willing to participate. While he wasn't happy that she played with his heartstrings by relating his own family incident to it, he understood.

What he didn't understand is how or why she was involved in this in the first place as she was the leader of a healing society, but that wasn't really his problem.

He really wanted the information on the Black Hand Society, and she hit the nail on the head when she assumed he wanted to join them. He hoped that he would be able to select his contracts after reading the information on them, and she had just confirmed it.

The only thing weighing on his mind, stopping him from accepting, was the fact that he wasn't sure if this was a risk he had to or could take right now. He was told he wouldn't stand a chance against Marco in his current state, so even if he did make progress and even find him, what could he do?

However, Charlotte seemed a little desperate for his help, and she would owe him if he did this for her. He could also keep Lara perfectly safe by taking her with him in the Villa and she would be none the wiser to what was happening outside.

His time was stretched thin currently, but if he cut out sleep on a regular basis since he really didn't need to sleep every night, it wouldn't be a problem. The issue would come with trying to sneak out of the academy and also perform the assassinations without being caught.

For this, Kayn wanted to rely on the element he had practiced a lot out in the wilds, but really hadn't had an opportunity to use in the last few years, the shadow element. If he could gain some mastery over this element, he might just be able to meld himself with shadows and darkness in general.

Kayn had a few ideas on how to make his presence invisible, but he would need time to work them out and lots of practice before he felt comfortable utilizing them in a real situation.

"I will help you. However, I need some time. Do you have a time frame that you would like me to join them and start by?" Kayn finally responded positively, albeit with the requirement she give him time to prepare.

"Mmmm, well I was hoping you could begin within five days, but I understand I'm rushing you a bit. How about a month? Will that give you enough time to solidify your plans and preparations? We can even brainstorm together the things which you have doubts on if you would like."

Charlotte replied with a shorter time frame than Kayn was hoping for, but he should be able to succeed within a month if he sacrifices sleep and spends all of his free time training.

He was honestly hoping to be able to start once the month-long break between semesters started, but it looked like that was a long shot and Charlotte was in more of a rush than he anticipated. For someone who had lived millions of years though, a month was a very, very short amount of time.

Aside from that, this would definitely interrupt the time he was hoping to spend with Kinzie while building their relationship.

However, it would be fine, he would still prioritize her when it was possible. Too much of a good thing wasn't always bad, but it wasn't always good either. Taking it slow was probably the best option, and this only gave him a reasonable excuse to not rush things.

"I should be able to make that work. In the meantime, if you have any ideas on how to bypass the academy's security so that I don't have to register entry and exit, that would be best. I will also think about the best options as well." 

"Actually, I have a suggestion on that front. May I visit you tomorrow and we can go from there. I'll also gather up my treasures and bring them with me for you to look at as well." Charlotte suggested.

"That should be fine. However, I do have class in the morning as well as a tutoring session scheduled for the afternoon, so it would be best for you to arrive in the evening."

"Deal, I will see you tomorrow evening then. Thank you for this Kayn." With that Charlotte disconnected the call.

Kayn could only slide down into his chair and gaze as the ceiling with frustration. Of course his life couldn't just stay peaceful, with the good will almost assuredly come the bad for him.