Enigma of Sin

Kayn woke up refreshed the next day as he had slept well with no nightmares for the first time in months. After retrieving Lara from her crib, he went to the kitchen area of the small apartment they had lent him the time being.

Shortly after breakfast, Kayn heard a knock on the door. He didn't have his Mana Sense active, but he assumed it was Yu Rin as he had said that he would pick him up the day before to take him to the Astaro Academy for his interview.

However, when he opened the door, a face he didn't expect was in front of him. "Hello, Healer Ashan! I'm here to take you to the Astaro Academy for your interview. I already alerted them that we should be there within a few hours." The bright smile of the leader of the White Hand Society, Charlotte Erving, seemed to beamed at him after she spoke.

"Good morning Leader Erving, I didn't expect to see you this morning, let alone have you take me to the academy."

"If you don't mind, I would like to talk with you in private before we leave." Charlotte's voice became far more serious as the atmosphere around her changed.

Noticing the change, Kayn didn't hesitate and asked her inside before closing the door. Charlotte had already made her way to the living room area that had two couches opposite of each other before taking a seat on one.

Kayn placed Lara on the floor nearby with some toys before taking his seat across from Charlotte, "What would you like to discuss Leader Erving?"

"Let me start off with a little bit about myself. By every standard, I look human and that is what everyone here thinks I am, including my most trusted aides. However, that's not the truth. Can you guess what my actual race is?" Charlotte started off with a big reveal, trying to surprise Kayn. But just like she expected, he didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"I knew you weren't human when I met you, though I am surprised no one else can tell. If anything, I would guess that you are a mythical beast, though I have no clue which one." When Kayn met her last night, he had his Mana Sense active and she felt different than the others. She also gave off similar vibes to his mother Zerana.

"You're quite sharp for someone your age. Though, many of the dragon races are known for their intelligence." Charlotte smiled as she finally got a reaction from Kayn by mentioning his age and race. "I'm a Golden Phoenix, though I can't remember the last time I took my original form."

Charlotte paused for a minute to see if Kayn would ask any questions, but seeing as how he remained quiet and with a look of contemplation adorning his face, she continued.

"As a phoenix, I'm inherently attuned with the cycle of life and death. As a Golden Phoenix, I'm able to see through the truth of things to a certain extent as well. If I'm honest, I could have ascended long ago. However, I have chosen to remain here, do you know why?"

Kayn only shook his head side to side as a clear indicator that he really had no idea. "Because people here still need my guidance and I believe I can do more good here than in the Celestial World. Now, I'm telling you this for a few reasons, most of them selfish, but also out of concern.

"In truth, I don't know your true age as I'm only able to tell that you are less than 50. I also don't know what you really are besides having the smell of a dragon, but being able to see the purpose of that powerful array in your ring gives some of it away." Charlotte smiled gently as she looked at Kayn's had, causing him to instinctively do the same.

Kayn still didn't say a word, only glancing back up at Charlotte as she stared deep into his eyes. "You don't need to tell me anything, but I do hope to build a positive relationship with you. You have a very promising future and I only want to see that you succeed, but I do have concerns.

"I'm guessing you're a mix of two powerful light element races, possibly even the famed Light Dragons that have long left this world. My concern stems from the darkness I can see clouding you. It hovers in your aura and that's not typically something I see in those following the path of a healer."

She once again paused, but this time she didn't speak up again as she was waiting for Kayn to say something. She hoped that by revealing a little about herself and some of the knowledge she already knew that he would open up to her.

"Actually, I somewhat know who you are. Once you revealed your nature to me, I realized I had heard of a Golden Phoenix famed for their endless pursuit of healing and solving problems no one else could. More specifically I talked with one of your previous patients." Kayn smiled as he finally felt he had one up on Charlotte as it was her turn to become wide eyed.

"One of my patients? I haven't treated anyone personally in decades, centuries even. I mostly just consult with other healers about their puzzling patients. Most of the people I've treated have ascended already." Charlotte narrowed her eyes at Kayn. She knew he wasn't lying because of her nature, but she also couldn't tell if it was the full truth.

"Does Earthborn ring a bell?" Kayn asked.

Of course, Charlotte instantly knew who he was referring to. In her long, long life, Yvaris Earthborn's case was one of the only she wasn't able to solve. "So, he actually woke up for a little while huh? Do you know if he went back to sleep again after you left? I would like to speak with him and try to solve his issue again. And before you ask, I already know he likes to play mountain in the Great Forest."

"Actually, he recently ascended to the Celestial World."

"What? How? To my knowledge his impairment would have probably restricted him from ascending as he wasn't able to reach the peak of the 6th stage even after hundreds of thousands of years."

Charlotte was a bit startled by Kayn's revelation. Yvaris Earthborn was actually one of the reasons she hadn't ascended herself as she had been studying his case for a long time now, trying to solve it.

"I healed him, that's how."

"But you're no more than 50! There's no way you would have the breadth of knowledge required! Unless…don't tell me, you're of the fabled Life Dragons that abandoned this world millions of years ago?" At this point Charlotte was just blurting out her speculations. She knew that what Kayn told her was the truth, but it still seemed hard to believe.

"No, but I am a bit special, I guess. You are correct that I am less than 50, and also correct that I am part dragon. I don't know exactly what you mean by a darkness inside of me, but I can say that I have an idea what you're referring to.

"I also know that you can probably kill me with a snap of your fingers, but I'm smart enough to have come to the conclusion that you won't, at least not yet. But I'm sorry I won't tell you the truth until I know you better as the truth is dangerous."

Charlotte frowned at Kayn's words, he had read her like a book. She was far more interested in learning about him and what knowledge he held than killing him or threatening him for being disrespectful.

"Is there anything I can do for you to trust me quicker?"

"Actually, I have a little game we can play. I want to test your ability to see through the truth if you don't mind. While it may seem rude, it would help me to understand your ability a little better and how exactly you discovered what you have."

Kayn may have said that he didn't trust her, but he actually had a relative amount of trust in her already. Not to mention he felt a sort of kinship as she was a mythical beast as well. If she agreed, he was going to use this opportunity to reveal what she wanted to know, while also saying the most ridiculous truths about himself that no one would actually believe are true.

He was willing to take a risk this time as he just had an innate feeling that Charlotte would end up becoming one of his greatest allies in the future.

"What kind of a game? I don't exactly appreciate you trying to test my limits, but if it will help me gain your trust, I'm willing to entertain you a little."

As Charlotte's response was positive, Kayn explained a little of what he was going to do. "I'm going to tell you two truths and one lie. If you can tell me which ones are true, you will have gained my trust."

Charlotte pondered for a moment before looking straight into Kayn's eyes. Without delay, her eyes turned a bright gold, "Whenever you're ready."

Charlotte was going to put her all into this. Determining the truth of someone's words wasn't as easy as she made it sound, but with her ability in the active form and her putting her full focus on it, she was quite confident.

"I can use all six elements including many of their deviant forms." Kayn began without further ado. Hearing this, Charlotte's face scrunched a little though.

"I am not only a dragon, but an Obsidian Void dragon. However, I am also the 5th generation of a progenitor demon blood line and part High Elf." Kayn smiled as he watched Charlotte's scrunched up face start to twitch a little.

"Finally, I'm only 18 years old. Actually, I'll tell you a bonus as well! Once I'm strong enough, I will kill the current Emperor of Carnet."

A wicked smile appeared on Kayn's face as the thought of getting his revenge brought joy to his heart. And upon seeing Kayn's expression and hearing his last revelations, her jaw almost dropped to the floor.