Akihato spent the next several days buried in research, hunting down every possible mention of a Zosara attuned to chaos. If it weren’t for the gwazemi, he would have gone the entire length of time without food or rest, becoming so engrossed in his work he completely forgot about such mundane things. Ren kept him fed and adequately hydrated while Jin watched the time and ensured his master was taking frequent breaks and getting at least a few hours of sleep each day.


    During this time, he barely saw Hanamei. Not out of a desire to avoid her, but because he was simply swept away in his books. Ren’s assurance that she was taking care of their young guest was enough to allow Akihato not to worry about her for now. Eventually, if she so decided, he would have to begin teaching her and soon. Her early lessons would need to be about control and concentration.


    From what meager information he could find, he had pieced together that should a person possess chaos attunement, they could easily be consumed by their own darkness. Otherwise, there simply were no accounts of any who had actually existed. So far, all he had really uncovered were myths and theories, but nothing concrete to say one way or the other what to expect. After the long days spent in study and contemplation, Akihato had hit a wall.


    Breathing out a sigh, the young man reached up to rub at his eyes and face. “Jin, old friend,” he commented wearily, “I have one of the most impressive libraries in the world, and yet, with all this knowledge readily at my fingertips, I have turned up nothing... How do you explain that?”


    The water spirit was busy sorting books in preparation of returning them to their respective places on the shelves. It was a task Akihato often neglected, hence the many tomes and scrolls scattered across nearly every surface in the library. When posed with his master’s question, Jin glanced up and tilted his head to one side. “It would seem, Master, that your collection requires expanding.”


    Akihato let out an amused chuckle. He had come to expect such obvious answers from the gwazemi. They were intelligent, but subtlety and nuance were foreign to them. However, they were also honest and forward, unlike so many humans. “Of course, Jin, of course,” he conceded, rising slowly out of the chair and succumbing to the urge to stretch.


    “Well then...” he let out another heavy breath, “that means I have one option left, doesn’t it? Time to visit my old mentor and see if he can shake something lose from that ancient memory of his.” Akihato patted the spirit on the shoulder. “I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”


    Jin cocked his head to the side again. “It is already morning, Master. You studied through the night.” A pause, followed by a mild rebuke. “Despite my urging you to bed on multiple occasions...”


    “Oh.” Akihato stopped short. That would certainly explain his weariness. “Well, I guess I’ll settle for a hot bath and a quick breakfast, then be on my way. Please make the necessary preparations, Jin. Starting with the bath, of course.” He flashed a grin that the gwazemi did not return.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He bowed. “Certainly, Master.”


    With Jin leading the way, Akihato headed for his bedchamber. He very rarely came in here anymore, it seemed. He had no need for the place except to sleep and bathe. All of his other activities were done in the library. Even his meals were taken there more often than not. Perhaps if Hanamei became his student, he would have more of a reason to dine with her rather than spend his time locked away with his nose stuck in a book.


    But that was getting ahead of himself. He needed to focus on the immediate issue, and that was determining what Hanamei really was and how best to train her. For that, he needed the insight of someone older and wiser. Master Okan was such a man. He had taken Akihato under his wing when he was an angry adolescent without a purpose. He’d tempered him, taught him self-control and self-reliance, turning him into the man he was today. Akihato owed Master Okan a great deal that could never truly be repaid.


    These thoughts hung in his mind as he began to undress. Jin busied himself preparing a bath and laying out fresh clothes for his master before he disappeared to make travel arrangements. With the gwazemi gone, Akihato was alone in his thoughts, which had not strayed from the question burning inside him. Why can’t I find any mention of a living chaos Zosara?


    Slipping into the porcelain vat, the young man relaxed into the steaming hot water. His mind was filled with everything he had read. From books on testing aptitude to articles related to attunement and every manuscript he could get his hands on pertaining to the origin of magic. Most of which were presumptuous theories or boring treatises on how dragons had trained the very first Zosara to use magic. The one passage he had found that mentioned anything useful held merely a name: Mujona the Forgotten. The entry had simply read: Shall the name of chaos and death never again be spoken.


    “Curious...” Akihato whispered to himself, having gotten so lost in his own thoughts the water was now cold. He shivered, slipping his hands beneath the surface and muttering a spell that would heat it back up, much in the reverse of how he could turn it to ice. It made his fingers tingle pleasantly, and seconds later, the bathwater began to warm gradually until it was once again steaming.


    He was just settling back into the water when Jin appeared again, holding a dry towel at the ready. “Master,” he greeted Akihato with a bow, “I have finished your travel preparations, and Ren has breakfast waiting for you. The young woman, Hanamei, has requested an audience.”


    Akihato raised an eyebrow, wondering why Hanamei would need to speak with him. Had she come to a decision already? If she chose to leave, what could he do or say to delay her? Until he knew exactly what she was, he didn’t feel comfortable letting her leave the tower. He needed to be sure, but he couldn’t come right out and tell her after all this time, he knew nothing about her magic.


    “All right, I’m coming,” he sighed, finally reaching for the bar of soap. While he scrubbed his body, Jin laid the towel down and assisted by washing his master’s hair. By the time they were done, the water was already starting to get cold again, making it far easier than it might have been otherwise to leave it behind.


    Ever helpful, Jin was waiting with the towel again and offered it to Akihato quite promptly. Having an extra set of hands was always useful, but it still made Akihato feel a little uncomfortable at times. He was a properly titled lord, he should have reveled in having a servant to attend him constantly, but there were just some things he was capable of doing on his own. Like getting dressed.


    “That’ll be all, Jin, thank you.” He smiled at the spirit to let him know he wasn’t displeased. “You can return to tidying the library or doing whatever you wish.”


    Jin raised an eyebrow at him. “I will double check your travel arrangements, Master,” he insisted, and then, as requested, he left Akihato to finish up on his own.