15 Where did he go...?

"So...did you find anything new, Izumi?" Zeyner stared towards the city as he asked Izumi.

"Only new suspicions on the person I mentioned, sir." Izumi answered as she stood behind Zeyner.

"I gave him an ID, which means he should be weaker than me, but I doubt that I can throw a stone using such energy myself, Izumi. What makes you still suspect him?" Zeyner questioned her as he calmly gazed over the city.

"Can a normal living person whose seal is broken and is on the side of light, restrict himself from emitting any positive energy,sir?.....if you ask me, the answer is...NO!, but this guy was able to achieve it somehow." Izumi raised a brow as she stated what she found.

"Hmm...I see." Zeyner was satisfied with Izumi's statements to why Shin is liable for suspicion of something fishy.

"Keep on searching for any new clues and keep an eye out on that person you suspect, you may leave now." Zeyner ordered as he sneaked a peek at Izumi from the corner of his eye.

"Understood, sir." Izumi turned around to leave the Head Quarters.

Izumi made her way to Ryu's shop and waited in the shadows for Shin to leave for his everyday walk.

"I am going out for my walk, Mr. Takahashi..." Shin waved at Ryu as he left their house.

"You know the drill...be back in time." Ryu said as he sat in the shop looking at the low materials list.

Ryu waved in recognition, as he started walking towards East gate of the city.

"Where are you going? show me all your secrets..." Izumi murmured as she followed Shin from the shadows.

Shin smiled in his mind as he sensed something he used to do, happening to him.

"Following me from the shadows huh...It's like you are playing with my 'hand me down, old toys'...." Shin whispered to himself as he sighed.

Shin took a sharp left to an alley which leads exactly to the North gate. Izumi took the same turn following him from the shadows and peeking at him as she hid herself in small alleys as he moved. But as he took another turn, she could no longer see him.

"Where did he go...?" Izumi looked around in a hope to find him or atleast find any traces of him.

She started asking others if they had seen a dark clothed man passing by, to which everyone replied with a simple 'No'.

"I lost almost everything...but not my instincts. It is my fault to be so thoughtless when I answered to your questions." Shin whispered as he watched her from the shadow of a building miles away.

Izumi lost her cool, witnessing how she was played and started to make her way back to rest for a while and recover all the energy she lost from a few low level incidents in the morning.

------------25 minutes later------------

Shin was staring towards the clouds moving in the blue sky, standing on a grassy cliff as the sea waves hit the cliff, which was atleast 20 meters above the sea level. This was the south-east coast of the great plain of Yodha. It was more than 80 miles away from Areon, which lied on the south end of Yodha.

Shin calmed down as he sat on the grassy cliff with his legs folded in. He started meditating as light winds caressed his golden-yellow hair. He dived deep into a meditating state as he calmed down his energy.

He came back into his senses after 20 minutes of meditation, he got up and looked towards the north of the great plain of Yodha, from which he could sense tremendous amounts of dark energy.

"I don't care what you are planning anymore...I just don't care." Shin said with an indifferent tone.

It was hundreds of miles away, yet he could sense the terrifying dark energy that was present there. It came from the place where the great city of Tristina once laid under the protection of the sixth guardian.

-------25 minutes later-------

Izumi was waiting for Shin, back in Ryu's shop impatiently and angry at herself for losing him. She frequently stole a peek out of the window to see if he came back.

"He will be back in no time...He is always punctual with his work we will start the process as soon as he comes back." Ken stated as he viewed an irritated Izumi.

Izumi turned around to give Ken a nod with a fake smile. But her irritated state could be easily read, witnessing how she impatiently tapped the ground with her leg.

"I am back Ken...Oh..um, am I late or are you early again Miss Izumi?" Shin had his ever present dead fish look on his eyes.

An irritated Izumi let out a small smile which shouted the words 'where did you go?' as she said

"No, I am early today as well. I guess you like to have a walk after lunch everyday huh, you always come from a walk by the time I arrive. Where do you go, do you have a favourite place?" Izumi asked as if she was making a small talk.

"No, I just roam around aimlessly hoping to see if any new shops opened up in the nearby alleys or I explore the places I haven't been to yet." Shin answered casually as he averted his eyes as if he was just continuing her small talk. But nevertheless one could see sparks flying in between Shin's and Izumi's eyes.

Ryu and Ken,who were busy making preparations to continue forging the Soul sword, didn't witness the flying sparks between Izumi and Ken.

The four continued with their usual procedure for 5 hours before Ryu signaled them to stop, witnessing their exhaustion.

"Ken, you will accompany me till my house, right?" Izumi asked Ken as she gave a sweet smile.

"Yes, I am." Ken followed Izumi out of the shop.

Shin understood what was happening. "Mr. Takahashi, I am going out for a little stroll as well, I will be back in a few minutes. Would that be okay?"

"Not a problem, but don't make it a habit. I can't take care of the shop alone everyday, atleast till the Soul sword is completed." Ryu answered as he was sat, still panting from using the energy conservation spell for too long.

"Got it...Mr. Takahashi." Shin stepped out immediately and followed the two from the shadows as if it was his daily routine to follow people from the shadows.

"So, Ken...I understand that your family has been living here for a long time and your worker is from Tristina. He likes to take some casual strolls it seems. Did you ever accompany him on a stroll in the afternoon?" Izumi put up her usual poker face as if she had no interest in the matter, but was making a casual small talk.

"No, he likes to take a stroll all by himself." Ken answered naively as ever.

"How can a you be so naive, Ken...? You will die because of your naive nature someday if this continues." Shin whispered slowly as he witnesses Ken give away the answers casually to every question Izumi asks him.

"We are here...see you tomorrow at the workshop, Ken." Izumi waved her hand to say goodbye as she smiled.