The Enlightened - The Director Of The Society I

Matsune gathered up the remnants of the food on the tray she'd brought in, then exited the room to give Ariyama some privacy as he changed. 

He was still feeling out of place in this room, but he couldn't disregard how quaint it was. Quaint was probably the best word he could've thought of. The window that was above the desk was slightly ajar, letting in a smooth, wafting breeze that tickled Ariyama's bare skin. He wasn't sure exactly how he'd managed to recover from those life-threatening injuries he'd sustained, but despite that, he was happy to be alive. He was surprised, honestly, that he wasn't currently freaking out. Ever since he'd first heard of the Pilgrims' Society, he'd imagined them to be some gigantic organization that he'd be completely overwhelmed in. But being in this white-walled room that looked almost like a regular bedroom, made him feel slightly less worried.

But maybe that was their scheme, in order to bring him over to their side. Well, he was already on their side, technically, wasn't he? 

Matsune was a direct member, and he had helped her, so he'd helped them by extension. And he'd also caused major damages, which directly went against their rules about keeping magic discrete, so that wasn't as good. At least Matsune had put out a word for him, and had gotten him a meeting with the director of seemingly the whole Society instead of being thrown in prison. He was curious about how jails even worked in a secret society filled with people wielding powerful tools like his sword, but that was a question for later.

He hadn't a clue as to how long it was before his meeting, but he didn't want to be late, so he quickly headed for the walk-in wardrobe. Opening the shutter doors and flipping on the switch inside to turn on the lights, Ariyama stared at all the clothing options he had.

And by 'all', he meant just a variety of grays, blacks, and whites. From pants, to shirts to shoes to even cloaks with an attached hood, like what Matsune had been wearing. She was a proper member of the organization, so she probably wore that cloak for a reason. As a result, Ariyama distanced himself from those clothing options, and opted for something more casual yet formal. 

Now dressed in black pants, a black shirt – which contrasted nicely with the gold cross chain he wore around his neck – as well as white shoes and a gray-with-white-stripes jacket, Ariyama was feeling less and less homesick by the second. Despite this room being objectively better and more well-kept, he still did miss the sense of home that came with his old room, from the big circular window to his white futon that stood out against the gothic style of everything else.

Ariyama also found a full-length mirror in the walk-in wardrobe, and came across an alarming discovery. His hair, which he'd dyed its natural black color ever since that first day back at school, was now back to how it was before. It must have washed out somehow, but now there was that line of white streaking down the left side of his fringe.

And was it… bigger?

Maybe it was just the mirror, but Ariyama swore the amount of white hairs had grown. If that was the case, he could only come up with one explanation: Idolseus. After using the full power of Jallarbor Godrend on the night of the incident, it was then that the white streak appeared. And now since Ariyama had used it again against Genichirou – against his better judgement – it must have infested his hair more. So, if that was true, what happened when his hair was a full shock of white? Was that just a natural side effect of using the Pilgrim's power, or did it mean something else?

Once again, Ariyama had questions he had no chance of getting an answer to. Although, perhaps that director guy could answer everything he asked. All the more reason to hurry to that meeting.

Once he was ready, Ariyama apprehensively opened the door, which swung out into the hallway with a soft click, without a single groan of wood or squeaking of the hinges. Ariyama stepped out, closed the door behind him, then turned to his right, and nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw Matsune waiting there, her shoulder leaning against the wall with her hands crossed.

"Oh, God! Matsune, were you really waiting for me all this time?"

Matsune fixed him with a soft smile as she pushed off from the wall and turned her back, walking down the hallway.

"Well, I couldn't just let you wander this place by yourself, could I?"

"No, I guess not."

Quickening his pace to catch up to Matsune, Ariyama took his time to look around and absorb his new environment. The walls were still white, but each side had a strip of shiny wooden panelling inset into the wall, running both lengths of the hallway. The hallway itself had a roof that curved upwards like a semi-circle, a chandelier dangling down every few meters, adding to the glow that came off the wall lights embedded in the panelling at regular intervals. Each end of the corridor opened up with an ornately-designed archway that seemed to have scenes engraved into them, not that Ariyama understood them.

The whole place felt so modern, yet liminal. It was as if he was thrown into another world, with only Matsune as his companion and not one other person in existence. The hallway felt barren, missing the feeling of it being lived in. Just like Ariyama's old room, compared to the one he'd woken up in. The place felt too new, too fake. Looking down as his feet tapped against the tiles as he walked, he noticed not one crack, nor smudge of dirt off a shoe. It was as if the building repaired itself once a single thing had been put out of place or altered.

"You have questions, I presume?"

Ariyama focused his attention back on Matsune, who was still walking ahead of him, eyes forward.

"Yeah… I definitely do. I was actually gonna see if that director guy could explain some things, but…"

Matsune glanced back at him and nodded encouragingly.

"I pride myself in knowing a thing or two, so please, ask away."

"OK, sure. I don't wanna bombard you, so I'll start off simple."

"Then, I'll give simple answers."

"Perfect. So, this is the headquarters of the Pilgrims' Society?"

"Its Japan branch, but yes."

"Oh, yeah, you did mention that. OK, and it was called what again?"

"The Cloud Keep."

"Alright, so where is this place exactly?"

"It's on an island, but not just any island. It's called a 'phantom island'. Due to some phenomena, magical or otherwise, this island rose from the sea unnaturally, and as to not to confuse regular civilians, the Society commandeered it and built their Japan branch headquarters here."

"I see. Are there any more of these 'phantom islands'?"

"Three in total. There's the one we're currently on, called Kagejima. Then, the other two that the Society has taken control of are Hoshizorashima and Yume no Kumi, but they're not used for much currently."

They reached the archway and walked beneath it, entering into a larger room with wine-colored carpet that sank under Ariyama's shoes. Apart from a few pieces of furniture, the only notable thing was the set of three elevators on the far wall. Matsune led him to the one furthest to the left, pressed a button and ushered him inside.

As the elevator ascended, Matsune crossed her arms and looked at Ariyama with a tilted head.

"You were expecting more?"

Ariyama blinked at her. She had made a statement more than she'd asked a question. Either way, he was somehow reading his mind.

"I suppose. I'm just surprised you all have those old-school cloaks and use magic objects, but still use modern things like elevators."

"Oh, I assure you, elevators were a recent addition. The Pilgrims' Society is traditionalist to its core, and so is not a big fan of change. Luckily, our director is more progressive than most others, so we get away with modern commodities like elevators. "

Just then, the bell chimed and the doors slid open. Now in a room identical to the one below, Ariyama walked a little behind Matsune as they reached the opposite side. There was a door here instead of an archway, which Matsune paused at. She looked over her shoulder.

"In here is the Director Jonathan Clarke's office. I'm not permitted to join you, unfortunately, so just heed my previous words, and don't lie to him, OK? Good luck."

Ariyama hadn't even heard the last bit of her sentence. He was still stuck on the man's name. Jonathan Clarke? What kind of Japanese man had a name like that?

Before he could ponder further, Matsune held the door open and his feet moved faster than his brain did, walking him into the office as Matsune closed the door behind him.

Before anything else, Ariyama noticed the man sitting behind an expensive-looking spruce desk, and knew just why his name was Jonathan Clarke.

Thinning brown hair brushed off his lined forehead. Thin lips and a sharp jaw. Rectangular glasses that reflected the light of the early morning sun. Dressed in a brown suit with a white shirt that clung to his lithe frame. 

"Hello there."

And spoke in a deep English accent.