The Decision

"I simply just...changed my mind," Wayne Xia confessed, amidst the two elders and the blonde-haired that seemed to bear a grudge against him from earlier.

Elder Sima and the supposed Grandmaster had led him into the Grand Hall, and he took his time to admire the simple yet complex aesthetic design of the sect. In just within two days, he'd managed to take a glimpse of the magical world outside of Pheonix City and the surrounding towns. He couldn't believe he was missing out on so much.

Lance made a face of disgust as Wayne's eyes fell on him and shrunk back to stand behind his master.

"Just like that?" Elder Sima asked, a hint of amusement in his voice as he ran his hand through his beard.

Wayne nodded and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I talked it through with my father, he said it would be a good experience for me before I, uh, inherit the household."

Elder Sima nodded in approval and stepped forward to give the boy a pat on the arm. "I see...so how was your trip? Was it hard?" he asked, drawing Lance's pair of jealous eyes to darted between them.

"Not that bad, though I honestly wasn't prepared to go to the mountains," Wayne answered, growing a bit uncomfortable under Lance's suspicious gaze. "I had to stop by some other sects for directions."

Throughout the entire exchange, Grandmaster Wei kept silent as he examined the new boy before him. Well, he knew who he was, he'd just never seen him in person before.

This was Wayne Xia, the eldest child of the Xia family, the boy that Elder Sima had his eyes on before he met Eryn and Elias. To think that he'd come here voluntarily was completely unexpected, but there was no harm.

Maybe he could even fill in the role of the spy they needed... After all, he wasn't weak, nor was he immature or anything of the likes. Additionally, he doesn't have any real connection to their network of sects, it'd be easier for him to cross the border...

The grandmaster had been staring at him for so long examining his spirit core, he didn't realize that everyone else had their eyes on him.

"Grandmaster?" Elder Sima said with a raise of his eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"

He quickly snapped out of his thoughts and cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, I was just thinking...maybe Wayne here can be our...spy."

The elder's eyebrow's shot up his forehead while Lance's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets, and Elder Sima quickly shut his disciple's mouth with a spell before he could say anything stupid.

Wayne was the only one that seemed confused. "What? Wha- what spy?" he questioned, completely lost. "Spy for what?" He cast his eyes between them before a nervous look dawned on him. "Wait- wait...don't tell me that you're going to send me off already! I just got here!" he protested, backing away towards the door.

Elder Sima sighed and turned towards the grandmaster. "He's right," he pointed out. "The boy's just got here. He doesn't know anything about our situation yet, we can't just send him across the borders into enemy territory-"

"Across the borders?" Wayne yelped, beginning to regret his decision to leave his household. "Enemy territory?! Are you planning to send me to my death?"

"No! Of course not!" Grandmaster Wei exclaimed. Though what the elder said had a strong point, he wasn't ready to give up just yet. "The reason I suggested for you to take up the job is that you're strong enough to stay alive even if they capture you!"

Wayne gawked at him, taking another step back in horror. "...Is...is that supposed to be a compliment?" he asked.

"...yes."

Wayne cringed deeply, but remembered to keep up his image and straightened up his posture. "Er...thank you?" he said awkwardly. His face stiffened up as he wasn't satisfied with his own behavior and he recollected himself.

He bowed lowly and said, "I apologize, Grandmaster, but I'll have to decline this important task. The elder is right. I don't know anything yet."

Lance wrinkled his nose and puckered his lips in disdain. He wasn't being a coward, was he?

Grandmaster Wei was yet to be discouraged. "Then I suppose I'll fill you in on the details right now!" he offered enthusiastically. "Surely then you would agree?"

Elder Sima and Wayne were just about to protest when the front doors to the Grand Hall were pushed open, interrupting their conversation. They all turned around to see Eryn standing at the door, still fully dressed and awake, her eyes twinkling with excitement.

"To cross the borders," she said, looking at the Grandmaster straight into his eyes. "Can I go?"

Lance's jaw nearly hit the ground at her words whilst Wayne jumped at her voice, his face suddenly burning hot red. "M- Miss Eryn," he said as calmly as possible, though he nearly failed. He knew she was here at the sect for that's what the previous sect had told him, but he had not planned to meet her like this at this time, and she had caught him completely off guard.

Eryn only smiled at him, seemingly unfazed by his sudden appearance in the sect.

A part of Wayne wanted her to ask why, but all the words in his mind were shoved aside the moment he was caught in her alluring smile.

Lance stared at Wayne in confusion, completely lost. Why was he acting like such around Eryn? What a weird guy.

However, the two elders paid no attention to the two boys, instead, they flashed the young lady looks of curiosity and uneasiness. "You want to take up this assignment for us? It may be dangerous, you should know," Elder Sima hummed as Grandmaster Wei nodded in agreement.

"I do," she answered confidently.

But the grandmaster had no intention to go against Eryn's decision. Upon seeing her craving for adventure in her eyes, he couldn't possibly say no. Moreover, she could take care of herself, for the ones chosen by his own master can only be more than capable. He trusted that she would come back alive and succesful.

There was no reason for him to say no at all, except...

"Then what about your brother?" Grandmaster Wei asked. "If you go, will he be going along?"

Eryn shook her head. "No, Elias will stay," she responded without a second thought. "There's no need for both of us to go. You guys need at least one of us, do you not? Besides, he's not a very subtle person, he'll cause too much of a ruckus if he goes."

"Really, now?" Elder Sima mused. "If we let you go, are you sure he'll be okay with that?"

"No, I'm not sure," she answered truthfully. "But we're both eighteen already, yet we've never left each other's sides once in our life...that can't do."

The elder ran a hand through his beard thoughtfully. Since Eryn wanted to go, there should be no problem, as it is her own decision to help them. However, will she be okay if she went alone? She and her brother still don't know too much about the world, after all. They're never stepped out of their small residence until less than a year ago, and even then, they've barely got a good look at their own city.

He voiced out his opinion, and Wayne finally snapped out of his daze. His brown eyes widened significantly and he turned towards the elders expectantly. "I- I suppose I'll go then," he offered.

Grandmaster Wei's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Now you want to go? What's with the sudden change?"

There was nothing the boy could do to stop the flushing of his face, so he bowed again, swiftly coming up with a reason. "I- I've known Miss Eryn for a while now, and I suppose it will be better for us to travel together. As the elder stated, Miss Eryn is not yet fully acquainted with the outside world, and...a- and it's not proper to send Miss Eryn out to enemy grounds alone, right?"

The two elders seemed amused, as if they saw what he meant truly, so their eyes went to Eryn instead, waiting for an answer.

Eryn looked up to see them all staring back at her, and she curiously glanced in Wayne's direction, only to see the tips of his ears burning a bright red.

Strange...there must be something wrong with him, she thought.

'Go,' Aragnes suddenly popped into her head. 'He is not wrong, it is better to bring someone along. I may be a talking dragon, but I cannot help nor teach you of human nature.'

'I know,' Eryn replied, the decision in her head already made. As long as she got to go out to explore the outer world with her own eyes, she didn't care who decided to tag along.

"So, when do we leave?"