Page 13 of Light Leech

“Thank you,” I said, hoping that my feigned confidence and forced stillness would rub off on her. If she knew me as well as I thought–though we still had so much to learn about each other–she had seen right through it.

“I get it,” the monk said. “After everything I heard, it makes sense that you’re all flustered. Drink your tea, take a second to calm down, and let’s just start from the beginning. My name is Bhate Denji. I’m the head of the Zingang Luxist chapter and I’m here to help you start on the track towards finding the Correction, right?”

“And answering our questions,” Boyband added.

“I’ll try my best, especially noting that the best place to begin is with your parents. Yes, I knew them. Not as well as you might hope, but I knew what they were doing and where we might want to start.”

Seeing how calm everyone had become, I admired Denji’s friendly demeanor. His lack of decorum did not entail a lack of experience. Recalling my memories in Arabasia, I remembered how Tenma and Xera differed. Denji was a larger step away, but he was also a Republic-born man. I still had a lot to learn about him, and even with time, I would never grasp his character. I would never let myself do that again after Cut.

But I had forgiven Abbas.

Naoma was a different person outside of Reef’s control.

Trust was beyond convolution. It would never be concrete. Hope was the only factor I could rely on.

Denji continued. “When Bhate Xera told me you were coming, I did my due diligence and went to check out your parents place, or what remained of it.”

“We already tried that,” Boyband said.

“Before we knew about this Dokkaebi thing and the Correction,” Ralia added.

Boyband shrugged. “I doubt it would have made a difference. Did you find anything?”

Denji shrugged, then shook his head. “If you went there before me, you probably saw more than I did. They’re already cleaning up your parents estate, but I’m sorry to say that I doubt there was anything they had anyways. Dokkaebi and the Correction are more elusive than any Beacon we know about so far. Sure, some hide their intentions like Nichley, but Dokkaebi is a different kind of enemy.”

“And that is?” Boyband asked.

“Unknowable. Nobody knows what it is. Your parents knew it changed the world’s narrative to fit the Gongtide’s design–”

“What about the moon? Tenma seemed confident that we could find them there.”

“Sure, but how are you going to get to the moon?”

Boyband shrugged.

“I’m not trying to diminish your hope, but we need to start somewhere realistic. We’re fighting the world’s education system. This is beyond your old master Deleon and Nichley. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m sure you all understand that by now. Nothing has been easy, but that hasn’t stopped you.”

“You act like you know us.”

“I’ve done my research.”

“How?”

“I gave the Luxists unrestricted access to the records of our recent work,” Ralia said. “Yes, I chose to make the decision myself so no whining.”

Boyband rolled his eyes. “So where do we go from here?”

“Where Bhate Tenma recommended, your old school.”

“Water Hills?”

Denji nodded.

“So… what’s your purpose here if you’re not going to tell me anything new?”

“I’m here to facilitate and provide guidance from a knowledgeable standpoint. I might not have the answers now, but I hope I can clarify some things you might discover.”

“I’m not looking for clarification,” Boyband said. “I want answers.”