'Knock Knock'
'Knock Knock'
A women in her 40's opened the door.
"Hello, are you Mrs. Serena, daughter of Professor Austin?" Izumi asked with a gentle voice.
"Yes, may I know who you are?" Serena questioned as she tried to recognize Izumi.
"My name is Izumi Yuki and I am the new vice chief of the city. I have a few questions for the professor, I heard he is living here with you after his retirement."
"Yes, he is." Serena replied with a nod and signaled Izumi to come in.
"Would you care for some tea, vice chief?" Serena led Izumi upstairs towards the professor's study room.
"No, thank you."
'Knock Knock'
"Yes..."
"Father, this is the new vice chief, Izumi Yuki, she has a few questions for you." Serena signaled her to go into the room.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Austin. I heard you are famous for your research regarding energy circulation and it's characteristics. Would you mind answering a few questions of mine?" Izumi asked the professor politely as she walked into his study room.
The professor waved his hand signaling Izumi to sit down "Sit down, Miss Izumi, How can I help you?"
"Professor, I will come right to the point. Can a protector or a person with a broken seal, manipulate his internal life energy circulation however he wants to?"
"It depends on the level of manipulation. For example, a person can slow down or speed up the energy circulation in his body, but no one can stop emitting or absorbing energy due to the circulation of energy in one's body." The Professor answered calmly while he sat down in his chair.
"Is there a way for a person's energy circulation process to be manipulated extremely, even if it is by external factors." Izumi had a very serious look on her face as she asked him questions.
"There are a few ways Miss Izumi, but those ways would break any protector or any ordinary person's mind and senses within a few fraction of seconds."
"What are those methods...?" Izumi's interest in the subject rose as she thought she might find a clue.
"If a person absorbs dark energy equal to the amount of pure energy surging through him, then the energy circulation would come to a halt as they circulate in opposite directions and they would cancel each other, there would be no life energy left in him to emit or survive."
"Is there any way for a person who isn't emitting any energy to survive?"
"No, there aren't any that I know of."
'The facts don't add up.' Izumi was contemplating the facts what the professor said and what she observed with Shin.
"I have never encountered such case throughout my career Young one. But there are always things that we don't know. There might be ways for a person who fell into the dark side, to do the things you asked for, it is a maybe...after all, we don't have any data one them." The professor looked distant as he was thinking about the possibility of what Izumi asked.
"A person who fell into the dark side huh....It is a possibility." Izumi whispered slowly to herself as she rose from her seat.
"How would you differ a person who fell into the dark side from a person who hasn't?" Izumi continued with her doubts.
"Just like any other normal person would emit pure energy, a person who has fallen into the darkness will emit dark energy."
"The facts don't add up." Izumi murmured as she was contemplating the facts of what the professor said and what she observed with Shin.
"Oh...I see."
"Thank you, Professor Austin, that would be all." Izumi turned around to leave.
"Miss Izumi...wait." The professor had something to remind her.
"I did say, no protector can...but remember that the Guardians can manipulate the life energy as they want to, with the help of the dragon spirit."
"I see..." Izumi had no interest in the fact the professor stated, because she thought it had no use in Shin's case.
Izumi started to walk towards Ryu's workshop to transfer the share of energy she needed to do. She remembered that the energized stone came from the direction which leads to Ryu's house, the same way Shin took during the psychopath's incident. Her suspicions on Shin kept on increasing with every clue she finds.
"Good afternoon Mr. Ryu, are we ready for today's transfer..." Izumi entered Ryu's shop as her eyes searched for Shin.
"You are early today Miss Izumi, please wait for a few minutes, Shin went out for a walk. We will start the transfer as soon as he comes back." Ryu spoke as he started preparing for the transfer.
"Oh...okay, he went out for a casual walk today huh, he doesn't seem to be the kind to take a leisure walk, does he." Izumi threw a few random sentences at Ryu, hoping he would reveal something casually.
"Not just today, he just goes for a walk casually everyday after lunch. Yeah, he doesn't seem like a person who likes to do so, but he does." Ken gave a casual reply without suspecting anything.
Izumi decided to follow him the next day as soon as she heard what Ken said.
"I am back..." Shin stopped in his tracks seeing Izumi. "Am I late?...Mr. Takahashi."
"No, don't sweat it. She is the one who's early." Ryu waved at Shin signaling him not to worry about it.
"Shin, let's get to work. Same procedure as yesterday. Let's start..." Ryu signaled everyone.
-------5 hours later-------
"I am done for today Mr. Ryu...let's stop here, please." An exhausted Izumi pleaded Ryu.
"All right then..." Ryu signaled them to stop the process.
Izumi drank a glass of water and started to leave giving a suspicious look towards Shin.
"Ken....." Ryu said slowly as he continued his work.
"Got it dad, Miss Izumi, let me walk you home, it isn't far anyway." Ken walked up to an exhausted Izumi.
"Mr. Ken, your worker, Shin seems to have some traumatic secrets, doesn't he." Izumi asked as if she was initiating a small talk.
"Please call me Ken...and yeah, he does seem to. We don't exactly know his past, he never speaks about it either. My dad and I decided not to pry him." Ken replied naively, forgetting that he is speaking to the vice chief.
"Oh, I see..." Izumi batted her eyes and signaled Ken that he can leave as they reached her home.