With all members of the Seiei Dojo gathered for the first time in a while, the situation couldn't feel tenser. Obo and Shiki have a look on their faces that I've never seen before, a stern gaze.
"Obo and I have been keeping something from you all. We trust each of you wholeheartedly, but this was something we didn't want to involve you in until it became a real issue. So, Obo, do you want to tell them about our findings in the capital?"
"Yes, indeed. We all know about midstless. They're mindless beasts that are driven solely by their instinct to acquire midst, correct?"
Kina and Mito both nod, but I remain still. There is one midstless I know of that was different. The midstless that killed my father over thirteen years ago spoke to him.
"What if I told you there are midstless that have gained intelligence. As far as we know, midstless have an infinite lifespan. Unless they are killed, they will live forever. We also understand that each midstless that we kill has a differently sized midst crystal which is proportional to the amount they have absorbed from their environment or people. However, we've never seen what happens when a midstless acquires a sufficient amount of midst. What do they gain from all carnage? Instincts are driven by purpose. An animal seeks out food to live and avoids danger to survive. So, why do midstless seek midst? What do they gain?"
Mito raises his hand as if we were in a classroom, and Obo follows his lead.
"You, in the back."
"Isn't it to gain power? I've noticed that the more powerful a midstless is, the bigger its midst crystal is after I destroy it."
Obo nods his head and continues, "This is true, but why do they need power? Surely not for self-defense. Nobody picks a fight with a midstless because there's nothing to gain from killing one. At least, there's nothing worth risking one's life over. So why?"
All three of us remain silent, not daring to foolishly answer a question that we don't know the answer to.
"Nobody? Well, the answer is evolution. When a midstless gains enough midst, it gains intelligence, power, and the ability to manipulate its form."
Kina and I are shocked by this information, while Mito is left confused. Kina speaks up first, saying, "How involved is their form manipulation? Surely they couldn't..."
"Indeed, they can. There are midstless who have lived long enough to gain vast intelligence and have infiltrated society. We found proof of multiple kingdom officials being midstless, perfectly passing as normal humans. Now the question is, should we do anything about this?"
Mito explodes from the back after finally coming to terms with the information we are given.
"Of course we need to do something about it! We can't have midstless running our country! They'll kill us all!"
Obo raises his hand in a stop signal to halt Mito's words before going further.
"We suspect that this has been the case for many years, and yet we're all still alive. Perhaps, when midstless gain intelligence, they also gain morals. Perhaps they simply wish to live in human society peacefully."
Mito, astounded at the prospect of intelligent midstless, mutters, "Even so..."
"Even so, what? A war with kingdom officials could spell the deaths of hundreds or thousands. We need to consider all possibilities before making any rash decisions. More information is required, which is what we need you three for."
I'm startled by this turn of events. Why did they go from telling us nothing to entrusting us with a piece of the investigation?
I speak up for the first time, "Even if we gain enough information, what can the five of us do against an unknown amount of kingdom officials?"
Shiki nods his head, "I suppose we should also tell you that we're not alone. There are twelve other dojos in league with ours, one in each province of Itamor."
"Okay, I'm in. What do you need the three of us to do?"