Chapter 8*: The Gardener’s Rose

The old man rummaged through the documents, searching frantically. He tossed parchments and records aside, one after another, desperate for any clue that might help him solve the mystery. Hours of non-stop searching left him exhausted, both physically and mentally.

His hair was a mess. His robe was coated in layers of dust. His long white beard was tangled with scraps of parchment and loose strings, and his hat lay buried somewhere beneath a pile of records. Even so, his posture and restless movements made it clear he had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

“Knock, Knock”, He raised his ear a little after hearing the knocking sound, but didn’t pay much attention to it. Another knock followed and then, “Sir, at this rate you will make a mess of this whole place. Even in this condition now, it will take us weeks to sort the records. Please don’t make it more any harder for us.”

“Not now, Lucendra… not now.”, he replied blatantly without even looking at her. She furrowed her brows, shook her head from side to side, and quietly left the office.

After sometime, the old man crashed onto the ground due to exhaustion. He pushed himself up the ground and leaned his back against a nearby desk; slowly and silently he drowned in the sleep.

When he woke up, he found himself lying on the couch in his room. Lucendra was there, carefully picking up the scattered documents from the ground and other places, sorting them back in order to keep them at their place.

“Sorry, Lucy…” he muttered.

“It is fine.”, she replied calmly.

“You know… there’s something I was trying to figure out,” he continued, his voice heavy with uncertainty. “Something I can’t quite put my finger on. I wasn’t… I’m still not sure. I’m really sorry.”

“Dad, this is the second time. Last time, you said it was for mom. But what now…”

The old man did not reply. He turned his face to the other side, drew in a deep breath, and closed his eyes, pretending to fall asleep, anything to avoid continuing the conversation. Lucy kept sorting the documents, and the old man couldn’t help but feel guilty for doing this to her. He simply couldn’t bring himself to tell her what he had been searching for all along.

He laid there for some time; a knock is heard on the door.

“Is he still unconscious?”, a man asked.

“No, he came to senses a while ago. Now, he is asleep.”, Lucy replied.

“Miss Lucendra, care to join me for a stroll after this gets sorted out”, the man asked her while extending his hand.

“No…”, her kittenish eyes widened with sparkle, her face blossomed with mischievous joy, like she wanted to accept his offer. Then she pointed toward her father, still lying on the couch.

“Come on, Lucy,” the man insisted gently. “He’s asleep. Why not let him rest? You’re already making too much noise for him to sleep properly. I think now would be a better time for a walk.”

Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but before she could;

“I am awake, Polan!”

“Oh! Yes… I remembered something, I… I should be going now”, said Polan stutteringly .

“Wait… I have been wanting to call you, for some time now”, said the old man in a firm voice.

“I will bring tea”, Lucy said quickly. She took the chance to slip out of the room, while her face was still crimson red from before.

Polan composed himself and on old man’s wave of hand, he sat down on a nearby couch.

The old man looked at the door, which was still open and then began:

“Two days ago, an unregistered aura signature was detected. It happened during a language transfer process in Kybaar’s territory.”, the old man was forcing the words out from his dry lips, “You see… there was something… something…”

“Calm yourself, Master,” Polan interrupted gently. “This isn’t unheard of. From time to time, anomalies like these appear. If you’re this troubled, then something else must be bothering you.”

The old man grips his shaking hand with another to stop them from shaking. A few seconds later, his hands stopped shaking and he began with a more firm and relaxed tone:

“What do you think of Lucy?”

“I beg your pardon, master… what do you mean by that?”, asked Polan.

The old man with more serious tone this time, “What do you think of her as a woman? I know you are interested in her, but would it be right for me to assume that you are also willing to spend your life with her, if given the opportunity?”

Polan flustered with this direct approach, tried to maintain his composure and then answered earnestly: “Yes Master! Yes Master… if you consider me worthy of her, then I would not let such an opportunity slip away.”

The old man: “Well Said!”

“But, Master may I ask why all of this so suddenly…”, asked Polan, still sitting at the edge of his seat.

“It has been a long time, since I took a journey to explore the unknowns of this world.”, old man puts his hand on top of his other hands fist, placed in his lap, “And while I am away, I am thinking of leaving Lucy in your care. Whether feelings blossom between you both or not is another matter.”

“Don’t worry about Lucy, Master, but still… I want to know where do you want to go, or how is it related to your worries. I saw you earlier, how you were worried, but now this determined look in your eyes. It is troubling me even more.”

Polan bowed, joining his hands before him. “I humbly ask that you share what is going on in your mind, so I may rest easy while you are away.”

The old man replied with a slight smile this time: “You know, there is nothing that can harm me. Well, for now, so your worries should remain unbothered. And why this journey all of a sudden, there is a case I am going to investigate myself. That’s it, nothing more.”

A long silence.

Polan gathered himself and finally said, “As you wish, Master. I will not press the matter further.”

"Why were you here all of a sudden?”, the old man interrupted, his eyes crinkling with a genuine, brief grin. “If I remember correctly, I sent you on a mission to gather some rare herbs. It is quite a distance from here. Don't tell me you were missing Lucy and abandoned your mission to meet Lucy."

Once again blood rushed to Polan’s cheeks, “No… I was just… I mean, I was only…”.

“Calm down, I know you are not that irresponsible, but what might the reason be…”, the old man slipped into thinking stance.

Polan closed his open mouth for a second, the crimsonness in his cheeks fade away. He composed himself and then spoke:

“I didn’t abandon my mission. I sensed your aura was flickering, so I completed my mission as quickly as possible, and rushed back here. After I arrived, Miss Lucendra informed me that you passed out from exhaustion. You were unconscious for almost a day. I asked her to move you into house, but she insisted, that you were doing something important. And after waking up if you would find yourself in home, you would be mad at her.”

“Oh, Yes! You are right. I didn’t account for that.”, the old man then gave a hearty laugh.

A moment later, the old man then said with pure authority in his voice: “Tomorrow, I will depart. Make sure to oversee my office with Lucy while I am away; also, don’t forget you are a Megal, so you have your own responsibilities too.”

“Yes, Master”, Polan obliged.

“Take care of Lucy… I am trusting on you for her”, the old man’s eyes sparked for a second.

He stood, the anxiety in his frame replaced by the stiffness of resolve. He retrieved his wizard's hat and robe, both hanging neatly on a brass hook. The old man donned the robe with a practiced, fluid motion and took up his staff. The wood felt solid and familiar in his grip. He moved slowly and deliberately, heading for the door.

Polan remained seated, watching the Master's back until the heavy office door snicked shut. He was lost in deep thought, the weight of the Master's secret, the fate of Lucendra, and the threat of the unregistered aura now firmly settled on his shoulders.