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"I know the answer you are seeking. How can I reply your riddle?"
Gradually, a dim light kicks in showing the dark-toned floor which tiles had black lines in a vertical position. Together with the floor, on her eyes also were on focus a small table, two cushions on each table sides, the Inklings who played each a different musical instrument in front of two large pillars: each had bright green lines, all starting from the same point and spread or even bended into different directions. None of the lines were going down.
Lit red lanterns were slowly waving left and right. The man lowered his right foot, then he clapped: her eyelids opened even more, while the air was echoing that noise.
"Your answer. Your choice." His face had the eyebrows a little down, his eyes were hidden under.
"I know Hun is held in this same room." Mirii nodded, with her arms stretched downwards. "His reasons to be here don't contain any harmful intentions: he seeks the legendary baths, which could possibly remove any threats regarding his own life."
The girl holds both her hips, as her head rose a little.
"On another note, I was told that I'd meet the Master once I'd successfully solve the mental challenge."
Her eyelids lowered to the middle.
"Why you appeared without following the imposed rules?"
The silence tackled the room. Mirii's irises bounced left and right for a moment, seeing on her left a large vase decorated with a sun above mountains, flowers on the top. On her right, a painting showing words and an image of a green Squid.
"Because…"
Her irises moved back on the man, as he lowered his head a bit.
"… I'm not the Master."
"What?!" Mirii tilted backwards, as her irises shrunk and her eyebrows lowered. "Impossible! You stated clearly"
"Mirii, I want you to understand…" He moved his hands on his back, as he rose his posture and head. "The Master is not available at the moment."
"Why?!" The girl bended forward, frowning even more. "I must meet him! He's the one who's holding Hun!"
The man holds his breath, as he looks to his right for 1 second.
"Mirii, don't make me repeat myself…" He sighed loudly. "Even though you answered correctly, the Master can't be seen at the moment: I'm asking you to leave at once."
The girl snarled, as she slightly rose her posture.
"You'll not dare to order a prodigy, such as I, to cowardly escape the prison which my dear friend is kept against his will. I request to see the Master right in this very instant."
The man closed his eyes: suddenly, a loud burst opened the door. Mirii turned behind: three Inkling men wearing a Samurai gear were all staring down the girl.
"Take her away." The old man's right arm stretched forward.
Mirii walked backwards, as her mouth was showing her teeth. The men walked over the girl, in a fast pace.
"Nooooo, stop it!"
Everyone's head twisted towards the top left corner: Mirii's irises shrunk and her mouth was left open. Her eyes were following Hun: he slides with his left foot forward, stopping behind the small table.
"Please, don't throw her away!" His hands waved sideways, in different directions, while his eyebrows were up. "I know the girl! She's called Mirii in fact!"
Her irises kept looking at Hun, while her jaw dropped even more: he was wearing a black kimono.
"What…" She whispered.
"Here they are, guards!" Jumping from a guard's right side, Eri: she smiles, as her left forefinger was pointing down Hun. "The two impostors who tried to trick us all!"
Emi jumped from a guard's left side: her mouth was downturned, while her back bended forward and her fists clenched.
"A lie this big will never be forgiven! You two are going out of this Shrine!"
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO SAYING?!" The old man instantly turns behind, as his arms opened and sweat jumped from his forehead.
Eri's forefinger lowered, as her mouth was left open. Emi rose her eyebrows, retreating her fists and lifting her posture.
"Huh… huh?! Wh-why that question, Master?" She swallowed silently. "That girl threw a smoke bomb near our feet…"
"I-I can confirm! Even Chie and the other guards!" Her head twists to the right. "Speaking of Chie…"
Step sounds were heard: breathing quickly, Chie jumped sideways passing the guards, then jumping sideways between the twins.
"Master!" She smiles, as her hands stood on her chest. "Oh… wh-what a relief seeing you alive and well!"
The old man lowered his head, smiling too.
"Thank you for the kind message, Chie."
Chie's head turned over Mirii: she frowns a lot.
"Master, forgive me for my failure into keeping away strangers out of your room…" She returns looking down the man, with her eyebrows up. "We are all ready to punish the evil who tried to throw the Shrine into utter chaos. We just need your word."
Chie bows down quickly.
"I appreciate your sense of duty as always, Chie…" He kept his smile, while closing his eyes. "However, I'm afraid your wish can't be granted."
"HUH!?" Chie rose rapidly up, as her hands covered her mouth. "Master?! Th-that decision"
"I know, I know… it seems rather foolish, isn't it?" He turns over Mirii. "But the real foolish decision I took is to challenge this smart young woman…"
Mirii smiled, nodding.
"Master!" The twins bended forward, frowning. "She's mean! She tricked us!"
"But her motive was indeed noble… she wanted to meet with her dear friend, once again." He turns towards Hun. "Unfortunately, I didn't want her to beat the challenge this easily…"
"And why such requirement?" Mirii's right forefinger stood on her right cheek, while her left hand grabbed her right elbow.
"As I said earlier… the Master wasn't ready to meet strangers."
Suddenly, a loud gasp echoed around the room: Mirii and the old man turned over Chie, which hands were on her cheeks.
"... Master… wh-what did you said?!" Her eyes almost popped out.
The man sighed loudly.
"Chie… from this day on, I'm not the Master of the Shrine."
WHAAAAAT?!
HOW?!
NOOOO, IMPOSSIBLE!
The Inklings holding the music instruments all stood up, each with their eyebrows up. The old man lifts his arms up in the air.
"I wanted to make the announcement once the Master was truly ready… but it seems the time has come for an old prophecy to be realized!" His head turned over each Inkling. "We were told that one day, a girl would visit our Shrine… bringing with her the return of the Shrine's glory!"
"The girl… is Mirii?!" Chie stared at Mirii, with her irises shrunk.
"The ancestors couldn't tell us who was this glory, they kept referencing in their scrolls… but finally, the answer is revealed!" The man turns over Hun. "After centuries of absence, the Shrine welcomes the true descendant of the family who knows the Secret of the Squid."
He clasped his hands.
"Please, everyone… meet the real Master of the Shrine: Hun!"
Mirii's eyes immediately fall on Hun: the boy had his mouth downturned and his eyebrows up. The old man bowed down, same for the other Inklings: Emi, Eri and Chie were still… not even a limb moved. Hun's eyes fell on them: the girls immediately bow down, as their forehead were full of sweat.
"… Hunley…" Mirii's eyelids lowered to the middle, as her legs were moving towards the boy.
"Wait! Wait a second!" He showed his palms, while gritting his teeth.
All the other Inklings stood up, as their sight were pointed at him.
"I-I never said to be the Master! I was just talking with the owner about it!" He shakes his head.
"Master, it's not a personal choice to become the Master of this Shrine…" The man coughed once. "Once you are proved by the owner to be the real descendant, you obtain automatically the role."
"But my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great… ehm…" He looks down-right for a moment. "My grandpa!" He looks back at the man. "He never told me anything about becoming a Master! He just told me how things were going back at the farm!"
"Ah yes…" The old man smiled. "The farms were usually mentioned, during our recent Master's speeches… it's incredible to believe that such tradition kept in for all those centuries."
"What's the meaning of this?!" Mirii bended over the old man, frowning a bit. "How could you be so sure that Hun is the Master?!"
"The owner is the only one to see such information." He turns over the girl. "Unfortunately, he can't exit the Shrine, same for very important monuments… also, we can't bring in every single Inkling we find. Evil aura could contaminate the air, the second any individual enters the Shrine."
"Contaminate the… what are you stating?!" Mirii frowns even more, as she shook her head quickly. "How can you quantify something as evil?! It's not even tangible!"
"Mortals can't comprehend… although, our new Master might understand clearly the meaning of that." He turns over Hun.
The boy slowly points at himself.
"Can I…?"
"Yes." He nods. "You will learn all the Shrine's secrets, after 500 years of service."
Mirii gasped loudly. Hun almost stumbled, backwards.