"Amelia," I said, walking straight into the S-rank's room without even knocking. The girl squealed in surprise as she shot up from her desk. I didn't think she'd be surprised due to her being able to sense my presence, but maybe she was focused on the paperwork in front of her that she didn't feel my approaching?
"Oh my god, Jay," she said, calming down. "You should knock."
"What do you know about Jean Lymine?" I asked, my eyes looking right into Amelia's. She simply smiled.
"Ah, did she come for the lecture? I heard that she would visit to introduce you guys to that concept of hers."
Her comment deterred my attention ever so slightly from my main question, my curiosity taking the better of me.
"What do you think?" I asked, "of the concept I mean."
"Hmm," said Amelia, thinking about her answer, "it's interesting. I had never thought that something like gravity could exist."
"Do you believe it exists?"
"I don't know, but Jean is no idiot. She wouldn't invent something like this without being certain of it herself. She likes to calculate possibilities ahead of time, always trying to find the most efficient way to accomplish her goals."
"I have a favor to ask," I said. Amelia eyed me intently, I had never before asked her for a favor.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I'd like to meet Jean, one on one, with nobody around us."
Amelia raised an eyebrow surprised by my request.
"Fine. You'll owe me one, though."
I nodded. Amelia sighed in acknowledgment.
"Tomorrow is a day off, so I'll take you to the royal castle."
"Thank you, Amelia."
The girl smiled, returning to her paperwork. I left the room, sighing as I walked down the hallway.
Jean Lymine was no ordinary citizen of Auroria. Known as the most powerful individual currently alive on the continent, and having knowledge that transcended the time period of Auroria, she was someone who truly scared me.
It also arose all kinds of questions within me. If I wasn't the only one to have been reborn within Auroria, what exactly did that mean? Even with all my unanswered questions and worries, something deep inside was excited to talk directly with Jean.
This was the first person who would truly understand my experience within Auroria. Someone who had gone through the same thing as me. An individual who was given a second chance in a new world.
I entered my class just as the bell chimed, Mago already waiting at the front of the class.
"Let's get straight to it," announced Mago, the metal wall opening up to the arena behind it. I stood behind the group, wanting to think about my upcoming confrontation with Jean. What would I say to her?
There were so many questions I wanted to ask her, so many things I was uncertain about, but something told me she wouldn't have many answers. Unless I had missed something extremely crucial in understanding how I had arrived in Auroria after dying, I doubted there was an obvious reason as to what had happened to me.
My first priority was to try and identify whether or not Jean was really a human from Earth. After that, I wanted to find out which time period she came from, and if it was from mine, where she was located.
But to think that they'd become the most powerful S-rank in such a short amount of time...
--
"Are you ready?" asked Amelia, the girl wearing her usual armor and accessories.
"Yea," I answered, rolling up the sleeves of my white button-up shirt. I followed Amelia through the towering gates, the royal guards saluting the S-rank as she passed through with ease.
"He's with me," she said to the captain. The man nodded, looking at me sternly as he gestured for me to enter the castle.
The main castle of Eloria was the center of Auroria. Known as the center of diplomacy and power, the council of rulers had been established here, where the triple alliance ruled over Auroria. Did that mean Selena and Irox were here?
I doubted it. Unless there was a meeting of great importance, the emperor and empress of the dragons were usually back in Lares, expanding their territory with the new approval of the triple alliance.
The interior of the castle was exactly what I expected of a royal building. Ornated with precious decorations and dazzling gems, each and every room screamed both power and wealth.
"You'll find Jean's room just up ahead," said Amelia as we paced down a hallway, the girl stopping and letting me go on ahead. "Just keep in mind, she didn't know you were coming, so maybe knock on her door?"
I laughed, thanking Amelia as I followed her directions. The pink-haired warrior retraced her steps, leaving the vicinity as I was left alone in front of a dazzling golden door.
I knocked quietly, a soft voice echoing from the other side.
"Come in."
The doorknob turned as I entered the room, a figure appearing in my view in front of me. Jean was sitting on a velvet couch, her clothing the same as the day I had last seen her.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at me, completely confused as to who I was. I quickly introduced myself, not wanting to seem like a suspicious individual.
"My name is Jay Cadmium," I said, bowing down ever so slightly in respect, "I was at the lecture you gave at the Academy."
Jean's eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered.
"Hello there, Jay. I must ask, how did you get here?" she asked, puzzled.
"I'm good friends with Amelia. I asked her for a favor to meet you," I explained.
Jean chuckled, surprised that a simple student went to such extents to meet her. She probably thought I was some fanboy who just wanted to have a chat with the most famous person in all of Auroria.
"Well then, Jay. What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Very well. I'm listening," she said as she gestured to me to take a seat. I sat down on the couch facing her, looking straight into her eyes without fear. I didn't feel inferior to her in any way, and her slightly surprised expression told me she wasn't expecting such determination from an eleven-year-old.
After all, we were the same. I didn't want to immediately bring up Earth, just in case it was all a massive coincidence, but I'd slowly force my way to an answer either way.
"Where do you come from?" I asked. Jean smiled at the question, slightly confused.
"I was born in Eloria. I've been here my entire life."
"And before that?"
The girl's eyes suddenly looked at me, alarmed. Her mouth opened slightly, words wanting to come out, but only silence followed. She looked at me intently, attempting to analyze me. Amelia had mentioned that Jean liked to calculate all possible outcomes in any situation, but what would happen if she were to face an opponent who did the exact same thing?
This was not a battle with bind. It was a battle with words. Who would be able to outthink their opponent? Who would force out the response they wanted from the other?
The confrontation between two individuals who were so different, yet so similar, had just begun.