The man led Nathan for a long time into the facilities, to some large double doors.
Nathan may have never been to this place, but he definitely recognized these doors, where important people would be behind them. He remembered clearly how his father spent his time in meetings of this kind.
Nathan swallowed as the man opened the door with his security card.
A few seconds later the double doors opened, revealing the interior of the room. It only took a second, and Nathan felt like an animal in a zoo, as if they were exhibiting a rare product.
Inside, five people were seated at a round table and they were all looking at him at the same time.
The room was full of screens and monitors showing different recordings and even information that Nathan assumed was quite important and private. But he didn't even pay attention to it in front of the piercing gazes of the five people.
"Oh, so that's the guy. I never thought I'd live to see this moment..." said a muscular man with a cigarette in his mouth.
Nathan looked at the man and felt a shiver run down his spine. Not just the man, but Nathan instinctively felt that every single person in the room was incredibly powerful.
"Yes... Unexpected" said a woman dressed in a black military suit, her hair was the same color black as her eyes.
Nathan felt cold just looking at her.
"Uhh, I thought he would be... I don't know... more imposing?" said another woman dressed in the same military outfit, but her jacket was open and revealed her white shirt. Her hair was brown, and her eyes also were brown.
The man with the cigar laughed lightly at the woman's words.
"Well, you can't blame him. I put him at 18 at the most, plus he's only first rank...Hmmm, I'd say first category. Tell me boy, how old are you?"
Nathan felt strange to see all his personal information being revealed so normally.
Boreas had explained it to him, but he really understood it now. People of higher rank could sense those of lower rank, or even people of the same rank could sense each other, if their perception of essence was decent enough.
Unfortunately, Nathan was weak in that, so he could not tell when someone was of first rank like him.
Nathan hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
"I am... 17"
The man clicked his tongue and fingers at the same time.
"Almost"
Both women rolled their eyes and looked back at Nathan.
"So, what do we do with him?" the brown-haired woman said as she looked at one of the two men who hadn't spoken.
One of the two men was wearing sunglasses and had his feet up on the table as if he didn't care, he had only given Nathan a quick glance from the start before looking absentmindedly at the ceiling.
The other man, on the other hand, had been staring at Nathan from the start, as if he wanted to pierce his soul with his gaze. This man was wearing a black suit, quite luxurious, with a black chain in his shirt pocket.
The man's black eyes pierced Nathan until he closed them and sighed.
"Depends... if whoever I think sent him here is who I think he is, then we accept him. If not, we kill him"
A lump formed in Nathan's throat at the man's statement. Until now he hadn't worried about his safety, but as soon as the man mentioned his execution, Nathan couldn't help but turn pale behind his mask.
'What have I got myself into?'
The man crossed his fingers and looked seriously at Nathan.
"Tell me, boy, who gave you the mask and the sword?"
Nathan hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
"Boreas Khan"
Silence filled the room until a loud noise startled Nathan. The brown-haired woman had slammed the table and was smiling.
"Ha, I knew it. The fucker's still alive"
The black-haired woman was silent before she sighed.
"So, it seems"
The man with the cigar just shrugged.
"I never really knew him, so I don't know what to say"
The other two men didn't react much. The man in the sunglasses didn't say anything, but Nathan noticed a dark aura surrounding the man in the suit.
'Who the hell is that old man to make these people react like that?'
Nathan was right, Boreas' identity was definitely more than just an old man living in a village far from the city.
Before he could think any further, the man in the suit started tapping his finger on the table and the others fell silent.
Nathan had noticed it before, but the man with the glasses, the man with the cigar and the two women had five stars on their chests. But the man in the suit did not. After seeing everyone's reaction to the man, Nathan understood that he seemed to be the leader of the place.
While everyone was silent, waiting for the man to say something, the man with the cigarette raised his hand and spoke.
"I call dibs"
Everyone, including the man in the sunglasses, looked at him.
"What?" asked the man in the suit, not understanding the man with the cigar.
"Dibs, you all have direct students, I don't. I want him" explained the man.
"Really?" asked the black-haired woman.
The man with the cigar nodded and went on, leaving Nathan confused.
'Direct student? What am I supposed to do?'
Nathan didn't really know why Boreas had sent him to this place, but he had no other plans than to follow the old man's advice.
As he thought, the cigar man had stopped talking and was looking expectantly at the man in the suit.
"So?"
The man in the suit continued tapping on the table for a while until he stopped and put his hands on the table to support himself.
"Fine, take him"
"Good!" the man with the cigar celebrated and began to walk towards Nathan.
Nathan felt a little intimidated by the man's presence, compared to his almost six-foot height, Nathan's five foot five inches was nothing. He felt small... inferior.
The man smiled as he looked at him and then put his hand on Nathan's shoulder.
"Well, boy, from now on I'll be your teacher"
***
Nathan sat down on the bed in his assigned room and sighed without removing his mask.
From that moment on, the man with the cigar introduced himself and gave him a brief idea of what Nathan would be doing from now on.
The man's name was Dilliard Silva, one of the generals of this anti-government organization. Yes, they were basically an illegal organization that opposed the central world government.
Unknown to Nathan, he was now part of an organization that his family had been at war with for decades. The anti-government organization; Khan.
'Who knew the old man was the founder of such an organization?'
Nathan patted his face... well, his mask. He really had underestimated Boreas.
'And to think that such a person trained me'
Nathan was grateful to Boreas, but he'd had enough for seven years. Now he was going to be trained by Dilliard, but he didn't know what. Nathan thought it would be good to learn how to use his essence and improve his technique so that he could climb the categories of the First Rank.
Nathan sat back and looked up at the ceiling. Once again, he was reintegrated into society, albeit in a strange way.
He looked at the sword leaning against the wall beside his bed and sighed again. A lot had happened in a single day, and he was tired. But before the day was over, Nathan heard a voice behind him.
"Oh, right room"
Nathan quickly stood and grabbed his sword, pointing it at the window where a woman was leaning against the frame.
"Who are you?" asked Nathan, his guard up.
The woman finished entering the room and closed the window before lightly combing her hair.
"Oh, I just came to visit, I wanted to see who the successor of the former leader was. My teacher always talks about him, so of course I was curious about you"
Nathan lowered his sword and returned it to the wall, knowing that the young woman wasn't dangerous, just curious. He knew that he would eventually attract people's attention, just as he had done with the soldiers outside the rift.
Nathan looked at the young woman who was looking at him with curiosity and could not help but be fascinated. The young woman's black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her sky-blue eyes glazed intently at him, and her figure, hidden by a military uniform, made her even more striking.
Nathan had never had contact with women before, only Lira, but she was like a sister to him, so he never looked at her like that. But with the young woman in front of him, Nathan's mind stopped working for a few seconds.
This slight distraction was enough for the young woman to approach him and reach for his mask, trying to pull it off.
Nathan reacted quickly, grabbing the young woman's hand, and putting her in a headlock. Somehow, they both ended up on the bed with Nathan on top of her.
The young woman just smiled flirtatiously as Nathan continued to process the situation.
"Oh, I didn't know you were so straightforward. Well, you're pretty cute, so I wouldn't mind"
Nathan's eyes widened in surprise as he realized that the young woman had managed to pull the mask off him, and he snatched it out of her hands before putting it back on. He then looked at the young woman angrily, but she was already sitting quite calmly in the window frame.
"You..."
Nathan didn't know what to say, the young woman had toyed with him and managed to remove his mask and see his face. It had only been one day, and someone had already discovered his identity.
The young woman might not have recognized him, but a visit to the news or the internet would tell her who it could be. After all, Noah was quite famous.
The young woman just smiled and put a finger to her mouth as if to indicate that she wouldn't say anything.
"Don't worry, it's our secret"
Nathan frowned, but before he could do anything, the young woman interrupted.
"By the way, my name is Syril, it's nice to meet you" the young woman said as she backed out of the window and disappeared from the room.
Nathan stood in silence for a few seconds before walking over to the window and closing it.
Then he closed the curtains, turned off the light and lay down to sleep. One last thought crossed his mind before he fell asleep.
'I must train to resist mental attacks...'