"Wait a second! Let me take in what you are saying! You say that you are Rose, but not the Rose I know. But you are still Rose from another dimension. So, what did you come here for? Is it even safe for you? What about my sister's body? Is it alright?"
Adrian finished speaking in a single line. It was impressive how he did not stop to breathe a single time.
But as impressive as it was, Rose also wanted to patch any misconceptions that might have been left because of her inability to express herself correctly.
It had been ages since someone had questioned her last time. Rose needed to consider her words so she did not appear selfish and arrogant.
"Well, I came here because I am the only one who can prevent the future tragedy from happening."
Rose did not want to be arrogant, but this was the truth. She was the chosen one, and her memories proved it.
"Ah, so if your return to this dimension is your choosing, then does my return in time mean I am also the chosen one? How does it work when there are two of us in similar circumstances?"
Adrian questioned, and it stumped Rose. To be fair, she had not gotten this far in her thinking. She had also forgotten about Adrian's circumstances.
Once Adrian reminded Rose of their similar circumstances, it washed away Rose's superior feeling.
"Shit, I did not consider that at all. Well, it's clear why I am here, but I don't know about you. Do you think we should reveal all our information and try to see how much we know?"
Rose asked, and Adrain had no trouble giving Rose any information. He trusted her when Rose said that she was from another dimension. His instincts told him that this was still his sister.
And as a warrior of light, Adrian's instincts had yet to prove him wrong.
"Well, the future I can prevent is simple - I need to stop the big evil from spreading worldwide. I don't know why or when, but Rachael will open the final dungeon, causing a mass of monsters to appear one after another."
"So, the best way to resolve this situation would be to kill Rachael. But I don't know how that will work out in the future. But maybe we can weaken her-"
"Don't touch her. Whatever we must plan is fine, but we cannot touch Rachael. The supreme power that sent me here warned me not to play with Rachael if we want this world to stay intact."
Rose quickly interrupted Adrian before he finished planning his way. Adrian was surprised to hear Rose's outburst, but he calmed down and considered her words.
If Rose said he could not touch Rachael, then Adrian would do that. He would plan his whole strategy around not touching Rachael.
"Fine, I get that. So, Rachael is out of our reach. But we still need to keep an eye on her, right? Whatever was going to happen was related to her. I guess it's a good thing you are going to the same class as her. It never happened in the original timeline, but this change can be good for us."
Adrian was modifying his plan when his parents entered the room. Adrian and Rose had not discussed what they should tell their parents about their condition, so they chose to remain entirely.
Rose was about to open her mouth and accept her father's request to join the academy when the older couple shared a look.
"Rose, I know you do not want to attend the academy, and I am sorry for forcing you to go there. We both discussed this between ourselves, and we decided that you no longer need to go to the academy."
Whatever Rose had been about to say got stuck in her throat. She looked at her father but could not find the courage to speak to him.
"Father, this is not fair. Rose made a mistake before, but that doesn't mean you need to encourage her mistake. You should still send her to the academy for a better future-"
"Adrain, I know you mean the best for your sister, but we already discussed this and declined the invite to the academy. It would be best if you forget all about it for now. We'll find better instructors for you once we have enough time to look around."
Adrian looked at his mother's loving eyes. She meant well, but this was one time he did not need her to be understanding. He wanted her to be strict and follow through with what she had been saying all this time.
But, of course, the decision had already been reached before Adrain opened his mouth. His father sighed, a sign to stop struggling and going against him.
"Adrian, I understand your point. But a decision had been reached already. We already declined the invitation, so we cannot return it now. You better start preparing for private lessons now."
Rose fell silent, and Adrain swallowed his curse. He did not want to be disappointed too soon. There was still a chance for him to carry out his plan and keep an eye on Rachael.
Just because Rose could not attend the academy did not limit Adrain from not attending it as well. He still had a chance to enter the academy if he tried hard enough.
"Father, what about me? I can fill in for the academy exam, right? I want to apply for it."
Adrian insisted, but he felt his face flushing at the same time. He remembered begging his father not to attend the academy. He had a guaranteed seat, but he had given it up.
Adrian's friends and even his teachers had called him brave for skipping the academy, and he had felt incredible. It was not until years later that he realised how big of a fool he had been.
People younger than Adrian but who attended the academy over-took him in terms of skills. Without Rachael's support and the power of the Chlorance Clan, Adrian had difficulty keeping things in check.
And then the great tragedy happened. No one knew what happened or how things got to that point.
"You want to attend the academy, Adrian? Well, it is not impossible if you take the general test. But are you sure you are ready for it? Why don't you practice for a few months first, and then we can try-"
"No, I want to try the test today. I know my capabilities, and I know how much I can take. Please believe in me and schedule the exam for tomorrow."
Adrian begged. His family still had its influence and bragging chip. He was sure his father would be able to do something about it.
"Tomorrow? Fine, I will go and arrange something. But don't think I am making a promise to you, alright?"
That was what Rocx Chlorance said. But he had a permit for the visit and an exam pass ready the next day.
Adrian was blessed to have such a great family. And this time, he was not going to lose it.
......
"Welcome, class, to your second-day lecture. Now, let me see what we shall be working with here. Huh! It seems like we are missing quite a few people."
Luka looked at this class, but only one person was present today. Rachael was the only one who arrived on time and sat at the back of the course.
"Looks like two of our new students decided to recall their admissions, and the other two will arrive at the academy late. What do you think this indicated to, Rachael?"
Luka tried to lighten the mood of his class by involving Rachael in the conversation. But the younger girl was currently reading books on high-level plant biology.
And the poisonous kind.
"I don't think students are interested in this course very much. Are you even qualified to teach at an academy level? Don't you need a degree for that?"
Luka pretended to be hurt by these words, but he did have a degree. He had a few degrees (most fake for undercover work).
"Ouch, you wound me. Many students are interested in my coaching. You don't know how lucky you are to get me as a teacher, kid. But enough of that. I have something special planned for us today. Come, follow me."
Luka walked out of the room and expected Rachael to follow him. But she was nowhere to be seen when he looked back. Luka had to go back and pick Rachael up actively.
The girl had not moved an inch from the spot she had sat down during the morning hours.
"You cannot spend all your time reading books about subjects that will never help you. So, hurry up and follow me."
Luka pulled Rachael behind him until they reached the test arena. He wanted Rachael to see how the school usually conducted tests and how lucky she had gotten in comparison.
"Do you see this place? This is the arena that is explicitly designed to challenge our new students. Usually, you need to complete this obstacle course and the physical training in a limited amount of time to get past this course. Do you think you can do it?"
Luka asked with a proud face. Rachael looked up from her book with a frown. Her eyes checked all the spots of the course before she turned back to Luka.
"I don't think this course would last long against melting poison from the Sceet plant."
Rachael advised, causing Luka to pale and turn toward her with a threatening aura.
"Never use such dangerous poisons, even if you have all the safety equipment. I am too young to lose my life, and you are too young to experiment, alright?"
If he could have, Luka would have shaken Rachael to get his point across. But the timing was not on his side. As far as Luka knew, no entrance test was scheduled that day, but the test room door was still open.
He considered it a blessing in disgust.
"Kid, just see an entrance exam with your own eyes. It will change your perspective on how it works."