The Veilwalker

The next day

Zol Knight had finally arrived and was currently on the Orbital Ring and in one of the massive receiving rooms for VIPs. And while he didn't come alone, he wanted to first have a talk with the miracle boy before anything else. The matter had already reached the high council of the empire, and they had requested his input on the matter.

While he waited, he went over the report of how the students were caught up in the cosmic mana wave to begin with.

"Hmm, the displacement putting them right on Mars doesn't bode too well."

Indeed, the report he was reading mentioned how the displaced persons were put on Mars while the barrier was still up. If that was the case, it meant the cosmic mana wave could bypass the barrier, and while the small-scaled ones on spaceships could be bypassed, those of the orbital rings were not. All tests carried out in the past fail to breach them.

"Maybe this is an isolated incident? I don't think it's a coincidence someone survived as well." Zol mulled over the issue. Currently, their engineers were working to find out the reason behind the breach but so far, nothing. As such, he concluded that the cosmic mana wave could have been a different kind, and somehow their survivor could shed some light on that.

Zol was drawn out of his thoughts when the door to the room was opened. As he observed the person walk inside, his eyes briefly flashed white before disappearing.

.....

Alex moved closer to the man standing by the large window looking over the planet and couldn't hold his bubbling emotions. He swallowed nervously and prayed he didn't do anything stupid.

'This is it! And he looks just like in the pictures!' he bellowed inwardly.

"Relax, kid," Zol spoke to calm the overly excited child before him and directed him to have a seat. Alex nodded and went to sit on the sofa facing his idol.

"Alexander Gray, right? How are you feeling?" Zol began after studying the kid.

"Yes sir," Alex responded with a smile. He still couldn't believe he was before his hero. He had made sure to clean thoroughly so as not to put him off as he did not know the personal habits of the hero hunter. Of course, he also understood that he was overdoing it.

"Mm, care to tell me about your experience? You've got the attention of quite a lot of people." Zol pushed for the boy to describe his experience since he hadn't spoken about it yet. And it wasn't as if he was not asked, he just didn't want to talk then. Hopefully, with him here, the boy would open up.

"Of course, but it's a bit hard to believe," Alex stated.

'So, there is a story. That's good.' Zol silently thought. It seemed his thoughts on the matter weren't farfetched. Surviving a cosmic mana wave has been unheard of since its beginning. While people who briefly lived to tell the tail, they could only describe an incredibly dark space with nothing at all. They could not tell their left from right or where they were being displaced.

Ultimately, there was nothing to say. But for the boy to say that it could mean his experience was different. Maybe he may be grasping at straws, but he was willing to bet.

Of course, these thoughts flashed in his mind faster than the boy could change facial expressions.

"Do tell. I'm all ears." He encouraged.

Taking a deep breath, Alex once again went ahead to describe his experience.

....

For a few seconds, there was silence. Alex understood that he needed to digest his words and make sense of them.

'This is it. What now?' Alex thought with his fingers crossed. While it could still be passed for a dream, he sincerely hoped he believed him.

"Are you sure about what you're saying?" Zol asked, still a little surprised by what he heard.

"Yes sir. One hundred per cent sure." Alex assured with a resolute look.

'Mm, he is absolutely certain about this. And as he said, it is a bit heavy to swallow.' Of course, this was not to say he disregarded what Alex narrated. He was well aware that the universe once upon a time was not what it was today, and if what the boy told him turned out to be the case, then they were in big trouble.

Alex waited nervously for him to respond. His hands were clasped together as if waiting for a verdict from a judge.

"Alex, can I call you that?" Zol enquired to which Alex nodded.

"Thanks for telling me this. And I do believe you experienced something. You being the only survivor gives that a little credibility."

Alex sighed in relief hearing the words of Zol Knight.

"Do you have anything else to add?" Just to be sure he didn't leave anything out, he asked to be sure,

"No, that's everything," Alex replied shaking his head.

"Good. And keep this to yourself." Zol acknowledged and advised. Of course, Alex had no problem with that arrangement. Zol stood up before stretching his left hand to Alex.

"Here, have my contact so you can reach me if anything happens."

With a beaming smile, Alex stood up and also stretched his hand with the watch, and once the exchange was made, Zol prepared to leave.

Right when he reached the door leading outside, he stopped and turned to ask, "When is your awakening?"

Caught off guard while he was lost in the excitement of exchanging contacts, Alex quickly raised his head and replied a little too quickly.

"In three months, sir!"

Zol chuckled slightly before walking out. Alex on the other hand, face-slapped himself for his action.

'Damn, that was not cool at all.' He mused.

While he was mentally chiding himself for his actions, another person walked in.

"Em... hello..." came a voice that drew Alex from his thoughts.

Hearing the sweet-sounding voice he had never heard before, Alex quickly turned to see who it was. The voice had immediately captivated him, evoking feelings of warmth and familiarity. While he wasn't sure of when and where; he could feel he had come across this person before. And in all honesty, he would have remembered a face as angelic as hers. Alex had never seen a being as beautiful as she was.