Intersection[1]

"Instructor Doschit Voss informed me of a peculiar case of affinity test... that case being yours," said Oliver, his emotionless blues reflected a pale face. If listened closely, one could feel a subtle hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yes, sir. I couldn't activate the mana crystal even when I channeled mana into it... I didn't do that on purpose; I don't know why it happened," Noah replied honestly, though his nervousness was evident. His palms were clammy, his eyes darted around the room in occasions.

"I know... no one would intentionally mess up their affinity test." Oliver chuckled softly. "That's why we think you have a 'certain' issue," Oliver paused, letting his words sink in.

"This is Franko Paxley," the principal gestured toward the man seated beside him. The man had straight black hair tied in a ponytail, a moonlit complexion, an athletic frame, and wore a tuxedo.

"He is a representative from the Interdisciplinary Panel for Medical Cases (IPMC)," Oliver declared.

"Medical cases?" Noah echoed, his eyebrow twitched remembering certain events of the past, but he tried to suppress his reaction.

"Indeed," Oliver confirmed, before directing his gaze across the room to a female attendee.

At Oliver's signal, she brought out a crystal orb from her dimensional bracelet. It looked like a mana crystal, but within its see-through body was a swirling 'S' symbol of smoggy obsidian.

She placed the orb on the table, and Oliver looked at Noah. "Do you feel anything?" He asked.

Noah observed the orb silently for a moment before shaking his head.

"Try harder, kid. Do you not remember or feel anything?" A rough voice cut through the tension.

Unfamiliar with the man, the first-year student only eyed the supposed representative of IPMC. It was obviously Franko Paxley who had interjected.

"No, sir, I don't feel anything, but..." Noah squinted his eyes before adding, "about the remembering part, I think I've seen it before?"

"Seen what?" Franko asked, curiosity piqued as he leaned closer.

"The mana crystal."

"Where?"

"The affinity test, haha..."

"Grhm," Franko grumbled, and Noah immediately shut his mouth, looking away. After a short pause, he spoke again. "Ahem, I... sorry sir, but I'm just nervous. That's all."

Franko shot a look of mild annoyance. "We are not playing games here kid, answer sincerely."

Sighing, Oliver added, "Just do as he says, boy."

Noah didn't respond for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "I'm sorry. And yes, I think I may have seen the 'S' symbol before."

Oliver and Franko exchanged glances, their eyes communicating something only they could understand.

"Where have you seen it?" Franko asked.

"I can't remember much about it... it's vague. Maybe when I was little?"

Franko squinted his eyes, asking, "Where?"

"I can't remember," Noah answered.

"Alright," said Franko as he grabbed Noah's hand. "Relax yourself," the man instructed, placing his hand on the crystal ball as he started channeling his mana into it. "Tell me when you start feeling any pain or experiencing any sort of trouble."

Noah nodded.

And then, seconds passed.

The room was quiet, Franko was focused on whatever he was doing, Noah sat waiting for an explanation. The only sound in the silent room was the faint hum of the air conditioning and the soft tapping of Oliver's fingers on the iPad as he meticulously read between the mana orb and his iPad.

Soon, seconds turned into a minute.

"Did you sense anything?" Franko finally asked opening his eyes.

"Nope, I didn't sense anything... was I supposed to? And what is happening exactly, can I get an explanation?"

"Shah! This is quite a strange case," Franko grumbled, scratching his head. "You ever had troubles of insomnia? Or sleep paralysis? Someone like you—victims are supposed to have..." Franko trailed off, eyeing Noah suspiciously.

Noah blinked. "Nope, never. Wait, what victims?"

Franko sighed, exchanging a weary look with Oliver, who simply shook his head. With an exasperated sigh, Franko turned back to Noah. "Sorry boy, can't say much. There's been a recent incident regarding mana contamination near the Jedh Islands. Most of the victims can't use mana crystals. I thought yours was a similar case... but I guess I'm wrong. Mana contamination isn't the issue with you, which is both fascinating and disturbing. I assume you don't have—"

"Franko," Oliver interjected, cutting him off before he could say anything more.

Franko threw his hands up in frustration. "Well, excuse me for trying to get to the bottom of this!" he huffed, glaring at Oliver before turning his attention back to Noah with a begrudging curiosity.

Oliver looked at Noah. "None of what you heard in this room gets out."

Noah nodded his head and finally asked, "So everything's alright with me? And my academics, I assume?"

Oliver smiled with a subtle hint of pity. "Yes, everything's good. You're free to go now. I might call you later again."

Nodding, Noah stood up to leave while Oliver and Franko resumed their earlier discussion. But—

"I did have troubles with dreams."

The neutral, soft voice once again broke into the conversation between the two executives. They turned to the doorway only to find Noah's back facing them.

Looking over his shoulder, Noah asked, "Is that normal for someone like me?"

***

Thump!

"We don't have enough time in our hands!" grumbled a man, slamming his fist on the table. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties.

Anger and disgust was clearly visible in his tone.

"The second cataclysm is on the horizon. We need to start gathering our forces, building alliances with other races, and you people know that as well as I do," the man said, pointing at the holographic image of seven elders, all of whom looked to be in their seventies.

Despite their power and influence, the man wasn't afraid to point fingers at them.

But his shout fell on deaf ears as the people on the holographic monitors looked at him indifferently.

Their lack of interest only reminded him of the last two years he had wasted in trying to unite all the races.

Even though he was one of the strongest people of the human domain, right now he felt helpless.

"It's pathetic really. You geezers are so obsessed with amassing resources and power for your own families in this time of crisis..."

"I'm sorry, Ezekiel. But the Elite League needs more time to consider about your...alarmism," replied an elderly woman in the holograms.

"Hah!"Ezekiel scoffed. With a mechanical flick, he cut off the holograms.

He walked to his office's extended observation deck, his long hair fluttered in the wind, the coldness brought a sense of respite to his sweaty face.

The visionary alliance tower's observation deck offered a stunning view of Zenith Point, the epicenter of the human domain. Despite the breathtaking scenery, Ezekiel wasn't looking down.

Instead, he was looking up at the sky. "If only someone could bring hope to humans as the sun brings light," Ezekiel wisphered.

"Ah, but hope is the cruelest illusion of all," a serene voice interjected out of nowhere.

Ezekiel turned sharply, finding a man standing in the doorway. The first thing that caught his attention was the man's hazel-blue eyes.

***