As Chris observed the young boy on screen, he wondered who he was.
"During the Cataclysm, people always wondered where the Vanishing Points led to. It wasn't rare for people to disappear when a Vanishing Point appeared. If he really did correspond to someone in our database, then one mystery would have been resolved," Chris said leaning back on his chair.
"Correct. If he was a person that had disappeared, then it would have been in our best interest to approach him. But now…" Maria's words lingered in the air.
"Now it's difficult to know who he is or even what he is," Chris completed her words. "Play the footage."
As the footage continued to play, Chris focused all his attention on the boy and what he was doing.
On the video, the boy, Ace, stared blankly in front of him for a few seconds before looking down at himself. He clenched and opened his fist repeatedly before looking at his reflection on a nearby window and then glancing around him.
'What is he doing exactly?' Chris thought, watching the scene unfold as a mumble then came from under his breath. "It's almost like he's assessing his surroundings."
"What happened next?" Chris asked, his voice tinged with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
"He then explored the library and started to read the books that seemed to interest him," Maria explained as the scene unfolded before their eyes.
Ace had taken a collection of books from their shelves and then sat down to read them.
"What books did he take?" Chris asked, his intuition leading him.
"From the section he took the books from, it seems it is a collection of history books concerning Elderngard," answered Maria.
"I see," mumbled Chris holding his chin, thinking about Ace's strange behavior.
"Mind playing the part where our agents enter? There's something I want to check," Chris asked, his intuition telling him that there's a certain piece missing to complete the puzzle that was this particular situation.
The scene that played next was the entrance of the Realizers inside the library. Cautious of the young boy, they each bore their weapons at him.
For a few seconds, Ace stood there without moving an inch.
'What is he waiting for?' Chris questioned before the events playing out turned into a bloody battle.
He was surprised.
Suddenly, taking the team of Realizers by surprise, Ace disappeared into his shadow before jumping out behind the male swordsman, who with a swift motion, turned around ready to slash the boy.
As the sword made contact, it passed through the boy's form which disappeared into a trail of fading shadows.
The swordsman, feeling a punch of unimaginable force in his back, got blasted on the wall, feeling his ribs break just like his armor as he then crashed into it and spat out blood from his mouth.
It didn't take long before the other Realizers also fell to Ace who, using the same trick as before, disappeared from sight and then reappeared beside the swordsman, taking his weapon in the process.
Combined with the shadow abilities he had demonstrated, with swift movements and mastered swordsmanship, Ace beat the Realizers one by one, punching and kicking them so hard that their muscles tore, bones cracked, and organs became twisted as he also cut deep into their flesh, making them lose blood.
Single-handedly, Ace had completely overpowered them. The trained team of monster hunters they were had completely fallen apart, leaving them at inches of death's door.
'Damn,' Chris, who had watched the scene unfold, was completely dumbfounded.
"Just where did he come from?" Chris completed his thoughts
"Considering his strength, I'm worried that you alone won't be enough to handle this, sir," said Maria, though trying to hide it, had worry etched on her face. "Should I contact other Realizers for assistance?"
"No need. I'll handle this myself," replied Chris, his expression cool and composed as he stood up from his chair.
Maria's voice burst out. "With all respect sir, I don't think he's an enemy to be taken so lightly!"
"Gathering our forces and devising a suitable plan would surely be the best way to resolve this situa-" she continued before being interrupted by Chris.
"That's where you're wrong. He's not an enemy. Just a foreigner who doesn't know where he is," Chris walked out of the tent, a confident smirk etched on his lips. "Just trust me on this one."
A few moments later, Chris entered the building, completely unarmed. While everyone on site was wondering and worrying about why Chris Blakelord, the Deputy Chief of the Jaegers Association was heading inside the tiger's den completely defenseless, Maria remembered the words the Association Master, Deker, told her a few hours ago.
"A report about an unusual Vanishing Point, eh? Contact Chris to handle it. My guts are telling me he's the man of the job," Deker's voice had quite an easygoing tone.
'I know I said I would handle this, but…' Chris's thoughts raced as he walked through the building's entrance. 'I gotta admit that I don't know if my assumption was correct'
'That kid is so skilled that he's able to beat highly trained Realizers without breaking a sweat. If I were to hold back, whether it'd be in terms of magical or physical abilities, he'd definitely give me a run for my money.'
Chris noticed Ace who was sitting on the other side of the counter while reading a book. 'But if I'm right about him, then that means that there is a way to talk with him.'
As he noticed the approaching presence, "I certainly didn't expect this kind of approach," Ace's voice broke through the silence.
'Heh. So he can talk,' a wry smirk played on Chris' face.
"I thought you would try charging in like those guys from earlier," Ace said, a cold and spine-chilling gaze in his eyes as he leaned his head on his hand while sitting cross-legged.
At that moment, Chris was even more convinced that the boy in front of him wasn't an easy opponent. "I'm not here to fight. So how about we talk?"
Ace pondered for a moment before giving his simple response.
"Sure. Let's talk."