"How about taking a seat?" Ace gestured towards a table with chairs further inside the library.
"Thanks for the offer," Chris replied as they both went to take their seats which were face-to-face towards one another.
The library was dimly lit with the sunlight breaking through the windows as a few lamps were still functional. The atmosphere was heavy with the tension created by them.
"For starters, who are you?" Chris broke the silence with a question.
"Who am I, huh?" Ace hesitated before answering with a hint of uncertainty. "If I had to say then, I don't know?"
"What?!" Chris' voice blurted out, surprised by Ace's words.
"Ah! Don't get me wrong. I said I don't know, but it's not like I don't know everything," Ace reassured, trying to explain himself.
"Then..." Chris's voice trailed off, inquiring Ace to answer.
"My name is…" Ace's voice trailed off in hesitation for a short moment before answering. "Ace. That's about the only thing I'm really sure about myself."
"What do you mean?" Chris pressed on.
"Well, I know that my name is Ace. But anything more than that I don't really know."
"Then where do you come from? Are there others like you? Do you-" Chris successively questioned Ace who interrupted him with a gesture to stop.
"I'd appreciate if it was only one question at a time," Ace stopped Chris as he became overwhelmed with the questions without even having time to answer.
"For your first question, I know that I was in a place crawling with monsters. When I beat all of them, a portal appeared and when I passed through it, I ended up here," Ace explained.
"For your second question, I doubt there are others like me. Even if there are, I've got no way of knowing who they are anyway."
"I-I see," said Chris, his voice tinged with disappointment as he held his face, Ace seeming to observe him very attentively.
Regaining his composure…
"I know it's a little late to ask, but you seem awfully cooperative considering how those who came before me ended up. Why is that?" Chris inquired, finding Ace's behavior unexpected.
Though it went unnoticed to Chris, Ace seemed hesitant to answer for a short moment. What was going on inside his head was completely unknown.
And then…
"I told you, didn't I? They came in armed, so I thought they were trying to attack me. As simple as that."
"I see."
'I'm really having a hard time reading this boy,' thought Chris as he couldn't comprehend Ace's actions and behavior. 'That calm attitude of his doesn't let anything slip pass it. Not only that, but I don't feel much malicious intent from him.'
Chris continued to analyze Ace. 'He's been staying on guard ever since I first entered this place. And for now, it doesn't seem like he's told a single lie.'
'Huuuuh…' Ace thought, his expression still the same, but his mind much darker and colder. 'Guess he's sharper than I thought.'
'Trust my instincts. With the situation as it is and considering the current circumstances, the only thing I can rely on right now are my instincts. Even if my mind doesn't know what's happening, I need to play my cards right and get out of this situation.'
'Hmm?' Ace's eyes slightly widened. 'Cards? Why did I─!?'
As soon as Ace raised his wandering gaze and made eye contact once more, Chris broke the silence. "Now that I think about it, I never introduced myself."
"I'm Chris, Chris Blakelord. I'm also the Deputy Chief of the Jaegers Association," Chris added, presenting himself.
"I see," Ace reacted in a dry manner. "So?"
"We are an organization that handles matters related to Vanishing Points and monsters. Whether it'd raiding Vanishing Points, killing monsters or training Realizers for combat, we handle it all," responded Chris.
"So if I understood well, Vanishing Points are the things similar to the portal I came out from while Realizers are the guys that I beat up earlier, right?"
"That's correct."
'That's good info to get a hold of,' Ace thought, absorbing the information he was given. 'Next…'
"What's going to happen to me now?" asked Ace. "No. Let me reformulate. What do you intend to do to me?"
Ace's question was followed with a dark and menacing expression. Chris, who noticed it, was even more convinced that his answer would decide the next turn of events… a deal and agreement or a heated blood battle.
"That... I don't know," honestly answered Chris.
"Your case is different if not much unique at this point. You came out of a Vanishing Point but unlike monsters, you're not hostile and we can communicate," continued Chris as he explained how complicated this particular situation is.
'You say I'm not hostile, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. For now, the one thing I only care about is my survival and nothing more. It doesn't matter if they're human or monster. I'll use and discard anyone and anything to accomplish my goal,' Ace's dark thoughts developed as he hid them away behind an expressionless facade. 'Not that I'd ever say this out loud though.'
'After all, if he had chosen to fight, I would have been in trouble,' Ace thought, staring at Chris with an analytical eye that could see the aura of power emanating from him. 'He hides it well, but if he had come at me without holding back, I wouldn't have been to do anything against him.'
"A deal it is then, right?" said Ace, a relaxed and aloof exression on his face.
"That seems like the most viable option," Chris said, a tinge of worry and anxiousness etched on his face and voice.
"Agreed," said Ace as Chris then extended his hand, offering a handshake.
'Resolving this peacefully was definitely the right option,' his thoughts continued as he took Chris' hand. 'For now, I guess I'll rely on him. I've got a feeling it'd be quite a headache to know what to do next on my own.'