Again with that demand? Richards was shameless, but firm in his decisions, like any Butler, or were all Walkers like this? Mi-Yung was close to it, or perhaps everything was better this way.

  “What makes the Academy so impressive?”

  “Impressive?!” Richards frowned. “Our whole purpose is subject to one goal. The Federation has hundreds of them. We aren't like them, and our focus never changed. That answers it.”

  “Really?” William didn't believe it because he didn't mention that fucking goal again. “Is the focus that meaningful? Is there even a point to this struggle? A way out?”

  “What if there is? Our Principal's goal is our purpose, and we wish to work with him on it. When you meet him, you'll understand. For now, our greater goal is beyond our imagination and little goals.”

  “Since you put it that way, what goal are you speaking so highly of?” William asked loudly, and if he won't get his answer...

  “A broad term. The goal of the Federation is humanity itself. The Academy stays on the same boat, but our focus is tighter, our policies and power can differ, and our Parties have various matters at hand. Each is led by power on par with a whole Federation. Under that are numerous missions, goals, and tasks that accompany the Academy's overall responsibilities, but only the Principal understands them. That is to exterminate the Darks and solve the riddles of the Emblems, Systems, and Dawn.” Richards explained, leaning forward with his palm facing the table. Appearing more mysterious than he should be, he sounded quite good at this.

  “Cool... So, what about me? Sounds like a goal that has no viable scenarios because it sure as hell doesn't work. Exterminate? How do you do it when Darks seem like unkillable rats?”

  “It doesn't need to sound complicated, boy. Trust me on this one. It is hardly something achievable at the moment, but in the future? You have no idea what is out there, in the wild world of the Dark Age.”

  William opened his mouth as if wanting to vent, but his words stopped because of Richards.

  “...even if you grew up Outside, I or others don't care. It's not like the camps are very important points for the Darks, and their struggle is something the Federation has to deal with. For us, it doesn't matter where someone is from. Ability matters.”

  “Academy doesn't deal with it or what?”

  “We do in our own way. We can afford it.”

  “Then, the Federation does not? How many people died because of your so-called unimportant points? How many people had died because of choices or wrong moves in like a...chess game?” William shouted in anger, which appeared all of a sudden. Crimson also stressed his arms and trembled as he crossed them.

  “Calm down. It is the truth. No need to be angry about it. Darks are looking for many things, including normal people. Then, one significant thing is higher than anything else.”

  “Emblems,” William answered before Richards said it. Looking pissed, he looked away from this man to calm down.

  “Yes. Darks loves the Walkers the most. The same goes for Walkers, who also like Darks. It is like a cat-and-mouse game, but this time, everyone is a hunter, cat, and mouse at the same time. Killing each other for survival is a price worth paying to survive longer and better. The stronger ones are winners, while the rules are almost non-existent. Powerful beasts could crush the ants, but ants can beat them too.”

  Richards visibly relaxed and started walking around the table.

  “Anyway, I am talking and getting ahead of myself. You are soon to become a Walker yourself. I revealed myself to contact you without any obscurities from anyone else, and the timing was decent. What do you say about joining the Academy? It isn't a contract right now. Just a matter of voice and words alone.”

  “I won't say a thing. It depends on what will happen after the Awakening, doesn't it? And let's not forget Mi-Yung, who clearly stated her business in that corridor. Is it not better that way? I won't promise anything. Why should I?” William refused.

  Mi-Yung made herself very clear when it came to offers like this. Every now and then, she even asked William whether there had been any trouble. Whether with Kaufman or others, she thought someone would make their move.

  Nobody did, until now, and William was prepared after she became his proxy.

  William chose to believe her motives without hesitation.

  “You... refuse? Ah, that Mi-Yung?!” Richards demanded and clenched his hands. His face contorted in unknown emotions, and space began to twist around his visible steps and face. Whatever was happening below his cloak and uniform made him bigger, and his voice turned a little odd.

  “I remember what happened a while ago. I trust her more than Kaufman, so... who are you to that? It is not a gift. I can toss it and won't lose much because words spoken are no contract.” William said his truth, showed his card, and looked at the man's reactions.

  Richards reminded him of Kaufman for sure, so what if this man had something better to offer? After all, most recruitments had their merits, offers, counters, etc.

  So far, Richards has stated nothing about it.

  From words alone, a representative with the power to recruit others to the Party sounded like a big deal. Without any personal matters involved, it's best to think about it twice. Whether that meant orders made by others or something else, William knew recruitment was a process involving a lot of people and value. It was like a barter with goods or farmed food.

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  He was the food, and someone in the Academy showed interest in his taste, or... it was about his mother, or something else. William didn't discover a single piece of news about her. It could be roublesome because of what they did as his parents, or Walkers. Additionally, the relationships seemed complicated, and William thought he should be cautious about them.

  He wanted answers, and gathering them sounded like a fine goal.

  “Fine. Fine. You don't have to agree right now. I've clarified my position, and whatever happens in the Awakening will show us the rest. The information I provided should be a payment for this conversation, so don't tell Mi-Yung about me, alright?” Richards stopped and pointed to William.

  William saw his fingers for the first time and was surprised to see that his whole palm was bigger than his whole head. The skin was parched, looking old, or full of cracks and weird skin. It resembled stone or scales, while the nails were glowing tips with more see-through Arcana that should go deep into his arm.

  Without that, it seemed he was afraid of Mi-Yung, and Richards didn't want to get in trouble with her because he was dealing with William under the table.

  William wondered if that was even important, but in the end, he agreed. Richards told him many interesting facts he did not know before.

  “Good. I won't bother you for the time being. See you during the Examination or afterward. Hopefully, not before.” Richards said at last, and snapped his finger.

  William blinked.

  Opening his eyes, there was no one before him in a blip of a second. No shadows. No waves. Tensed space would be noticeable, but there was nothing.

  Even one of the chairs disappeared into nowhere.

  Rubbing his eyes, William wondered if he had dreamt of yet another wicked thought, or memory, or if it was yet another bullshit. Blinking again, even his Emblem felt confused, while his uneasiness dissipated. He wasn't in disbelief about this occurrence, but rather about the entire situation.

  How had it happened? Was it some sort of spying shit made up of... no. There were no hidden doors. He checked it twice just in case. That was the power Butlers possessed, and numerous stories and notes said the same thing. Teleportation was a thing, and stepping into so-called dimensions was the same.

  The world must've turned strange in that snap, and his Emblems did it. Maybe it was that gesturing and stuff, or the simple activation he heard about?

  William was unsure and recalled books about dimensions and realms that he had recently observed. It was brief because it was so confusing and convoluted that he didn't dwell on it further.

  To his shock, parts of this idea originated from the lower floors, as the magical ways of the universe and physics had factual consequences and laws that humanity had described hundreds of years ago.

  Walkers and Emblems de facto shattered these laws to pieces, creating incredible possibilities, or destruction. Some facts still adhered to common perception: cold was cold, and flames were hot. Even a child gets that sort of stuff, but physics? Math? Bulshit...

  What about a human punch that could shatter a steel plate dozens of inches thick? What if muscles were like steel? What if bones could bend? What if blood could become like mercury or flowing lava? Body-like furnace, blood freezing yet flowing, and so on?

  William read about these interesting factors, and science couldn't provide anything other than new questions and silly pages. It was less about finding explanations but more about how they affected the world, others, and this society.

  It was helpful, so that was it.

  Emblems allowed, created, and worked in different realms of possibilities and existences. Human bodies changed in consequence of their birth, either by allowing this nonsense, or fusing with it, and science didn't follow it for a long ass time. He read it here, and even at home--even though he doubted that diary to this day.

  Throughout the decades of research, people and clever minds have developed interesting methods, reconnected with the past, and adapted accordingly.

  Physical realms of comprehension were not under William's eyes, nor was the science, or even physics. Each individual Emblem affected several laws in some ways, giving the wielder benefits of Arcana that had tastes, layers, and mysteries.

  Their general structure was introduced by Mi-Yung, who provided a solid physical foundation for William. Since then, he had read a lot further and hoped to make logical sense of it.

  The end was no start, and the start was nothing. Sense was luxury...

  "Space Realm? How to call it? Nowhere? Somewhere? Incorporeal Dimension? What a strange thing to say. I am here, but there is something else around us. What a strange man. I bet he has an even worse history with Mi-Yung than I think he does. If he fears her even with his Academy background... hm? Maybe she is better than I think, or the Academy is not... that?" William mumbled and thought about what Richards had said.

  Besides the Academy topic, one thing was the premise of maximizing the benefits of his card and accomplishing better things with it. Maybe that was a missing piece that Mi-Yung never said so specifically, but more in a brief, dangerous substance?

  Perhaps that was more than enough, because William wasn't thinking about it back then. He wasn't clever; he genuinely believed so, and knew it wasn't too important.

  Based on her experiences, she didn't have to say much, since this land had more answers and corners, and William would never understand everything, get to their level, let alone unlock them.

  William recalled rooms that were closed and off-limits even for his card. It was about business, places, research, and something that even Kaufman could not touch, or... it was sensible. Maybe the true limit was not the card, but the one who wielded it. Maybe some rooms require the highest physical sense of Rank, rather than just the status of said Rank?

  It was curious, and Mi-Yung said it was better to focus on her recommendation list, which didn't include every room.

  William thought about her words and his own little plans. What was considered basic for a Butler, or Rank 5 or 6 Walker? He had always hesitated about secret stuff since that time with Kaufman was a memorable incident.

  Back then, that old man made it quite clear that there were mysteries on these floors and that one should tread their steps lightly. Words were written by hand, pictures were shot, drawn, and etched into stone, among others. There were ways to view lessons from many perspectives, and William's eyes were narrow.

  Many kinds of documents opened to him like kebabs. They hid things, but one could unwrap them and see what was inside, but understanding it was not easy. To someone with limited yet limitless hands, it felt overwhelming, and he got his flaws.

  Then, what about limited cards that would point to these... limits? They had prices within them that one had to figure out, or manage, and giving back value was another thing. He didn't have that worry, so what Kaufman planned was probably neither good nor bad, but more subtle.

  There should be more rooms than his current Rank. Was there a place meant JUST for Rank 0? If so, what did that mean? There were almost no hints about that, besides Mi-Yung's suggestions, which didn't necessarily address the limitations or reasons, because, once again, she was Song Mi-Yung. The youngest Pillar? She didn't give a shit about where William had to go, right?

  William held the card and took its advance with a leap. Was it to make fun of him? Help him? Play with him? Kaufman tossed it to him, and he should be either laughing or giggling like a kid, but stopping him sounded absurd.

  That old man was worse than anyone. So far, that is.