Her gaze momentarily shifted past the boy, and she noticed the broken door lock.
She could see that the boy didn't appear out of nowhere but somehow had broken the lock and entered inside the storeroom without her hearing a thing.
Remaining silent, she met his friendly smile with a straight unreadable face.
"Hello," The boy greeted her again with his persistent radiant smile.
Her silence in response to the stranger's presence elicited a look of perplexed amusement, and his smile only grew more curious.
"Who might you be? Young lady seems to have a different school uniform."
He tilted his head and spoke lowly, more to himself. "Perhaps, you don't understand the language?"
With calm and perceptive eyes, she observed the boy, attentively taking note of every detail, assessing him with a keen awareness.
The boy appeared to be around 17 or 18 years old, yet exuded an undeniable air of confidence and authority, as though he were a figure accustomed to wielding power effortlessly.
As he continued to speak, his tone remained patient and measured, perhaps mindful of not unsettling her due to his sudden appearance or....he was wary of her.
"My apologies for not speaking," her composed voice calmly emerged, causing the boy to blink and arch an eyebrow in mild surprise. It appeared he might have been caught off guard, leaving her to ponder if he had assumed she was mute.
"So you do understand the language," the golden boy remarked, beaming a dazzling smile.
She would have appreciated that beautiful smile if it wasn't for one thing.
With a tilt of her head and a graceful smile adorning her lips, she began, "I was merely collecting my thoughts and would like to ask you for something." Her eyes narrowed as she continued, "Do kindly put an end to your lovely feigned personality."
The boy froze slightly, his expression faltering for a moment before he composed himself and spoke.
"I didn't think it was obvious."
In the blink of an eye, the enchanting smile and soft, gentle eyes vanished, replaced by an inscrutable and mysterious expression.
The golden boy persona disappeared instantly, leaving behind only a boy exuding a cold and dominant aura.
This was his true personality, stripped of all pretense and facades.
A newfound smirk, distant from the friendly demeanor, adorned his face. There was a hint of arrogance in it, as if he found something rather amusing in the current predicament.
"Rarely do people uncover the truth when I wear my friendly mask," Helios declared in a tone devoid of emotion.
"Oh, Good for you." Her smile too had vanished, replaced by her usual indifferent gaze.
"I suppose those of similar nature possess a certain knack for recognizing one another," his clear eyes narrowed slightly, and the corner of his lips curled into a smirk.
"Ha ha," a monotonous laugh escaped her lips as she raised her eyebrows.
"What a dry laugh," he remarked.
"Your words failed to amuse me," she retorted.
"Then why bother laughing?" he inquired.
"I'm merely being polite and amiable," she replied.
As they exchanged blunt remarks with straight faces and unwavering voices, an amused glint danced in Helios' eyes as he spoke, "You hardly seem friendly."
"Nor do you," she countered, to which he responded with a cheeky smile.
Helios looked around the room, then back at her as he tilted his head slightly, his eyes deep in thought.
"Well? Why are you here? How did you come here?" He asked seriously.
'If only I knew that too...' She sighed internally.
She remained silent as she stared back at him.
What was she supposed to say? That a murder happened, a black hole appeared, a don't know who's hand pulled her into this unknown place?
What use would he be in knowing her predicament? After all, she had no clue who he really was.
Leaning against the door with arms folded, the boy regarded her with inscrutable eyes for a moment.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" he asked abruptly.
She frowned slightly, annoyed by his question.
"I just met you? How am I supposed to kno—"
Her voice trailed off abruptly as an unexpected presence behind her caused her to involuntarily turn around.
Behind her stood a tall and handsome man, with dark brown hair and steel-colored eyes, dressed in knightly attire. His eyes widened slightly in response to her swift reaction to his presence.
She was quite taken aback.
What was up with these people appearing out of nowhere?
"How did you know?" The golden boy's voice made her look back at him.
"Pardon?"
"How did you sense his presence?" He asked, then murmured more to himself, "Well, you did sense mine too."
She parted her lips but didn't know what to say.
She couldn't quite comprehend what he was talking about.
The boy's gaze shifted to the new stranger and narrowed slightly.
"You two seem acquainted," she stated in a low voice.
"Well? What brings you here, Igarashi?" Helios questioned.
The man bowed politely to the boy and spoke in a calm voice.
"His Imperial Majesty has ordered me to escort his guest."
Without waiting for the boy's response, the man turned his attention to her and executed a graceful, knightly bow, exuding an aura of formality and respect.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, milady. I am Kuro Igarashi."
"...Nice to meet you, Igarashi-san," she replied with a polite bow, her expression revealing no emotion.
"Please, call me Kuro," the man's stoic expression softened slightly into a faint smile.
She responded with a hesitant nod, her voice low as she echoed, "Kuro-san."
Helios' eyebrows arched ever so slightly in response to the knight's politeness and unexpected gentle demeanor towards the unfamiliar girl.
'Is this really the same infamous 'grey-blooded knight' I know?' His gaze shifted to the girl, amusement gleaming in his eyes.
He wanted to meet her.
Well, Helios saw that coming but something about everything felt odd.
Who was this girl?
How was it possible for this girl to exist with that power?
Where did she even come from?
Helios' eyes met with Kuro's, and the knight addressed him with his customary monotonous yet polite tone.
"His Majesty has summoned you after school, Your Imperial Highness."
Helios could discern that the knight intended for him to depart, presumably to engage in a private conversation with the girl.
He nodded in acknowledgment and shifted his attention to the girl, who met his gaze with her enigmatically calm eyes.
Her proficiency in concealing her emotions behind an inscrutable mask was so impressive that even Helios, who had encountered countless individuals, struggled to decipher her true feelings and thoughts.
'Interesting,' Helios mused to himself.
He grinned as he waved his hand at her. "Bye, see you later."
With an expressionless gaze, the girl watched as he opened the door and exited the room.
"His Majesty is waiting for you, Milady," Kuro reminded her gently.
She turned towards Kuro and spoke calmly, her voice betraying none of her inner turmoil.
"Honestly, I'm completely in the dark about what's happening."
"I understand that this world may be entirely foreign to you. I can assure you, Milady, that it's in your best interest to meet His Majesty," Kuro assured her with his monotonous but sincere voice.
She didn't know much about placing her trust in a stranger's word but what she did know was that the enigmatic circumstances surrounding her and the imposing presence of 'his Majesty' suggested a power far beyond her understanding. It seemed capable of whisking her away to his intended destination, with or without her consent.
In this peculiar realm, her choices were scarce, burdened with the weight of uncertainty.
She realized with a keen sense of awareness that she had little choice but to yield and heed the summons of the mysterious figure who had sent the knight to her.
"Please lead the way, then," she uttered calmly, concealing her disdain for her own powerlessness as Kuro nodded politely in response.
"Please, a moment," he requested, taking a few steps back. With a flick of his fingers, five talismans materialized in his grasp, their mystical aura pulsating with divine power.
He muttered incantations that eluded her understanding, and the talismans soared, adhering to the ground. A mesmerizing magic circle materialized, casting a radiant glow that enveloped their surroundings in a luminous embrace.
The expansive circle beckoned, and with a gesture, Kuro invited her to step within its luminous embrace.
Confusion clouded her gaze, yet she obediently entered the radiant expanse. In the blink of an eye, both she and Kuro vanished into thin air, leaving the dimly lit storeroom behind, their destination shrouded in mystery.
***
"So, the 'Grey Knight of the Steely Storms' personally arrived to escort her," Ignatius whispered after Helios filled him in.
Both of them stood in the hallway, bathed in the soft light filtering through the enormous arched windows, their gazes fixed on the Academy's garden below.
Helios remained silent deep in thought.
Kuro probably knew pretty much about everything going on with the girl's appearance.
He was, afterall, His Imperial Majesty's closest aide and personal knight.
What was going to happen now?
The power blast that happened today with the girl's appearance was only possible for two situations which couldn't have happened at the moment.
But how could the girl be the cause of power blast if she was already a teenager?
"It's the first time I've encountered or even heard of something like this," Ignatius remarked, casting a side glance at Helios as he spoke.
As the image of those distinctive cold eyes and the silvery voice, devoid of emotion, flashed through Helios' mind, the corner of his lips curled into a subtle smirk.
"Things might take an interesting turn."