Waiting had never been Kaeun’s forte, not in her world and not in this one, that was something age hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Yet now, as she sat in the director’s office, the only thing she could do was stare wordlessly at her watch, waiting for anything to happen. The old man hadn’t lifted his face from the documents on his desk for even a second. He hadn’t uttered a word either, apart from welcoming her in once she entered the room.

She’d have normally spoken up as soon as she felt the silence begin to constrict her, but the recent events had shaken her up to the point she didn’t particularly mind the silence as long as she didn’t have to be all alone, relieving the memories. The old headmaster’s company was welcomed, even if she’d rather he said something nonetheless.

“Oh, pardon my manners.”- He finally seemed to acknowledge Kaeun’s existence at last, moving to grab a blue porcelain teapot that rested on a silvery tray on one of the desk’s edges. - “Would you like some tea?”

“I… sure”- Kaeun nodded meekly, something about the man instilled great respect in her heart. She graciously took the tea cup full of piping hot tea out of his hands, taking her time to bask in the delightful aroma that came out of it. - “It smells amazing, what is it?”

“Goes by the name of Gaoshan”- He answered slowly, almost absentmindedly, as his gaze flew out the studio’s window and into the academy’s striking garden. His expression turned thoughtful, and Kaeun could tell he was picking his next words very, very carefully.

“Sounds expensive”- Kaeun replied, giving the headmaster the window to ask whatever was on his mind.

“Indeed it is”- He corroborated, reclining back on his chair as he took his reading glasses off, carefully leaving on his desk before he moved a few strands of greyish hair away from his rugged face, focusing on Kaeun. - “But enough about that, I’m curious about your world so I’d like to ask some questions”

“By all means, go ahead.”- Kaeun remembered mostly what happened as she fought back in her world, yet the memories suddenly stopped once she was absorbed by the black chasm Yena had forcefully opened. A rift between dimensions, a tear in reality’s fabric that had the potential to wipe out all the school and more.

And yet she had survived.

When she woke up it was night time and she was being carried around by a couple of teachers. Recently awoken, panic set in shortly after as she tried to resist but her weakened spirit was no match for the academy’s staff, so she ended up passing out shortly after.

When she woke up for good she was met with the headmaster’s sympathetic eyes. He told her everything, how he anticipated the hole appearing in the academy’s grounds and how she fell out of it, heavily injured and almost dead. He introduced himself as a clairvoyant, and Kaeun recognized him shortly after as one of the many headmasters she had had when she was a student at the academy.

She didn’t interact with many people besides him, as she spent most of her days recovering, alone with her thoughts. Countless nights she had cried in despair at their inevitable end and countless days she had been resolute to stop whatever that woman was.

One thing was for sure, her fight had left her forever traumatized.

 “I did recognize you the moment you came through that hole, Kaeun.”- The headmaster began, now in a much more serious tone - “Despite the age, you still look very much like your counterpart, surely you must understand that I’m concerned about the possible repercussions your existence here might beget.”

Kaeun had realized almost instantly that this wasn’t a time remotely close to hers, what with all the lack of technology, however, she was thankful at the heavens for, at the very least, dropping her in a familiar place. The shock of having traveled between worlds was enough in and by itself.

“I’m hardly knowledgeable regarding the interdimensional travel theories, if anything, I didn’t believe it possible, even with all the superpowered individuals running about, until… until you arrived here. There is a potential for great disasters.”- The headmaster continued - “This is something without precedent. You, Kaeun, are the first person to arrive here, whether it be from another time or another dimension, and I’ve been charged by the Korean government to handle this.”

She nodded, paying dutiful attention, as she understood the problems behind her presence here. She was in a time where she shouldn’t even exist, which was worrisome to say the least. While she never had given too much thought about the so called “forces of nature and balance” she sure trembled in anticipation whenever the thought took hold of her mind.

Would the own universe try to destroy her? Or was her existence acceptable? There was little she understood and the questions kept piling up to the point she had started to doubt her own sanity.

“Still… I can’t help but marvel at all of this. I haven’t received any vision since you arrived… if you truly come from the future then…”- The headmaster finished with a sigh, probably just as overwhelmed by the implications as Kaeun was.

“Then it’s possible for me to change what happened when I was transported back”- Kaeun concluded. If this truly was the past and not just another universe, then it was possible. - “Speaking of which, no one else came from the portal, right?”

“I’ve had my staff search the entire city within a five kilometers radius from here, nothing.”- The headmaster explained methodically, pressing his fingers together as he leaned forward into his desk. - “The only things that arrived with you were concrete, many broken fragments of crystal and half the body of an inactive glass construct that we’ve stored away for further study and reformation”

Kaeun clicked her tongue in annoyance. She had expected at least Yena to arrive with her although she had to reluctantly agree that Yena might not have survived the whole ordeal, though she tried not to delve into that line of thought too much.

At least, thankfully, her attacker hadn’t transported herself either, so she could sigh in relief. Kaeun would not dare imagine how this place would suffer if that had happened, considering that woman decimated almost the entire superpowered community of South Korea by herself in her time.

“Now, continuing, have you ever…?”- The headmaster began speaking once again, but this time Kaeun stopped him in his tracks. She had some questions too and she hoped they would help clarify some doubts that