Jade's contemplative silence was gradually replaced by a growing sense of boredom as the minutes ticked by, each one stretching longer than the last. Her wait came to an end when the door finally reopened, revealing Rosa, who offered a respectful bow to the lady before stepping back into the room.
"How did the meeting go?" Jade asked, eager to hear about Rosa's experience.
With a light smile that seemed to soften the tension of the moment, Rosa replied, "Good, though the director looked stressed, but I suppose that's nothing new. If you want to train a bit after this, I'll be in the training halls figuring out some new moves, so stop by if you can."
"Sure, I'll make sure to," Jade responded, intrigued by the invitation to join Rosa later.
At that moment, the lady announced, "Jade, the director will see you now."
Jade offered a quick wave to Rosa as she hurried away, and the lady closed the door behind her, signaling it was Jade's turn. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, Jade walked into the room to face the director
As Jade entered the room, her initial surprise was at the sight of what seemed more like a library than a typical office, with shelves laden with books on every wall. Following the lady through this space, they arrived at another room, more intimate, featuring a wooden desk with the Director seated on the other side.
"Good morning, Jade. It's good to see you made it back in one piece. I never thought I would meet someone else who survived a trip to that godforsaken place," the Director began, his tone a mix of welcome and solemnity, acknowledging the gravity of Jade's experience.
Jade, touching the top of her head in a gesture of contemplation and relief, responded, "Yeah, it was an unpleasant time, but I had little control over getting back. I could have been killed at any moment." Her words carried the weight of the ordeal she had endured, a testament to the danger she faced.
Leaning back in his chair, the Director recounted, "I was there for about a week. I survived as long as I could until I eventually came across an odd figure who radiated blue energy. This was maybe 20 years ago or something like that. He said a lot of things, even mentioned that time moves differently for them.
Just like you, he turned everyone I defeated into these cubes and requested I eat them to show my strength."
Jade, her mind awash with more questions than before, simply nodded
"Like you mentioned, you requested that he stop attacking us, and I did the same, to which he mentioned he HAD to be doing this to grow stronger from some threat. Though when I spoke, he mentioned over 1,000 worlds were still standing, but I suppose now less than 100 are still standing.
Bringing a finger to his face, I would surmise we have about 2 months left until things get really bad. I have Ash headed off to Brazil to assist the team there with some covert operations to see what's going on with the machine in that district."
Jade nodded and spoke out. "To be honest, I have more questions than I bet we have time for, but uh, do countries like Japan and other countries have their own fighters dealing with these issues?"
"Yes, in a sense, but we're a global organization, so Japan and other countries have their own directors that maintain their countries while requesting help as need be."
"I want you to spend the time you have to understand your abilities more and doing what you can to prepare, and hopefully, we find out a bit more about what's going on."
"Yes sir, was there anything else you wanted to know?" Jade inquired, her curiosity piqued despite the gravity of their conversation.
The Director paused, glancing at his watch, a gesture that seemed to weigh heavily in the moment. "No, not directly. Just focus on getting stronger while you can. I've had to bury enough people as it is," he stated, his voice carrying the burden of loss and responsibility.