"You'll understand when you get inside the room."

  That caught Assad off guard for a bit but then remembered that yet again his flaw actually started to annoy him as how many times has he forgotten about his flaw.

  "Sorry about that but it's human for someone to ask themself what the talk between the almost employee and his employer will be about so don't judge me okay." Assad added with a calm smile.

  "Tryna act like you're a sweet talker, not happening even for you." Shuren added.

  "That's okay so what are we going to talk about?"

  Shuren goes to her seat, pulls the chair, sits down and rests her feet on the table.

  "It ain't much but also it's very much."

  "I'm lost."

  Shuren removed her feet from the table and sat up straight. Now she is sitting like someone fitting for the boss position even though she is not.

  "Ugh forget it you wont catch on, anyway the reason I wanted to talk to you was because of this job that we were doing. I know you have many questions that you want to ask and so I'm your answer box right here."

  Assad smiles as all of his questions might finally be answered. He has so many g does not know where to even start which one should he ask first.

  "But before that I'm putting in a limiter."Shuren said, raising a finger,"you will only have three questions and that's all."

  "Wait what?"

  "Yea only three and that's all. I know I just said I'm your answer box but I am not answering that possible thirty four to forty questions that are flying in that skull of yours. So it's in your best opinion to only choose three good ones that are also answerable as well."

  Assad looked at Shuren with widened eyes and his mouth also open, he had so many questions but could only choose three of them and also how did she just know that he had almost forty questions that he had prepared for her.

  "Okay you're right so only three questions am I correct?" Assad asked.

  "Yes, only three and that's it." Shuren added.

  Assad grabbed his chin, what could be the questions that he needed the most right now. He does want the history of this parallel world that could help him to adapt faster. Many questions started piling up in his head. What triggered Mya's awakening? What was that white energy that Shuren used on the bullet and many more.

  Assad let go of his chin and looked straight to Shuren's direction and looked like he had finally decided on the questions.

  "I have three questions."

  Shuren leaned back in her chair, the leather creaking softly as she maintained her gaze. With a smooth motion, she slid open the drawer next to her desk. Assad watched intently as she retrieved a brand-new pack of cigarettes, still in its plastic wrap.

  With a flick of her thumb, she popped it open, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it in one fluid motion. The flame flickered in her eyes for a moment before she took a deep drag, exhaling a slow, lazy cloud of smoke that floated up toward the ceiling.

  Assad couldn't help but wonder.

  'How many does she even have? Doesn't smoking that much harm you? Damage your lungs? Something like that?'

  Before he could rein in his thoughts, they blared loudly in his mind.

  Shuren raised an eyebrow, wearing that same bored, unimpressed look she always had when someone asked a dumb question.

  "No, it won't, my lungs will be just fine." she replied dryly, tapping the ash into the tray. "

  Assad froze; this flaw of his was really starting to irritate him. It felt like a right to think things through in his head for future strategies or whatever, but now he couldn't, all because of this annoying quirk.

  Shuren took another drag and casually added, "By the way, I have twelve packs stocked up. Should last me about three months. So don't worry about my health, Doctor Assad."

  "Yea sure It's my job as your doctor, happy to help." Assad said with a sweat on his face.

  "Anyway, better give me your first question or your chance will decrease,"Shuren said.

  Assad froze for a second but then stood calm, time to think about his first question. It's pretty obvious what it should be? But is it the best choice wasting other good questions like that. There is no other choice he has to ask for it

  Assad straightened up, clearing his throat.

  "Alright… Here's my first question. Can you give me a brief history of anything or at least the key things I need to know about this world?"

  Shuren paused mid-breath, lowering her cigarette as she stared at him, caught between disbelief and irritation.

  "I knew it," she muttered under her breath.

  Assad blinked in confusion.

  Shuren jabbed her cigarette at him like it was a teacher's pointer.

  "You look and sound just like a history grad on his first job, so of course your first question is some massive request like 'the entire history of the world.'"

  She leaned back, groaning dramatically as if she already regretted allowing him those free three questions. Flicking ash into the tray, she finally leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk.

  "Okay, listen up. I'm not going to give you the full library version that would take two months and fourteen packs of cigarettes. I'll share the crucial bits of the stuff that'll keep you alive. But before I dive in, you better sit up straight and pay attention. Because once I say this? I'm not repeating it."

  Assad quickly straightened himself, sitting up like a soldier.

  "Good. Now let me give you the condensed version of the world you're so eager to learn about."

  Shuren let out a long, tired sigh, then took a deep breath… rolled her eyes up to the ceiling… exhaled like she was trying to blow out her very soul… and then rolled her eyes back down to their usual spot.

  "Where the heck do I even start?"

  "First off, this is the Ruikha Empire, a massive landmass. It's big, but I wouldn't exactly call it 'continental-sized.' Think of it as 'walk for six months and still be in the same province' big. Now, you might be wondering, is Shuren sure of the exact size? Heck no. I'm not a cartographer. But I do know it's big enough that if you don't have a way to fly, teleport, ride a beast, or scream your way across the continent, you'll probably end up dying of dehydration halfway through."

  Assad blinked. "Uh—right…"

  Shuren had not removed her gaze on Assad who was still trying to process her first explanation.

  "In the Ruikha empire, there are three different sections. The first is called May, the second one is called Yorna and the last one is called Riso. Now the section we live is May, Kurayamiya...a harsh survival-type district where common folk and Sweepers live Here is where the common folk live whatever you see either mostly the poor doing their best to gain money or people like us the Sweepers who do detective type jobs for money."

  Assad nodded in understanding, he wants more of this information it might help him so he has to listen closely.

  "Next up is the second section which is called Yorna, if I remember clearly this is where all the nobles reside."

  "Wait nobles?" Assad asked.

  "Yes nobles, I know you might be thinking greedy bastards who hate on the commoners and everything else,well yea you're right and wrong at the same time." Shuren added.

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  Assad tilted his head in confusion, Shuren saw this and palms her face as if she is a disappointed mother seeing their son fail at doing the easiest thing in existence.

  "Oh my gosh you're such an idiot, the nobles in Yorna are those types but only a few of them not all of them and it's all thanks to the founding emperor but I'll talk about him later."

  Assad nodded like he was signaling to Shuren to keep on going with the bed time story seeing his eyes of curiosity. It makes Shuren wonder why would an outsider that does know anything about Kurayaimya get so interested in world history. Maybe the thing that she has been thinking or speculating to herself the entire time might actually be true.

  "Okay and last is this small one here it;s name is Riso is where the imperial palace is and where the royal family lives and I think some other political people there as well that I'm not that sure of maybe because it's been three years since I even went to the capital yeah not sure." Shuren explained.

  Shuren inhales the last part of her cigarette and then takes out another one. The lesson is far from over.

  "Ok...now forget everything I just told as they are not important anymore."

  Assad froze for a second, titled his head then his eyes widened.

  "Wait what do you mean forget about them you still haven't explained them all yet?"

  "So, I don't care. I thought I told you that I'm giving a short essay on the question. That means in other words I'm not saying everything you will have to figure it out by yourself. Shuren said.

  "But..."

  "No nothin' and that's all now on to the next part of the question."

  Assad sighed he really wanted to learn more about the three walls and why are they dividing them and also the three walls dividing the royal family nobility and commoners almost felt familiar for him,like he has read or watched about them before but he can't see himself remembering.

  "Yes ma'am." Assad said with a slight bit of disappointment in his voice.

  "Ok next is about the founding emperor. His name was Shim Mu-Hon, anyway or dear founding emperor was actually apart of an assassin family called the Aristeo clan"

  Assad focused because he was really interested in the founding emperor's history.

  "He became some sort of disgrace to the clan and he kinda became the strongest after some well good torture then the clan got massacred blah blah blah he became the enemy of the empire and the reason for it was at first before a noble type of city before he blew it up, trying to defeat a person who had an addiction of something but I can't remember what thought his name was Chi Do-Hyeon"

  "Chi Do-Hyeon?"Assad asked.

  Shuren gave a slight nod. This person must have been a powerful person if Shuren had to say their name that way but she does not show any fear or anything but her voice is exposing her.

  "Yes and then he became the emperor after creating it and had a baby and the royal family line went through that way."

  "Ok I understand." Assad said.

  "Good then I'm done with your first question." Shuren said, exhaling a smoke from her cigarette.

  Then before Shuren wants to talk comes a knock on her door, she wonders who that might be.

  Shuren narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, come in."

  The door creaked open, and as soon as the person spoke, Assad felt a chill run down his spine. Their voice at the door was surprisingly calm, soft, serene, almost gentle

  "Oh dear," the voice chimed in lightly, "I'm sorry. But you're always like this, so I guess I'll just have to get used to it."

  As the person entered the door a striking young woman with smooth brown skin and long, braided locs cascading around her shoulders. Her intense, glowing teal-red eyes seem to pierce right through you, exuding a calm and confident demeanor that radiates quiet strength soft light dances across her features, lending her an almost otherworldly presence.

  Shuren let out a groan right away.

  "Yeah, yeah, whatever, boss."

  She flicked ash into the tray, clearly not bothering to hide her irritation.

  "What do you need?"

  "Nothing much," the boss replied, closing the door behind them. "I just came back."

  The boss gives a glance at Assad, she doesn't recall a new member in the Sweepers but she did hear about it when she was coming back to the agency, so that must mean it was Assad.

  "And who might you be? If I were to recall you were the new rookie that was recently recruited am I correct?" the boss asked.

  "Yes ma'am."

  Assad could not believe that the person standing right in front of him is the boss of the Sweepers with her elegant stance of standing straight with her hands on her back.

  "Well then my name is Vonessia and I am the boss of the Kurayamiya Sweepers Agency, and what may your name be."

  "Um… My name is Assad ma'am." Assad answered back.

  "Just Assad, it's a beautiful name, clean and simple,but that's no surname at all?" Vonessia asked.

  Assad already knew that the body of the person who he took over does not have a surname, which at the first place was extremely weird but he can't say that in front of the boss so he had no other choice but to lie.

  "Yes ma'am I don't have a surname and the reason is because I don't remember anyone from my family if they are still alive or dead is a complete mystery to me." Assad said.

  Vonessia looked at Assad for a second almost like scanning him, but then she smiled and patted Assad's head with a gentle slow pace. Assad felt the gentleness of the head pat and it almost felt like his world was becoming more and more softer.

  "It does sound very sad not remembering your family at all is not good for you or anyone else at all, but who may we know you might accidentally find them and if you need it we might help you." Vonessia added.

  Vonessia gently lowered her hand from Assad's head and straightened up, her posture regal. Her expression remained calm and composed, almost soothing, but there was an undeniable weight to her presence. It was the kind of weight that made it clear to Assad that this was not someone you dared to disobey.

  "Come along, Assad," she said softly. "We're going to have a little chat. Something… special."

  For a brief moment, Assad felt his heart race, but he nodded without a second thought.

  "Yes, ma'am."

  He followed her as she turned and glided toward the door, her steps so quiet they seemed to barely touch the ground. Before stepping out, Assad glanced back at Shuren, who simply waved him off while puffing on her cigarette.

  Just as Vonessia opened the door, she paused.

  "Oh, and Shuren."

  Shuren, caught mid-drag, froze in place.

  Without even looking back, Vonessia spoke into the room with that same pleasant tone the kind that made the air feel a few degrees cooler.

  "Don't ever bring that kind of attitude to me again, or you know what will happen."

  A bead of sweat trickled down Shuren's cheek. She lowered her cigarette and forced a laugh that sounded more like a sputtering engine.

  "Y-yeah… sure. Absolutely. It won't happen again."

  "Good." Vonessia's smile remained gentle.

  She stepped fully out the door, and Assad followed, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that his boss was such a terrifying yet elegant figure. The door clicked shut behind them.