Back to the tower

"Mr. President. I was not aware you were here already" that icy pair of eyes just continued to look at Milles for a few more seconds before moving on to the sister in front of him.

"My schedule had a free slot so I decided to visit here early. Hope the boy is ready to move now" even the voice matched that woman's tone. Milles was sure he was about to have nightmares about this moment for the rest of his life.

The sister though seemed to find nothing wrong with this interaction. She even let out a joyous smile at the president.

"Of course he is. He will be with you in a minute so kindly wait in the office" the president just gave another black look back to the smiling female before his eyes swept over Milles in a quick look.

And then he was gone and so was the smile on the sister's face.

"Listen Misha and listen well. Do what you can to keep his attention on you. The future of this orphanage depends on you so do not disappoint me. We kept a failure like you alive for this long even when everyone mocked us for it. So prove them all wrong in return" the sister seemed like a completely different person as she spoke those words.

There was an electric surge in the air and the wind was picking up speed. The magical moment looked straight out of a child's nightmare and Milles was afraid that he was about to be disposed of.

But then the wind slowed down and a gentle breeze gazed at Mille's face.

"This is the neural system, the god of this new world. Have a look at its power. It's something you will never have, unfortunately" so that was magic.

It had not been anywhere this developed when Milles had left the past.

When Milles was led to the office, the president seemed to have left already. Instead, a female dressed in an office suite waited for them. Her red hair was tied up in a loose ponytail and her violet eyes clashed with the lighting of the office.

"He's the one? Good, follow behind me then" the sister pushed Milles to make him move and he did.

The sharply dressed lady did not even spare Milles a single glance as she walked ahead of him and Milles followed behind her to freedom.

And beyond the light of the office laid a future he would be seeing for the first time. He wondered how much the future must have changed.

And it had, changed that is.

The doorway opened in a green patch that resembled a garden, but it could hardly be called so. The visible grass patch formed only a small portion of the space and the rest of it was covered by various devices Milles had no idea about.

The lady did not even spare a glance at any of those unusual decorations. She just moved right to the car in front of her.

"Hurry up and follow me, child. I shall take you to your new home" Milles had no time to investigate these new gadgets as he was being ushered into the car by the sister behind him.

And then they were off.

The metallic canopy accompanied them as they drove and Milles tried to adjust to this new reality he was in.

The future was similar to what he had dreamed it to be and yet it was completely different than what he could have imagined it being.

"Pay attention to this. This is what humanity has achieved with the help of technology. The epitome of human creation - neural system's offspring" the lady in the suit snapped Milles out of his thoughts.

Her words made him look up toward their destination.

The metallic canopy had finally faded and the naturally dark sky of the night took its place. It only seemed to highlight the city that lay beneath it, the light from its tall buildings making it seem otherworldly.

It was everything Milles had imagined a futuristic setting to be. But to see it with his own eyes did things to him. He could not believe that the city in front of him existed.

"No natural fuel consumption, 100% natural energy is used to run this city. Everything you see there uses magic in some capacity, even people. I wonder how a magic-less person such as yourself would adjust" the lady monologued as they entered the city.

But Milles had stopped paying attention to her a while back.

It was difficult to tear his eyes away from the tall buildings and various attractions surrounding him. Most of the devices being displayed had never been seen by him before and it excited him.

It was almost enough to make him forget his reason for being here. The neural system was amazing.

But even under all this glamorous magic and advancement, there was no hiding the ugly parts of society.

They passed an ally and Milles saw it, the same scene before he got here. A body lying in the alley, likely dead and with no one to care for.

"Look at the tower in the center. That is your new home, the home of the president" Milles tore his attention away from the alley's direction and focused it in front of him instead.

The city had changed from his memory but the tower in the center remained the same. The same tower he had built from his sweat and blood.

It stood in the center, the only concrete construction between the metallic domination of the surroundings.

The building that had once stood as the most dominating no longer seemed as tall. Many of the buildings at the edge of the city outshone them in terms of its height.

"It looks ancient" Milles could not help but comment on it but the woman seemed not to mind.

"Of course it is. That building is the very foundation of the neural system. After Professor Milles's death, no one could figure out how to operate the neural system to its fullest. Now it does things on its own with a little assistance from the government" the woman explained.

"Oh. So no one is in control of the neural system?" Milles asked as he felt his blood run cold. The neural system was too powerful to be kept unchecked.

"No, of course not. The government does what it can to keep it in control and use its powers but even they cannot fully control it. However, we cannot get rid of it as well or the social order would collapse. The government is our only source of protection right now" the suited woman stressed those words.

The woman was trying to get Milles on her and the government's side and he could not understand why.

They were almost at the tower now and the population was thinning around them.

The car pulled into the building's basement and Milles took in the familiar space. It seemed as if he had never left his time at all.

Baring a few reinforcements and repairs, the place looked the same. It had to be a by-product of magic because no building had that long of a life span.

"How is this place even standing?" Milles muttered as he looked around. There was no wear or tear around the basement.

"Magic. The first magic president took a lot of time and resources to make sure this place keeps performing. Ever since then, this place gets maintenance check once a year." the woman confided as she led Milles to an elevator.

Milles felt shocked run through him as he stepped inside the elevator. He could not help but marvel at how different the magic felt from ages ago.

"Be careful since magic can be overwhelming for new users" The suited woman warned as she pressed the button for a floor.

The lift moved and Milles had to do his best to keep hold of himself. The small electro-magnetic surge of magic made him feel sick.

His legs felt like collapsing once he exited the elevator and he could not help but hold his breath.

"Welcome back secretary Sha. The president is out right now but he left instructions with us. And this is?" they had exited into a place that looked almost like a hotel lobby.

Milles recognized this place as well. It had been the president's office when the building had first been constructed.

"Misha Raycraft, the Type Null president Raycraft adopted. He will be staying here for a few days" the woman, secretary Sha replied in a flat tone.

It did nothing to the bright smile on the attendant's face.

"Of course. President left instructions for us to accommodate him. Please place your hand here young master Misha" the lady instructed him as he placed his hand on the computer.

He felt the same surge of electro-magnetic surge go through him and the feeling of wrong came back.

"He is registered now. Hope you enjoy your stay here young master" the assistant smiled an innocent smile. But for some reason, it seemed like a sinister smile to Misha and he could not help but shiver.