I found myself being herded down the immaculate halls of the Academy by the old man from the counter. Now that he may be of help, I took in the details of his appearance. He was wizened with unkempt, white hair and a short wispy beard. His shoulders bent forward by the years of gravity and responsibility. A slightly bulging gut from a decreased metabolism was hidden well under his crisp white and blue, militaristic uniform, and a steel blue coat to keep out the rain. Though under his round glasses, his hazel eyes still shone with curiosity and youth.

Right after the exchange of text between us, he pulled me from the counter and began leading me through the campus. From the center spire, we moved through the halls of a connected building to the left. This building was filled with different sized lecture rooms, the small windows allowing a glimpse inside. Then a brief walk outside to a smaller, nearby building. Here we went up stairs to a hall lined with doors. These rooms were much smaller and each contained unique items. The only consistent feature they shared was a large desk, often in the middle with a couple chairs on each side, and shelves lining most of the walls. The trip only took a few minutes, and would have been shorter if I did not become distracted by the sights we passed. Finally ending at one of the rooms along the hall. He unlocked the door with a key from his pocket, and ushered me inside.

Inside was what I would expect from a well traveled scholar. I assumed this was the old man's office as he had a key and the items seemed like things he would enjoy. His desk was in the center, with two leather chairs, on top of a worn rug, and bookshelves lining the left and right walls, like many of the others nearby. Papers were laid neatly along the desk, and the shelves were full of thick volumes and trinkets he picked up throughout his years. The back wall held a floor to ceiling window, showing the cloudy skies and the rain sliding down the glass. The only object in here that I did not recognize was another thin rectangle perched on a stand on the corner of the desk. Similar to the ones the two were using behind the counter, just not glowing.

Once he entered, he closed the door behind us and removed his coat, placing it on a coat rack in the corner, behind where the door opened. Then, with a small smile, he gestured to the chair in front of the desk as he took his own on the opposite side. I followed his lead, taking the seat he gestured to, while keeping the still dripping blanket around myself. Leaning down, he pulled out a thin, blue book out of a drawer, along with two pens. He set a pen down in front of me, and leafed through the first few pages of the book and wrote something before placing the book on the desk in front of me. His handwriting was crisp and legible, but more importantly it was in the language I knew.

It read, 'Let's start with introductions. My name is Professor Thelos Kraden.'

I slid my arm out from under my cover, picked up the pen, and replied, 'I am Megaera.'

After leaning back into my chair, signaling I was finished, the professor picked up the book. He did not take long to start writing again, and when done he placed it in front of me. 'An interesting name. Now if I may ask, can you tell me why you only use Latin?'

I replied, 'It is my primary language and all I am familiar with. I am curious as well, as to why we need to write instead of just talk if you too are familiar with Latin?' I handed the book back when finished.

It took a moment for him to read and write before handing it to me. 'You see, Latin has not been commonly spoken for at least 700 years. It's only really read from ancient writings, so speaking it is a novelty. Which raises the question of how you only know Latin?'

Seeing the number he quoted left me a bit upset, but did not let it appear on my face. 'The answer is easy though, I was alive when it was the common language,' I wrote back.

This time it took a minute for the professor to respond. While waiting I looked over the writing utensil in my hand, curious as to how they made the synthetic material. I looked back up when the book was placed in front of me. Reading, 'that is a very bold claim, making it difficult to just accept this at face value. But, I am willing to give you a chance to prove yourself.'

I glanced up to see a more skeptical look from the old man, however I could understand his concerns. When someone comes across a radically different idea or object they tend to be wary of it at beast, and at worst there could be violence. Turning back to the paper I wrote, 'there are many ways I could prove myself, from a test of knowledge to a demonstration of ability. But in return, I would like you to refer me to someone that can teach me the common language of today.'

He read it over carefully before the inquisitive gleam returned to his expression. With a bit of eagerness, he wrote a response and passed it to me. 'Perhaps we could make a deal? In exchange for your knowledge of the past, I could personally teach you English. A trade, knowledge for knowledge.'

I found my answer to be obvious, 'I will accept your offer. I can tell you whatever I can remember from the past.'

He grinned at my reply. Before writing his, checked the silver bracelet on his wrist. 'You can supply the proof to your claims this afternoon after 16:00. And if I find it acceptable, we can begin your education. For now though I have lectures to give, so you can either return here or if you have no where to go, I am fine with you staying in my office.'

'I will accept your hospitality and wait here until your business is finished,' I answered. To which he nodded and took his leave, throwing on his coat as he left.

Now alone with nothing to do except wait, I looked around the room to occupy myself. I scanned over the bits and bobbles around the office, but decided it would be rude to examine them any closer. So I turned my attention to the window, still being pelted with rain and decided it would be enough to distract me. Getting up from my seat, I started toward the glass. Though when I moved, I noticed a rather large puddle on and around the chair from my soaked blanket. I made a mental note to apologize for that later as I walked to the far end of the room. Standing in front of the glass portal to the outdoors, I gazed out upon the campus through the rain, letting myself relax for the first time since I awoke.

The pitter-patter of raindrops colliding against the glass, streaming down in small rivulets was almost hypnotic. Through the water, I watched people pass by along the pavement a couple meters below where I sat. White uniforms, and coats to keep out the water, contrasting greatly against the background. On the far side of the walkway was a small slice of nature, complete with a few small animals, sprouting up between the man made constructions. The scene was rather soothing. With this bit of solitude, I had a chance to fully appreciate the fact that I am still alive. However, my feelings were soured by the possibility that I could be thrown put back into that icy hell. Taking a deep to push that thought aside, I reassured myself with the fact that I am working toward eliminating that possibility.

My time alone ended shortly as afternoon came along. The door opening drew me out from my reverie. Assuming it was the old man, I stood from my seat in front of the glass, and turned to face the entryway. Professor Kraden entered with arms full, and surprise evident on his face. He quickly dropped the bag in his left to cover his eyes as he tried to stammer something out. A bit confused I turned to the window again and did not see anything that could cause his reaction. Then I thought to look at myself, being the only other thing out of place, and noticed that I dropped my cover while I waited. Chuckling to myself, I picked up the soggy blanket and threw it around my body again. Seeing Kraden's reaction confirmed that it would have been a bad idea to go without it while in the city.

"Paenitet me," I said as an apology, as I moved back across the room. To which he responded with a shake of his head and a wave of the hand. The professor set down the small stack of books taking up his right arm to peel off his coat. I retook my seat in the chair while he situated himself. He moved the books to floor near his seat and set the bag on the desk, next to the still open book we were writing in earlier. Now seated and able to regain his composure, he wrote a quick message. 'If I had known the state of your clothing earlier, I could have grabbed something from lost and found for you.'

I just waved off his concerns, 'neither the cold, the rain, or my state of dress bother me. I just use the blanket because I know people always take issue with nudity.'

I could see his concerns were not totally abated but did not press the issue. And with that out of the way, he reviled what was in the bag. Kraden pulled out a sandwich, a salad, and two small bottles of water. Placing the salad and a bottle in front of me, and the sandwich and the other bottle near himself. As he began to remove the clear wrapping off his food, I slid the book nearer to myself and wrote a message to the professor. 'I appreciate your consideration, but I have no way to pay for the meal.'

Noticing the message I slid toward him, he paused to read. He handed me his reply with an eyebrow raised in confusion. 'No need for that, but if you are really worried about it, just think of it as a gift.'

'If it is a gift then it would be rude for me not to accept,' I acquiesced to his generosity. With that he gave a small smile and returned to his lunch. But before I began to eat, I was interested in the composite that the containers and cutlery were comprised of. The bottle was clear with a colorful label, the fork was solid white, strapped to the clear lid of the salad with an adhesive covered strip, and the bowl holding the food was black. But, they were all the same material.

The professor noticing my examination, slid the book over with a note. 'There is no need to worry, all the food is safe.'

'I did not mean to offend. I was not worried about the food quality, I was just looking at the material these objects are made of.' I corrected, trying to avoid any misinterpretations.

He nodded in understanding as he wrote his response. 'My mistake. They are made of 'plastic,' it is a common material and many things today are comprised of the many different forms of plastics.' This small bit of information was enough to get me a little eager to begin learning about everything I missed. But, that would have to wait till the end of the small meal, as I am sure I have been rude enough already.

The meal was short and tasty. All the plants in the salad were surprisingly fresh, even if they were in season or not. Though I was not here to eat, so after the containers were replaced in the bag, I got ready for business. The professor, with the same mindset, picked up the pen to start things off. 'I am well versed in the known history of mankind. My teaching focus lie in military tactics throughout history, though I still know much outside the realm of military. But even then, there are many holes that no historian has been able to fill and as time goes on the harder it is to complete them. So to prove your clam, I would like you to write out important facts from history. Such as important governments and their decisions, to the movements of peoples across Remnant and how that affected the growth of mankind. I will compare what you write to current knowledge and how well your claims fill in any gaps.'

I read the terms thoroughly then replied, 'I can accomplish this task, however it will be from what I remember and from my point of view. I will try to be as analytical as possible but there will always be some bias. And, it will take some time as well.'

Kraden read it over and nodded his head in understanding while writing a response. 'I expected as much, so just take your time.'

I nodded in return and flipped to a blank page to begin work. The professor gave a small encouraging and started on his own paper work.

We worked in silence for the next couple of hours. I went through numerous pages and all the most historically important things that I could recall from my past. Of course the closer I got to present day, the more detailed my memories became. I was approaching the point just before I became trapped when a movement from Kraden drew my attention. He looked at the silver band on his wrist again before grabbing a separate piece of paper to give me another message. 'Would you mind if I looked over what you have so far. It will probably be enough by now.'

I nodded, and handed him back the blue book I was writing in. In return he handed me a larger, hard cover book to me with another note. 'This book teaches the basics for English, you can study this while I read what you wrote.' Giving another nod to him, we both began to read through the material before us.

All the directions in the book were in English so I was only able to struggle through the first two sections before the old man finished. I noticed him writing with barely contained enthusiasm before handing the smaller book to me. 'From what I read, you do indeed know a great deal. But, what is most interesting to me is the fact that you seem to be claiming to be the Megaera. She is thought to be some kind of goddess, from the few references of her, who ruled the City of Ayuthay. Because of that, Ayuthay was only suppose to be a legend or story to allude to the convergence of Tabula and Charta. How the two rival cities fought a common enemy together and later became Atlas. But if you could lead the way to where Ayuthay was, there could be remains, and that would be all the proof anyone would need to believe your story. Especially with the fact that you fit the descriptions exactly.'

Reading this gave me a twinge of both annoyance and anger, making me rub my temple to alleviate the negative feelings. But, I still wrote me reply with a bit more pressure on the page than I probably needed to. 'I do not know how many times I have had to tell people that I am not any kind of god. And, Tabula and Charta were nothing but jealous. The only way they could compete was to come together and scheme my cities downfall. I even offered to open trade between us but they would not listen based on many hypocritical reasons.' Realizing I was just ranting, again, I passed the book to Kraden to stop myself.

As the old man read and wrote, I took a couple of calming breaths to clear my mind before he handed it back. 'That is why I find this particularly interesting. Not only could this prove who you are, but it could also redeem Ayutay's honor.'

I was able to calm myself, but I was also growing tired of this particular topic. So to move on I wrote, 'I know the location and easiest route there. So, giving you the location on a map or leading the way would be simple. But if that is all that you need for me to prove myself, then let us begin.'

The professor paused for a moment in thought, before handing me the plans he wrote. 'I think the best plan for now would be to give this information to the headmaster. He can then send a team to survey the area you provide. Once it is properly located, then we can sent a full research crew which you may be able to join. But for now, we can focus on your education. Now follow me to the headmaster's office.'

As I finished reading, I saw him already making his way to the door. I also noticed his fiddling with a white device on the way around the desk, before slipping it into his pocket. I set the blue book on the desk and stood to follow Kraden. Making sure that the blanket was around me fully, I followed the professor. After he donned his coat, we stepped out into the hall and headed to the headmaster.