I leaped out of bed and glanced at the nightstand. Beiskir's pale face appeared on the phone. Before answering, I checked the time. It was five-thirty in the morning, two hours before my supposed waking time. This call had to be something important to be worth it.

- "Yes, Beiskir, tell me what happened?"

- "I'll come to pick you up half an hour earlier, so be ready."

- "Couldn't you pick me up later at least?"

- "Sorry, buddy, I should've told you yesterday, but I just remembered now. Go back to sleep," he said and then mumbled something to someone nearby.

- "Don't tell me you were drunk again..."

Before I could finish the sentence, the phone had already hung up. I then tossed and turned in bed for a while, trying to fall back asleep, but my thoughts wouldn't let me. I pondered the dream that Beiskir's sudden call had interrupted. I was in the school cafeteria, alone with the girl from history class. An alarm was blaring around us, and people were running in panic. Yet, for some reason, it didn't bother us. We just sat there, continuing our meal and talking. Suddenly, all sounds stopped. We stopped talking and looked around. But this time, it wasn't the distant and detached gaze, as in the classroom; it was a calm and warm gaze. I observed her face – her tousled black hair falling over her delicate shoulders and her features, thin and elegant, exuded a sense of perfection. I turned to her eyes. They were thin, with a faint blue color, playfully staring at me. She made a move to come closer, and then... And then it ended. The dream was over, and I had to talk to Beiskir. All this time, one thought consumed me – if Beiskir hadn't awakened me, what would I have seen?

I got ready and sat in the living room to wait, watching TV. After about an hour, Beiskir called me again and told me to go outside. I grabbed my bag, locked the door, and entered the car, where Beiskir was waiting for me, wearing a black suit with his hair free and neatly styled.

- "Do we have a morning reception?"

- "No relation. I kept the suit from last night."

- "So, tell me what we're actually doing."

- "We'll discuss that after I grab my coffee," he said and started driving towards the neighborhood's exit.

This time, we didn't take the road to the school but went the other way. This road circled the small Fremont lake and was more convenient if you wanted to visit a service on the city's west side. As I stared at the road, Beiskir abruptly turned the steering wheel and entered the small airport's entrance.

- "Don't tell me we have to leave the city," I shouted and jumped out of my seat.

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- "No, silly, just the airport's place has better coffee."

I sighed in relief and settled back. For anyone else in the city, this reaction would have been exaggerated. There were numerous times we needed to fly in the Cadillac, the city of Zeus and the capital of the Federation, with someone from the council for some sudden event. Not that I was useful in these meetings, but all the chosen ones from each city gathered more to be seen in the spotlight and calm their people than for any practical reason. Another reason we would take the plane was to attend a festival or event in another city.

The car stopped outside the airport entrance, where a small cafe was located. The airport itself was a modest iron building with no distinctive architecture. It was one of the city's early constructions after the Silence. Few people visited, as it never had more than five flights a day, and the planes that arrived could only accommodate up to twenty-five people. It primarily served businesspeople or consultants when they had business in nearby cities.

After grabbing his coffee, Beiskir turned the car around, guiding us back to the city road.

- "Will you finally tell me what we're going to do?"

- "A meeting with my brother at the Information Center, and then we're off."

The Information Center was near the city entrance and used by the city council for various purposes, including my education. As we entered the city, we left behind the houses near the lake and found ourselves at the commercial entrance of the city, where large stores, warehouses, small factories, and fast-food joints were located.

The building itself didn't have anything remarkable on the exterior, except for the protruding entrance supported by ancient Greek columns. Entering, we found the reception, and at the entrance, the city and God Ares' symbol were painted. An ancient golden headband with red details. We quickly passed through the halls and various employees and stood in front of Professor Stuart's office.

- "Well... wait for me in the parking lot when you're done," Beiskir said, avoiding a meeting with his brother.

I knocked on the door and waited. After a few seconds, Professor Stuart's assistant opened the door for me, and after entering, she closed it and left the room. It looked the same as every other time. I hadn't visited it for almost a month before summer, as they said I needed to rest before my new start. The massive libraries were filled with books, and, of course, the office where we had classes had more books and Professor Stuart's computer.

The windows were half-closed to allow the right amount of light, and the walls and floors were spotless.

- "Sit if you want, Dave," he shouted from his desk chair when he saw me standing near the door.

- "Good morning, Professor Stuart. Why did we need to meet?"

- "Nothing significant, just a little chat, and I'll give you something you'll need."

- "And what is that?"

- "Wait a minute," he said and started rummaging through his drawer until he found a small box. "A new phone."

- "Thank you, but I already had one."

- "This is the latest model you can use, and it has all your accounts on the internet set up as official."

He handed me the phone, and I examined it. It was much smaller than my palm but quite thick, with the three classic buttons in the center of the screen. I opened it and checked the applications until I found RealYou, the most popular social media app. I looked at my profile. Next to my name was a golden circle with a tick in the center, indicating someone important or famous. Then I read the description that had my details – name, age, origin, and profession.

- "Anything worth noting since yesterday?" he asked after a while.

- "Nothing significant," I replied.

- "Alright then, we'll meet once a week to discuss what's going on so I can help you with any problems you have. But what's crucial is that you tell me the whole truth, just as I do with you. Agreed?"

- "Of course, Professor Stuart. Call me whenever you need me."

We said our goodbyes, and after some advice, he let me leave.