EXPOSED

"I can answer that for you,"

everyone looked toward the hallway as a well-built man emerged from the shadows. He wore black pants and a blue striped shirt, with the top unbuttoned. His hair and beard were white, and his face had a scar running from his left ear to his chin. Cillian was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the new guest. He had previously scanned the entire villa and a 10 km radius for hidden enemies and traps, but he didn't detect anything. Even now, when this person was standing in front of him, he couldn't detect anything with his resonance. It was like he was isolated from reality somehow. As Cillian was wondering what his next move should be, Elena jumped up from her seat.

"Grandpa! What are you doing here?"

The old man laughed out loud. "Of course, I am here. This matter is very important to the DPMC. Why shouldn't I be here?"

But Elena didn't back down . "Yeah, right. When did recruiting someone become the job of the head of intelligence? First, it was Uncle James, now you. What's going on here?"

Cillian couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on. The only thing he could think was, "Is this some kind of prank what the hell is going on ? who is the old man i can't sense any energy form him " Even his impassive face showed a hint of confusion.

The old man ignored Elena's yelling, walked up to her, and smacked her on the head.

"How many times have I told you to not talk back at your elders, especially when there are guests? I swear, you just don't learn your lesson!"

James, who was sitting with his arms crossed, nodded his head in agreement. Elena wanted to protest but stopped when she remembered that her grandfather would only hit her more if she talked back to him. So she decided to change the topic to get out of the situation.

" grandpa, what is going on here ? and more importantly why am I the only one who doesn't know what's happening?"

"That's because you can't keep your mouth shut," the old man replied matter-of-factly. James also nodded his head in agreement. Cillian was back to peak alert once more. The presence of this old man, whom he couldn't make sense of, put a hole in his plan. He didn't feel any sense of danger from this old man, which made him even more wary. He readied himself to make a run for it as soon as the situation turned bad.

"You better put a hold on that plan, boy! Don't make me break every bone in your body on our first meeting," the old man's voice rang out in Cillian's mind, making him flinch. He subconsciously turned his head towards the old man, who was still scolding Elena. The old man turned around to face Cillian, and in his eyes, all Cillian could see was that he wasn't joking at all. Cillian knew he was trapped. He had miscalculated the risks involved in this meeting. While they may not be from the foundation, sending someone of the old man's power here meant that they were not going to give him much of a choice in the matter.

"You don't have to overthink it so much, boy. The reason I am here is to really meet you in person, and we didn't lie to you; we have a common enemy we want gone," this time the old man spoke directly to Cillian in person so the others could also hear it.

"Hear out our proposition first and then decide what to do."

Cillian looked around once more and let out a sigh.

"Before that, I would like to know how you found my identity in the first place," Cillian said with a resolute face.

The answer came from the director. "It's simple. I found your identity when you applied to the branch to take the test. See, my resonance helps me see someone's past and future. When Eren saw your resonance and sent me your details, I used my resonance to see your past, your past as Cillian and how you became Z. I must say it's been tough for you. Your entire life was changed by a single incident that someone planned just so that they could have your resonance. What may be the greatest wish of many took everything you had, and I am sorry for that. While many would question your actions after your esacpe, I wouldn't. If it was me, I would've done the same and would seek revenge myself. That's why I decided to help you rather than turn you into the empire or the Frontier military."

Cillian listened patiently to the explanation and recognized where he had slipped up. He never thought that he would encounter a pioneer with resonance to see the past on the edge of civilization like this. But it wasn't something he could control, so he quickly got over the fact.

"So what's going to happen now? You said that you don't want to send me to prison, so I am going to be joining the DPMC like you offered?"

"That's right. It'd be a waste to send someone of your caliber to rot in a cell for a crime you can't be held responsible for. But unfortunately, we can't let you be in public either. Your resonance attracts too much attention, and someone will eventually identify you. Speaking of which, you are using your resonance to change your appearance, right?"

Cillian nodded in affirmation. He withdrew his optical illusion, and his appearance returned to its original condition. Elena, who was watching from the side, was now stareing with her mouth open as Cillian assumed his normal appearance. The old man walked beside Cillian and examined him.

"Fascinating! His illusion is almost as good as a dedicated resonance! even i couldn't tell it apart form a real one ! A flux type resonance is no joke!"

"Flux type?" Cillian asked in confusion. He wasn't familiar with that term in resonance typing.

"It's what we call resonances that affect the laws of physics and reality itself. Your energy manipulation falls into that category. It isn't a publicly known term, as real flux users are extremely rare. But the fact is that flux users are almost unrivalded at the same level, with absurd law abilities that can't be mostly overcome with technology or brute force. So most of the time, it will require a flux user to defeat another flux user. That's why flux users are regarded highly, even if they are only capable of reaching B or A grade. In fact, there are only two known S Grade flux users in human history, and only one of them is alive today. But even A-grade flux users are just as valuable as S grades, and some A-grade flux users can even defeat some weaker grade S depending on resonance matching!"

The more he listened, the more astonished he became. He didn't think that this power he had for most of his life, one that he didn't think much of, carried so much value. At least it perfectly explained why such a powerful and secretive organization like the foundation went out of their way to get their hands on him. Now that he understood his importance, he was curious about what the DPMC wanted with him if they can't show him in public. Did they want him as a secret weapon or something?

"Not quite, but close enough," the old man replied. Cillian only remembered that the old man was reading his mind and telepathically communicating with him and with him arround his mind was not so secure anymore. Having someone snoop around in your mind wasn't pleasant.

"Oh, don't worry. I can only hear your surface thoughts, not when my resonance isn't active anyway," the old man patted his shoulders in assurance smiling "

But cillian didn't feel assured at that response at all .