Rian Azure was able to schedule a time to meet with Ayden Rosewood in prison in a few days, under FDH Aegean’s name. The psychic superhuman was much harder to get a hold of, but he was able to get a hand on one eventually.

Thankfully, the law allowed a psychic from a law agency to have a guaranteed private conversation with their(prospective) client. 

There was also a loophole that Rian could exploit to allow him to be able to join the conversation. The loophole would be fixed during the time between now and the apocalypse, where a serial killer caused the coma and brain death of two people.

For now though, Rian would prepare for the day when both he and Ayden Rosewood would meet. He had many questions he wanted and needed to ask.

…

Inside the prison, Ren Xiyang wasn’t as fussed about the meeting as Rian was. He was, however, very confused.

In the original novel, Rian Azure was a silent, shy, but calculative adolescent who didn’t like interacting with peers of his age. He felt pressured by his future as the inheritor of Sedavaria Industries.

Unlike most people who would crack under the pressure, Rian Azure grew and thrived in spite, or rather, thanks to it. 

However, in this timeline, Rian Azure was deliberately making his way to talk to him, inside a prison at that.

Ren Xiyang was not able to make heads nor tails of the moves of Rian Azure. Some part of Ren Xiyang told him that it was better to be safe than sorry, and it was this very part of him that had saved him multiple times.

Ren Xiyang had the feeling that this meeting had more in store for him than just a meeting with a lawyer.

…

Captain Ward was having the biggest headache in his life. Never, in his life, had he imagined that the prosperous RC building would burn down. On top of that, now he had a dangerous fire-aligned superhuman and a group of dangerous mercenaries locked up.

That was already enough for a small headache to build up. However, now the young master of Sedavaria Industries, Rian goddamn Azure was visiting the dangerous fire superhuman!

He had to not only worry that nothing bad would happen to the young prince of the economy, but he also had to worry about a potentially dangerous superpowered criminal!

Captain Ward groaned to himself, another headache adding itself to the pile as he realised that he’d have to also file more paperwork after the meeting.

Truly, Captain Ward was having one of, if not the hardest week of his life.

…

The day that the two were scheduled to meet, FDH Aegean was constantly pestering Rian if it was really necessary to meet Ayden Rosewood, who was still very much a potential criminal. Of course, FDH Aegean had been constantly attempting to dissuade Rian the whole time, but that was beside the point.

As usual, Rian ignored him, and strode into the police station confidently, accompanied by FDH Aegean and two of his bodyguards, as well as the psychic superhuman, named Andrew Tehl. Captain Ward was already waiting outside, ready to accept him.

“Young Master Rian Azure. The prisoner, Ayden Rosewood, is waiting for you inside,” Captain Ward said. “Of course, your privacy is assured inside the room you four will be meeting in. I hope you understand though, that we will be watching you through the cameras to ensure you are safe. Don’t worry, we’ll ensure the audio is off.”

“Thank you, Captain Ward. I appreciate all that you do for this city and country. We need more officers like you around!” Rian gave him a bright all-too-innocent smile, one FDH Aegean was all too acquainted with.

However, Captain Ward didn’t know Rian well, and merely thought that this was a very nice and polite child. Inadvertently, a smile graced Captain Ward’s face, as his chest felt warmed by the very sweet child. It reminded him of his children back home.

Captain Ward felt his headaches slowly fading away. “Of course. It’s no trouble. It is, after all, our duty to make sure the law is upheld, and that includes ensuring the safety of citizens and dispensing fair justice.”

Rian and Captain Ward continued to make small banter, as FDH Aegean was seemingly freaked out by the multitudes of jail cells and prisoners inside the… Well, jail. His eyes darted around the room, and he was slightly hyperventilating. One of Rian’s bodyguards helped to calm him down.

Eventually, the group made it to the reinforced room in which Ayden Rosewood was temporarily moved for today. Captain Ward opened the door, saying, “I hope you have a pleasant talk.”

Rian walked in, responding with, “Yes, thank you. I’ll leave our safety in your hands, sir!” A bit of his mischievous tone leaked out. Only his guards and Andrew would be following him inside.

FDH Aegean, now feeling very nervous(He was most certainly not scared!) snapped. “Now now, Young Master Rian, your safety and life is most certainly not some light topic to be joking around about! Now, finish this quickly before I lose my mind here!”

Rian gave a small laugh, as Captain Ward closed the door. The lights were on, highlighting the person inside the room. Even without the lights, Rian knew he would’ve spotted him easily.

Ayden Rosewood was small, much smaller than he expected. His bright red hair glistened in the prison lights, as did his restraints that bound him up heavily. Even bound up, however, his sheer power seemed to creep and pour out.

Their eyes met, cold red and lively blue.

Ayden Rosewood inclined his head shortly. “Hello, Young Master Rian.” His voice was still young, but there was an underlying calmness and maturity without feeling precocious.

Rian smiled, his eyes cold and calculating. “Hello, Ayden Rosewood. You know, I’ve heard much about you.”

Ren Xiyang raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Pray tell, what has been spreading around about me?”

Rian smirked, “I could tell you… or I also couldn’t. Who knows. The only thing I do know is that we’re due for a private chat.”

Ren Xiyang deadpanned. “I’m afraid we’re already chatting privately.”

“Oh, but I meant something different. You see, I’ve brought in a lawyer from my law agency, who could potentially help you in your current predicament,” Rian’s eyes glistened in the harsh lighting, like a cat spotting its favourite fish. “I could also be able to bail you out before your court case starts! What do you think, very beneficial, no?

Ren Xiyang’s eyes narrowed, finding his current situation too good to be true. “What’s in it for you?”

Rian’s smirking face grew wider. “Oh, nothing much. I just need a few questions answered. Anyway, the law agency will need to be asking you questions to get your side of the story, so a few more questions from me wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

Ren Xiyang closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh, “Do whatever you want to do.”

The longer Rian studied Ayden Rosewood, the more he felt that Ayden looked very similar to Alyssa Rosewood. However, the cold expression, the competent aura, and the way Ayden stood and spoke was different from the hot-tempered Alyssa he had known. Could Ayden and Alyssa be twins?

The bodyguards had the odd feeling that this wasn’t supposed to be how adolescents interacted at this age. The room had the distinct feeling of tension floating in the air. They could be wrong though. Times changed very fast, and it had been a long time since they were twelve.

Andrew Tehl walked up, having assumed that Ayden’s dismissal also served as consent. He pressed his hands up against Rian’s and Ayden’s foreheads, and closed his eyes. 

A few seconds passed, before he opened his eyes again. “Terminal Link established. Are the two of you ready? Fair warning, you will be able to catch slight glimpses of whatever has made their mark on the other person, and you will be able to sense when the other person believes they’ve spoken a lie.”

Rian responded, “Yes, I’m ready.”

Ren Xiyang responded, “Go ahead. Let’s get this over and done with.”

“Alright then. Commencing mind transference.” Andrew’s eyes began to glow pink, as did Rian’s and Ren Xiyang’s. From their perspective, a whitish cloud began to encroach on their view, bordered and dotted by light pink, before they fainted.

…

Ren Xiyang’s eyes opened up. His eyes scanned his surroundings cautiously. Currently, he was located inside… a white space? A black space? Ren Xiyang was struggling to make sense of where he currently was.

Both Ren Xiyang and Rian Azure immediately locked eyes with each other. They both noticed two things about each other. One, they looked much older than they were before. Two, the other person was most definitely not part of the novel.

The Ayden Rosewood right now was certainly much different from the Ayden before. In fact, Rian thought that he looked different from other people he knew in his life. Ayden now had a sharp, angular chin with sharp angular eyes, as well as dark hair and eyes.

Rian looked down, seeing the outfit Ayden was wearing. He had a dark vest on, almost like he was military personnel. In the background, he saw what looked like a very blurry city, destroyed and in ruins. He heard faint moans and groans distinctly coming from it, ones he didn’t recognize.

Rian Azure looked like what he would look like in the future, as the CEO of Sedavaria Industries. Ren Xiyang traced his eyes over Rian’s sharp features, his soft eyes, and luscious silver hair.

Rian was dressed in a dark and expensive business suit, his whole existence screaming expensive. Ren Xiyang saw blurry white curtains in a white room, with complex medical machinery. He heard the old familiar beeping of monitoring equipment.

Both people had the same thoughts racing through their heads at the same time. Who was this person, and what had gone wrong with the timeline?