To the question, there was a deep silence that lasted for about four seconds before the thick words echoed out.
"I have none," he said, something that left Everlearn speechless.
"Though you may refer to me as the others do… The Boss."
He said, and only now did it dawn on him.
This was the one Dumbledore had told him he would need to meet before being a part of the Organization.
"Everlearn," the man called out, bringing him back up.
He leaned closer before asking,
"What is your greatest wish?"
"My greatest wish?" Everlearn replied, perplexed by such a sudden question.
"What keeps you breathing aside from your heart?" the man said. "What makes you look up to waking to tomorrow's sun?"
"There are a lot of things," Everlearn mused.
"What is the greatest of them all?" he asked, his words almost like a growl, though his fingers remained calmly folded together on the table.
Everlearn didn't immediately respond.
If someone had asked him right now why he was breathing, he would have said, to get rid of the bastard who had killed him.
Mecha Eva, and the ones she worked for.
They were what currently drove him forward, making him want to survive at all costs.
But were they the greatest?
No. They were far from being his greatest wish.
His greatest wish remained unchanged, even after his death.
"I wish to be great."
Those were simple words, naive almost, yet the pressure that followed in the room was monumental.
A creeping silence that made Everlearn feel his own words echoing in his heart.
Many had laughed in the face of such a declaration, and while it brought claps and praises when he was younger, it brought nothing but scoffs when he had grown up.
And eventually, Everlearn had learned to keep them silent.
But even with the creeping silence, his face had no change at all, and neither did the face of the man before him.
When it did, only his lips moved.
"Admirable," he said before both fingers finally unfurled.
He shifted them to the marble-like desk between both of them, the sound of a drawer being whipped out echoing, and from within, he brought out a blue hardcover.
He placed it on the desk and slid it toward Everlearn, stopping just inches before him.
"Go through it," he ordered, and Everlearn turned to it.
His hands reached forward, and he opened it, finding a couple of files, which he began to analyze.
The more he read, the more lost for words he was
When he reached the last page and closed the hardcover, his widened eyes slowly receded, and he turned to look at the man who voiced out,
"Can that summarize all the major events of your life up until now?"
And shockingly, it was exactly what had been claimed.
The file contained everything about the major events in his life, including his secretive affinity potential, rated FFF, from a test he had taken at a nearby facility.
And yet, here it was before him.
There were even images, clearly taken from CCTVs, showing his time in school and his eventual induction into the Mechara Organization.
It even included the picture of the entire group that had been placed on that project from Mechara.
All of whom were now dead, of course.
It was everything… almost.
"It's true," he replied, and the boss hmmed, signaling for him to bring it back.
He returned them to him, and they were passed into the drawer.
"At first, you used to wish to become a great Corer," He began
"But when you realized your potential was poor, you changed your wish, instead choosing to become a great Mech Designer."
"This makes me curious," he said before his hands folded again and he leaned ever so slightly, asking,
"What is greatness to you, Everlearn?"
"Is it being a Corer, possessing destructive force, and by greatness perhaps being the strongest Corer?"
"Or is it being a Mech Designer, building the most capable mechs and, by greatness, earning the respect of the strongest Corers?"
He asked, and it was a question that hit hard.
Greatness wasn't limited to any aspect, though in Nvidia, it can be summed up to two important things: a Corer or a Mech Designer.
Greatness in any of these two fields would equal the only true greatness.
He had at first wished to be the strongest, and then he had switched to become the most respected.
It made him question:
Was the one he wanted at first the truth of him, while the second only arose due to the failure of the first?
"There are Corers," Everlearn began. "They fuse with cores designed by Mecha Designers and grow stronger."
"To fully maximize the full power of the cores within them, they fuse with Mech Modules designed also by Mech Designers."
He explained.
"They're powerful, but… they're also reliant," he ended, and the man gave a single nod, showing he was following.
"Mech Designers, on the other hand, are knowledgeable, creating the best cores and Mech Modules."
"In so doing, they earn the respect of the Corers, who know their strength is owed to them."
"They do not earn the respect of the people worldwide because only the Corers are the ones shown in videos fighting off the Nakros."
"They're more of a side character, and oftentimes, they're usually weak and at the mercy of the same Mech Designs and Modules they make."
"If their respect is lost, the Corer will have no trouble getting rid of the Mech Designers."
"So, as much as they earn the respect of the Corers, in a way, they're also reliant upon their mercy."
He said, a notion that made the man's brow crease.
Such an in-depth analysis of the world from one only seventeen was quite remarkable.
"So, to be the greatest of the Corers, like I wanted, was to be the strongest, while to be the greatest of the Mech Designers is to earn the respect of the strongest." He analyzed.
"So, which of them is true greatness to you?"
The Boss asked, looking at Everlearn, who creased his eyebrows for a moment, looking at his own hands, before he suddenly pushed them away.
He turned to look at The Boss and whispered in realization.
"None."