Chapter 6: Jumping Through 2,500 Years!
"Don\'t fret; this won\'t cause any discomfort."
The beautiful, gender-neutral elf whispered as they used something resembling a temperature gun over Aster. It was an all-in-one device that checked for metals, pathogens, and explosives on someone\'s person.
After going through the scanner and undergoing a body-check and visual check, two more police-like officers came. Both were the same as the first officer, having golden hair and green eyes, with a 10/10 figure—female elves!
The two were wearing the same uniform but had a white band with a red cross on it around their left arm. They were, without a doubt, part of the medical team at the guard station.
The two "nurses" used a syringe-like object without a needle to draw some blood samples, roughly 50 mL, as it released a loud *PSSHH!* sound. Additionally, they collected his fingerprints, saliva swabs, and hair follicles for identification and recording purposes.
About a minute later, the two female officers left, leaving Aster with only the first two officers from before.
The elf officer smiled as he sat across Aster, with a table between them, and spoke. "Thank you for your cooperation. While we await the lab results, we\'ll proceed with the standard questioning. Officer Karuwik, please."
At his urging, the orc-faced officer pulled out a glowing flat board and began to speak with Aster in a gentle voice.
"I\'ll be recording the progress of the interview; Senior Helvetica will be the one asking questions. Please respond as accurately and precisely as possible. *Snort!*"
Aster nodded while trying to conceal the apprehension in his eyes. After all, a sizable, bipedal pig creature was talking to him!
It would be strange if he didn\'t feel anxious. But perhaps due to the shock of encountering and surviving the encounter with the enormous snake right after waking up, he could at least attempt to appear composed.
"Alright…" The elf officer, Helvetica, began. "First, your name?"
"A-Aster... Aster Mistral," he replied promptly.
The orc officer tapped the tablet-like glowing device in his hands, entering the details and searching the registries, but found no match. "Strange… *Snort!*" he said quietly.
The elf officer cocked his head curiously. "Perhaps you checked the wrong region? Aster, was it? Which city did you come from?"
"I…" Aster took a deep breath before answering. "I\'m from Tresgia City."
"Tresgia?"
The elf and the orc looked at each other before shaking their heads. Right, there\'s no city in their memories with that name.
"Perhaps your memory is confused?" Officer Helvetica assumed before asking once more. "Do you recall your birthday?"
"Uh… May 2, 2015."
*PFFFFT!*
Upon hearing his birthday, however, both officers couldn\'t contain their surprise and amusement. After a brief moment, Officer Helvetica raised a hand with a faint grin. "Excuse us. But if you intend to lie, you should\'ve chosen a more believable date, my friend. 2015 was some 2,500 years ago!"
"2,500…?" Aster was baffled this time. "Wait! What year is it now?!"
From what his parents told him, he should\'ve been frozen by a few decades at most. At least, that\'s what he recalled from the initial plan.
"Hmm? If you\'re referring to the Unified Magic Era, it\'s 1,033 UME. In, *pfft!*, A-A.D. terms, it\'s 4,533 A.D."
"..."
Aster\'s mind stopped. No, his entire world did! 4,533 A.D., 2,500 years into the future. His head throbbed as he contemplated the possibility of this being true!
\'They have no motive to deceive me; I\'m the one under scrutiny here,\' Aster mused. \'That means everything they\'ve said is true!\'
*Gasp!*
"...?"
Just as Aster was distracted, the orc-faced officer, Officer Karuwik, emitted a surprised gasp. His face then turned serious while alternating between checking his tablet and Aster\'s face.
"Unbelievable… Senior! Look at this!"
"What?"
The two of them checked the tablet, and... "What the heck?" the elf officer exclaimed in astonishment.
Although confused, Aster could only furrow his brows, wondering what had caught the pair\'s attention. The officers conferred in hushed tones before nidding in unison.
"Excuse me, Mr. Aster, can you confirm if this data pertains to you? *Snort!*"
Officer Karuwik extended his robust, fur-covered hands, presenting the tablet, or rahter, the thin holographic panel displaying Aster\'s image alongside various personal details meticulously recorded.
Aster scanned the panel, absorbing its contents in five seconds. He drew a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, sir, this is my information."
*Tap, tap!* *Tap, tap!* *Tap, tap!* *Tap, tap!*
Before he could continue, the sound of heels hitting the tiled floor reverberated. The two officers swiftly turned toward the door, eyebrows raised, as it slid open. One of the two elf women from before entered with a pale countenance, clutching yet another holographic tablet.
"S-Sir Helvetica! Please review this urgently!" She implored, urgency lacing her tone.
"What\'s the matter, Helen? Did something bad pop up from the result?"
As he received the tablet and read its contents, he fell silent. Rubbing his eyes as if in disbelief, he read it again before turning to the woman. "Are you certain about this result?"
"Yes, sir! I\'ve double-, no, triple-checked! I am 99.95% confident in the result!" She declared while saluting crisply.
*BAM!*
Officer Helvetica slammed his palm on top of the table, nearly startling Aster. With a grave expression, he addressed the two, his tone severe.
"Both of you, implement a lockdown on all information concerning Mr. Aster! Elevate the confidentiality class to level S!"
""Yes, sir!""
"And you, Mr. Aster Mistral, please accompany me." He turned to Aster, bowing deeply. "The result from the laboratory may be accurate, but our station can\'t take such heavy responsibility."
He carefully removed the cuffs on Aster\'s wrists while continuing. "We\'ll be escorting you to a private hospital under the police\'s control and will be undergoing a more thorough examination there. This is for your and our safety, Mr. Aster. Please understand."
"Why? What happened?" The severe expression on his face startled Aster, who questioned him in fear. "My disease shouldn\'t be contagious. Could it be that I have some weird virus on me?!"
"No, it\'s not such a small matter." Officer Helvetica answered, shaking his head. "From the initial test, it was discovered that... you possess 100% human DNA."
"... Yes? I mean, I am human."
Naturally, he should have 100% human DNA. Both his parents were humans, after all! However, lacking information, he completely failed to grasp the implications of being a "pure" human in the current era.