Perfectionist

Analysis

Jeremiah's POV.

We reached our floor and captain took us to a room.

Inside, was a rectangular table with one person sitting at the very end, face shrouded by darkness.

I could barely make out the face but I knew who it was instantly.

"Alexis." Maddox called out.

"I'm back, Maddox. Hope you didn't miss me." A cheeky voice calls out.

"Where did you go?"

"Hell if I know. Originally, I was supposed to be trapped for 50,000 years or something but something came along and cut it 49,996 years short. Not that I'm complaining but the weather there is absolute shite. It's basically night 24/7, no rain, no four seasons, nuthin'. Eh back to business-I'm assuming they're from the Novum Sanguis project?"

"Mm. I initiated the milestone projects you had prepared in advanced. NS is still ongoing but we've cleared out majority of China, the Americas and Europe. Let me introduce you to them. There's Zhi Ruo, head of the Internal Securities force."

Zhi Ruo steps forward and kowtows, which, in China, signifies a deep seeded respect,"Zhi Ruo greets you." She talks respectfully, a far cry from her normal self.

She's usually open, loud-mouthed and a tad flirty when it comes to Maddox.

I guess she's taking this very seriously.

Alexis seems quiet for a moment before I hear her.

"Pfft." A small laugh escapes her mouth,"Beaming eyes, masochistic smile, dimples showing, trembling legs, clammy hands, sweaty back and dilated eyes. You're excited. Stand up."

Ro (her nickname) stiffens as she stands.

"I-I am..." Ro admits,"You are my idol."

Alexis lets out a soft chuckle,"It appears I've been deified. Please, at ease. Contrary to what Maddox has told you, I'm not an uptight person." Alexis stands up and pats Ro's shoulder and finally, I see her face.

My breath's taken away by her otherworldly beauty, her unending charm.

Stay calm, Jer.

You need to make a good impression.

"Let me see. Zhi Ruo." She starts talking in chinese, stunning Ro.

I can make out what they're saying because of a little bit of tuition I had on the language.

"You're flirty, talkative and easygoing. But that hides your feelings. You prefer silence, having an introverted personality. You enjoy books and used to have a dependence to coffee."

Ro stumbled back, her eyes expressing shock.

"How...How can you tell?"

"You're an open book. But...You seem to hold quite the skill. Let me see...Astral Swap? Not bad, an S class skill. You're a procrastinator and enjoy talking. A lot. Discipline is key when being a leader and role model. Work hard."

"Y-yes!" Ro bows, her eyes filled with stars.

She's practically glowing in happiness at her idol's praise and advice.

I gotta admit, I felt a little jealous.

"Now, you..."

"Diego Raphael Alexandre, miss. I am eternally in your service." Di says with a hoarse voice.

He has a chronic cough due to smoking and drinking heavily when his wife and child were killed.

He somehow managed to survive that year out in the ruins.

"Hm. Curious. You're quiet but you seem to have been quiet the party animal back in your teenage years...Something must have changed that. Oh. Sorrow. The kind of sadness one feels when a family member dies."

I pale.

Di does not like it when people talk about his past, especially his family.

"Angry, are we? Go on then. I'd like to see how angry you are."

"..."

"Come on. Hit me. If you don't I'll keep on talking."

"..." Di's hands are bawled into fists but he doesn't move.

"Okay. I'll make myself the villain then. I'll expose the dark pasts. Let's see here...What do I see?"

"Tattoos. Gang signs. You were part of a gang. Accent-I'm guessing Brazilian. Your wife was probably a prostitute. You fell in love and had a child. Hm...Quite the story. A gang member that's killed, marrying a whore and having a son."

"Stop it..." I can see Di getting very mad.

This isn't gonna end well.

"What? Big guy can't handle it? Hm. Next they died. Few years back, I'm saying in a stampede? Bingo. Can you think back to the scene? Oh. Your wife pushed you away and was killed in place of you. No wonder you harbour so much hatred and regret."

"AHHHHH!" Di swings at Alexis, his body turning into a wolf's.

His power is Lycanthropy, turning into a wolf at will.

But, his arm is stopped caught in mid air and his body is reverted back to his human form.

I blink and Di's on the floor straddle by Alexis with a dagger in hand.

I didn't see a single thing.

"Not bad. Quite strong for an A class. But you have a weakness. You're hotheaded. Still angry about your wife and kid. You fly into a rage whenever you see your friends being hurt, even more so when you see Obvliates."

"..."

"You're not fit to be a leader. You must remain calm. Until you get a grip on yourself and learn to accept that your wife and kids are dead, you won't ever be a leader in my eyes."

Her eyes turn to me and I feel a faint pressure, causing me to go rigid.

"You. You...I can't seem to feel anything from you."

"I-I'm sorry?"

"You are absolutely the most average man I've ever seen."

"..." I didn't know whether to be offended or complimented.

"You have no bad habits nor any good ones, no goals in life, no hops dreams or ambitions. Nothing."

"..." It was true but wasn't putting it like that a little too frank?

"That's a big flaw. A big, big problem..."

"Jeremiah. Jeremiah Stone." I replied.

"You have no aspirations. Perpetually stuck in mediocrity. You...Can't improve. In that sense, you're even more worse off than them. You lack the resolve to do anything. Until you find a goal, you'll be stuck at that level, neither able to go up or down. Just maintaining while everyone else improves. That, while making you better than them in the short run, will be your downfall in the big picture."

It felt almost like a prediction that I felt would come true.

My blood chilled.

"H-how do I improve?"

"Set a target. A goal. Something out of your comfort zone. Something you'd never see yourself doing. And pursue it. I want people willing to work harder to improve, to reach the stage of perfection. I don't need mediocrity."