17

"What did you see?" A brazen woman gruffly asked her subordinate.

"Not much of anything once they went inside the academy. But there was a giant blast that went straight through the roof. It was awfully close to where I was situated. That was undoubtedly him."

"Anything else?" she replied. "I wasn't expecting much in the first place, but it never hurts to ask. There's only so much you or I could see from this hill, though."

"Nothin' else, sorry."

"It's fine. Now I know what needs to be done. White Noise, prepare to engage. Not today, but soon."

"You really think that's a good idea?" White Noise asked with concern. "You don't know if you've got the right guy. You also don't know if he's as powerful as we've been told."

"I'm sure he's my guy. He is undoubtedly the seventh Origin of Chaos. And I'm sure he's far stronger than we've been told."

"Y'know, I didn't see a whole lot, but I heard just about everything. The guy's got a lot to deal with already. Maybe we should let him be for now."

"We can't keep observing forever. I'm positive I could take him now. If not, I'm confident I could at least sway him to hear me out, but who knows two weeks from now? His growth could be exponential. Sitting around isn't something we can afford to do anymore."

"I haven't been working under you for too long, but from what I hear you've been watching him since he was a kid."

"I supervised. What's the problem?"

"The problem is that no one knew you were doing it. And here you are, watching him in secret to this day. What's the deal?"

"He's the seventh Origin of Chaos. He can't cause Heaven's Divide under any circumstances."

"It'll be fine. Hasn't Heaven's Divide happened once already?"

"And they're still counting deaths almost a millennia later. Do you want it to happen a second time?"

"...I realize how dumb of a statement that was. Regardless, are you sure you don't have any ulterior motives, Ms. 'Chaos Bride'? Even knowing he could end this world, you're a bit obsessed."

"As the fourth Origin of Chaos, I'm simply doing what the others won't because they're all lazy assholes, that's all. Nothing else to it. Not at all." said the "Chaos Bride", with bright red cheeks.

"He's also several years younger than you. Don't you think this is a bit odd?"

"His soul predates time, even if he probably hasn't realized it yet."

"...You do you. I still think it's weird."

"There is nothing weird going on. I've been watching him to make sure he doesn't end this world."

"Whatever. You sure you wanna do this?"

"This isn't a choice. Wait too long and any number of things could happen. He could start Heaven's Divide. Those stuck-in-the-past lap dogs called the Sacred Oath could catch wind of this. Hell, I could die. The point is that there's too much risk to keep doing nothing. I'm certain the time to act is finally upon us."

"It's been many years that you waited for this. Aren't you excited that you finally get to meet your man?" White Noise asked playfully, pushing the right buttons for her amusement. Her superior was surprisingly easy to read.

"Shut it. Head back for now, I'll contact you when everything is ready."

White Noise retreated from the hill. "Chaos Bride" sat atop the hill to be with her thoughts. "I get to meet him soon. I don't want to fight him, so let's hope things don't come down to the worst." She said to herself.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Said a gruff male voice from behind her. She turned around to see a man in a black suit standing behind her, one hand in his right pocket. She recoiled back and drew a handgun on the man. He maintained his composure facing down the barrel. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," He said, as he then narrowed his eyes. "Unless you make me."

"...Do I know you?" She asked.

"No, but I know you. I hear you've been watching Takuya for a lot of his life. It was a bit of an eye opener for me to hear that a stranger had been there during parts of his life that I wasn't. I don't think you have any malicious intent, though. I did some digging and found out that you've protected him from threats many times. I even found out that you scared off the only bully Takuya ever had. I don't know what your endgame is, but you have my thanks."

"Huh?"

"Hmm..." The man thought out loud as he looked her over for a few seconds. "Okay, you have my approval. I think you're a bit old for him, but that doesn't matter if you'll take care of him and treat him right. What matters is that you truly care about him, and I believe you do. I'd hurry up if I were you, though. I hear he's very popular with women."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" She asked.

"Your future father-in-law, if things go well for you."

"You're..." She abruptly blurts as the pieces start fitting together.

"Inotani Keiji. It's a pleasure."

She lowered her handgun, realizing who she'd raised it to. "Indeed, it is a pleasure."

"I've heard so much about the fourth Origin of Chaos, 'Chaos Bride', but who are you really?"

"Wakabayashi Eden."

"Interesting given name." he said, hoping for an explanation.

"My father was from Azmarin, my mother from Hwen."

"I see. Well, both Inotani Eden and Wakabayashi Takuya sound very nice."

"Why do you keep bringing that up?" She asked, becoming agitated.

"You're the one who wants to marry him, are you not?"

"..."

"My son is yours, but I can't guarantee he'll accept that. I can't guarantee that other women will let you do that either."

"Why are you all of a sudden pressuring me about this?"

"You've been watching him all this time and didn't notice? As of recent, he's been surrounded by girls at all times. You'd be a fool to think they're just his allies."

"And why come to me instead of the other girls who have actually talked to him?"

"You care the most out of the ones I know of. I'd say you have the most dedication to him, making sure he's safe and happy throughout his life without even letting yourself be seen. I think you deserve to stand by his side more than anyone. Whether or not you stand by his side is out of my control, but it seems you plan to do so very soon. I truly hope you act while you still can."

"There's something for you to gain from my involvement with Takuya, but I'm not expecting to pry that information out of you today."

"There's always another reason for everything. Not everyone can sense ulterior motives as fast as you."

"Did you come here just to encourage me to date your son?"

"Of course not. That would be silly. Though I did almost forget." Keiji said, beginning to rustle his hand around in his pocket. He pulled out a miniature portrait of a woman and tossed it to Eden. "Have you seen her?"

He wasn't sure why he gave Eden the picture. He understood that years of watching Takuya and her being a fellow Origin of Chaos imprinted his wife's face in her mind as a permanent memory.

"I haven't seen his mother in a few years."

"That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sur-"

"But I have a few ideas about where she might be."

"...I don't have hope, but let's hear it."

"Just as I heard that you did, your wife also went overseas to work. But she left after you. What if she did leave the kingdom, but not of her own free will?"

"A hostage situation?"

"Probably not. It's just a hypothesis. But it's possible if you haven't heard from her in a while."

"It's been years since I was able to establish contact with her."

"Can you think of any places without cell service she would have gone to on her own?"

"No. And if I could, mail service exists everywhere."

"No matter where you are, there's always that one remote place isolated from the world. It's possible she's in a place like that. If you wanted to leave somewhere overseas and hide away from the world, where would you go?"

"If it were me, I wouldn't leave. I'd just travel a short distance away and hide out, letting everyone think I left the country. That would..."

"Think you're onto something?" Eden asked.

"I think I am."

"Can you find her?"

"I hope."

"I hope so too," Eden sighed. "The sooner we find the second Origin of Chaos the better."

"I don't care about that. I just want to see my wife. Even more, I want Takuya to see his mother."

"Let's hope she didn't actually leave the kingdom."

"Let's hope wherever she went was her own choice." Said Keiji out of concern. "If anyone did anything to her, they're going to answer for it... I'm honestly ashamed of myself for sitting by all this time and focusing on work while she's missing. I'm done with that. It's time that I stop sitting around. And it's time that you stop watching and start participating."

"When you find Chaos Exodus, tell her to swing by for drinks sometime." Eden chided, attempting to brighten the mood.

"When you find Takuya, tell him that dad says hello. And be nice to him."

"I'll fight him if he makes me."

"He's not strong enough to split Heaven again. But he could mop the floor with you if you're careless."

"I'm not trying to fight him."

"Yeah, I believe you. Now, I bet you're tired of me nagging you, so I'll be on my way. I have someone to find. And you have your own goals. I do hope to welcome you into the family one day. However far away that day may be... I hope she'll be there when that day comes. Well, see you around."

"Wait!" She shouted, trying to hold him up. "How come I've been watching over Takuya all these years, but I've never seen you until now?"

Before she finished her inquiry, Keiji had vanished, leaving behind a distortion in the air, a sign that he had disappeared too fast for the light to match his pace.