2 × Found, Located

My father was known for being more powerful than any single Theian in history. However, my own pursuit of power stemmed not from him, but from the security he gave me. From a young age, he forced me to see through the perspective of the entire universe.

****

As I walked amidst my fellow city dwellers, I admired Meta's multifaceted beauty. Amongst the streets were hidden pockets of tranquility, taking the form of meticulously designed gardens and serene parks, where the harmonious blend of nature and technology offered a respite from the urban fervor.

However, there would be no respite for me.

The second I left the house, I knew once again that I was being followed. A knot formed in my stomach. It was too early to bring the ordeal to Epsilon, as I still had no idea what exactly I was up against. So, in order to test the waters, I ventured into the city. As I discovered the day prior, this enemy would not attack me in the presence of others. At least, that's what I thought.

The western outskirts of the capital were known for their exciting night life, which was so vibrant that it had recently begun seeping into the daytime, too. It was a pure hub of excitement, riddled with crime and underground business deals that bordered the lines of legality and morality. Epsilon, being all-powerful, was completely aware of this, but to destroy the criminals was to destroy the natural order of society, similar to destroying life at the bottom of the food chain. Without them, those at the apex could not thrive.

My interest in the western sector was within a bar roughly 30 minutes from the palace. It wasn't typical for bars to permit minors entry on Theia, but there was no bouncer on the planet capable of refusing me.

"I.D.?"

I looked up at the mountain of a main guarding the door. I stood at 5'7, which was taller than average for my age, but it was nothing when standing before him. Despite how tall I might have looked, I couldn't pass for 16, the required age for entry. Even if you could get in, the bartender wouldn't give you anything good until 17, and nothing REALLY good unless you knew the guy.

"It's Delta. I should be on the list," I said quietly.

"Hmm, don't see it. Scram, kid."

"Bixby, do we really have to do this today?" I goaded.

There was a silence. The man took a more grounded stance, clenching his fists. His shining bald head complemented what looked to be tears sitting in the corners of his dark eyes. All of his tattoos were covered by his white wife beater and jeans. His attire was somewhat professional for your average thug.

"I'm not letting you beat me again!"

I sighed, moving into the street. Omega was the one that had introduced me to the bar, and since then I had been occasionally going alone. Normally, the Prince would have waved off the bouncer, but since I was alone this time, he had the perfect opportunity to get back at me.

"You look great by the way, I'll try not to get you dirty on shift," I said, actually rather genuinely.

"Aw, well that's real kind of you, D-"

Within a split second, I crossed the street and landed a cross to his stomach. Bixby keeled over, holding the spot. I went to kick him to the curb, but he moved his head back, awkwardly contorting his body in an attempt to dodge my attack.

"You really are Alpha's son, you know that?"

He leapt to his feet, grabbing me before I could react and attempting to ram me into the concrete support of the parking garage across the street. With a sudden burst of energy, I squirmed away from Bixby's grasp, forcing him to back off and successfully avoiding being thrown against the concrete. I ran into the street after him, where we exchanged several blows. He managed to land one strong hit on the side of my face, dazing me slightly for a second, and all the while he stood ready to attack. But before I could retaliate, I felt something coming.

"Car!"

Bixby and I both retreated to opposite sides of the street, allowing the car to pass as if we were kids playing a game of street hockey. With his vision temporarily obscured, I took my chance.

CRACK!

Bixby's eyes widened as a flash of light flew past his head. Fused to the wall to his right, directly next to his ear, was a dollar coin. But it wasn't just any Theic dollar. It was special, a commemorative coin recognizing Darius Cosmo, the man credited for "unifying the universe" with his intergalactic order.

"That supposed to be a bribe?" he asked incredulously.

I once again crossed the street, coming face to face with Bixby and nodding. He furrowed his brows and ripped it from the wall, taking tiny bits of rubble with him. Once he saw what kind of coin it was, he finally relented.

"Yeah, that'll do."

He gave me a short, patronizing pat on the back and let me through the reinforced black door. The bar seemed to have no idea of the damage done to its exterior, all the patrons going about business as usual. I took my typical seat, a small, 3-chair table towards the left of the main stage, which sat against the right wall. Against the wall to my left was the bartender and his row of bar stools. He made his way across the long island and over to me. He was always well-goomed, a red-head with a flaming handlebar mustache, and a man of few words, preferring to keep things strictly business. I liked him very much.

"Anything I can get for you, Delta?"

"Stardust or Cherry's number, you pick."

"Hmm," he began, cocking his head to the side, "I can't say I'm familiar with either of those drinks, sorry."

He removed his glasses and polished the lenses using his crisp uniform shirt. They were frameless, connected by a fragile metal wire through the middle, and despite the roughness of his hands, he treated them with care.

"Aw. Just a cup of ice then, yeah?" I conceded. He answered me with a confused look.

"You sure?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry, it's all part of my plan. You know what? Two cups!"

"Right. I'm sure the ice will help you bridge the age gap somehow," the bartender teased.

I shook my head, waving him off and instead turning my attention to the band on stage. At the forefront was the lead vocalist, responsible for both clean and harsh vocals: Cherry Noir, the very woman the bartender had been referring to. To her right were two bassists, Zephyr and Seraphine Sugar. They were a contrasting pair. Zephyr was shorter, and though they both sported white hair, Zephyr's was more of a cream color, Seraph's more like ivory. The bigger, curlier haired man on the drums was Vel Vet. He was a standalone artist, and the manager of the band. I had a bias towards him.

"Your Premium ice, Delta," the bartender joked, bringing me my order.

"'Preciate it, Solemi."

He placed the two cups of ice carefully to the left of me, then retreated behind the counter once more, tending to the other two customers that had entered.

I slid one of the cups further to my left, serving the invisible body in the chair adjacent to me. There was another empty seat to my right, closer to the stage and the center of the bar. From the angle I was seated, I would need to face that seat to get the best view of Cherry Noir.

"Every-thing just feels the same when we're together-r~♪"

I subtlety slid the second cup of ice slightly further to my right. I wasn't really a big fan of ice, but it was proving effective. Condensation began to pool beneath the cups, a groan of dismay slipping out from behind the bar. It wasn't my intention to stain the wooden tabletop, though, I didn't think anyone would understand my motive anyway.

Chk!

The cup of ice to my right began to crackle from what could only be a sudden change in temperature, proving my suspicion.

"Do you like her, too?" I aimed the question roughly to my left, directly at the space occupying the seat. To any passerby I'd look delusional, but it was worth the risk. I didn't hear back a response, though, I didn't expect one.

In an instant, I swung my right arm back, gripping at the air in the direction of the other chair. The melting ice was an indication that my pursuer was sitting to my right, though, I had to bluff in order to draw out his move. I knew that my opponent was not only invisible, but intangible as well. Though, having seen a similar technique before, I figured that he'd need to drop his intangibility in order to attack.

My opponent had no time to react after manifesting himself physically, my accurate assumption of his location allowed me to firmly grasp at his collar. The only exposed portion I could see of him was a shadow of his face, the rest was still shielded somehow.

"Wh-"

"To be honest, I only saw a glimpse of you. But now, I've confirmed it- you're following me..." My voice was slightly shaky. I didn't exactly know what to do.

"You just figured that out? After sitting here and ordering a drink? You could've died already--"

"But you wouldn't attack me in front of all these people, would you?" I asked, the corner of my lip quirking up a bit in a half-smirk. He pursed his lips and I continued to talk.

"I knew my skirmish with Bixby would give you enough time to sneak in here, and by then, all I had to do was sit down. You might've had a chance right then, but Solemi saved my ass. You got impatient with our banter so you took a seat. No, not on the left, too obvious--!"

"Nah--" He tried to interject, but I already figured it out.

"I guess I gave you too much credit. You sat on my left, then moved after you saw the ice. You thought I had you then, huh? I thought I did too, then I second-guessed myself. By psyching myself out, I convinced myself you would attack me from behind, assuming you weren't in front of me. It was worth a shot, seems like I really pissed you off. I would've been too busy looking at Cherry to even notice you sitting over there on the left, that is, if I didn't have a plan." I chuckled a little, a genuine smile on my face at his reaction.

"It was so hard to say but I remember-r~♪"

He paused for a moment, stunned, before revealing his physical body to me. He was posed in the chair, the cup not too far from him. I saw strands of long, dark brown hair streaking out from his black hood. He had an odd black outfit on, making him look kind of like a ninja. I couldn't make out much of his face, only those gleaming purple eyes. The frown on his face deepened as Cherry reached a soaring high note.

"THE THINGS THAT! YOU TOLD ME!♪"

"You seriously like this shit? And could you let go already?" he spat out. An air of impatience was forming around him as my grip held strong.

"Oh come on, this song completely suits your entire aesthetic, brother!" I teased.

"Haven't you ever heard of this band before? It's called Sweet World. That girl up front is Cherry Noir. Isn't she something? I really like her monolid eyes, and that black hair-- with its signature red hue, of course. Her face is really stunning. And Vel-fucking-Vet dude, have you ever heard a guy play the drums like that? Personally, I think Zephyr is a better bassist than Seraph, but-"

"I hope you realize that you're the only one I'm visible to, and you look pretty stupid holding me. My original plan was to eliminate the son of Epsilon, but you just made things a whole lot worse for yourself, Delta. Maybe I can't kill you, but I sure can make you wish you were dead. And all of this, it's going to be your fault. You should've never messed with Et Cetera."

I grinned, releasing him and catching several glances from other people around the bar. I didn't know if he was bluffing or not, Solemi was likely too inebriated to spot any unusual abnormalities.

"Nice to meet you, E-T-C."

"And all the things that come with it," He added, giving me a sinister smirk from beneath his shadowy gaze.

What a cornball, I thought to myself. Nonetheless, his presence was terrifying. I was technically powerless, the only damage I could do being with words.

"...Right. So, I take it you don't care for food and music? We can order fries or, better yet, wings." I tried to irritate him further, but he actually remained rather calm.

"No, I don't. I don't have anything left to do here now, so you're free to go home whenever you'd like, I won't bother you. I'm going for Epsilon."

"Hey, good luck with that, maybe he'll spare you. I doubt it though. You know, I bet he could see you too--"

"No."

"Woah! Did I strike a nerve? Touchy about our powers, are we? That must be it, you must be really inefficient at using them, or else I'd be cooked already huh. I mean, you're intangible, but you give off an aura? I mean, why even try?"

He vanished again before my eyes, spilling the cup of water onto my lap on his way out. Once he was finally gone, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. My hands were soaked from our encounter, but not because of the spilled water. I honestly don't know how I managed to keep my cool the whole time. Hopefully Cherry saw at least a moment of it.

Solemi quickly came over and began to mop up the mess with his rag.

"So was there an elaborate joke behind ordering a cup of ice, waiting for it to melt, and knocking it over, Delta?"

"Yeah, an elaborate joke et cetera, et cetera."