Chapter 214- Calm Before The Storm

Time passed slowly in silence as the trio busied themselves with other things. The stress of the situation weighed down on them a lot but what can they do? They were in no position to act, not when things were moving in this direction. If anything, trying to act now would most likely make things worse rather than fix them. It was, after all, a situation with more variables and unpredictable outcomes than anything else they ever faced before.

During this hour or so, Kai was able to more or less organize his thoughts properly. While he still felt irritated that the situation was out of his hands, he quickly realized that it in reality… It could've been worse.

First of all, the reveal of the Temporary Origin was a matter of time and he knew that. The reveal happened sooner than he expected, and that was granted. But, this wasn't all too bad since that also meant that Divinity would be too occupied with their projects to even think about him.

That will reduce the chance of anyone discovering his tracks and by definition make him completely inconspicuous. This was Kai's initial goal, to blend seamlessly with the Ascenders and slowly make his way up the ranks.

It's a process that required him to become someone else and change everything about his demeanor and his past. It was all necessary since his father was an extremely sharp and smart man who could easily identify him from the smallest blunder. It was a true test of Kai's ability to change his identity.

Second of all, there was the matter of the 'Temple of Infinity' that Kaya told him about. It seemed that Mikayla was now linked to that man and so he probably knew many things that Kai didn't know.

'I can use that old man's knowledge if things came down to it. Although it might end up with me killing him in the worst-case scenario.' He thought to himself.

Most likely, the information was sealed and unavailable for Kai to use. But, the fact that he told Kaya about that means that there is some information that was left unsealed. He must know something useful, Kai was certain of it.

However, till he finds the opportunity to meet Mikayla again, he has to put it aside for now.

Meanwhile, Eva was simply scribbling something on a notepad she had. As for Aria, she just sat there quietly, not doing anything in particular except fiddling with her fingers. Even though she can sense everything around her, she still technically can't see anything so there wasn't much she could do, not that she wanted to.

At that moment, they heard a clicking of the door before Kaya barged inside and closed the door quickly.

"Hah, hah, damn, the city is in chaos. It's like a jungle for god's sake!" She murmured as she looked back. "What the hell is going on outside?!" She asked.

"The Temporary Origin has been released to the public and everyone is buying it apparently," Eva replied with an emotionless tone.

Kaya froze for a second before her face frowned. "So it already happened… Why didn't they notify me? Tsk, lazy bastards!" She cursed as she checked her messages on the phone and found nothing.

"They probably did it without telling anybody except for those who mingled with it. That idiot Arthur from the Archangels is one of them." Kai replied as he stood up and went to the kitchen to get Kaya something to drink.

"Arthur? I didn't hear any recent news about him. Wasn't he about to be punished for killing another Archangel?" Eva asked.

"Apparently he escaped the punishment somehow. A few weeks ago, he was announced completely innocent." Kaya shook her head.

She was also shocked when she realized that Arthur didn't get punished. It was blatantly apparent that he did kill Lola that night.

'The higher-ups must've found him way too useful to be killed.' Kaya chuckled inwardly as she walked to the living room.

The latter sat down on the sofa and gazed at Aria for a moment before she shifted her eyes to look somewhere else.

"What happened to the Landlady's house?" She asked Eva.

"Her son bought this new drug and burnt his house because of his inability to control his talent."

"So, that's why… I did notice many police cars moving through the city. It's a huge mess."

A few moments later, Kai came back with a cup of tea for Kaya.

"Thanks, darling." She said with a smile before she signaled for him with her eyes.

"Don't worry, there is nothing to hide. You can tell me what happened with Mikayla exactly."

Kaya was confused at first but she still nodded her head. Then, she went on to tell them what happened during her meeting with her foster father. She didn't need to leave behind any details so she didn't do so.

Meanwhile, the trio listened carefully without interrupting her. Kai and Aria's faces didn't change much during the whole story. However, the same can't be said about Eva as the moment she heard the 'Progenitor's Arsenal' she paled.

Her breathing became erratic and her heart rate increased. Scary memories resurfaced inside her head. Even after a while, Eva still has nightmares about what happened that night. Just thinking about how she almost killed Kai and Kaya made her chest hurt, a lot.

The problem was more or less solved but the trauma was still there from that event. Not to mention the fact that Eva was still a vessel for that weapon yet. That cursed thing was still within her Talent, waiting for another moment to wake up and take control over her. That time, things might not go as well as the first time.

Kai seemed to notice the weird behavior of Eva. Her hands were shaking visibly and her pale skin grew even paler. So, as he listened to Kaya speak, he touched Eva's hand. Since she was still sitting next to him, he could do that without making the others see.

'Huh?' Looking down, Eva felt the warmth of Kai's hand permeate her whole being. His touch was so gentle and filled with care that it made her forget about her panic attack for a second. Her shaking slowly dwindled before it vanished completely and her face relaxed visibly.

Her eyes then slowly shifted to look at Kai's side silhouette. His reliable presence reassured her that everything would be fine. He didn't need to speak for her to understand what he wanted to convey to her.

'I won't let anything happen to you.'

It was a promise rather than mere words. A promise that Kai had unconsciously put as his priority. He wanted to protect this life of his with everything he could. Perhaps his strength existed for this very purpose or perhaps it was just there conveniently. He didn't frankly care at all.

Anyone who dares to touch Kaya and Eva would have to pass through Kai first. These two were the most important to him and he was slowly coming to that realization.

'Thank you, my love.' She thought to herself as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, regaining her composure.

Coincidentally, Kaya ended her story at that moment.

"That was the only thing he left behind."

"I see…" Kai murmured in reply as he fell into deep thought. As he predicted, Mikayla didn't convey any secrets to Kaya.

However, that small hint was more than enough for Kai to understand what had happened in these few weeks that he went out of sight.

His eyes went to Aria who seemed to have reached the same conclusion and more.

"It's really weird. I have never seen the old man act like that before. He seemed panicked, uncomfortable, and anticipating something. What do you think, Kai?"

"He must've told you to run away for a good reason. In a few months… huh? In such a period of time, many things could happen."

"There is also the fact that Divinity is going to push me to do a mission. But, what could it even be? I'm still confused."

"Don't overthink it, Kaya. Divinity will most likely try to push for Origin to become a more and more societal norm. Perhaps they would want to eliminate anyone resistance from governments or individuals."

Kai didn't believe this was enough of a reason for Mikayla to tell Kaya to run away but it was still a possibility worth considering.

"Go rest. The next few days will be messy." Kai said as he stood up and looked at Aria.

"Follow me." He said coldly before he brought her to the kitchen. Then, he created a soundless domain so that nobody could hear what he was going to say.

"Speak. You know what he wants to do with the Arsenal of the Progenitor, don't you?" He said.

"I… I don't quite know. But, I have a hunch."

"Hm?"

"If he's looking for the arsenal, that means he wants to either create an army of Origin Users… A very powerful army that can't be beaten."