The next morning, there was a soft knock on the door.
Kaito opened it to find Lilith standing before him in her usual elegant black suit. Her black hair with dark red streaks was partially tied back, and her emerald-green eyes looked at him calmly.
"Good morning," she said in a quiet voice. "Ready for a quick tour of the organization?"
He replied with a smile spreading across his face: "It seems a person as important as you will be overseeing my tourist tour."
"Oh, it is my pleasure," she answered in a calm voice.
Kaito put on his long black coat and went out with her. His silver-gray hair was still a bit messy, and his purple eyes looked alert. As they walked, the employees passing by them moved away subconsciously, feeling a heavy and unexplained aura emanating from this stranger, as if the void surrounding him was sucking the air from around them.
They walked together in the wide corridor. The building was massive, larger than Kaito had expected. The floors were of cold gray marble that reflected the echo of their steady footsteps, and the walls carried paintings and screens displaying reports and images of monsters, while the air was mixed with the sharp scent of chemical disinfectants and a faint smell of burning.
"This is the main building of the Public Control Bureau," Lilith explained as she walked beside him. "There are more secret departments underground, but today we will stay on the upper floors."
Kaito looked around. They passed a group of employees wearing official uniforms. Some cast curious glances at him, but they did not dare to approach.
"In my world," Kaito began speaking calmly, "I used to work as a teacher in my spare time. I had students I trained to use their powers. The world there was full of curses and negative energy, but there were no monsters in this form. People don't turn into beings that cannot be saved just because of their fear."
Lilith paused for a moment and looked at his.
"Your world sounds different indeed. Here, fear is the primary cause. Someone fears something intensely for a long time, then something happens that pushes them to the edge… they transform. And once they transform, there is no turning back."
They continued walking. They entered a large hall containing several glass rooms. Inside one of them was a monster bound by red chains with magical incantations on them. The monster resembled a tall human, but its skin was completely black and a light smoke with the smell of ash was rising from it.
"This is a fire monster," Lilith said. "He transformed three days ago. He was a teacher who had feared fire since childhood. After a car accident in a dark tunnel, his car caught fire and he couldn't get out. His fear burst open, and he transformed."
Kaito approached the glass and looked at the monster. He felt the coldness of the surface under his fingers, and a fleeting image of his old students flashed in his mind; there, he could purify and save, but here, it seems that fear erases the soul completely.
"Does this mean anyone here is susceptible to this fate?"
"Yes," Lilith replied simply. "That is why we exist. The Public Control Bureau protects the city from collapse. We have four main departments:
Department One: Monitors large and dangerous monsters that threaten entire cities.
Department Two: Which you see there behind the desks, creates public contracts with monsters that still retain part of their consciousness.
Department Three: Hunts down escaped and out-of-control monsters.
And Department Four… which I head… manages strategic and long-term control."
Kaito nodded slowly.
"And your ability 'Chains of Control' is what binds all of this."
"Yes." Lilith replied, and as she spoke, she adjusted her black glove with a precise movement, and suddenly a dead silence filled the glass room as the raging monster calmed down immediately under her sharp gaze. "I can create red chains that bind monsters to contracts. It makes them obey orders and protect the city instead of destroying it."
They continued the tour. They entered another larger hall, with large screens displaying a map of the city with moving red dots.
"These red dots are currently active monsters," Lilith explained. "We track them around the clock. Some are small and can be easily controlled, and some are… larger and more dangerous."
Kaito stopped in front of one of the screens.
"In my world, I fought curses and evil beings, but they weren't former humans. Here it's different. These were ordinary people… now they have become monsters with no return."
He looked at Lilith.
"You don't seem affected by this. As if you've grown used to it."
"I've been used to it for a long time," she replied calmly. "When you see hundreds of transformations, it becomes part of the routine. The important thing is to maintain the balance. If we left the monsters without control, the city would not remain standing."
They continued walking. They passed a large training room where some hunters were training to deal with small monsters, and the faint moaning of monsters echoed regularly behind the locked doors.
Kaito asked suddenly:
"Why aren't you surprised that I came from another world? Most people, if they saw someone falling from the sky like that, would be terrified or at least very curious."
Lilith stopped and looked directly at him.
"Because I see that your presence here is no coincidence. Your ability 'Limitless Void' is different from everything I've seen here. You do not depend on fear. This makes you… an exception. And exceptions are always useful."
Kaito gave a side smile.
"You mean you want to use me as a special weapon that you cannot control with chains."
"Perhaps," Lilith admitted frankly. "But I prefer to call it a partnership."
They continued the tour for another hour. Kaito saw more detained monsters, reports of new transformation incidents, and how the Bureau deals with them.
At the end of the tour, they stood before a large window overlooking the city. The sky was gray, and the streets looked calm from a distance, but Kaito knew that beneath this calm were many monsters.
"This world lives on the edge of the abyss," Kaito said quietly. "And you are holding the chains that prevent it from falling."
Lilith stood beside him and looked at the city.
"Yes. And the question now is: Will you help me make these chains stronger… or will you break them?"
Kaito did not respond immediately.
He thought of his old world, of his students, of his mysterious death. Then he looked at Lilith.
"I'll stay for a while," he said finally. "But I promise you nothing."
Lilith smiled a small smile.
"That is enough for a start."
Questions for the Readers😎:
1) Lilith admitted she sees Kaito as an "exception." Is she planning to face a threat within the Bureau itself using Kaito's power?
2) Lilith asked Kaito if he would strengthen the chains or break them. What is your preferred choice for our hero? Does he become the protector of the system or its destroyer?
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