Kaito emerged from the briefing hall feeling a sense of constriction and disgust. The meeting had been nothing more than a trade show, where he was viewed as a prime piece of meat for the hungry to fight over. He loathed this feeling; Kaito preferred to be the King whom everyone trembled before, not a commodity whose value was debated across tables.
He walked through the building's vast corridors, wandering as whispers echoed behind him:
"I heard he took down the Cockroach monster all by himself... Look at him, he's right there."
"Lilith is taking him under her wing... that's strange."
"The Great President hasn't commented yet..."
Kaito smiled inwardly. Even the Great President was mentioned only in hushed tones.
After a few minutes, Emma caught up with him; she looked exhausted from the previous mission, but her features softened when she saw him.
"How was the meeting?" she asked, struggling to match his long strides.
"A circus... or perhaps a public auction," Kaito replied with bitter irony. "Every department sees me as a tool. Even Lilith... behind that smile, she looks at me as a chess piece she'll use to flip the board."
Emma let out a light, effortless laugh. "That was expected. You are the only 'variable' in an equation that has been static for years. Everyone is talking about you... and some are already counting down to the moment you might lose your temper."
They continued walking together until they passed a group of security officers in stern dark-blue uniforms. Leading them was a man in his early thirties, tall, with neatly arranged black hair and sharp features.
"That is *Captain Ryo Takahashi*," Emma whispered. "Head of Public Security. The youngest to ever hold this position in the city's history. They call him 'The Scales of Justice' because he knows no emotion in applying the law."
Captain Takahashi stopped right beside them, casting a cold, evaluative look toward Kaito, but he masked it with a smile. "You are Kaito Soren," he said in a gentle voice. "I heard you didn't leave anyone in the morning meeting without a sting from your tongue."
Kaito gave a cold side-smile. "Bad news travels faster than light. You're the one responsible for protecting humans from their own follies, right? I don't think you have any business with me."
Captain Ryo nodded calmly. "My mission is to maintain order before fear turns into monsters. We deal with the 'cause,' while your bureau deals with the bloody 'result.' I hope we don't cross paths under bad circumstances."
Kaito looked at him with interest for the first time. "Protecting people from themselves? An impossible mission... but an interesting one."
The Captain resumed his way, while Emma continued: "Lilith asked you to train three new apprentices... the ones I told you about. The show starts soon."
Kaito raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Disciples? Does Lilith think I'll waste my time carving stones that haven't tasted real battle yet?"
Emma replied with a defiant smile: "Perhaps they are the ones who will carve out your patience. And if you keep mocking, I'll leave you to face their impulsiveness alone—and maybe I'll use my prison on you first to teach you how to be a patient teacher."
Kaito laughed a genuine laugh for the first time since morning. "A fair deal... but make sure you strengthen those prisons of yours; I don't want to save you every time your walls crumble."
Kaito suddenly fell silent, staring into the void at the end of the corridor. "Heh, I miss my old disciples. I wonder if they miss me," he said, then turned to Emma. "Emma... don't fully trust Lilith. That smile she wears isn't for decoration. There's something behind it... something older and more terrifying than anything we've seen."
Emma looked at him with concern, and before she could reply, Kaito's phone vibrated.
On the top floor, where the noise of employees faded and was replaced by a tomb-like silence, Lilith stood behind her massive glass window overlooking the city drowned in fear and ignorance.
Suddenly, her phone on the marble table vibrated. No name appeared on the screen, only the symbol: "⚖️".
Lilith answered, her smirk vanishing completely, replaced by an expression of submission.
"He has started to move," Lilith said in a low tone. "He insulted the department heads in their own home... exactly as I expected."
A voice came from the other end:
"Kaito Soren... the insatiable void. Does he still think himself the strongest?"
"He thinks he possesses his own will," Lilith replied, her fingers pressing against the edge of the table. "I have placed the trainees with him. I will test the effectiveness of his power in tomorrow's mission."
A heavy silence fell from the other end before the voice uttered one final sentence:
"Remember, Lilith... if he fails to absorb the laws of this world, we have no need for him. Do not let the game spiral out of control. The Great President does not like uncalculated surprises."
The call ended. Lilith remained in her place, staring at her reflection in the glass, where for a moment her eyes seemed drowned in absolute blackness. Then, with extreme coldness, she picked up her phone and sent the message to Kaito:
*"Tomorrow at dawn. A special field mission with the trainees. Don't be late... Teacher."*
Questions for the Readers😎:
1) The Scale symbol (⚖️) appeared as the Great President's identifier. Do you think Captain Ryo is just a front for this president, or are they enemies sharing the same title?
2) Lilith is putting Kaito on a mission with trainees to test his power's effectiveness. Is the mission meant to kill monsters, or is it a trap to see if Kaito will defy the laws of this world?
3) Lilith placed three trainees under Kaito's supervision. Do you think they are spies planted by other departments, or do they possess "exceptional" abilities like Kaito?
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