For some time, Gaius had been thinking about a perfect end. A solution to solve every single problem, a panacea to everything he’d witnessed so far. It was not out of the realm of his ability; more than once, Nexus had wondered if he had the capacity and abilities of a great god. After all, creating things right out of energy and giving them permanence was not something normal people could do.

Yet, there existed problems that could not be solved by applying lots of energy to make a point. In a similar vein, problems that could not be solved by beating people up also existed in this world. Unless he gained the power and the resolve to alter the hearts of people, this world would forever remain imperfect. Furthermore, there was also no guarantee that even if he could warp the minds and hearts of all life, his solution would result in a perfect world.

More importantly, Gaius was no Human God.

Ordering a second glass of chilled jasmine tea — it was quite to his liking — he looked around the cafeteria.

“What’s wrong?” Isabelle asked.

“I’m just wondering if there’ll be any acquaintances popping by,” Gaius replied. “Right, I forgot to ask, but do you know where those teenagers came from? How did Nakama and La-Ti somehow set up a small group dedicated to playing board games?”

Isabelle eyed him. “What makes you think that I have the answer? I mean, a certain someone had his way with me the whole night, so really…what were you expecting when you asked me that question?”

“I thought Xanadu might have told you something,” Gaius replied. “Well, if you don’t know, that’s fine too. That said, Nakama being independent is fine, but for La-Ti…he’s still a kid, though.”

“They’re practically stuck together now, though,” Isabelle replied. “And do you really need to continue with that independence thing? You two are siblings, for crying out loud. It’s fine if you join her in those games.”

“Doesn’t that also apply to you then? Someone’s also a big sister too…”

“I’m just following your lead, so that’s not my fault.” Isabelle had a sunny smile on her face. “And besides, didn’t you somewhat solve that problem? Why did you get cold feet and leave her to make friends on her own?”

“Well, it would be a problem if she suddenly developed a dependence on me again, right?” Gaius rubbed his nose and looked up at the drab ceiling. “It’s one of those problems I can’t really solve with brute force or pure power…”

“I don’t think even creating an entire world can solve that particular problem,” Isabelle replied, before taking the glass from him. Taking a nice long swig from it, she returned a half-full glass to Gaius, and let out a satisfied sigh. “This is really great, though.”

“The colonel did recommend it, after all.” Gaius smiled at the sight of Isabelle’s satisfied expression. “I wonder if we can get a steady supply of this jasmine tea somewhere?”

“We can try asking for their recipe or something later.”

“That’s a good idea,” said an unfamiliar voice.

Gaius and Isabelle turned to look at the speaker, who was wearing a black robe from head to toe. His face was partially covered in darkness too, and at first glance, he looked very much like a stereotypical villain.

“Wow. Um.” Gaius looked around awkwardly. “How can I help you?”

“I’m the Republic’s Minister of War, Eventide.”

Nudging Isabelle’s feet with his own in a non-verbal plea for help — the table provided ample cover for that — Gaius replied, “What can I do for you?”

“I just came along to make your acquaintance,” the self-proclaimed Minister of War replied. To be honest, Gaius had no idea who this hooded, suspicious fellow was, so taking his claim at face value was not the wisest thing to do. After all, why would a stately minister dress up in black robes and shroud his face, especially when they weren’t doing anything shady?

Eyeing his robes, Gaius forced himself to extend a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here, same here. Right, do you mind if I take off my hood? I’ve been told that my clothes can be very scary at times, but it’s only manners to dress up in one’s nicest when meeting someone.”

Isabelle’s feet drifted over to Gaius’ own, and from the corner of his eye, he could see her trying to stifle any bouts of laughter. Fortunately, he was rather good at keeping a poker face, but the fact that he at least had some self-awareness was a really good thing.

“Yes, of course. Do make yourself comfortable,” Gaius replied.

The eerie air around the self-proclaimed Minister of War dissipated as the hood fell down, replaced by a rather ferocious man. There was something in those eyes of his that made others look away, but Gaius and Isabelle weren’t all that affected.

Save for a stern face and some small scars, the man before them seemed like a typical soldier.

“Minister Pauline told me that she had met you earlier, at the Lorenze family home. I now see that her appraisal is somewhat conservative; you two are quite different from her description.”

Gaius narrowed his eyes slightly. It would seem that he was the real deal, if he knew something like that. “We’re quite normal people, though.”

“Normal people tend not to look at me directly, however.” Minister Eventide raised a corner of his lips. “Anyway, I was walking around to tell any Guardians I met that the greatest battle is about to unfold. The North’s Locomotives have changed direction. Their new destination is…the Never-ending Ocean, where the great gods are fighting.”

Gaius and Isabelle froze up at those words, and the two turned to look at each other. An abrupt understanding had slammed into him like a freight train; he now knew why the marshal had left with that cryptic sentence.

The North was about to make a move. If the Mortal Light Dynasty succeeded in this gambit of theirs, the war would change drastically. The various futures that the two officers had laid out would come to pass.

It would seem that the rest of today’s plans would be scrapped.