"We've only got so much time…"
Floating idly in the air, Kronos bore his eyes into a blue sphere, his flat palm positioned directly beneath it.
Currently, the majestic Kronos resides in the Realm, where he previously conversed with Hades, the pugnacious and argumentative god who persisted in being the new King of Gods. In the graceful heaven Kronos hovered in, an infinite number of golden arches stretched across the land, filled with beautiful plant life and wondrous skies.
"Zeus would only be disappointed," Kronos remarked absently, pushing the thought aside. "And the rest of us."
As the God of Time pondered the luminous sphere, his mind consciously tracked through a plethora of places at once. From an outside view, it would appear as though Kronos was merely entranced by the sphere, but in reality, the god was peering into a window—a window that only a god could perceive.
"Every day it feels like time is slipping from my grasp…" Kronos murmured, closing his palm and erasing the blue orb.
The god eventually spun around, floating away. Kronos stretched one arm outward, his palm flat, and opened a crack in the air, enlarged enough to enable him to easily pass through.
However, just as Kronos was about to enter the portal, a new presence emerged from a few meters away.
"Kronos? Where to now?" A feminine voice reached out to the departing god with blue hair, prompting him to halt.
Slowly, Kronos shifted his body to gaze behind him, spotting a familiar face.
"Aphrodite," Kronos greeted, waving his hand to dismiss the portal. "It's been quite some time, yes?"
Standing before the God of Time, a goddess by the name of Aphrodite smiled gracefully, her lengthy brown hair falling atop her white dress as she nodded.
"It has been awhile, despite that we are one of the only living gods in the Realm." Aphrodite concurred, a judging expression etched on her features.
"Hmm," Kronos hummed, disinterested. "What do you need, Aphrodite?"
The brown-haired goddess' shoulders fell, her countenance switching from glee to disappointment. Kronos had been infamously known for leaving the Realm for prolonged periods of time and working alone. After finally being able to converse with him, Aphrodite was already failing to hold Kronos' attention.
The goddess' smile returned. "You're always leaving, Kronos—maybe you should stick around for a while. The Realm needs you too, you know. Hades isn't exactly an ideal companion up here."
"Neither am I," Kronos responded insipidly, his lack of interest breaching the atmosphere between the two. "I have places to be, the multiverse being in peril and such."
As Kronos lamely turned around, a new portal in the air opened, leaving Aphrodite in silence. The smile on her face cracked, her lips struggling to retain their joy.
Before Kronos flew through the portal, Aphrodite spoke once more:
"Is this about that boy? Tanjo, was it?"
The God of Time froze once again, his eyebrows raising slightly. "How do you know about him?"
Aphrodite's smile strengthened. "There's endless universes of him, Kronos—I just happen to know that you're interested in one of his variants: the Aura Amalgamated one."
"Stay out of it, then." Kronos ordered, glowering at the goddess behind him.
The goddess grinned cheekily, clasping her hands together giddily. It was rare to see Kronos riled up, albeit barely. Aphrodite was not dishonest when she claimed that Hades was not good company, so finally seeing Kronos return to the Realm—the dimension that connected every universe in the multiverse, protected by the remaining gods—the goddess had to capitalize on the chance.
Furthermore, from what she had learned about Tanjo, the human boy, he had a lot of potential in the upcoming future.
"I'll think about it," Aphrodite taunted with laughter. "But I would love to assist you in grooming this Tanjo kid to become 'the boy who can balance reality,' as you secretly address him."
Kronos' eyes narrowed. "You're starting to reveal too much now, Aphrodite."
Aphrodite shot her hands up playfully. "I have nothing to hide, Kronos. Nothing but the truth from me!"
The God of Time contemplated how to proceed for a relatively long time, staring at Aphrodite. The goddess eagerly smiled toothily as Kronos remained silent, her brown hair swaying with the gentle breeze that passed through the dimension.
"Watch over him; make sure he does not die—by any means necessary." Kronos finally declared, turning back around to face the portal.
Aphrodite clapped her hands together mirthfully. "I won't let you down, Mr. God of Time!"
"Good."
After a few seconds, Kronos ultimately departed through the portal, vanishing from the Realm for the umpteenth time since its creation. Aphrodite's smile did not fade, even after the god left, but her mind continued to wander.
'Any means necessary, huh? That will let me take the wheel for a bit!'
The goddess happily turned around and ambled away, exuberance brimming within her.
'Be prepared, Tanjo—your future is coming swiftly!'
XXX
"Are you keeping up, Tanjo!?"
Asami darted through Adonai's woods, from one tree to the next, with a masked teenager chasing her. Obviously, the blue-haired woman was slowing herself down tremendously, letting Tanjo grow near her every few seconds.
"I'll reach you by the time we make it to Shanti!" Tanjo proclaimed with a holler, tearing through hundreds of tree leaves a second.
"I'd like to see ya try!" Asami provoked, smirking.
This particular game lasted for several minutes, which allowed both Asami and Tanjo to successfully traverse Adonai at rapid speeds and remain undetected by any unwanted neighboring villages.
As the two traveled at speeds eclipsing the speed of sound, preventing themselves from traveling at light speed, they managed to end up on the complete opposite side of the nation, far away from any location Tanjo was familiar with: Buraun, Ryakudatsu, Furusato, his friends, Old Man Nozomu, and so much more.
"What's wrong!?" Asami shouted, looking back at Tanjo.
The boy perked up, his jet-black-hair slapping the front of his mask. 'Maybe this'll work…'
Without warning, Tanjo leaped to the side, disappearing entirely from Asami's vision. The cloaked woman blinked repeatedly, her eyes surveying the surrounding area.
"Dammit… he said he wouldn't get lost again!" Asami yelled irritably.
As Asami rushed through the trees, she immediately detected several presences that forced her to become alert. She could sense every presence individually, but there were too many to focus on.
"Why now, Tanjo?"
After a few seconds, Asami could feel each of the individuals start moving, dashing toward her. Within her palms, clear water formed, ready to be used for lethal force. As each moment passed, her senses detected every presence that closed in on her.
'I'll have to—!'
"Gotcha!" Tanjo announced abruptly.
Asami's mind settled down instantly as she felt Tanjo's hand wrap around her arm. The cloaked woman sighed as she realized that she had decreased her speed exponentially. She had gotten prepared to clash.
"What the hell did you do?" Asami asked, turning to look at the boy, stopping on the first branch she landed on.
Tanjo, on the other hand, landed on a separate branch above her, peering down at his mentor. "Well, I can't really catch up to you yet, so I made several Genso-Kyu and placed them all around so you'd think they were people. When you got ready to fight and you slowed down, I tagged you."
Asami's face melted. "I really fell for that…"
"I'm surprised too." Tanjo jested, grinning under his mask.
Asami growled. "Shut it!"
With a hearty chuckle, Tanjo scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, I think we're nearing the border. There are not as many villages out this way."
"We are," Asami affirmed, rolling her shoulders. "Sneaking through the border shouldn't be too rough—just stay low and keep your Aura Sense to a minimum."
Tanjo nodded, craning his head to the side. "What does the border look like, anyway? The academy never felt the need to teach us about the other nations."
"Of course," Asami mumbled, inhaling. "It's just one big line of villages that decides whether you can enter or not. It's typically referred to as the Heiwa no Kabe; Wall of Peace."
"Huh," Tanjo sounded, soaking in the new information. "Good to know."
"Well, are you ready to trespass on foreign land, Tanjo?" Asami asked sarcastically, arching a brow.
Jabbing a thumb into the air, Tanjo replied with a smile, "No, I'm not!"
XXX
Hey! Kinda short chapter, but it both dived into the Realm(Realm is the universal name for the dimension; there is no exact name, but it is sometimes referred to as a "heaven," it will be explained more throughout the story, especially very soon! Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_