At around noon in Washington D.C. on the very day the formula was up for bidding, the office of the President made a public address, stating that they were in the final stages of reaching a deal with Ark Academies—or rather, their parent organization, Leviathan Corporations, which had been renamed after Arias's "criminal" status as a sign of the company separating itself from him.
Anyone with half a mind could tell this was nothing more than political and business jargon meant to appease the noisy part of society demanding the company be held accountable for Arias's actions.
But for such an action to truly occur, it would require a long and arduous legal battle—one that would need an insurmountable amount of evidence to be successful. Sadly, not only was there a severe lack of evidence, but also a lack of prosecutors willing to go against the rising juggernaut that was Leviathan Corporations.
Normally, such large groups had one or two rivals who would always impede them and relish seeing them fail. Such a hostile environment meant anytime a company or organization took action, it had to be done carefully, lest competitors capitalize on it.
Yet Leviathan Corp had no such competition—or rather, none that could be taken seriously enough when pitted against them. For this reason, even as the sudden news of the U.S. being in deals for the formula broke, not much hate was generated. Questions and concerns were raised, but hate was minimal at best.
While this public address was going on, Arias, Harley, and Cheshire were aboard a private jet soaring through the skies, rapidly approaching American airspace. Just outside, Diana could be seen flying alongside the jet, her gaze occasionally roaming as if she were searching for something.
Arias was seated comfortably near a window when Cheshire entered his cabin and glanced out, noticing Diana in flight. Cheshire tilted her head curiously and asked, "Are we expecting company?" As she spoke, a smile appeared on her face, and she twirled a kunai on her index finger, seemingly excited by the prospect.
Arias followed her gaze and looked at Diana in the distance before shaking his head. "Unlikely. She just enjoys the freedom the skies offer; she hates being in one place for too long."
The answer only made Cheshire smile wider as she leaned forward, resting one hand on her hip. "You sure know a lot about her, boss. Do you give all your employees this much attention, or is she special?"
Arias turned his gaze away from the window and faced Cheshire, though his expression lacked any hint of amusement. Even if Ra's had sent Cheshire to him as an act of goodwill, it didn't lessen the distrust he harbored toward her.
It hadn't been long since she arrived, but she had already proven adaptive, with a calm yet wild personality. She was smart yet fond of disorder, even inciting it. This meant she got along well with Harley, but Diana, more than once, wanted to cut her in half.
As for her place with Arias, it remained stagnant, as he himself didn't interact much with the others—until today, when they were heading off to a destination none of them even knew.
The only change that did occur was Cheshire addressing Arias as "boss" instead of "master," finding the latter term too difficult to take seriously.
"You could say it's a combination of both," Arias replied cryptically before continuing, "I think you'll find that I always keep a close eye on my people, even if they don't fully realize it themselves."
Cheshire shrugged and maintained her mischievous smile. "Not sure if that's really hot or really creepy—maybe both."
Saying nothing more, she left the cabin, and Arias, who was about to sink back into his thoughts, was interrupted when he felt a familiar sensation in his mind.
"Apeiro?" he muttered in a low tone, unsure if it was really her.
**[Who else if not me, Ari? Unless… you have another entity sharing this vessel of a body.]** Her voice carried more life than before, lacking the usual coldness.
"You sound like you're in a good mood. I take it that means this time away has been beneficial to you?" Noticing the change in tone, Arias couldn't help but ask.
A part of him was curious, but another part was concerned. Even after all this time, getting used to having a foreign entity in his mind was still uncomfortable.
**[It has certainly been… enlightening, for both of us, it seems. Yet you still do not use your power fully. Why is that so?]**
Apeiro's words were clearly referring to Arias's use of telekinesis and telepathy, rather than his mastery over his Law Disregard power.
"I have my reasons," Arias answered flatly, but that in itself was an answer.
**[It was no understatement when I said no one can understand you better than I, Ari. Even now, I can guess what your true thoughts are in regard to the matter. It is not my intention to incite you. I only wish for you not to waste your ever-rising power.]**
"My transition into greater power simply makes me cautious. Until I have a better understanding of what I am now and what I can or cannot do, I won't act recklessly. Especially when I can achieve the results I want using other means."
**[I knew you would say something along those lines, but I cannot say you are wrong. Maybe it is I who lacks understanding of lower life forms. Regardless, that will change very soon.]**
"What do you mean?" Arias asked, raising a cautious brow, but no answer came. Instead, the tranquil state of his mind returned, and he could no longer feel her presence.
Apeiro's cryptic words left him wondering what her thoughts and aims were. Even if he doubted she would turn against him, there were other actions she could take that worried him.
Wiping out said lower life forms that she didn't understand, so as to create a world for only her and Arias—or forcibly altering Arias's mind to better align with her understanding. These, and many more things, were possible, hence his constant caution toward Apeiro.
She was the one thing Arias had no solid solution for, even with his newfound power. He wasn't foolish enough to have lofty ambitions regarding Apeiro or cosmic entities.
Sitting in silence and pondering, he could only shake his head. *I shouldn't stress over what I can't control. Rather, I should continue to build power and focus on what I can achieve.*
Arias's vision for progress was simple: to climb the ladder of power at a steady pace, leaving many ignorant of what his full capabilities truly were. As he climbed these steps, he intended to create a cult-like following of capable individuals—those he could use to achieve his desired results.