Chapter 65- Secret
The atmosphere inside the room only grew heavier by the second as Elu tried her best to search for the boy named Kai that Kaya was looking for.
However, that didn't turn out to be an easy matter. For some reason, a few days ago, he vanished from his apartement and still didn't return. She looked at the cameras of the apartement complex, the street cameras, and every single camera in the city but she didn't find a single trace of him.
It was as if the boy had suddenly melted into nothingness, leaving behind nothing to find him. This made her quite interested in knowing who he was.
'But, should I ask this angry predator inside my lab?' She gulped when she peeked at Kaya again. The latter seemed to be searching too and the scowl on her face proved that she was also meeting a dead end.
"Where did you go, Kai?" She murmured through her gritted teeth.
"Mmm, Kaya? Why don't you tell me who this boy is? From what I have seen in the records, he is just an average high-school boy. Why are you looking for him?"
The question made Kaya finally lift her face from the screen and said as a mysterious smile appeared on her face.
"He is the person I love the most in this world and I'm planning to marry him as soon as he graduates from high school." She said without hesitation.
*PFFFFT*
Elu, who was about to take a sip from her coffee, spat it all out as she went into a fit of coughs from sheer shock.
"L-Love?! Kaya… are you serious?!" Elu asked.
"Yes. I'm sure. He is the one for me and no one else could even start to come close to that." Kaya nodded her head.
Staring at her best friend's eyes, Elu could see it, as clear as day. Kaya was being 100% honest. She knew that because Kaya was actually a really bad liar. For someone with her cleverness, her lies are so bad that even Elu would be dumbfounded sometimes at her lack of common sense.
However, in return, that makes Kaya a very honest and straightforward person even when it comes to her own feelings. In fact, her honesty is what started their friendship. As Elu recalls, she was a rather lonely person when she joined Divinity and couldn't make any acquaintances. That's when Kaya appeared in front of her and said 'You, I like you, let's be friends.' In the coldest tone possible.
'Fufufu, I remember almost shitting myself from fear.' Elu laughed fondly at that memory. 'No, no, no! This isn't the time for nostalgia!'
"How did you even fall in love?"
"Hmm, I guess we met by coincidence and we just… clicked," Kaya replied as she tried to recall any specific moment she fell in love with Kai but she can't specify one. It just happened naturally.
"... Who thought the cold and aloof Kaya would fall in love with a high schooler nonetheless?"
"Hey! I'm a human, you know? I can like people too."
"Knowing how you treat your enemies, I sometimes wonder whether you are human or not." Elu rolled her eyes. She had seen Kaya in 'working' mode once and she never wanted to see it again. It gave her trauma.
"Tsk, whatever you say, shortie. Did you find anything?"
As the two continued searching, Elu sighed and rubbed the back of her head.
"Does he know about your work?"
"..." Silence took over.
"Kaya?"
"... No, he doesn't."
"Sigh, as I expected. You are really clueless about such stuff, aren't you?"
"Shut up…"
"Are you intending to keep this a secret?"
Kaya's eyes suddenly rose up and she nodded profusely.
"Yes, definitely. The last thing I want to do is to drag him into this world. It's too cruel for my precious Kai."
Elu found her speechless. Was this woman being serious?
"You want to marry him and keep the biggest part of your life hidden?" Elu asked.
"No. Because he is the biggest part of my life now. Besides, when the time comes for me to settle down with him… I'm going to leave Divinity."
*PFFFFT*
And the second mouthful of coffee was spat.
"*Cough* *Cough* You're going to leave?! Why did I not hear about this?!"
"..."
"Kaya, you're going to be the end of me someday. Do you think Divinity will let you leave that easily?"
"I will figure it out."
"Figure it out, you say? You're an archangel, for god's sake. Divinity already has plans for you to become one of the 7 virtues. It's not that easy."
"I said I will figure it out! Tsk!" Kaya replied as she rubbed her head. She already knew all of that and she knew that what she was saying wouldn't be easy at all but she wasn't intending to give up on Kai.
"... You should give up on him, Kaya." Elu suddenly said with a serious tone.
Instantly, Kaya's aura erupted like a raging volcano as she glared at her friend. If it wasn't for the fact that she cherished Elu, Kaya would've strangled her to death right there and then.
The latter flinched from the sheer pressure but didn't back away. She had to tell her best friend before it was too late.
"Didn't you say that you love him dearly? If you truly love him then give up on him. If you get too involved in his life, you will only harm him. He is a normal and fragile human being, Kaya. He isn't like us. Even the weakest of our Ascenders can kill him with ease."
"..."
"What if your enemies found out about him? Do you think they will leave him alone? He is an easy prey. Think about it. Do you want to see him die in your hands and blame yourself for it for the rest of your life? I certainly don't want to see you, my best friend, suffer through that."
The frown on Kaya's face turned even grimmer as she clenched her teeth. Although her aura calmed down, it now became a chaotic mess just like how her mind was at that moment. She could see Elu's words being true and that scared her to the very soul.
Just imagining Kai's cold body laying in her arms was the worst nightmare she could ever imagine.
At that moment, Elu stood up and walked toward Kaya before she hugged her tightly. A small, sad smile appeared on the scientist's face.
"I don't want you to regret it, Kaya. I know, it hurts. But, this is the right thing to do."
"But… I love him, Elu. I really do. More than anyone else I ever met before. Why… Why can't I stay by his side?" She asked as her voice wavered slightly.
"It's long been established, sister. Normal humans and Origin users can't mingle together in society without creating chaos and disharmony. They say that Origin users are humans too but we all know that if our identity was released to the public, we will be considered monsters. That's our curse and blessing. That's why, Origin users should only mingle with other Origin users."
"..."
"I'm truly happy that you fell in love with him, Kaya and I would've liked to cheer for you with all my heart. But, I can't do it in this one. It will only hurt him and hurt you."
"... What if I become strong enough so that no one would dare to touch a strand of his hair?" Kaya suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
"What if I become the strongest Origin user in the world? Wouldn't that stop anyone from touching my Kai?"
"..."
"I understand your concern, Elu. But, I'm not going to give up on him. I know it's selfish. But, you don't understand, I can't live without him. If my only way to stay by his side is to become the strongest, then I shall do it." Kaya's tone carried confidence and certainty so deeply that Elu found herself opening and closing her mouth like a fish.
Although what Kaya said was certainly absurd, Elu knew that Kaya was capable of that. In fact, there was a secret that Kaya hid from everyone. That secret, if revealed, would shake this very world.
A secret so horrifying that even Elu would shudder just remembering it.
'If it's Kaya… This might be possible.'
At that moment, Elu's computer made a ringing sound, indicating that it found a match for the data they have been searching for.