There was a slight commotion as some guys wearing suits rushed into the queue, but the capsule door closed before these men could enter. Gaius was on the verge of attacking them, but he had caught a few non-verbal cues that these guys weren’t after the young man…they were a bunch of bodyguards that this important passenger had ditched.

The young man held his chest, sparing a few moments to inhale deeply. “Hello. Thank you.”

“No matter,” said Isabelle. “Were those men chasing you? Do you need help from the authorities? You won’t be able to run from them, unless you intend to fly or something.”

“Thank you, but that’s not needed,” said the young man. “They just had my interests at heart. They never let me run off to have fun, or to meet interesting people. It’s…a routine at this point.”

“A routine?” Nakama asked. “Does this happen all the time?”

“I would say yes, but they usually win at the start line. I had to put in extra effort today, all things considered. Still, it wasn’t wasted,” said the young man. The capsule shook slightly as he stood up and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you, Lost Star. I’m Pinnacle Kolya. Rumours about you have reached the shores of our nation for a very long time.”

“Pinnacle Kolya,” Gaius repeated blankly. “Alright, so you’ve somehow found me. Before we proceed into the details, I would like to ask how you managed to…locate us in such an exact manner.”

“It’s as the news says,” the Pinnacle replied. “I have a gifted person, the Oracle. She’s like me too.”

“A unique Skill, I see,” said Gaius. “That’s quite the explanation, but it’s gotten me worried at the same time. Does that mean that I’ve no privacy?”

“No,” replied Pinnacle Kolya, “not at all. The Oracle’s abilities have limits. She can’t locate you anymore, now that she’s expended your tags…but I suppose the technical parts might be too boring for you. And in many cases, you have almost stepped out of Orb’s fate and destiny. It took her everything she had to divine your current location.”

“I see. Putting aside whether I believe you or not, you must have a purpose in seeking me out,” said Gaius. “What purpose do you have in seeking me out? I must warn you, I’m a pacifist.”

“P-pacifist?” Kolya blinked. “You? Word of your exploits in the East has spread throughout the world, and you’re telling me that you’re a pacifist?”

“Would you believe me if I said that I had no choice?” Gaius replied. “Look at this logically — would a kid charge onto the frontlines willingly? Of course not!”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“But you went to the frontlines voluntarily, no?”

“My place of residence was under attack, so I decided to push them back. And I needed something from them anyway,” said Gaius.

“I see,” said the Pinnacle. “But relax. I’m not asking to you fight with us on our crusade against Orb’s great gods. No, what we want to ask is your relationship to the Human God. Word on the streets is that you are a Constellation, and we would like to—”

He paused. Gaius could tell why in an instant. Nakama and Isabelle were giggling, and a stony expression had crept up on his own face when the word ‘Constellation’ was mentioned.

“Did…I say something wrong? I apologise in advance; being an ex-Conste—”

Gaius snapped, twisting into a horrible grin. “Whoever said I was a Constellation, or used to be one, can go die in a fire. I’m not like those cheaters. They have their own unique Skills, they popped up in a privileged position, they didn’t have to struggle…”

The boy continued to hurl whatever insults he could think of towards the Constellations in general, each of them making the Pinnacle more and more bemused. After five or so minutes of senseless ranting, Gaius exhaled out, folding his arms a moment later.

“So…you’re not one of them?” Kolya asked.

“Yes. I think five minutes of my complaints have made that very clear to everyone,” Gaius answered irritably. “So yes, I don’t know about those brain-washed, genocidal heroes, and lumping me with them just makes me angrier.”

“O-okay.” Pinnacle Kolya slapped his face twice, and then adjusted the monocle on his face. “So, that’s one agenda resolved in an unexpected manner. The next one on the list is regarding your purpose here. To be honest, your arrival here has alarmed some of the people on my State Council.”

“And why is that the case?”

“You’ve been marked by the great gods,” said the young man. “And as much as we are ideologically opposed to them, we are still not quite ready to take on this world.”

“Which is why you haven’t killed off the Goddess of Wind yet.” Gaius nodded his head. “From that, I take it that the group that murdered the God of Water had nothing to do with you too. Unless, of course, you’re holding back.”

“…you have nothing to do with them too?”

Gaius, Isabelle, Nakama and Kolya looked at each other, and then shrugged in unison. After sharing a moment of helpless grinning, Gaius straightened his face and said, “Well, the only reason why I’m here is to find a stable environment. That is all. Your State Council need not worry; I’m a pacifist.”

“Pacifist…” The young man’s face cramped up, and he turned to admire the view. From up high, Gaius could appreciate the aesthetics of Elysium. Flying was not allowed in the capital city without a permit, so this was the first time he’d seen the city from such a vantage point.

“I’ll relay your words,” said the Pinnacle.

“I won’t take lightly to any attempts at disturbing my everyday life,” said Gaius, “so I don’t want to see any people marching up to my door and asking me for things. I value my peaceful life.”

“Peaceful life…” The cramp on the Pinnacle’s face grew even more pronounced.

“Let’s put this aside for now,” said Gaius. “The artefacts in this amusement park…you made them?”

“Something like that,” said Kolya, “although it is worth noting that I was only in charge of innovation. The true heavy lifting came from the Oracle…”