"Kronii ?"
"Y-yes ?"
"Do you think it's fate that we meet at this very moment ?", the girl asked, hands on the table like the cute girl she was. Kronii turned her head to the other way, that girl shouldn't find out about herself blushing, it would ruin her image.
"W-why do you ask ?"
"Well...you know, you are the warden of time...you could just rewind time and find someone better than me no ?", the girl asked curiously, waiting for a valuable explanation. However, she didn't get any answer back, the warden of time...was speechless. The girl in front of her at the council room had a point, it hit a nerve on Kronii, it bothered her so much...why was she the chosen one ? Kronii didn't know the answer herself.
"Alright, yes I understand that you pity me for my past, I know, I'm aware that I didn't have a good time...but I want a reason for being here, for my existence...a reason to live...", the girl begged, almost even crying, that was what would happen to someone, who had a complete change of life...what was the reason to live now ? What were your goals ? Did you have new ones after the change ? Kronii could only face the girl in a serious, yet shocking facial expression.
"Mumei...I just don't chose anyone to be the guardian of civilization, this is your place, this is your fate", the brown-haired girl stood up from her chair, she felt frustrated and heart-broken.
"...I just felt that strange feeling of warmth inside you...you are one of us", the warden added softly, but it didn't help to calm down the guardian, nor did her talk explain her questions from before.
"If that's true Kronii, then...then why am I feeling this ache in my heart whenever you talk to me ?", Mumei let her tears of frustration out, yelling made the tears come out in the first place. Kronii couldn't say anything back as the guardian of civilization stormed out of the council meeting room. The warden's vision went blurry...dark, and so did the other senses became unable to do their activities...it was just another memory Kronii dreamt about. Looking at the surroundings, she fell asleep in Mumei's secret room...again.
Kronii read already six of Mumei's diaries and found out many new things about the girl she thought about. One was for sure how much she loved writing, even if she wasn't great with it, she still tried. Second was how she grew up in a industrial city full of negativity, people were grumpy and threw their trash everywhere on the streets. Mumei lived in a horrible environment, of course she felt bad each day passing by.
"Mumei...where are you ? I miss you...", Kronii let out a big sigh, fighting hard for the tears to not run down her cheeks. With that, she left the secret room and went upstairs to the council library.
It had been two months since Aqua got rescued by Miko and saw the creature the last time. Ever since its appearance, no high amounts of death rated by Calliope herself. Plus Aqua was something else, she reached her complete full potential several days ago. An angel in front of their eyes, even a healer and protector. Only angels could have these powers, but another angel could even attack with its weapon, Aqua on the other hand, she didn't get a weapon. Now Aqua was always in the council practice room to heal and use her shield whenever others were training their powers.
"Nyahallo Kronii", Miko greeted cheerfully the warden on the hallway. Even after those two months, she refused to go back to her world with the reason of the council needing her more than any other time.
"Hello Miko, how you doing ?"
"It's fine, still working hard for you guys to finally find peace", the shrine maiden gave a motivational thumbs up, which made Kronii feel assured by Miko's positive mood. Both of them kept on talking for five minutes before Kronii continued going her own way. She passed by the now sealed door, Miko made the seal into Amelia's bedroom. Someone had gathered their courage to take the detective's dead body outside of the bedroom, surely not Gura, nor Calliope or Kiara.
Suddenly, a meeting was called in the council meeting room, the warden of time hurried to the place. Arriving in time, Kronii took her seat and waited for the meeting to begin. It was for now herself, Fauna and Calliope inside the meeting room. The room felt awkward with them keeping silent for seconds, until the grim reaper's apprentice started a conversation.
"So...how's been with you guys ? Had been busy ? Any news ?"
"Not so busy right now Calli, but thanks for asking", Fauna answered calmly, giving a small chuckle so the conversation wouldn't end too awkwardly.
"What about you Kronii ?", the keeper of nature smirked, just looking at the warden's panicking face expression made her satisfied with how cute she could be.
"Ohhh well, you know me...research here and there...I'm always busy", she let a nervous chuckle, making both Fauna and Calli wonder what she really was doing in her spare time. Kronii started sweating from how nervous she was, nobody should recognize what the warden's true plan was. The other members gathered slowly into the meeting room, Kronii felt relieved, Fauna didn't.
"So everyone gathered here, for today's meeting, I want to discuss what our plans in the future are, does anyone have any idea on how we should make this situation stable ?", Sana begun the meeting, having her papers ready to write any suggestions told inside the room. Everyone pondered, the room was silent with everyone's head trying to figure something out.
"But Sana, isn't the current situation stable enough ? We could step-by-step get everything done already when it strikes again", Baelz requested seriously, she did get a point. Chaos made everyone look at each other in agreement, it felt like everyone wanted to agree with Baelz's suggestion. However only Sana, Fauna and Kronii disagreed.
"How do you know when it will strike again ?", Sana asked calmly, now everyone was on the speaker's side.
"And even if it will take a good time for the next attack, what will you suggest as the next tactical plan ? We lost so many of us already", Fauna added, everyone around the council table agreed even more. Baelz suggestion wasn't worthy anymore, Fauna and Sana's arguments were to strong on that debate.
"Tell me, who we lost so far ? I wanna know", chaos asked, she wanted to know who was still alive and could be an useful help for their mysterious case.
"Calli, get your reports out, name every chosen one who already died", Fauna ordered in her sweet and calm voice. Calli stepped forward, trying to rush over the reports she had, everyone waited patiently in silence. The only thing heard inside the room was the pages Mori was leafing through, she struggled to get everyone and noted it down on a blank piece of paper with the square-lined pattern on it. Finally, she got everyone noted who were dead so far, after some minutes of patience, Calliope cleared her throat and started naming them...
"I have found them all, let's see...", the pink-haired apprentice looked at her list clearer to make sure she listed them all. Therefore, she paused and took a glimpse at the council members, Baelz was the most impatient of them all.
"So....it's Subaru, Matsuri, Haato, Pekora, Marine, Olivia and Amelia...seven of the chosen ones died by now...", Calliope enumerated them one by one, everyone kept silence inside the room, they didn't forget the tragedy that caused inside the council, suddenly Fauna came up with a question...
"And what about Mumei ?", Kronii felt anger rise inside her, it made her blood boil from how the meeting turned out to go. The warden of time couldn't stay with her mouth shut, she had to take action.
"Didn't you hear Calli, Mumei wasn't on the list, so why even mentioning her ?", Kronii got sharp stares from everyone. It would turn out into a fight, that was what everyone around the room thought.
"I don't know, she could be dead by now...I mean, she had no powers anymore", Fauna came to the conclusion, which made Kronii so angry and frustrated, she even stood up from her chair.
"Mumei could regain her powers again by reaching her potential just like in the past, she is not dead Fauna", Kronii slammed her hands multiple times on the table, making everyone flinch.
"Calli, look up in your reports for Nanashi Mumei, now", the warden had a strong dominant voice, which made everyone shut their mouths in fear. The council reminded themselves how Kronii was able to point her sharp sword on Sana's throat, Sana surely shut it immediately when the discussion started. Calli looked up, searching for the name that Kronii mentioned, but actually didn't find anyone with that name inside.
"I, I don't find anyone with that name, so she's not dead yet", Calliope assured Kronii, her friend was still alive in the outside world, somewhere for sure. Kronii was glad hearing those news, when suddenly chaos' voice rose inside the room.
"But...wouldn't it be a high possibility for Mumei to be the beast ?", Baelz asked around the room, Kronii instantly shook her head in disbelief. The warden of time couldn't believe the members, her friends, judging her closest friend...she just couldn't.
"Honestly, I already thought about it and I feel like...it's the case, we didn't hear anything about her at all if she's alive", Fauna added, Kronii's disappointment was immeasurable at this point. The warden just couldn't accept these statements the council members were doing, it couldn't be like that.
"Impossible, Mumei's soul is pure, her heart too, she didn't do anything wrong everyone...why would she even evolve into the negative potential ?", Kronii's voice weakened, she fought against the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes, but they didn't yet. She looked at Sana, at Fauna, at Baelz...they were nodding slowly, in silence, Kronii shook her head in disbelief and absolute disappointment, this wasn't about to happen.
"No, no, no, you are wrong, I-I will prove it, I'll prove you wrong, I'll find her in the outside world, even if that's the last thing I will do...I'll prove it and I have plans for it", Kronii swore while she stood there in the purest disgust her friends made her be. The warden stormed out of the meeting room and pushed the doors hard, leading her to the hallway and leaving the group of chosen ones in the meeting room without her. The room felt tense with how it turned out to be.
"S-so...we go with that flow of Kronii searching for Mumei first, and then we see", Sana sweated from the fear she had before, she noted that as the first step they should do then. While the speaker of space was writing, a soft voice stuttered shyly inside the meeting room, getting everyone's attention.
"E-excuse me, but what did Kronii mean with...negative potential ?", Aqua was aware she got the attention of everyone, but she was so curious what that meant. Even after two months, Aqua couldn't know about such pieces of information.
"Okay everyone, dismissed, I'll explain Aqua about it, y'all can go ahead and rest for the day", everyone did as chaos said so, but her wife IRyS wanted to stay no matter what, since she was the one that could give the best example at it. When everyone was gone, Baelz and IRyS let Aqua come nearer to the meeting table.
"You want to know about negative potential right ?", Baelz asked, which made Aqua nod in curiosity. Chaos and hope looked at each other, making the pink-haired angel unsure if it was a good idea to even ask in the first place.
"Okay Aqua, negative potential is a bad thing that could happen to any of us, we are glad that nobody had it for now...", Bae paused before continuing with her explanation.
"You see, negative potential is like a rose, it's the symbol of love, but it has thorns...so you can give roses to someone to love them, or to hurt them....what I mean with this is that you have the potential, every chosen one could reach it someday in their life...however...", chaos looked at her wife, who seemed to understand that she should talk now.
"However...just like the roses, you can reach your potential with the thoughts of hurting people or saving people....and this has to do with me, because I am hope herself and potentials can be reached by hope...you can hope to hurt people or you can hope to save people", IRyS explained, Aqua didn't know about the existence of negative potential.
"And that's what my power is about, I can light up the hope in life that is made by my black and white...I can turn every chosen ones potential into negative or positive ones", IRyS continued, Aqua seemed to understand it, she seemed to know what the negative potential was about.
"Chosen ones with negative potential can seen clearly as a dark black figure with the looks of the chosen ones clearly...their powers are much stronger and not controllable even by themselves...they normally seek for one thing...", IRyS paused, looking at Baelz.
"Well, we think that it could be Mumei on her negative potential..."
"But why you both ? Why do you think it can only be her ?", Aqua asked, now getting confused, her mind was full of questions needed to be answered.
"We think it's Mumei, because chosen ones in their negative potential seek for revenge...and Mumei was already strong in her positive potential...", chaos let out a big sigh, putting her hand on her forehead, not sure in what mess they landed in...