The Monarch

"Why?" Kayden could not understand how something could be unreachable. That word did not even exist in his vocabulary. The god sighed and stared into nothingness for a while, then answered Kayden."To understand the law of chaos would be the equivalent of becoming a final god." Kayden raised an eyebrow, but did not need to inquire further for the old man to continue. "It would mean understanding time perfectly. It would mean having no doubts about anything—something not even the celestials are capable of."

Kayden had thought the celestials were the absolute peak, the point where there was nowhere further to ascend, where they could no longer learn or comprehend anything new. But it seemed he was terribly wrong."True omniscience. To be able to see all possible futures. To be able to analyze every step." Kayden did not need to connect many dots to understand what the mage was really insinuating."You would be able to experience all of them instantly. You would be able to break every barrier of power, simply by virtue of knowing every path," Kayden murmured, and the god once again nodded.

"The problem is that this is impossible. Even in a controlled environment such as my garden, I am incapable of achieving that omniscience." The god began to walk, and Kayden followed him. "Every rose, every blade of grass—everything is perfectly aligned. I know the exact moment each sprout will be born, and the moment each leaf will die. But…""Sometimes points are born that you do not expect," Kayden completed the elder's sentence without him needing to continue."Exactly. And there are no means of discovering the reasons why. At least, I have not discovered them during all this time." Kayden could feel the frustration of this elder; he could hear in his voice the weight of having spent the greater part of his life chasing something useless.

"Why do you maintain an organization? What are you seeking?" Kayden could not quite understand the life line of this man with all his deeds."Chaos. Literally the only thing that can bring me any inspiration, and also the only thing I seek." The old man began to drift into memories. "Random people have already given me countless inspirations. Mortal mages of the first levels have taken me farther than many peak gods."

Kayden could not truly grasp the level at which this man before him existed. He could not understand what it meant to depend on pure chaos for even the smallest advancement. To grow a single step, to rely entirely on luck—it was simply too much for his current mind to comprehend."I see. I suppose I have not been able to contribute anything to your research." Kayden really had only observed everything for trillions of years without uttering a single word, without interacting with anything in the environment."On the contrary," the god smiled. "The way chaos behaves around you is amusing. It becomes tremendously more agitated near you, almost as if you were not meant to exist."

His words were eerily similar to things Thoth had once said to Kayden in the past. This interaction opened new doors for him—both regarding the limits of existence and things from his own past that had remained nebulous."I suppose our conversation ends here, does it not?" Kayden smiled as he saw the god preparing himself in a hammock."We both need to organize our thoughts. You are free to leave and return whenever you wish, Kayden. Thank you for your teachings." The old man was extremely humble in his farewell, and Kayden returned it in kind."I am the one who should thank you for your teachings." Kayden shut down his senses and completely exited the garden. Outside, everything remained the same as before; practically nothing had changed.

There were no guards outside. In fact, there was not even a mage present to prevent intruders from reaching this place—for the simple reason that if someone entered here by getting lost… it would be the purest example of chaos being applied in its entirety.

Kayden had to walk only a little to reach Lucius's house. It took him some time searching, but simply nothing was there. Where once stood an excellent house, there was now only dust and strangely growing grass. He paused for a few seconds before searching for more information."Senator Lucius? Who are you to be searching for him?" Kayden was surprised when, after describing Lucius, he was confronted with this new information: the mage who had once stood at the base of his family's sustenance was now at the top.

It did not take long for Kayden to come into contact with Lucius. Even though his memory scarcely existed here anymore, his legend was alive until the ends of time. To see Kayden bearing his titles was insane—it was to witness a story come to life before the eyes of the mages.A few minutes after releasing his aura over the city, Lucius appeared to welcome Kayden. If there was something this mage would never forget, it was the weight of those titles. They had been powerful enough to buy Kayden a visit to his ancestor, something Lucius himself had never been able to achieve—not even after becoming a senator of this immense empire.

"Kayden Heart." Lucius carried a completely different air now. His bohemian personality had been extinguished under the weight of his new responsibilities. "It has been a very long time since you last appeared, but your titles are unmistakable to all."

"Lucius Ody, a pleasure to see you again," Kayden smiled. "What happened to Kayn?" That was the only reason he had not gone directly in any other direction in search of further knowledge.

"He died some hundreds of billions of years ago. He was unable to follow your teachings and ended up advancing to the divine realm. After that, time consumed him, and he was killed in some random battle exploring Atherion." Kayden nodded. He had not expected much of Kayn. Few were capable of the patience required to achieve something truly great.

"I would like to rest somewhere to absorb the teachings of your ancestor, if it does not interfere with your plans." Kayden changed his mind about departing. He had much to organize in his mind after the time he had spent studying the laws of chaos.