13 Puting Araw

Hayden instantly turned wary as he turned around. He had very little trust on other people, and this was no exception; especially after the so-called Kamay ng Lagim sent someone to get him. What if this Puting Araw was an accomplice of Kamay ng Lagim? Wouldn't he be joining an enemy?

"Why should I come with you?" Hayden cautiously asked. "I mean, for all I know, you can be an ally of that invisible enemy. Puting Araw? What if this was simply a disguise?"

Hayden was examining the woman in front of him. From the woman's disposition, Hayden analyzed that she was a typical ice queen and someone that didn't interact much with people based from her obviously fake amicable smile. She was also around the same age as Hayden, at most, she was two years older than Hayden.

"Oh, that guy you killed?" The woman's expression didn't change. "That guy is that Aswang. We were keeping tabs on him until he disappeared from under our noses. The next moment we knew, he was here, attacking someone we were scouting. The matter was reported to the higher ups. However, as soon as people got here, well, the wind has already blown."

Hayden observed the woman's expression, heartbeat, eyes, mouth, and blood flow through his ears. Despite confirming the lady in front of him was telling the truth, Hayden chose to stay quiet. His eyes squinted as if saying 'why should I trust you?'

"You don't trust us, huh?" The woman talked, shrugging. At that moment, exactly 36 handleless blades appeared around her. The blades were unbelievably sharp, and Hayden paled as he deduced that its sharpness would be able to bypass his Indestructible Devil. The woman's amicable smile turned into one that made men shiver in fear. "I mean, there's no other way, come with us, or I'll have to force you."

Hayden gulped as he threw his hands up in the air. Hayden clearly understood the situation he was in and that there was no way to get out of it. "Okay, okay…"

The woman turned around and Hayden followed, getting his phone on the way, still wearing his simple white shirt and red shorts. The lady led Hayden into outside of the neighborhood their house was in. Reaching the gate, Hayden glimpsed upon the guards of the neighborhood asleep.

While walking, Hayden had his eyes on the lady. Hayden felt he was being watched by the woman, thus, the thought of retaliating didn't even cross his mind.

Outside of the gates, there were innumerable people dressed in the same manner as the woman who led her to here. There were an uncountable number of black SUVs around and one 18-wheeler truck. Turning around, Hayden was shocked of the sight before him.

"What the… fuck?" Hayden couldn't find any other words. For him to be so speechless is because a single man, a lanky man on top of that, was carrying the corpse of the dragon in the truck. Judging from the violent tremors coming from the ground, the corpse must be at least 10 tons! "What kind of world am I even living in?"

The past few days, Hayden already came to accept that he was a superhuman. Regardless of that, his worldview still hasn't been completely shattered, and now that he saw this scene in front of him… It all shattered. He woke up to reality and only came to his senses that he wasn't a regular human anymore.

"I haven't felt it before…. But now…" Hayden was getting more excited. There was an entire new world awaiting for him out there! Hayden mumbled, "I wonder what is in store for me!"

"Get inside." The woman coldly stared at him as she told him to get inside in a black SUV. "Don't dawdle around anymore!"

At this Hayden, rolled his eyes and got inside the SUV. Inside, he saw Daniel, who waved at him looking like an idiot.

"What are you doing here?" Hayden was puzzled. It seems that he wasn't the sole person being 'scouted.' "Were you invited to this Puting Araw as well?"

"Yep," Daniel nodded bitterly. "I couldn't resist, that guy emitted a terrible pressure. Plus, you saw that dragon, right?"

"Yep… I know, right?" Hayden shook his head. Remembering everything from the elven person to the woman who acted similar to that of ice queens in novels, Hayden could simply shake his head.

The two chatted quietly in the back as they had nothing to do. Soon, the SUV they were on drove. Hayden looked out of the window. The skies were dark and desolate as if the moon and the sun didn't exist at all.

A few minutes of driving later, the moon reappeared in his view along with the stars. From this, Hayden assumed that they have travelled far enough from the Lagusang Itim, hence, he turned off his Origin Crystal.

About half an hour later, the SUV slowed down and arrived at its destination. Hayden woke up Daniel who was snoring away and peered out the window once more. He saw a… Hotel? What the hell are they doing at a hotel?

"Liwayway Hotel?" Hayden was absolutely befuddled. Why would they stop at a hotel? Unless… "Don't tell me this was a base of operations?"

Hayden rejected this notion as he thought it was too stupid. The saying 'the eye of the storm is where the safest is' had a silver lining, a hotel where people dwell was too inconspicuous.

As he was readying to sleep, their driver got off and signaled for them to alight. Hayden activated Divine Perception and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he was able to feel that there was a secret base below them!

"How stupid…" Hayden uttered as softly as possible. "Why would they put something as important as this here? Idiots!"

The two tailed the driver and arrived into the elevators section. Inside the elevator, the man inputted the 60th floor, the topmost floor of the Liwayway Hotel. When the elevator reached the 60th floor, the driver gestured for them to get out without the intention of getting out himself.

Getting off, they were met with a penthouse and the person who… Killed the dragon! Hayden felt his hair stand up as he sensed the man's power from within without even trying to examine him. He was too strong! Even stronger than that woman who can definitely defeat him!

'What kind of an organization is this!?' Hayden didn't let his emotion show as red alarms sounded within his mind.

The man smiled at them and pointed them into a direction. The man spoke, "You two are being summoned by the Branch Director. Go straight there and you'll see his office."

Walking straight ahead, as the man said, Hayden and Daniel arrived at an office-looking room. Hayden knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A deep voice resounded from the inside. It sounded pretty friendly yet intimidating at the same time.

Opening the door, the two saw an astoundingly beautiful office with large office windows facing east. A chair can be seen in front of them, facing the night sky.

"So, you two…" The chair turned around, revealing a white man with a goatee and long hair. The man's appearance was those of a man in his 30s and was considered handsome, sporting sharp features. "I thought your capabilities already stopped at possessing such formidable Abilities. To think that the two of you are also extremely compatible with essence energy… How fortunate!"

Hayden and Daniel stared at each other speechlessly. From the man's words, it seemed that having an extreme compatibility with essence energy was uncommon.

"May I ask…" Hayden spoke, unable to hold himself back any longer. "What is the purpose of you 'summoning' us here?"

"Oh, a hot-blooded young man," The man didn't answer his question immediately, commenting at Hayden's attitude first, making Hayden's face twitch. Without a warning, the man appeared in front of Hayden. "What else do you think? To recruit you, of course! You, Hayden, was attacked by Kamay ng Lagim, and that Kamay ng Lagim is our enemy. Don't you think it's only logical for you to ally with us?"

Hayden stepped back as he felt a tremendous pressure coming from the man. "Oh, am I not rude? I am the Branch Director of the Main Branch of Puting Araw, Anthony Digmaan (1) at your service."

"I prefer to keep my freedom. I'd rather be killed than join you." Hayden didn't relent. Hayden was the type of person who wasn't fond of being restrained by an organization or something of the sort.

"Don't misunderstand, Hayden," Anthony's face became solemn, glaring at Hayden, who glared back at him. "We are the peacekeepers of this country. We are Puting Araw, we keep wielders at bay. Do you want Kamay ng Lagim to send another person targeting your family, and a group that exploited their powers for wrongdoings?"

"Really? Peacekeepers?" Hayden sneered icily. "What kind of peacekeepers forces teenagers into hotels to recruit them?"

"Aggressive." Anthony vanished and returned to his seat with an amused smile on his face. "In the face of danger, you don't shrink back. You are indeed a natural-born warrior. Well, let me ask this. I know that you know how bad it is for innocent people to get entangled into the mess of our world. Will you join us, or not? We can protect your family, you know?"

At the mention of protecting his family, Hayden trembled and his expression softened. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to protect his family at all times. What if he was away and a person attacked his family? What if he dies? What if he arrived late?

"I'll… join you." Ultimately, Hayden couldn't resist the offer of them protecting his family. "As long as you keep my family safe, I'll serve this country as a peacekeeper."

"A wise man." Anthony nodded, satisfied in Hayden's response. "How about you, Daniel Luntiang-Dahon? You want your family to be protected as well, right?"

Daniel agreed without hesitation. In the face of such a deal, it was really hard to turn it down. There were really no downsides in joining Puting Araw as they were too weak. In addition, Hayden was craving for more battles, wanting to forge his experiences more and more.

"I, and the Walong Sinag ng Araw (2) at Puting Araw extends our sincere invitation to the two of you." Anthony smiled. Hayden knew this wasn't the normal invitation as the Branch Director couldn't possibly always extend invitations personally, could he?

As such, Hayden grasped just how the two of them were valued. "You two will become trainees for a year…"

Anthony proceeded to explain how Puting Araw works. In short, Puting Araw's raison d'être is keeping the existences of wielders a secret and managing the peace of the world of wielders. Anthony didn't lie in saying that they were the peacekeepers of the world of wielders.

Their responsibility included, but not limited to, the arrest of wielders, if not possible, exterminate, subduing cognizants that appear, stopping wielders from abusing their Abilities for possible world peace, investigation of anomalies around, and ensure that wielders were able to lead normal lives under their identity as a wielder.

Subsequently, Anthony explained the hierarchy of Puting Araw. Everybody starts as a Trainee, training to become either a Blue Agent, Red Agent, or White Agent.

Blue Agents were agents in charge of reconnaissance, investigation of wielder's tracks, and logistics. Some Blue Agents were also craftsmen, software developers, or scientists, and as such, responsible for supplying Puting Araw with equipment. Blue Agents usually had Abilities related to the mind or senses that allows them to investigate easier.

Red Agents were generally in charge of combat, fighting against wielders, hunting down cognizants, and protecting the citizens. They were the main combat force of Puting Araw. Red Agents usually had Abilities that enhances the wielder's combat strength in general.

White Agents on the other hand both had the combat prowess of a Red Agent and the reconnaissance powers of a Blue Agent. There were few White Agents in Puting Araw, and all of the Walong Sinag ng Araw were White Agents. White Agents are usually former Blue Agents transitioning to gain more combat experience, and liked to act alone, which Puting Araw encouraged as long as the agent was sure that they can accomplish the mission alone. If one overestimated their own strength by acting alone and failed a mission, they would be demoted by a single rank below without room for argument.

Above Trainee is the rank of Initiate. Initiates were members that have passed the one-year training and will be undergoing through five Training Missions, where they are sent to missions under the supervision of higher ranked members that keep tabs on the Initiate so that nothing goes south. Passing this meant that they have attained the rank of an Official Agent.

As an Official Agent, one is eligible to accept missions on the Mission Board or participate in missions led by higher ranked agents, the Special Agents. Once one participates in 10 missions, they are promoted to the first rank of Special Agent.

There were eight ranks to Special Agents, with one having more stringent requirements as one climbs. As for the insignias of the hierarchy, a Trainee would have no insignia on their uniforms, an Initiate would have a black-outlined white square on the left of their chest, an Official Agent would have a black-outlined white circle inside of the square, and the Special Agents gain one ray of the sun as they climb on the eight ranks.

However, the hierarchy doesn't end there, the highest ranks were Branch Director and a member of the Walong Sinag ng Araw. Once one becomes an eighth rank Special Agent, they are able to challenge a Branch Director or a member of the Walong Sinag ng Araw, once they are defeated, they are able to take over the place of one.

Of course, there were other requirements for the challenge to actually take place, but it wasn't clarified by Anthony for the reason that they wouldn't have to mull over that until they become an eight rank Special Agent, which would be years in the future.

Finishing his explanations, Anthony pulled out two contracts out of his desk. "You two sign this. As you two are students, you will attend training during Saturdays on the underground training facilities of the apartment complex opposite Liwayway Hotel under the guise of tutoring. It's an all-day training, from 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and will have free food and a stipend of 5,000 credits per month. When you finish training, we will issue you weapons specifically for subduing, and we are open to special orders for a price. Guns, melee weapons, anything you want, we can provide. Custom-made ones that complement your Ability can also be provided by our skilled Blue Agents. Lastly, we will keep your families safe, don't worry about them."

Hayden and Daniel walked to the front and read the contract. All of Anthony's words were stated in the contract. Nodding, Hayden signed it without much hesitation.

"Okay." Anthony took the contract and kept them at his table. Then, Anthony pressed an intercom on his table and spoke, "Please send Daniel on a tour of our underground facility."

"Yes, sir," A woman's voice can be heard on the other side. The next second, a woman walked inside, dressed in the same attire as the woman who 'kidnapped' Hayden. "Please follow me, Daniel."

"Wait, I'm not going anywhere?" Hayden pointed to himself in bewilderment. "I'm not going to tour the underground facility?"

"I have another matter to discuss with you." Anthony said, waving away the woman and Daniel. When the two left the office, Hayden and Anthony was left alone. "Okay, kid. We at Puting Araw apologize for being unable to track down Aswang and that he targeted your family. It is our fault!"

"So it was Aswang," Hayden bobbed his head up and down in confirmation that the person who targeted him was Aswang. "Well, I don't blame you, the guy was slippery."

"As a compensation," Anthony heaved a sigh of relief upon Hayden's acceptance. "We give you 100,000 credits for the endangerment of your family and the trouble that Aswang has given you."

Anthony took out his phone and indicated for Hayden to put out his phone as well. Opening his bank, Hayden extended his phone in a daze. Transferring the money, Anthony nodded and talked to the intercom once more.

Hayden was at a loss the instant he looked at his bank account. 100,000 credits, he has never seen such a large amount of money in his life! He didn't even expect to be rewarded for killing Aswang! Being granted money for protecting his own life and his family? Who would be stupid to not accept such a thing?

Thereon, Hayden was fetched by a man and was toured around the underground facility of Puting Araw. It was extravagant, a lot of money was clearly poured into the facilities as it was complete with medical bays, development areas, gyms, training rooms that can be rented, a power plant, and many more!

"Just what kind of organization is Puting Araw?" Hayden murmured while listening to the explanation of his tour guide.

…..

1 Digmaan – War

2 Walong Sinag ng Araw – Eight Rays of the Sun