73 Return of Daniel

In the cafeteria, Hayden bought the trio four smoothies, a gesture that greatly shocked Scarlet. As for Zeke, he was already treated by Hayden once. Though that didn't stop him from wondering why Hayden would treat them.

Finding a four-seat table and sitting on it, Scarlet expressed her confusion, "Why did you treat us?"

"Mhm?" Hayden sipped on his mango smoothie. He was impassive whilst answering, "Oh, these smoothies? Do you not like free smoothies?"

This answer of Hayden's made Scarlet speechless. It was a little uncharacteristic for the Hayden she knows. "What's the deal?"

"What deal?" Hayden gazed at Scarlet unemotionally whilst drinking his smoothie. "It's not like it's a crime to treat people, right?"

"If I know you enough, you're a pragmatist." Scarlet's face was ice-cold. "You don't do things that wouldn't benefit you. So-"

Before Scarlet can finish her sentence, Hayden interrupted her words, "Really? You see me on that light? What about when I helped you expand on your perception of your Ability? Zeke. When I helped you boost your ego, was that pragmatic?"

At this point, Hayden released a little of his killing intent and paused. Continuing, Hayden formed a cold smile, "My principle is simple. I'm no saint and I won't go out of my way to help people. However, if there is an opportunity to help without me risking or losing anything, and I don't really have anything better to do, nor is it a waste of time, I will. And if I see that there's no way I could possibly help, then I won't. The sole exceptions would be if somebody that means that much to me is in danger, only then will I break these rules. I'm still human, a superpowered loner that isn't fond of interacting with other humans, sure, yet still human. Someone that can sympathize. By that regards, I don't expect people to pay me back when I give my help, but it would indeed be good to be paid back."

His words caught the trio off-guard. Howbeit, Hayden wasn't finished. "In that aspect, I see of myself as a mix of a pragmatist, a realist, a hedonist, a stoic, a rationalist and, to be honest, a bit of an opportunist and existential nihilist. To call me a pure pragmatist would be way off."

Scarlet and Zeke looked into each other's eyes, with Scarlet's face reddening as her accusations were unproven. She didn't understand her own self why she keeps impetuously reproaching Hayden only for her to get shot down. It was incensing.

"A completely principled man, huh?" Annie giggled at hearing this, breaking the tense atmosphere amongst the three. "How've you come to this?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Hayden plainly shook his head in rejection, his face returning to its usual nonchalance.

In that instance, Zeke's phone vibrated. Fumbling for it, Zeke saw Anthony's message that Daniel was safe.

Scarlet looked away, attempting to hide her feelings and tears of joy upon receiving the news. In fact, she even sniffled a bit. Meanwhile, Hayden's phone vibrated as well.

Checking on it, Hayden saw a communication link request. Surprisingly, it was from Sayuri. 'Ahh... Shit…'

Hayden gulped at the sight of this, accepting the communication link request. Suddenly, Zeke looked at Hayden and saw his frown, "Hayden? Are you…"

"Sad about Daniel's safety and reappearance?" Hayden completed the sentence for him. "No, that would be stupid… It's something else that I'm frowning upon. As for Daniel, I expected he'd be safe already."

Of course Hayden would expect Daniel's safety. He's the one who saved him and killed Crimson Enchantress. Well, not like he could announce this, nor would he want to, as a Walong Sinag ng Araw member saw him, so, he'll just keep it under wraps. 'Well, even if no one saw me, I still won't announce it anyways…'

"Oh, okay…" Zeke gave up trying to make Hayden show emotion as it was as if Hayden had known the outcome of Daniel for a long time. "He's being transported back here from Zamboanga as we speak."

At that moment, Hayden's phone received a call from Eun-ha. "Message me when Daniel gets back. I have to take this call."

Finishing his mango smoothie, Hayden left for the hallway without a word, taking out his wireless earphones out of his Space Ring. In the hallway, answering the call, Hayden silently spoke, "Gonjunim?"

"Hey, honey," Eun-ha greeted back in Korean. "Um… I hope you didn't mind that I gave Sayuri-noona your Identity Number. Did she establish a communication link request with you?"

"Yep, she did." Hayden answered in Korean as well. His eyebrows puckering in puzzlement, Hayden talked, "Did she ask my Identity Number from you?"

"Yeah." On the other side, Eun-ha was on the rooftop as she nodded her head. "It was kind of strange, really..."

"Mhm, how do I say this…" Hayden exhaled heavily. "I think… She was flirting with me earlier… It was… Conflicting?"

"Oho..." Instead of being bothered, she teased Hayden. "Is she going to be your second girlfriend perhaps? Mhm…"

"Gonjunim?" Hayden's tone was absolutely cynical. "Are you seriously saying that? You're not… Jealous at all? Or at least angered?"

"Why would I be?" Eun-ha laughed. That laugh transformed to a sly voice, "I did say that you can take on other women, right?"

"You're an open-minded enigma…" Hayden was flabbergasted. "Do you want me to take a second woman that bad?"

"Well, not that bad, but if that second woman is Sayuri-noona…" Eun-ha chuckled, clearly poking fun at Hayden.

"You're so weird." Hayden snorted, stifling a laugh.

"Is that bad weird or good weird?"

"Good weird. The kind of weird that I love," Hayden's voice was filled with adoration. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, honey," Eun-ha shared Hayden's sentiments. "Nevertheless, tell me if you would pursue Sayuri-noona, okay?"

"You know, Gonjunim?" Hayden was somber this time around. "These kinds of things sneak up on a person and isn't induced… Well, I literally can trick my own brain to do so, but no, I will never do that… As for her, Sayuri-noona's beautiful, not as beautiful as you don't be mistaken. However, as the wielder of a powerful Ability, I can control who I'm attracted with, and I don't plan on letting my guard down around anybody… Till I'm powerful enough, the sole way a woman could ever be a second girlfriend is by completely bypassing or utterly destroying my defenses. Like how you did."

"I 'destroyed' your defenses?" Eun-ha once again teased Hayden.

"Oh yeah, you did. You razed it to the ground, demolished it, drilled through it, snuck past through it, hell, describe it in any manner you want and it will remain accurate." Hayden joked.

Eun-ha was chortling, finding Hayden cute. "Oh, Hayden-ah… Okay, if you say so, honey. Want to meet up later?"

"Sure." Hayden agreed immediately. "Want me to pick you up?"

"Yeah sure. When you're finished there, fly here. We'll fly together. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Want me to bring Sayuri-noona?"

"Shut up…" Hayden groaned. "We'll see in the future of what will happen…"

"Fine, fine…" Bidding their goodbyes to each other and whispering sweet nothings, Hayden cut the call off.

Abruptly, a woman appeared behind Eun-ha. It was Sayuri. "What did he say?"

"He says that you'd have to use brute force to get into his heart." Eun-ha laughed out loud.

Sayuri tilted her head to the side to express her perplexity.

"Essentially, you'd have to court him or something." Eun-ha giggled. In the next second, her countenance turned inquisitive. "Why do you want to be with Hayden-ah anyways?"

"I don't know…" Sayuri shrugged, showing a rare genuine smile and blush that merely a few had the privilege to see. "He's pretty cute…"

"Right?" Eun-ha hugged Sayuri. "It's extremely bizarre saying this, but, you go get 'er, girl!"

The two laughed out loud, with Eun-ha giving Sayuri some tips to 'break through' Hayden's 'protection.'

Eun-ha reminded Sayuri that Hayden wouldn't collapse that easily as Hayden's mental fortitude was absurdly high. The reason for that was, well, his Ability.

"Remember that the biggest advantage that you have on other girls is you being part of CHORUS." Eun-ha prompted. "He Is a huge VERSE geek, one of the cute little things that I just love…"

Sayuri blankly stared at Eun-ha dreaming of Hayden. Realizing this, Eun-ha embarrassedly pouted and said, "Shut up. You like him too…"

…..

8:00, Back in the Puting Araw cafeteria, Zeke received the message that Daniel has arrived and was being put in the sick bay private room 606 for further examinations.

"Isn't the room in the 600s kind of a…" Checking the message on Zeke's phone, she muttered. "A containment area…? For prisoners?"

"Yes, yes it is…" Zeke couldn't believe himself. "Why are they keeping him in the 600s? What is happening?"

"Well, if you think about it…" Sophia was the one who spoke this time. "He is the indirect cause of the fall of the Zamboanga branch of Puting Araw despite him not in the right mind as he was… As you told me, seduced by that filthy Crimson Enchantress."

"But-" Before Zeke and Scarlet can complete their synchronized words, Hayden returned and interjected.

"She's correct. At least someone's thinking rationally." Hayden sighed in disappointment at Zeke. What a waste of an Ability literally named 'Peerless Brain' if he's not going to exploit it. "The destruction that Daniel left in his wake, regardless of his state of mind, is extremely enormous. Especially the damages done for Puting Araw."

"You…" Zeke and Scarlet was preparing to rush at Hayden upon hearing his words. Scarlet stood up and reprimanded Hayden, "He's your best friend and you're like this?"

"Calm down." Sophia's calming voice resounded, soothing the angry Zeke and Scarlet. "Did you not hear Hayden's little speech of being a realist, a stoic, a pragmatist, and all those other things?"

"I like you." Hayden nodded his head, a sign of approval for Sophia's attitude. "Exactly. I'm simply being a realist, a stoic, and a pragmatist. We should accept the fact that we don't fully know the state of Daniel's condition. It's much safer to put him in the 600s. I've already given you a scolding once, what don't you get about me?"

Turning around, Hayden walked to the sick bay, closely and quietly followed by Sophia, Zeke, and Scarlet. Scarlet and Zeke had their heads tilted downwards because they were ashamed. They were getting sick of Hayden's bluntness.

Well, not only that, and the fact that Hayden was on-point. Too on-point. The extreme mental and emotional maturity that Hayden possessed makes him turn out obnoxious. At least for them.

Notwithstanding, they can't precisely voice their dissatisfaction as… Hayden was entirely correct! It was akin to endeavoring to attack their parents on the error of their ways when it comes to parenting but get slapped by their own parents' retort that used uncannily sound and sensible facts and logic of why they raised them that way.

In simpler words, Hayden was that one annoying person that you cannot refute as his reasoning is totally irrefutable.

Reaching the sick bay, Hayden rode the elevator within it and pressed the button for the sixth floor below.

Hayden was on the side, ignoring everybody else. That was when Sophia verbalized herself, "So, Hayden, what is your Ability?"

Rotating his head to gaze at Sophia on his left, Hayden said, "As I see no point hiding it, and the fact that the two here has been informed of my Abilities by my best friend… My Ability is named the Divine Perception…."

Hayden explained his own Divine Perception's powers, which basically has no counter excluding hiding knowledge from Hayden and perhaps illusions.

Needless to say, these weaknesses weren't stated by Hayden as that would be stupid. Well, even then, in a combat situation, Hayden's Divine Perception allows him to adapt perfectly to any situation no matter how deep the shit his foot was in. As long as he wasn't faced with a truly overwhelming opponent, he can't be beaten.

In the interim, listening to Hayden's kind explanation of his Ability to Sophia, Scarlet and Zeke was irked. The unfairness of Hayden's vastly different treatment for their fellow human being, or in this case, wielder, was infuriating.

Yet, taking into account how Sophia was actually the singular individual that understood Hayden the moment they met, it made sense. If Hayden could hear their thoughts, he'd admit that they were correct for once.

In reality, if Eun-ha wasn't Hayden's beautiful and incredibly powerful girlfriend, and that Eun-ha enjoyed the power of her passive and the fact that Hayden was a fan of CHORUS for years prior to meeting her, Hayden would have found her bothersome all the same as them no matter how picturesque her face was.

As for Sayuri, she was a special case as it is factually impossible to hate her due to her scintillating and gentle character as well as her actual hardworking personality off-cam. And that cutesy voice was too mesmerizing to be hated.

Moving on, the quartet zipped to the room 606. Opening it, Hayden was met with the sight of Daniel, sitting on a bed with blatant horror confined in his eyes. Hayden perceived that Daniel's eyes were puffy, obviously fresh from crying.

Surprisingly, Scarlet shoved Hayden out of the way and pushed her face on Daniel's chest, hugging him. Zeke approached Daniel and stood on the foot of his bed, while Sophia watched from a distance as she wasn't familiar enough with Daniel to directly talk with him.

As for Hayden, he approached Daniel on the other side and sat on the chair behind him wordlessly. He was sympathizing with Daniel, yet, he wouldn't show this at all. After all, he was not a big feelings guy, and showing that emotional side of him with Eun-ha was already his limit.

It's not that he considered showing sadness and grief for a man was weakness. On the contrary, Hayden understood that sadness and grief are one of the most powerful emotions, able to serve as a formidable motivation for improving oneself.

Irrespective of this, one should be careful as sadness and grief is a double-edged sword. If the person didn't have a strong will, it can destroy them, send them into a spiraling abyss of depression that gets progressively harder to escape the deeper and further you're in it.

With this in mind, Hayden sat beside Daniel unemotionally, simply saying, "Welcome back, buddy."

Needless to say, Daniel didn't respond, vacantly eyeing Hayden. The two made eye contact, with Hayden motioning his head to signal Scarlet's hug on him.

Precipitously, Scarlet raised her head, tears in her eyes. It appears that she did have concealed feelings for Daniel deep in her heart, and this tragedy that Daniel was put in caused said latent feelings to be unearthed forcefully.

"H-hey," Scarlet stammered due to bawling her eyes out. Caressing his face, she gently spoke, "Daniel? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not…" Daniel muttered his first words. A single tear trickled out of Daniel's eyes. "I-I killed all of those people ruthlessly… Most of them weren't even wielders!"

By that point in time, Daniel sobbed again. He was clearly traumatized from his own experience. Plus, from this, Hayden could tell that Daniel was perfectly conscious all the way he was 'seduced.'

"I'm sorry…" Daniel then pointed his gaze at Scarlet, his eyes radiated unbelievable sadness. "Her Ability was too powerful…"

"W-what do you mean?" Scarlet was confused of why Daniel was apologizing to her. "Why are you saying sorry?"

Daniel shook his head without a word, not uttering a word of why he was asking for forgiveness. Fortunately, Hayden was to the rescue, "Can you give the two of us a second to catch up?"

All of the people in the room focused their attention to Hayden, who was actually yawning in such a tear-jerking reunion. Fulfilling his request, the three exited the room that Daniel was held in, leaving Hayden and Daniel alone.

"Hey, bud," Hayden sat on the chair beside Daniel's bed. "What-"

Not giving Hayden the chance to finish his own words, Daniel interrupted him, "You're the one in the camp who forced me to sleep, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?" Hayden never turned off his Divine Perception when he entered the room, hence, he had full control of his emotions, acting befuddled. Internally, Hayden was surprised that Daniel recognized him.

Controlling his own breathing and heartbeat, Hayden lied effortlessly, "I was with my girlfriend till I heard news of your return."

"Don't lie to me, Hayden," Daniel scoffed. "I can recognize my best friend and benefactor from miles away. You have your natural instincts for danger, and I have my own natural instincts when it comes to people. I felt your presence despite me controlled by that obscene Crimson Enchantress."

"I'm not lying though?" Hayden's act was extremely convincing. Especially with his Divine Perception. Hayden virtually has no telltale signs of a liar. "I was in my room, hanging out with my girlfriend, and watching a movie. That's when I received a message from Zeke."

Daniel grunted. "You can't trick me. Your voice, even if you made it grotesquely deeper, is easily recognizable for me. I've been with you for six months. I've always had the sensation that you were hiding something from me. Some sort of deep secret that you don't want me to know, not because you don't trust me, but because for personal reasons, right?"

"Nope," internally, Hayden was alarmed. Regardless, he can't possibly tell Daniel his status as a dual wielder. There were too much enemies swarming him, and he can really use the secret power. "You're getting paranoid."

"Fine, whatever you say." Daniel sighed. He knew Hayden's character. If Hayden was hell-bent on keeping something to himself, he'd sooner die than reveal it. A deeply dejected look was plastered onto his face, "Nonetheless… I thank you for stopping me…"

"I'm not the one who stopped you, but okay…" Deep down, Hayden understood that the jig was up. However, he just can't afford to reveal his secret to another existence. There were too much people who knew. Moreover, that Sophia gave him an inexplicable feeling… "So… Tell me your experience?"

Sighing, Daniel retold everything that he underwent through the past week, from the mission, up to the present, when he was stopped by 'a masked man.'

"All those innocent lives…" Daniel's eyes exuded despair for all the people he killed. "Those soldiers fighting for our country… They died for nothing… In my hands no less…"

"Hey," Hayden placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Think of this. Those people's lives that you've… Harvested… You can't say that their blood was on your hands. Be rational for a moment. Remember that you killing them was out of your control. You were conscious, yes, but does that mean that 'you' were the one who killed them?"

"No…" Daniel dismally replied. "However, it doesn't change the fact that I killed them, mind-controlled or not."

"There's the difference you seek." Hayden smiled faintly. "You think about it yourself. Don't forget to forgive yourself when you crack my words."

On that note, Hayden walked away without pronouncing another word. Daniel mulled over Hayden's own words. For some unknown reason, those words were comforting in spite of him not really understanding it that much.

Outside of the door, Hayden whispered to Scarlet, "You like Daniel, right? Go inside and kiss him. On the lips. Passionately. No questions asked."

Finishing his sentence, Hayden disappeared. Thereupon, the elevator opened, and Hayden appeared inside, waving his hands to them with a grin.

Flustered, Scarlet slowly opened the door, seeing Daniel's emotional state was a little better, more stable. It was miraculous. Taking a deep breath, Scarlet dropped her shyness and rushed at Daniel, kissing him on the lips.