100 A Storm Brewing

The Boss had the feeling that a huge storm was brewing right this instant. "And in the middle of it all is… Hayden. That monstrous natural-born dual wielder. I have to move fast, huh?"

The sound of phone ringing pervaded the room. The Boss looked at the caller id first. "Oho, finally."

Answering the phone, The Boss chuckled deeply. "How are you, Eva? You finally broke through the barrier to Level 5?"

"Yep. I may be more powerful than you now." A mezzo-soprano laugh came from the other end of the phone. "How are you, Kuya Rhys?"

"I'm good, I'm good." Rhys' deep laugh suffused throughout the room. "Pangkat Anino is really growing. We have over 120 elite members in the present. The base is also growing. Your return will be timely. There's something that will catch your interest over here."

"And what is that?" Eva's voice sounded intrigued. "There is nothing interesting going on in that little country at all."

"Oh, trust me, it is captivating." Rhys teased. "There's a second dual wielder here in the Philippines. He's rather powerful."

"Eh, that's not that interesting." Eva's tone went from curious to nonchalant. "It's absurdly rare, sure, but it is expected that a dual wielder would be powerful."

"He's a natural-born." Rhys added. "And his two Abilities harmonizes with each other too well. If he evolves to Level 5, nobody will be able to beat this monster."

"Oh crap." Eva's fascination returned to her. "A natural born dual wielder is much rarer than experiencing a reawakening."

To explain, reawakening is an extremely rare occurrence of a wielder gaining a second Ability. This is an unbelievably rare event and has certain triggers for all wielders. Due to its rarity, the exact cause for this phenomenon is unknown.

In addition, reawakening is different than an awakening in the way that it can happen at any time as long as certain conditions are met. Rose herself reawakened in the midst of a battle, when she lost her best friend.

"So you're saying that you're trying to recruit this Hayden?" Eva was told the story of this Hayden. She was shocked of it. "This Hayden, a Level 2 wielder, has a girlfriend that is a mighty Level 4 wielder. This Level 4 wielder in turn is friends with a bunch of Level 4 and Level 3 wielders. Plus, these wielders are from South Korea?"

"Yep." Rhys snorted heavily. "If he wasn't a dual wielder, his status of having a Level 4 wielder foreigner girlfriend is already worthy enough to recruit him into our ranks. After all, our goal is not anything else, solely our freedom as human. Having friends to help us in time of need is vital."

"Yep." Rhys confirmed. "I have a bad feeling that something will be happening soon. Something big. Something bad. You know my gut feelings, it's seldom wrong."

In Japan, Kyoto. On top of a tall building, there was a woman squat sitting on the edge. She sported blue denim shorts, black boots, and a gray sleeveless hoodie. Her legs were light brown in color. Her black hair, tied in a ponytail, was riding along the strong winds. Instead of a full-on mask, she wore a tight-fitting black facemask and shades.

This was Eva Gumamela (Hibiscus), a Level 5 Filipino wielder that was part of Pangkat Anino. She chuckled. "Okay, I really miss receiving missions from you. I will return at once, Boss."

When she hung up, she stood up. She enjoyed the strong winter wind hitting her face. "This is the last time I'll be here, winter friend. I'll miss you."

With that, she jumped down. Freefalling, she couldn't help but scream in excitement. Abruptly, wings seemingly made of light materialized on her back. She flew up to the sky with a scream. She shouted in Filipino, "Philippines, I'm coming home!"

…..

When Hayden woke up, Eun-ha was still in his arms. She was lying comfortably in his arms in a fetal position. She was snuggled close to Hayden's body.

Taking his phone on the nightstand, Hayden slowly turned to Eun-ha and pulled her even closer. Eun-ha put her leg around Hayden's. Hayden found that cute.

Opening his phone, Hayden started to browse the web. His episode for 'A Talk Show For Gamers' was trending. It was number one on all social media. He opened the Home Control System app and turned on the TV at volume 1. He switched to the Global Gaming Channel. He enhanced his senses with essence energy.

'Indeed, I could still hear it.' Hayden thought. He rewound the channel to the news. There it was, Hayden being reported by the news for the umpteenth time. On top of this, there was the matter of him teasing whether he has a girlfriend or not. The people wanted to know. 'Well, that gets old real quick.'

He focused on three things. Watching the newsa, Eun-ha's peaceful sleeping face, and browsing social media. Lately, he's been posting more and more selfies of himself. It was one way to promote himself.

As usual, there were some haters hating on his posts for no reason whatsoever. Of course, those were flooded by the multitudes of praises that his fans gave him. Especially Filipinos, who kind of treated him akin to a deity.

As for posting opinions on things, he would not post those. Whatever you post, there will always be someone who will be offended by your opinion. It was laughable, really.

Eun-ha's arm tightened around Hayden. Hayden sensed that she woke up. He spoke gently, "Hey. Good morning, Gonjunim."

"Good morning..." Eun-ha smacked her lips, her eyes half-closed. She rubbed her head on Hayden's chest. "It's so nice waking up next to you."

"It is much nicer waking up next to you." Hayden found an opportunity to crack a 'morning' joke. "You should try it sometime."

"Jeez, you jokester." Eun-ha giggled. A few seconds later, she straightened herself, waking up completely. "What you watching?"

"News again." Hayden increased the volume. Eun-ha oriented herself to face the TV. "Why does it seem that the world is keeping a close eye on me?"

"That's because you're too talented for a 16-year-old. Handsome to boot." Eun-ha adapted Hayden's signature nonchalant style of flattery. "You do fathom that your appearance isn't that of your typical 16 year olds, right? Why did you think I fell in love with you?"

"Heh, sure." Hayden casually dismissed Eun-ha's remark. Deep inside though, his insecurities are gradually getting mined away. Such is the effect of praises. "By the way, what time shall I introduce you to my friend?"

"Just go an hour or two earlier." Eun-ha superficially spoke. "We can let anybody in the preparation room as long as they have our permission."

"Okay, I'm going to message them." Hayden efficiently typed on his phone's keyboard with one hand. He sent Daniel and Scarlet a message that they should come two hours earlier than 3:00, there supposed arrival time. He put in a cryptic message and that they shouldn't question Hayden.

Subsequently, the two did the 'typical' couples stuff. Eating breakfast together in bed, small talk of each other's lives, Hayden serenading Eun-ha, which led to sex, and Hayden showing Eun-ha the basement.

When she left, he also did some last minute preparations for his gifts. He stuffed all of it neatly and meticulously in a duffle bag.

…..

12:50 PM. As the fansign event was 4:00 PM, Hayden made Scarlet and Daniel come at 1:00 PM. Daniel's house, Daniel's bedroom.

"Why are we going so early?" Scarlet sat on Daniel's bed with a sulky face. She was wearing a cute yellow jumper dress and sneakers. She carried a moderate-sized backpack. "I mean, I get that he's a big VERSE 'and' someone who fancied being early, but… Isn't this too early? Are we going to grab a bite first?"

On the side, an unexpected person was present, leaning on the wall. It was Zeke. He donned thin circle glasses, a gray polo shirt, and plain jeans. He had a black sling bag. Zeke was apparently a VERSE.

Daniel sat on his gaming chair. He had on a plain yellow shirt, navy blue jeans, and sneakers. He had no bags with him at all.

"Well, we can't argue with him." Daniel shrugged, showing a helpless expression. "He's kind of our de facto leader. He hates leadership, sure. Still, we can't deny that he's too smart, wise, and strong to not be a leader. He's literally the whole package. For sure, he has a reason why we're going this early."

"Interacting with him, I can't say that that's not true." Zeke's countenance was that of pondering. "Plus, he did teach all of us something. I guess we owe it to him."

Scarlet's morose face worsened. She hated that both Daniel and Zeke's arguments were irrefutable. What more, she agreed with it.

A text from Hayden came in Daniel's phone. Reading this, Daniel made them go to Hayden's house. In the garage, they all boarded the car, with Daniel sitting in the passenger seat.

Hayden sported a black dress shirt, tight-fitting light blue jeans, plus black and white sneakers. His black dress shirt had its sleeves rolled up and tucked into his jeans. A dark brown leather belt wrapped around his waist.

When he got in, Hayden adjusted the rear-view mirror. He gazed at Zeke confusedly. "What is he doing here? Why didn't you inform me that he'll come?"

"Uh… That's my fault." Daniel hurriedly took the blame. He had this look of innocence and kind of beseeching to not make this a big deal.

"Since this is such a good day, fine." Hayden sighed. "The question is, does he have a ticket for the fansign?"

"I bought him one. He's a fan as well." Scarlet answered respectfully. "What seat number are you? We're all in the fourth row."

"Coincidentally, I'm in the fourth row too." Hayden nodded. Apparently, they were all in the fourth row first seat to fourth seats. It was uncanny how things work out at times.

"Let me ask, why are we going at such a time?" Scarlet couldn't hold her own annoyance. There was no need to be this punctual. It was reserved seating for goodness sake!

"You'll see." Hayden chuckled, driving the car out of the garage. He put the car in automatic mode. Uncharacteristically, Hayden spoke to them. "When we get to our destination, please don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Why are you telling us this? What's the big surprise?" Zeke leaned in on Hayden's seat.

"Withal, why would we do anything stupid?" Daniel perplexedly inquired. "We're wielders, we'll be able to keep our calm."

"Oh, no you won't." Hayden found them cute. He enunciated each word seriously. "Additionally, please. Just, please. Don't make a fuss. I warn you."

Silence ensued. During the whole car ride, small talks would burst here and there. They congratulated Hayden for the interview, they conversed of school, and many more. Hayden joined in at times as he was in a good mood.

Arriving, Hayden drove into the basement parking lot of Maharlika Hall, much to the consternation of the trio tagging along with him.

They were bemused that Hayden was allowed in ahead of schedule. Even more so when Hayden led them inside. That was when they entered a hectic hallway, full of Koreans. They had a guess of what was happening, but they can't be sure until they saw it for themselves.

Eventually, they reached the door of a private room. Scarlet was going to ask something when Hayden raised a finger, signaling for her to stop. He swung the door open. Inside were the CHORUS members nattering. They currently wore casual clothing: Jeans and a regular t-shirt. Their natural beauty was emanating from them.

The trio was absolutely dumbfounded of this. Tons of question marks popped up inside their heads. This worsened when Hayden walked in without restraint and was greeted by the CHORUS members with a hug.

"Come in." Hayden signaled for the trio to come in. They timidly walked inside, clearly star-struck. Scarlet felt small in the presence of such staggering beauties. "Take a seat somewhere. You definitely need it."

They didn't. They were frozen in place, their eyes stuck on Hayden. Disregarding their eyes, Hayden hugged Eun-ha sweetly and kissed her on the lips.

"Is this them?" Eun-ha spoke in Korean, glancing at the petrified trio. "Is this their first time seeing an idol?"

"Yep." Hayden nodded. This was one of the things he considered a 'big fuss.' Their reactions were too unnatural. The couple approached the trio. Hayden's right hand was on the small of Eun-ha's back. He verbalized in English, "This is my girlfriend, Kim Eun-ha. Gonjunim… These are my friends, Daniel, Scarlet, and Zeke."

"Nice to meet you." Eun-ha stretched her hand out. The two males were absolutely speechless. An effect of Eun-ha's passive. The trio shook Eun-ha's hand shyly. "Please make yourselves comfortable."

"You go first, I'll talk to them." Hayden whispered to Eun-ha in Korean. In response, Eun-ha nodded, kissing Hayden on the cheek.

"Dude…" Daniel rapidly blinked at Hayden. He stammered, "D-d-dude… Y-your girlfriend is… Eu-Eun-ha?"

"She is." Hayden nodded impassively. "Now, here's what you guys are going to do. As my friends, you guys will also be treated as their friends. Try to keep your cool, okay?"

Hayden turned his eyes to Scarlet and Zeke. They both had these expressions of cluelessness, as if the world has gone insane. In their minds, they had an epiphany of why Hayden genuinely smiles at times. It was because of Eun-ha.

Hayden led them to the ensemble of CHORUS members. Scarlet felt tinier with each step, subconsciously comparing herself with the CHORUS members. As for Zeke, his eyes juggled between the three youngest members, Shu-Ching, Chung-hee, and Eun-ha. They were too picturesque.

Noticing that they were too timorous to introduce themselves, Hayden was the one who introduced them to the ten members of CHORUS, Eun-ha removed.

Eventually, Hayden left them alone. He understood how star-struck they were. He was alike them when they first met them personally, albeit, he had a handle of himself thanks to Divine Perception.

The entire time, the trio sat in a sofa with their backs straightened. Meanwhile, Hayden blended in with CHORUS, informally speaking with them. Unfortunately, the CHORUS members forgot the trio's existence as they were indeed too shy. As such, they articulated their words in Korean, not English.

Watching Hayden laughing and talking with CHORUS in a friendly manner was an astonishing sight for Daniel, Scarlet, and Zeke. They didn't question why Hayden wasn't as amicable to them as he was to CHORUS due to the members' inherent beauty.

As they observed, they noticed that some CHORUS members were flirting with Hayden. Explicitly. The glints in the eyes of CHORUS members are those of attraction. Especially Sayuri's, who actually stuck to Hayden's arm like glue. Eun-ha naturally did so too, but that wasn't strange.

For the others, Hayden was either ignorant or overlooking it. The trio locked eyes. They found that all of them had the same emotion. Befuddlement.

…..

Synchronously, in Mindanao. In Black Devil's office. Black Devil was checking up on things when the sound of something shattering resounded. The airspace in front of him formed cracks. The literal air was cracking.

A loud sound, similar to a cannon firing, burst out. Black Devil smiled instead of frowning underneath his mask. "Finally! For a decade, we've struggled!"

With a snap, a black portal was conjured up in the airspace that was cracked. Out came a man in a red devil's mask. His clothes were that of a red turtleneck sweater, red slacks, and red shoes. Clearly, the man was fond of the color red.

Black Devil approached the man hurriedly and genuflected. "Welcome back, Overlord Sitan."

"Yeah, yeah." Sitan's voice was demonic as he waved his right hand dismissively. He put his hands behind his back. "Call the members of your Limang Daliri and your sponsors. I have an announcement."

"Yes, your highness." A phone actualized in Black Devil's hands. He didn't stand up in his kneeling position as he activated the phone and tapped something. Only when he finished that did he stand up.

The black portal behind Sitan closed and reopened. Black Devil bowed and pointed at the portal. "They will be at the conference room shortly."

"You go in first." Sitan nonchalantly said. "You know me, I like making a dramatic entrance."

"Yes, sir." Black Devil bowed respectfully. He left Sitan in his office, leaving the black portal open.

Black Devil stepped out into a conference room with a big table and chairs. By tapping something on his phone, the table and chairs were stored away into the ground. The walls were then lined with soundproof drapes.

Snapping his fingers, seven portals appeared in the room. Out came Graybeard, Earthquake, Blood King, Maestro of Death, Fan Maiden, and Forest Giant from the portals.

"He's alive?" Blood King gawked at Black Devil. His expression was a mixture of anger and mystification. The faces of every single person in the room, including the sponsors, were all likewise dark. "Why didn't you tell us, Black Devil? Why?"

"Yeah, why?" Graybeard said. Sitan was their boss. A Level 5 wielder. As long as they didn't have a Level 5 wielder as a true backing, they were nothing. "I thought he was dead? What the hell is wrong with you?"

At that moment, a youth as young as Blood King came out of the seventh portal. This was Corrupter, a Level 3 wielder whose power is named as Devil's Whisper. He's the new addition to the Limang Daliri that was considered to be stronger than Crimson Enchantress.

"Uh…" Corrupter timidly eyed his surroundings. "What's happening?"

"You should stay quiet for the meantime." Black Devil stared at Corrupter. Following that, Black Devil didn't say anything else.

As might be expected, the seven people protested. The sponsors complained because they sponsored Kamay ng Lagim in the first place as they saw it as an opportunity. Now, it was all going to be ruined. As for the Limang Daliri, it was natural they'd remonstrate.

"Silence." A calm voice boomed out of the portal behind Black Devil. Sitan walked out. "Or I'm going to kill all of you. Kneel in the returning presence of your king."

From the powerful aura that radiated from Sitan, the seven people genuflected subconsciously. Black Devil stepped back and also knelt.

"Okay, with that out of the way." Sitan's tone became one brimming with enthusiasm. "Shall we restart our conquest?"

…..

This marks the end of the first saga of the book and fifth arc.

A message from me, the author:

Thank you for understanding, sincerely, DesolateNightSky.

What to look forward for the Second Saga: Obviously Hayden's harem. Hayden's Level 3 evolution. And more of the Philippine World of Wielders.