106 Establishing Dominance

In front of the throne, on the bottom of the staircase, was a five-meter-wide walkway that was inlaid with a carpet. It stretched to a dark place.

Suddenly, a black portal appeared not far from the throne's staircase. Sitan and Black Devil walked out of the portal.

"Oh, how I've missed this place." Sitan reveled in the atmosphere of the underground throne room. "It was a busy two days…"

As Sitan said, he was busy for the past few days. First and foremost, he caught up with the affairs of Kamay ng Lagim. Second, he was informed of the current threats, such as Puting Araw, that damned Rhys, and Hayden. Third, he reappeared in front of the members of the Kamay ng Lagim and fixed a few stuff.

Sitan walked up the stairs slowly for dramatic effect. Demonic organ music played on the background. Literally. Sitan had a sound system installed in this place. Again, he loved his dramatic entrances.

Reaching the top, Sitan held his head high prior to slowly sitting on the throne. He wiggled his butt, savoring the feeling of the throne. "Oh yes. Thank goodness I'm back."

"Your Highness." Black Devil knelt the second Sitan sat on the throne.

"Stand up, old friend." Sitan's demonic chuckle rang out. "I have an order for you. And that is for you to kill Hayden at all costs. Go personally if you must. He's most likely a dual wielder. And even if he isn't, his intelligence is something we must fear. Do it at night, for dramatic effect."

"I will personally kill Hayden, sire." Black Devil stood up. "May I excuse myself?"

"You're excused." Sitan waved his hand casually. With that, Black Devil got back to the portal. It closed when he was gone. Sitan slouched on his throne. "Oh, yes, my throne. I love my throne."

…..

"Are you stupid?" The people all around the youth berated him. "That's Hayden Emperador, the best high-school level basketball player in the Philippines. On par with people on the big leagues!"

"And so?" The youth, named Felix Quintana, overlooked their warnings. "Someone needs to put this Hayden Emperador in his place. He doesn't even have true skill! Most of his feats are to overwhelm players with his physique."

Precipitously, a yawn resounded out. Everyone turned their gazes to the origin of the yawn. It was from Hayden.

"What? You looking down on me?" Felix was angered of Hayden's blatant act of disdain. "Just because you're from the capital doesn't mean you're superior."

By this point, Hayden had this oppressive aura coming out of him. Everyone on the court was trembling due to it. Even Sophia and Dominic wanted to back off.

"W-What? Intimidating me to avoid a match?" Felix stammered, clearly frightened of Hayden's stare. "Like hell I'm afraid of you!"

"You done with your little soliloquy?" Hayden's bored face became more prominent. He rubbed his eyes. "Well, if you're done, you should go practice. It's a waste of time to even talk to second-rate players who resort to talking such as you."

"I-" Before Felix can finish his sentence, Dominic interrupted him.

"Enough." Dominic's passively angry voice reverberated. "I chose you because of your skill, yet you're this arrogant? I have no position for players with your attitude."

"W-wait, coach." Felix waved his hands in front of him anxiously. "If you give me a chance, I can mop the floor with this Hayden."

The people were stunned. They didn't anticipate that Felix wouldn't let go of this matter. Dominic sighed in dismay.

"You're-" Dominic was stopped by Hayden.

"Wait, coach." Hayden's face was as nonchalant as it can get. He walked towards Felix menacingly. Well, that's what the people saw. In reality, Hayden walked normally. As a result of their misperception, the people parted to give way to him. "Do you think that you'll gain something by challenging me?"

"By beating you?" Felix coldly smiled. "If I beat you, I can prove that I'm better than you. I can prove that the people's praising of you is unfounded! I can prove that you're not a prodigy."

"And what else will you gain from that?" Hayden inquired impassively. "Gratification? Pride? A feeling of power? What will this bring you? In this harsh world, that will bring you one thing. Momentary happiness."

Hayden's eyes became slits. Felix felt that he was staring deep into the abyss. It was scary. "Do you want momentary happiness, only for you to crash down from the sky. Or stay quiet and obey the coach?"

Hayden didn't notice that his 'kingly aura' was seeping out of him. This suffocated the surrounding onlookers. Especially Felix.

"I-I will stay quiet and obey the coach… Sir." Felix uttered quietly.

"Okay." Hayden nodded, walking back to his position at a normal pace. When Hayden walked away, Felix shook his head.

'Uh… What's happening with me…' Felix thought.

Dominic was put in a daze. Sophia, in spite of her calm exterior, was shaken. What the hell was that display? She turned to Dominic, who shook his head at her. That meant that Hayden didn't use his Ability at all!

"Okay." Dominic coughed to clear his throat. "Now that that's sorted. I will go over the drills to increase all of your individual skills and reinforce your weak points. Does anybody have complaints on this?"

Nobody spoke up again. Hayden scanned the people. When his eyes skimmed over Felix's side, Felix avoided Hayden's scrutiny. It was obvious that he was traumatized from the earlier interaction. Or at least that's what Hayden saw.

…..

Outside of the indoor court. The Stalker and Plague Doctor was on the roof, enshrouded with darkness. Somehow, the darkness allowed them to be invisible and undetectable in spite of the time of day.

"Wait, is that?" Plague Doctor's crazed voice entered The Stalker's ears. He looked at the finger pointing towards the sky. The Stalker followed where it was pointing. On the horizon, he saw someone flying through the air.

"Totem Druid." The Stalker's hollow voice was that of surprise. "When did she get back? And she's… A Level 5 wielder…"

As you may infer, Totem Druid was Eva Gumamela's pseudonym in Pangkat Anino. Her Ability is considered as one of the unique Abilities that authentically has no duplicates.

She landed flashily on the roof, rolling to the two as her wings dissipated. She wore her attire back in Kyoto. Excluding her mask, which was replaced with a terrifying one seemingly made of dry wood. "Hey, the two of you. Have you been well?"

The Stalker removed the darkness that was enveloping them. "Good to have you back, Totem Druid."

The Stalker's hollow voice remained, but one can hear the sentiment within it. After all, all members of Pangkat Anino were friends.

"Likewise." Plague Doctor's voice of craziness diminished greatly. "We have been well."

"I heard that there were five of you here?" Eva eyed her surroundings. "Where're the others?"

"Well, Techno does the usual stuff." Hearing this, Eva nodded her head. "As for Chamomile and Scholar, they're inside the building. You see, the guy we're protecting is a basketball player. The two is in the guise of a coach and an assistant."

"I see." Eva bobbed her head, grasping the situation. "Well, The Boss informed me that this guy is a natural-born dual wielder. Is it true?"

"Oh yes." Plague Doctor was the one to answer the question. "For the past few days, we've been observing him. And oh boy he's powerful. His second Ability is on par with The Boss' Ability."

"Intriguing. Truly intriguing." Eva's curiosity was whetted. "Well, I should start setting up my things."

Snapping her hand, a miniature totem sprung out in the middle of the roof. The totem had three levels. On the bottommost level was a dolphin. The middle portion was that of a zebra's. The upper one was that of an owl.

"I didn't know you can do that." The Stalker swished his hands. The three of them was engulfed in darkness.

"And I didn't know you could do that." Eva's eyes widened. "Oh, I didn't notice that you're a Level 3 wielder already. Good for you, buddy."

Underneath. In the building, Hayden was sitting on the bench together with Dominic and Sophia. Hayden was directed to observe everyone's performance.

In the midst of that, Hayden was constantly staring up at the ceiling. Every time he did, there was this feeling that bothered him. As if someone was observing him.

On the roof, the trio was still submerged in darkness. Every time Hayden would rotate his head upwards, Eva's heart would skip a beat.

"What is up with this guy?" Eva's skin crawled regardless of her status as a Level 5 wielder. "Can he sense me?"

"It's his crazy-strong instincts." The Stalker explained. "I've been nearly found out by Hayden too many a time. His instincts are too insane."

"Oho, if he was a Level 4 wielder, he would have beaten our butts." Eva chuckled. Her interest on Hayden was slowly growing.

Eventually, Hayden threw the matter at the back of his mind. He had to concentrate on the practice.

His phone vibrated on his side. Hayden got it. It was from the CHORUS group chat. They were sending cute messages and pictures to cheer Hayden on for the basketball practice. As might be expected, this stupefied Hayden. Who wouldn't be?

He shook his head to wake himself up. He messaged the group with a thank you and continued to observe the game with the rest of his senses.

Meanwhile, on the court were ten people. On one side was the first string, with Felix replacing Hayden. On the opposite was five players of the second string.

Darryl and another taller player was in the center for the tip-off. The helper threw the ball upwards, with Dominic whistling. Darryl seamlessly got the ball to his team's side. It was caught by Amado.

Amado dribbled the ball and spoke, "This is our first time playing together, so let's have fun."

His four teammates agreed. With that, Amado lowered his stance and speed dribbled across the court. He was blocked by a player.

Seeing that Felix was open, Amado intuitively passed the ball to him. Felix caught the ball. With a smile on his face, he drove the ball to the basket.

Backpedaling, feinting, twisting his body, he passed all of the people with his skillful moves. Ultimately, he did a flashy layup. Landing on his feet, he rotated his head to Hayden with a smug expression.

He was in time to see Hayden texting whilst chuckling and not paying attention to him. He was angered of this. Till he saw Hayden raise his head to glance at him. He shivered.

'Holy crap.' Felix felt as if that everything he did was child's play for Hayden. For an unknown reason, a sense of inferiority secretly developed within him.

Without a warning, a voice rang in his head, 'Must mess with Hayden. Must destroy his life.'

"Too much of a show-off." Hayden whispered to Dominic. "He has the skill, but his arrogance can be toned down a little. That will be his doom."

"How about you?" Dominic was a bit confused of Hayden's words. He chose to 'challenge' Hayden. "You conquered the finest five people the first time we met in your rage. How is that not arrogance?"

"There's a difference." Hayden didn't find this question offensive at all. He could comprehend why people would see that as 'arrogance.' "I know my own limits full well. If I wasn't confident in defeating them, I would've used my team. On the contrary, he…"

Hayden discreetly pointed to Felix. Dominic focused on Felix, who got the ball and dunked flashily. "He uses his skills for showing off. His movements waste tons of energy. His movements are too big. He's skilled, but not at the Annual Youth Pride level. In addition, he's not a wielder. His stamina won't be able to take the toll."

"I see." Dominic concluded that Hayden's eye of discernment was higher than his own. Today, he confirmed the saying: 'There's always someone better than you.' 'In retrospect, he doesn't flaunt his skill at all. During one interview, he was modest, giving credits to his teammates instead. During his talk show interview, his tone didn't contain a single hint of conceit whenever he'd inform the people of what he can do. Interesting guy…'

Sophia naturally overheard this. She was impressed of how modest Hayden was. Anybody with that skill have the rights to have a bit of an attitude, yet, Hayden doesn't have an 'attitude.'

At least not the normal 'attitude' that people refer to. Hayden's flaw was that he had no way with his words at all. 'Or he doesn't try to sugarcoat it at all. He's a straightforward dude. That's… Not an attitude at all.'

Abruptly, the smell of attraction flew into Hayden's nose. Hayden gazed at Sophia in dismay. She made eye contact with Hayden with a calm face.

Hayden disregarded her. He had a troublesome (in a cute, not bothersome at all, way) woman on his tail. A tsundere that keeps 'lovingly' insulting him. Mieko asking for a collaboration. There's also that meaningful eye contact with Shu-Ching.

'Ahh, complicated shit.' Hayden sighed internally. If any VERSE heard this, they'd hunt Hayden with stakes and pitchforks. The fuck complicated are you talking about? Go fucking get them for crying out loud! They're into you! Anybody would sell their souls to the devil in a heartbeat if it meant being in your position!

Anyhow, for the remainder of the morning, Hayden coordinated with Dominic on creating the best training regimens for each of the people through their plays.

Being two wielders with mental-related Abilities, noting these down wasn't necessary. They only noted it down mentally. As for Sophia, she served the players with refreshments and gave them words of encouragement.

With her beauty, it was a cinch to pump the players up. A beauty, cheering them on? Who wouldn't be energized. Just look at Hayden. Mere messages and pictures from CHORUS members rejuvenated him. What of these people?

Moving on. It was lunch time. Hayden didn't let the people leave at all. First, you may wonder why Hayden took the SUV and not the rail transit to go here?

To answer this, as part of the team, Hayden didn't have the desire to lose. Consequently, Hayden cooked them delicious and nutritious meals that was designed for athletes.

There were three items. A burrito packed with high-quality beef, beans, vegetables, salsa, chicken breast, and many more. A chocolate-flavored protein shakes. And a chocolate protein pudding.

All of the basketball player was astonished of this. Nevertheless, as Hayden didn't provide an explanation, they assumed that he paid for this and did not make it himself.

"Did you make all this?" Dominic leaned to Hayden inconspicuously whilst he was distributing the lunch items. Dominic had a burrito in hand. "These are delicious. Appropriates for athletes to boot."

"Precisely." Hayden answered casually. "They're going to need the energy. I don't want to be on a losing team. If I'm in this, I'm going to give it my all. Except lead. I hate that shit."

"Yeah, yeah, you made yourself clear." Dominic chuckled. He was liking Hayden more and more. No, not in a romantic way.

When Hayden was done distributing this, he took off with four sets of lunchboxes, water bottles, and a towel on hand. Nobody questioned his departure as they were too focused on wolfing down their food.

Hayden navigated through the complex to the court that Daniel was in. Within, Hayden could hear the dribbling and the faint sound of sweat falling off of Daniel.

He walked in without manners. The two cognizant beasts were on the side, sleeping. Daniel didn't notice him. Hayden concluded that he was in the 'zone.' He shouted, "Going in the zone for practice? That's something. Don't overwork yourself. We're wielders, but we're still part human. There's a limit to our essence energy circulation."

Hayden's voice pulled Daniel out of the zone. Daniel supported his body by resting his hands on his knees. "H-hey. What time is it?"

"It's lunchtime." Hayden walked to Daniel, handing him the towel. "You got it all down?"

"You bet I did." Daniel wiped his sweat off, stretching for a bit prior to sitting on the floor. As wielders, they were less prone to cramps. "What's that?"

"Lunch." Hayden gave Daniel the lunchbox and water bottle. "Can't practice on an empty stomach. Made it myself."

"You can cook?" Daniel was surprised of Hayden. "Wait, wait. Sorry, I shouldn't have overreacted. Of course you can cook. You're always alone."

When Daniel opened the lunchbox, he gawked at it. "What the hell, dude? When you said cook, I thought of simple food!"

"Just eat it." Hayden walked to the two beasts woke them up, opened two of the lunchboxes and gave it to them. Next, he sat adjacent to Daniel cross-legged.

Whilst eating, Hayden and Daniel conversed on ways to further Daniel's dribbling skills. Hayden gave him simple pointers.

"Next thing you've got to learn is passing the ball and court awareness." Hayden chowed down the last remaining bit of his burrito. "Let me guess, you want to ask why you're not going to score points yet?"

Daniel stared at Hayden incredulously as he similarly bit the last piece of his burrito. "Well, scoring points is a walk in the park with our brain processing enhancement. Aside from that, if we don't make it in time for your practice of shooting, I got you. All I want is someone who can control the ball seamlessly to allow me a quicker and more efficient way to bypass the guards."

"There's the Hayden I know." Daniel did the finger guns at Hayden. "With my reflexes, catching a pass is a piece of cake. Making a solid pass is also easy."

"Really?" Hayden finished up his pudding. "This kind of lax outlook is why players can't improve. Remember, treat everything as if it's hard. I have no doubts it will be as easy as drinking that shake for you, yet, you should put your all on everything you do."

"Yeah, yeah." Daniel rolled his eyes. "You always give me this lecture of effort."

"Again, Spartan Training." Hayden shrugged. "You agreed to do this with me without disobeying my word. It's your fault that you didn't consider the consequences."

"Uh, I never should've agreed on the 'without disobeying my word' part!" Daniel acted as if he protested. The two laughed at their own silliness. "Okay, when will we start?"

"In a few minutes." With their metabolism, in a few minutes, they will be able to practice. "All joking off the table, I know you won't let me down. You can do this."

"Can't believe you trust me that much." Daniel chuckled. "I'm not that trustworthy, eh? I betrayed you many times."

"Eh, I really don't mind you telling them of my Ability." Hayden shrugged. "Well, in the present at least. I minded it back then. Water under the bridge."

Daniel deduced that Hayden was a loyal person at heart. He simply didn't express it. 'He really is a reliable person. How does he do it so effortlessly?'

A reminder of Hayden resounded in his heart. "Remember, you are your own person. You don't have to be entirely unique. Act yourself, that's it. Don't let society restrain your inner person, at least the good part. The bad part, restrain that. Don't let society dictate who you will be. Unless it's your dark side, suppress that. Nothing will come good if you don't suppress that. Think for yourself. Whenever you are lost or insecure, remember who you are and what makes you, you."