118 In The Fores

"A Varongar (Va-rong-gar) never rests." Jin answered casually. "Come on, you know that we Varongar family members don't rest from a lifetime."

"It's one thing for a typical Varongar. It's one thing for you." A phone materialized in her hands.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Jin suddenly transitioned to another language. It sounded as if it was a mix of the different languages all over the world. The two bantered in the mentioned language at that point.

"Ah, I missed these banters." A few minutes later, Ysa switched back to English. "I wonder when will Gafar and Hira come back…"

"Yeah, I miss them too." Jin sighed sentimentally. "Can't believe we all didn't keep in touch during our past lifetimes."

"Well, to be fair, we all were on different sides of the Earth." Ysa attempted to justify their detachment. "You were in the USA. I was in Europe. Gafar was in Australia. And Hira is in Taiwan. And we never did have a chance to impart our registered Identity Numbers."

"That's no excuse though." Jin rejected Ysa's attempt. "We have plenty of ways of communicating without the use of social media or Identity Numbers. "

"Guess we can't have an excuse, huh?" Ysa likewise sighed. "Guess we just grow out of our closeness sometimes, huh?"

On that note, the two's conversation ended. Their figures both flickered and disappeared.

…..

An hour passed. Hayden was lost in concentration. It has been an hour. So far, he wasn't disturbed. Thankfully. That's when a sharp sensation invaded the right side of his neck.

Hayden didn't look at the direction at all. He activated his Heavenly Sense to see if there was something or someone observing him. And indeed, there were two people, silently staring at him.

They didn't bother concealing their presences at all. As if they wanted to be found. From their outlines, it was a woman and a man.

In Hayden's heart, there was this lurking feeling of dread originating from the two. It was slightly terrifying. He concluded that the two were beyond him. Way, way beyond him. And Rhys. He didn't even have this fear when faced with the strongest Rhys.

'Are they Level 6?' Hayden asked himself as he continued his meditation. 'I don't think they have bad intentions…. Still, a Level 6, if that Level does exist, can easily kill me with a movement of their hand.'

Hayden took a deep breath. The sound of the Breathing Technique pervaded the confined space. How was he to breathe if there was a vacuum around him, you ask? Well, Hayden doesn't exactly maintain the vacuum all the time. It was only whenever he'd breathe to not let the sound escape.

Meanwhile, outside of the life force illusion enclosure, Jin and Ysa were eyeing the cross-legged Hayden. Ysa muttered, "He… Can use essence energy of the body. To this extent. As a Level 2."

"Yes, I can see that." Jin was similarly shocked, though this didn't show in his face. "How powerful is this guy's mental capacity?"

"We'd need someone like him for the battle between us and the Shubxia (Shu-shi-ya), right? Ysa questioned in uncertainty. "A Level 2? Maybe we can help him improve…?"

"It's merely essence energy of the body. I still don't see what's special with him." Jin muttered. "We can't let outsiders in that easily, you know? And he's a puny Level 2."

Naturally, this conversation was overheard by Hayden. Well, overheard was not the right term… It was more of an 'overfelt.' From the movement of their mouth, stomach, lungs, voice box, tongue, and the other parts that humans use to speak.

It was quite easy if you study it extensively. And have Divine Perception. Hayden mastered it a few days ago. At least for English.

'Shubxia? What race is that?' With his encounter of Dusk and Dawn, a Desrothis and a Hazium, Shubxia was definitely a cognizant race. 'The real question here is: Why are they talking of cognizants? And where can't they let outsiders in easily?'

For some reason, Hayden was reminded of the invasion in 30 years. 'Oh, like hell I'll be involved in that. As long as my family, girlfriends, and friends survive. I don't care for anybody else.'

Hayden peacefully continued his 'meditation.' Ysa and Jin continued on observing him. Hayden was sure that the two didn't have any intentions of killing him. After all, if they did, they could've ignored the masking barrier and already killed him.

They didn't speak or move subsequent to that conversation. Hell, they didn't even breathe nor blink. They stood there akin to statues. This persisted on for six hours. He commended the duo's patience.

When he was done with his circulation, it was already 8:00 AM. Hayden ceased his peak circulation and stood up.

That's when the two approached him. A man's deep voice entered Hayden's ears. "Good morning, good friend."

Hayden saw him and was dazed. He recognized him clearly. It was Keaton Rivera! A world-renowned Hollywood (1) actor that made dozens of best-selling action movies, both digitally and in the big-screen.

'That's impossible… He's… Dead… At 90 years old…' Hayden couldn't believe his eyes at all. 'Is he….'

"Don't overthink it. I'm a wielder." As if reading his mind, Jin dismissively waved his hands. "You'll understand. This is my true form. I'm dead, blah blah blah, but I'm not. Because I'm a wielder."

"If you can alter your age, why should I trust you then?" Hayden squinted his eyes. "How do I know if this is your true shape, Mr. Keaton?"

Hayden activated his Heavenly Sense's aura. He was shocked of what he witnessed. Those two's auras were the whitest he's seen so far! With the woman's being so absurdly white that he couldn't look at her for a long time. 'What a pure heart.'

If this Heavenly Sense was indeed based on his own sense of morality, the woman in front of him had the qualities of: Being unconditionally helpful and kind to anybody. Sees the good in people no matter their past actions. A trusting woman to the point of naiveté.

Hayden was thankful that such people existed, but damn were they naïve. They were precious and annoying at the same time. Hayden hoped that his assumptions were wrong. A woman with this kind of personality existing at this time and age was cruel.

Of course, this was based on Hayden's own understanding of his Ability. It was an assumption. He didn't fully grasp it as there was no explanation from the Origin Crystal.

"Why would I have to hide my shape to a mere Level 2 wielder?" Jin replied impassively. Although he did remain friendly. "I can slap you and you'll be dead."

"Fair enough." Hayden bobbed his head. "May I inquire what business do you have by seeking out this 'mere' Level 2 then? I'm sure you could see through my 'essence energy of the body' cover."

"A straightforward man." Jin snorted as he smiled. "We simply didn't want to disturb a hardworking Level 2. As for our business…. We'd like you to come with us. We won't hurt you."

"Why should I trust you?" Hayden asked in suspicion. "You do know that people who says 'we won't hurt you' has a higher chance of going back on their word."

"Skeptical kid. I don't blame you." Jin and Ysa made eye contact. Ysa stepped up. "Okay, I'm going to do this then. Origin Oath."

When Ysa muttered the words 'Origin Oath,' her chest started to emit light. "I hereby swear that I, nor any of my allies, will inflict any kind of harm to the masked man in front of me. We will also not force any kind of activity upon him. This will be in effect for 12 hours. If I, or any person I deem as an ally fails to do so, I will be tortured for seven days and nights. And, in the end, will explode to violently."

A blinding light escaped from the Ysa's chest through her clothes. Hayden had to close and cover his eyes to protect it. "There. I made an Origin Oath."

At this point, Jin stared at Ysa. He was discombobulated of the events. 'You better be sure that this kid is special. Or else you'll die.'

"I don't even know what that is." Hayden rapidly blinked. "What is an Origin Oath? How can I trust something that I don't know actually exists or not?"

Jin was speechless. Ysa was literally putting her life on the line to gain Hayden's trust, yet… Jin glanced at Ysa and her expression was 'never been treated in this way in her life' written all over it.

"Let me put this out there. All we want is to help you." Ysa kindly smiled at Hayden. This was the genuine smile that makes you want to trust her. However, Hayden wasn't the kind of person to fall for that. "Okay, how about this. We give you information to let us help you."

"What the…." Hayden was absolutely bewildered. "You two are insane. You're the one helping me, yet you're the one who will pay me? There's no such thing as free lunch in this world. Why are you giving me this kind of treatment?"

The two made eye contact at Hayden's inquiry. If his distrust on the Origin Oath stems from not understanding it, Hayden's alignment to not take something was a whole another thing. This was ridiculous!

"Because we have a duty to help." Ysa solemnly declared. "We cannot turn our backs to the weak people. Also, I can sense something special in you."

Hayden didn't speak. His eyes, visible through the eyeholes, were squinted. Ysa continued, "We are the Overseers. The protectors of this island. I am Ysa of the Kilch Family. This here is Jin of the Varongar Family."

By this point, Jin has relented to Ysa's will. 'Anyhow, someone from the Kilch Family has never failed to see somebody's value anyway.'

"Overseers, huh?" Hayden calmly eyed the two. "No, there's something here. Something huge. I can sense it. I won't pry any longer. What is an Origin Oath?"

"An Origin Oath is a sacred oath that cannot be broken." Isabella patiently expounded for Hayden. "It involves the will of the oath taker. We don't exactly grasp of how it works, howbeit, it's explained as: "Once broken, the heavens will be angered and will smite the oath taker of the consequence they promised to take. If not specified, the oath taker will be stricken with a punishment equivalent to the weight of the oath as judged by the universe.""

"Interesting." Hayden felt that this was one of those contracts. "Have you guys heard of an Origin Bonding Contract?"

"Origin Bonding Contract. A contract that can be formed between two compatible parties, wielder or cognizant." Jin put his right hand's index finger and thumb into his mouth. He whistled.

A few seconds later, a deep guttural roar resounded throughout the forest. A black and red streak can be seen running around. Even with his Divine Perception, Hayden couldn't make out the shape of this creature.

A quadrupedal that has the general shape of a feline. It had beautiful crimson eyes, with black fur. Along the side of its abdomen was a flame streak. Its claws were glowing black. Its tail has a sharp iron barb. Underneath its fur was a muscular body.

It purred and rubbed its head at Jin's legs prior to giving Hayden a stink eye. Hayden tilted his head to the right, making eye contact with the feline. The feline growled angrily, akin to a black panther's, at him. From the aura it exuded, Hayden could tell it was stronger than him.

Nevertheless, that didn't stop him from communicating with it. He slowly approached it. The feline lowered its stance, ready to pounce at him. Whenever Hayden takes a step, the feline would step back.

Hayden crouched. An oval container materialized in his hand. Opening it, well-done steak that was still smoking was within. Hayden picked the steak up with his left index finger and thumb.

The feline's aggressive expression softened. Its nose sniffed the air twice. It focused on the steak on Hayden's hands. Hayden extended his right hand, inviting the feline.

On the side, Ysa and Jin were stunned. Was Hayden… Attempting to tame a… Cognizant? A bonded Cognizant? With food? Although they knew Hayden would fail, they decided to watch.

That's until they witnessed the feline's aggressive expression becoming gentler. It was bizarre for them. Especially Jin. The smell from that steak was alluring for him, too, but it cannot possibly allure the feline to the point of being tamed, right? He was mistaken.

The feline hesitated. Its irises darted back and forth between Hayden's eyes and the steak. Ultimately, it succumbed. The feline reluctantly moved forward. It blinked at Hayden.

Hayden extended his hands further. The feline moved back a step. Hayden shook the thick delicious-looking steak. He progressively lowered the steak down. The steak was on the ground now.

He moved back a step. The feline pounced on it, devouring it with a single bite. When it finished, it looked up at Hayden. On Hayden's hands was another steak.

This time, the feline didn't hesitate at all. Its figure flashed, appearing in front of Hayden. It devoured the steak on Hayden's hands. Hayden put his hand on its head as it chewed the steak.

The feline didn't retaliate. On the contrary, it purred, as if enjoying Hayden's touch. A few seconds later, it pounced on Hayden, rubbing its head on his clothes. "Oh, you're friendly. Were they not feeding you good food?"

It roared, as if agreeing. It turned its head back to Jin sourly. Jin's eyes widened. He communicated with the feline telepathically. It ignored him, continuing to fawn over Hayden.

Jin didn't speak any longer. He grasped the fact that his cooking was subpar. You might think that a man his age would at least be able to cook delicious meals, but no. 'It seems that my initial conjecture was correct. 300 years. Why didn't I test this? So stupid.'

"Do you want to go to his tutelage?" Instead, Jin offered the feline a transfer. This will not be a loss on his part as the feline was a puny Level 3 and a recent acquisition. If this was one of his stronger cognizants, he'll be reluctant.

"You'll give him to me?" Hayden stood up, petting the feline on the head. "Again, why are you so kind?"

"You haven't received much kindness from strangers, haven't you?" Ysa smiled at him with blatant pity. "Must've been hard for you."

"Not falling for the sympathy trick, Ms. Ysa." Hayden shook his head in dismay. This was one of the oldest tricks in the book. "However, yes. All strangers, except for a select few, I've met have been trying to kill me. I have to be on my toes every second of the day."

Hayden crouched in front of the feline. It grinned at him. Terrifyingly. If it wasn't for Hayden understanding this was friendly, anybody would mistake this grin as a 'hungrily eyeing its prey' grin.

"He's yours." Witnessing the chemistry between Hayden and the feline, Jin was impressed. "You have a natural affinity with any animal, don't you?"

"I've always loved them, and they liked me back." Hayden answered whilst playing with the feline. "Excluding birds. Other than a handful, birds hate me for some reason. It's worse with seagulls and ravens."

"I release you." A light blasted out of the two's Origin Crystals on their chests. The sound of glass shattering permeated in the surrounding air.

The feline roared. Hayden said, "Okay, okay, I understand."

Infusing life force into his clothes, Hayden exposed his Origin Crystal. The feline booped it with its nose. A pillar of light rose up, engulfing the two of them up.

"Voluntary contracting, huh?" Jin sounded surprised. "That's rare. Guess he really didn't like the food I feed him."

Tons of information surged inside Hayden's mind. The feline's race was a Qirikian (Ki-ri-kyan). In English, it roughly translates to Shadow Panther. This cognizant can hide in the shadows of its owner. And he was a Level 3, to boot.

"You are now Shadow." Hayden said to Shadow. Shadow purred as it accepted its new name.

"Thank you for handing it." Hayden would be stupid if he chose not to trust them in spite of this. Anybody evil would never do something remotely close to this. "What do you want in return for it?"

"Nothing. I'm an animal lover myself." Jin said. "As for payment. Come with us? Ms. Ysa here has already made an oath that puts her life on the line. That'd be a waste."

"Sure." Hayden telepathically ordered the panther to go into his shadow. It was happy to do so. After all, if Hayden dies, the food it ate earlier would be gone.

"Finally." Jin heaved a sigh of relief. "Come. If you want to reach Level 3 by the end of the week, then you'll want to come with us."

"Are you always this amicable to trespassers?" Hayden walked shoulder to shoulder with them. He had no plans on running away at all as he had no chance of running away.

"We will usually let them go." Ysa responded. "Unless we can see that they're having malicious thoughts. Or a trash human being that the world will be better off without."

"How do you judge them though?" Hayden asked. "Can you see their personalities? Read their minds? Future actions?"

"Ysa here has a gift." Jin was the one to speak this time around. "Her family, the Kilch, has the power of Soul Peering Eye. It is not considered an Ability and is an Innate Gift. Her left eye grants her the power to read a creatures' soul. That means it allows her to skim through a person's personality, morality, alignment, goodness and corruption, what you want the most, and, if focused enough, the memories of your soul. Unfortunately, reincarnation was disproven by their family through the use of it. Or at least, reincarnation to this world."

"Wow, that's awfully overpowered for not being an Ability." Hayden couldn't contain his own disbelief. "May I ask of my morality and alignment?"

"A true neutral." Ysa casually took a cursory glance at him. "An incredibly balanced person with an extremely balanced amount of conviction and principles. Not a good person, not a bad person. For your alignment, you are still on neutral. Not anybody's. Howbeit, your loyalties and intentions are all pure. You're juggling between the line of a true neutral and neutral good."

Hayden was stunned of the sudden DnD Alignment System reference. It was one of the few things that he thought would be the basis of his Heavenly Sense's aura reading.