Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 72 - 71: The Beginning of a New Journey [2]

The man—Hayne’s uncle—sat frozen, his body rigid as he stared at his nephew in stunned disbelief. For a long moment, he did not move. Then, as his eyes drifted past Hayne and landed on the figure behind him, they widened in sheer horror, as if he had laid eyes on something not human.

Without warning, he sprang to his feet, terror overtaking his reason as he lunged forward.

Hayne barely had time to react before his uncle rushed past him, dagger in hand, aiming directly for Seiya. The man’s dagger arced downward , but before the blade could reach its mark, Seiya’s elites intercepted, delivering a sharp elbow to the man’s face and following up with a swift, brutal kick to the back of his knee.

The impact forced the man to the ground, his knee slamming against the floor. But he recovered almost instantly, pushing himself back up, ready to fight.

However, before he could launch another attack, Hayne seized his arm from behind, yanking him backward. Hayne’s hold on Seiya’s unconscious mother loosened for a fleeting moment, but he quickly readjusted his hold, ensuring she remained secure on his back.

"What are you doing?" Hayne demanded, his voice heated. His brows furrowed in frustration as he fixed his uncle with an intense glare.

The sheer terror that gripped Hayne was beyond words. His uncle had lunged at none other than Seiya—an act as reckless as inviting death itself. He had only just reunited with him, and already, he was testing fate. The thought sent a sickening fear twisting in Hayne’s gut.

Noting the weight of Hayne’s glare and the sharp edge in his voice, his uncle faltered, taking an uneasy step back.

Seiya, meanwhile, remained motionless. One hand hovered over his closed eyes, while the other clenched tightly around his staff. He said nothing. Though his vision was momentarily impaired, he had heard it—the frantic, pulsing heart that had lunged at him, carrying a violent intent. But with his vision straining him, he had failed to react in time.

Though it hardly mattered because his elite had intervened. But even if his elite hadn’t, the man wouldn’t have been able to leave so much as a scratch on him.

"Hayne…" the man exhaled, his voice unsteady, thick with emotion.

But whatever sentiment he wished to express was overshadowed by the terror that had gripped Hayne just moments ago. It was etched too deeply in his chest to be so easily dismissed.

"Why did you attack him?" Hayne demanded, his expression unwavering. He knew all too well that if things had escalated even a fraction further, Seiya wouldn’t have hesitated to erase his uncle from existence.

The man’s gaze flickered between Hayne and Seiya, then swept over the unfamiliar group that had just stepped into his shop with his nephew. He hesitated, seemingly struggling to find the right words.

But Hayne didn’t waver, his eyes locked onto his uncle, waiting for an explanation. A troubling thought crept into his mind. Had Seiya let out a wave of energy so overwhelming that it triggered his uncle’s instincts to attack? One he couldn’t sense.

"Was his presence too overwhelming?" Hayne pressed when the man remained silent.

His uncle’s eyes settled on Seiya, his expression unreadable. Then, at last, he answered.

"It’s the opposite."

Hayne’s eyes narrowed in question, urging him to continue.

"Everything about him feels… off." The man’s gaze lingered on Seiya, his face tight with unease. Even with his eyes closed, blood seeped from beneath his lashes, staining his skin like weeping ink.

"Huh?" Hayne frowned. "What do you mean?"

A heavy sigh left the man’s lips as if reluctant to explain. But finally, he spoke. "The moment you all stepped into my shop, I sensed you. All of you—your presence, your energy." He paused, shifting his gaze once more to Seiya. "But him? I couldn’t sense anything at all."

A chill ran through Hayne.

"Every living thing in this world has a presence—monsters, demons, even the smallest animals. But this one…" His uncle’s eyes bore into Seiya. "He has none. No presence, no energy. Nothing. I didn’t even realize there was someone behind you until you moved aside."

As Hayne listened to his uncle, confusion gripped him like a tightening vice. No presence? The idea seemed absurd. Seiya was one of the strongest people he knew—how could someone so powerful lack something so fundamental?

He was about to refute the claim—dismiss it outright—when a sudden realization struck him cold.

Had he ever sensed Seiya’s presence before?

They had been together for so long that he recognized Seiya instantly by his silhouette, his features, his voice, even the way he carried himself. But had he ever felt his energy? His aura?

His breath hung, pulse quickening.

Had there ever been a moment when he sensed Seiya’s bloodlust, his killing intent—even in battle? Try as he might, he couldn’t recall a single time.

Sure, Seiya’s appearance and presence alone was terrifying in its own right—his eyes, his voice, the sheer weight of his existence, enough to instill fear—even his tone was often cold and commanding. But had Hayne ever felt his energy and aura aside from the ones Seiya outright displays in front of him?

He had been so close for so long that he had never noticed.

And then another thought—one that sent a shiver down his spine.

Was this why The Riddars hadn’t pursued them at the bus terminal? Seiya was undeniably strong, a force that should have drawn their attention. Yet they had walked away without trouble. Was it because they simply hadn’t sensed him?

Slowly, Hayne turned to Seiya’s elite, searching his face for any reaction, any hint that might confirm his uncle’s words. But the elite’s expression remained unreadable, offering him no help at all.

Unsettled, Hayne shifted his gaze back to Seiya—only to be struck by the sight of fresh blood trickling down his face, staining his fingers and seeping between them.

Without another word, Hayne grabbed him and pulled him deeper into the shop, away from the harsh sunlight.

"We’ll talk about this later," he muttered over his shoulder to his uncle. "Just know that he isn’t a bad person."

Even as he led Seiya inside, the thought lingered heavily in his mind—was it truly possible for someone to have no presence at all?

His uncle watched them disappear into the shop, his expression heavy with caution and unease. Fear gnawed at him—not of his nephew, but of the enigmatic figure Hayne had brought with him.

He couldn’t help but ponder. Just what had his nephew brought home with him?

Still, for now, he forced those thoughts aside. Hayne had been missing for years, and the grief of his absence had nearly swallowed them whole. They had believed him dead. And now, here he was—standing before him as if he had never left, though with an entity his uncle couldn’t begin to comprehend. But the man wanted to cherish and live in the moment.

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes, the weight of the past crashing over him. The pain of loss, the years of uncertainty—it all came rushing back in an overwhelming flood. His vision blurred as he stared at Hayne, his body trembling with emotion.

Seeing this, Hayne sighed and gently set Seiya’s mother aside before stepping toward his uncle.

"What’s there to cry about?" he scoffed, though his voice held none of its usual sharpness. It was dim with the tears he was fighting to hold back. Then, without another word, he stepped into his uncle’s embrace.

And just like that, the floodgates broke open.

They clung to each other, letting the weight of the past wash over them in silence. For a long time, neither spoke—only the sound of quiet sobs filled the room as they mourned the lost years and found solace in the reunion.

At last, when the moment passed, Hayne’s uncle wiped his face and gave a shaky chuckle.

"Does Cyane and your dad know you’re back?" he asked, referring to Hayne’s parents.

"No," Hayne answered flatly. "And please don’t tell them, or they’ll be on the next flight here to ambush me."

His uncle chuckled. "You got that right."

A wistful look crossed his face. "I can’t imagine how overjoyed your mother will be when she sees you again." His voice softened with melancholy. "She never stopped waiting."

"I’ll go home when I’m done here," Hayne replied, then raised a brow. "More importantly, you don’t live in that ’oh-so-lovely’ house of yours anymore?" He smirked.

His uncle had always been absurdly attached to that house, the first property he had ever owned.

The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "My wife didn’t like it."

Hayne’s jaw nearly dropped. "You’re married?!"

His uncle blinked in disbelief before scowling. "You expected me to stay single forever?! Or did you think of me as pathetic and incapable of finding a partner?"

Hayne’s shock faded into awkward realization. He had been so caught up in his own world that he had forgotten how much time had passed. His uncle was no longer the young, slender man he once knew. He had aged—shorter, stockier, his face lined with years of experience.

A slow awkward chuckle escaped Hayne. "Sorry, haha."

His uncle sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

But before the warmth of the moment could settle, Hayne’s expression turned stern. The air around him shifted, his easygoing demeanor hardening into something sharper.

"We need to get his eyes treated," he said, nodding toward Seiya. "Can you help?"

His uncle’s gaze flickered toward Seiya, who sat a short distance away. A deep unease twisted in his chest.

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Then, turning back to Hayne, his expression grew firm.

"…Is he human?"

Hayne’s brow twitched. Was his uncle blind?

"Huh?" he scoffed, waiting for clarification.

But his uncle’s expression didn’t waver. His voice steady with his gaze unflinching, he asked again.

"Is he human?"