Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 73 - 72: The Beginning of a New Journey [3]

"What do you mean, ’if he’s human’? Of course he is!" Hayne blurted to his uncle.

His uncle, however, remained silent, studying his nephew with an unreadable expression. His gaze flickered toward Seiya, and he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that his eyes and instincts saw something different—something other than human.

"Anyway, he needs help," Hayne urged, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

His uncle sighed. He had countless questions for Hayne—questions about his years of absence, about where he had been all this time—but as much as he would have liked to sit down and discuss Hayne’s years of absence, he knew his nephew’s mind was elsewhere—preoccupied with the strange group he had brought along into the shop. With that in mind, he followed Hayne toward Seiya.

"Who are they?" he asked as they walked.

Hayne reached Seiya, who was seated against the wall, and crouched beside him. "He’s my friend," he said, then gestured toward the unconscious woman. "That’s his mother, and that one—" he hesitated before looking toward the elite, "is a human."

His uncle gave Hayne a blank stare at that last remark but chose not to comment.

"Why is she unconscious?" he asked instead, lowering himself to examine Seiya’s face.

"She’s sick," Hayne explained. "She usually wakes up at night. We’re hoping to treat her here."

After a brief moment of hesitation, the man gently tilted Seiya’s face upward—and immediately recoiled at the sight of blood smeared thickly over his eyes.

"This is serious!" he exclaimed.

"What happened?" His gaze snapped to Hayne, demanding an explanation.

"He says the sun scorches his eyes. Severe light sensitivity, I think," Hayne answered.

"We should take him to a hospi—"

"No hospitals," Seiya interjected, his tone firm.

His uncle and Hayne exchanged glances.

"Sei," Hayne pressed, concern evident in his voice. "Why don’t you want to go? With my uncle here—there won’t be any complications."

"There’s no need," Seiya replied calmly. "I just need something to shield my eyes from the sun and any bright light."

Hayne tried to recall if Seiya had ever shown this level of sensitivity back at the facility, but he couldn’t remember any such instance. Then again, they had been separated frequently, and the artificial lighting there was nothing like the harshness of natural sunlight. Seiya had always worn a thick sleep mask after losing his sight, and his missions were one he was only allowed to operate at night, so it was possible he had suffered in silence.

Knowing Seiya’s stubbornness, and that he won’t easily be persuaded, Hayne exhaled in resignation.

Exhaling yet again, Hayne turned to his uncle. "Uncle, I’d appreciate it if you let us rest at your place," he suggested.

His uncle ran a hand through his hair with a heavy sigh. "Fine. But when we get there, we will talk. You owe me an explanation," he said, moving to lock up the shop.

Before they could leave, he threw another glance at the elite, noting the unnatural angle his wrists hung.

"And what about that one?" He gestured toward the elite’s broken limbs.

"They’re broken… well, shattered," Hayne admitted bluntly. "We’d also appreciate it if you could help us find a healer." He gave his uncle a sheepish smile.

His uncle shot him a deadpan look. "Do you think healers grow on trees?"

Hayne could only chuckle awkwardly in response.

"And it’s not like we can waltz into the Saviors of Humanity Academy and demand one, either," his uncle added with a huff. "The best option is to take him to a hospital."

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After locking up his shop, the man led Hayne and his companions to his home. As he pushed open the door, his gaze flickered to Seiya, a deep sense of unease coiling in his gut. Letting someone—or rather, something he doesn’t feel right with, into his home made his skin crawl. He silently thanked his luck that his wife and children were away, visiting her parents.

The moment they stepped inside, Hayne’s eyes widened in amazement. "Wow!" Hayne whistled, taking in the spacious interior. His eyes wandered over the sleek designs and neatly arranged furniture, a stark contrast to the chaotic mess he had always associated with his uncle. "You really stepped up your game," he remarked, impressed.

Marriage truly changes a man, Hayne mused as he guided Seiya inside, Seiya’s mother still resting against his back, unconscious.

His uncle guided Hayne to a room, where he carefully laid Seiya’s mother onto the bed, ensuring she was comfortable before stepping back. With that settled, they returned to the living room, where Seiya and the elite remained.

Without a word, Hayne fetched a cloth and water, kneeling before Seiya to clean the thick smear of blood from his eyes and face. His movements were firm yet cautious, wiping away every trace of red until the skin beneath was clear. Once finished, he took a fresh cloth and carefully wrapped it around Seiya’s eyes, blindfolding him as requested.

"Does it still hurt?" Hayne asked, setting aside the now bloodstained cloth and bowl of red-tinged water.

"It’s fading," Seiya replied.

A few feet away, Hayne’s uncle remained standing, arms crossed as he observed the quiet interaction between the two. Then, with a subtle twitch of his brows and small jerk of his head, he gestured for Hayne to step aside and follow him.

"I’ll be right back," Hayne murmured to Seiya before following his uncle out of the living room, leaving Seiya and the elite behind.

Some time later, Hayne returned, his uncle trailing behind him with an expression heavy with discontent. Despite his repeated demands for answers about where Hayne had been all these years, his nephew had evaded the questions, offering vague responses and half-truths. At one point, he even claimed not to remember everything, insisting that what mattered was that he was back.

No matter how much his uncle pressed, Hayne remained guarded. The man didn’t want to pry too much, yet it pained him to see his nephew so unwilling to open up. Still, despite his frustration, a deep sense of relief filled him—Hayne had returned, and that alone meant more than words could express.

But there was another problem. With a wife and children to think about, his uncle wasn’t comfortable letting Seiya and the others stay in his home—especially Seiya. After some thought, he suggested they move into his old house, the same one they had visited earlier.

They didn’t leave immediately, though. First, they ate a proper meal—one they hadn’t had in days. Afterward, Hayne and his uncle went out to buy clothes. Their uniforms were worn and tattered, and Seiya, in particular, looked especially unkempt.

Once they returned, Hayne allowed everyone a few hours of rest before they finally prepared to leave. His uncle drove them to the old house and stayed to help clean, ensuring the space was livable. He also took them shopping for essentials, handing Hayne some money before bidding them farewell in the evening.

As the evening deepened, Seiya and the elite remained in the living room. Seiya lay stretched out on the three-seater couch, while the elite rested on the bare floor. A heavy silence settled between them, neither speaking nor moving much—until the quiet was abruptly shattered.

Hayne burst into the room, his breath quick, eyes alight with barely contained excitement.

"Sei—your mom!" he exclaimed, his voice urgent. "She spoke!" He paused, nearly breathless. "She called your name!"