CHAPTER 10

The Earth territory was in the southeast of Diwana, so the group needed to travel northwest to reach Gahala, located at Diwana's center.

They would pass through other territories, and thus Hanan decided to tour Hirayon as well. Their first stop was the Shadow Territory, with towering buildings and infrastructures.

Hirayon was startled at the difference from the Earth Territory. Aside from the oddities who wore grey and black clothes, Hirayon noticed how the large buildings created a lot of shade. Even though the sun was high, there was no place where the sunlight hit the ground. The whole territory was chill, just like their chief, who made his way and joined Hanan's group on tour. Although he seemed extremely busy, his free-spirited attitude didn't let him be buried in work, knowing that another chief was in his territory.

"Chief Hanan, where should we go next?" the chief of Shadow Clan asked as he looked at the floating hologram that showed all the attractions and destinations in his territory.

Hanan looked at Hirayon, "Would you like to check their bookstore first or the shopping center?"

"What's in the shopping center?" Hirayon asked.

Hanan looked at Zeno, indicating him to answer Hirayon. Because he is the chief and spends most of his time in his office, he isn't sure what shops are in the shopping centers.

Zeno gave Hirayon a small smile, "There are shops for food, clothing, weapon, pills and capsules, Aura stones, Aura Cores, and a lot more."

"Why not go to Gallety?" The Shadow Clan chief asked and looked at the three.

Hirayon looked up at Zeno, "Gallety?"

"Gallety, or Oddity Gallery, is similar to a shopping center and has branches all over Diwana. Regular shopping centers sell products that can be found in the territory, while Gallety sells products that come from different territories," Zeno explained.

Hanan looked at Onin, the Shadow Clan chief, and answered. "We have Gallety at the Water Clan as well. I want Hirayon to see the products of this clan."

Onin nodded in understanding and gave a respectful smile at Hanan. Even though they are both chiefs, Hanan is one of the most powerful Prime Oddities, earning respect from all the other chiefs, including Onin. "I understand. It would be my pleasure to present my clan's products. I'll lead the way."

"Wait," Hanan stopped Onin and looked at his son, "Shopping center or the bookstore?" He asked, not forgetting to get Hirayon's opinion.

Onin looked at Hanan with admiration and subtle amusement. He is one of the chiefs who were surprised and happy that Hanan found his son. Although Onin didn't question Hanan directly about Hirayon's identity, it was clear to him who Hirayon was after watching how the chief treated his son.

"I want to go to the shopping center," Hirayon answered.

When the group reached their destination, Hirayon's eyes wandered everywhere, like he did after leaving the health facility. Hanan observed his son and invited him to enter different shops.

They were about to enter a restaurant for lunch when Hirayon stopped walking. He noticed a kid wearing dirty clothes crouching in front of the diner. The gaunt kid was counting his money and looked at it with troubled, contemplating eyes.

"What's wrong?" Hanan asked Hirayon and followed his gaze.

When Hanan saw the kid, he gave his son a worried look. He feared Hirayon would be reminded of his life in the forest.

Contrary to his thoughts, Hirayon looked at him with a composed look, "He looked hungry."

Hanan gave Hirayon a nod, "He does. Do you want to give him some food?"

"Can we?" Hirayon asked with hopeful eyes. He wanted the child to have good food like he did in the health facility.

"Of course, let's buy him some," Hanan said, ushering Hirayon inside. They ordered food for themselves and takeout for the child outside.

"Give it to him," Hanan said, giving Hirayon a bag brimming with food and eyed his secretary.

Zeno understood his order and accompanied Hirayon outside. They then approached the kid, and Hirayon immediately offered the bag.

When the skinny child saw the bag, he looked at Hirayon with confusion and surprise. It was his first time being given food, and he did not expect to get it from a child who was similarly as scrawny as him.

"Why?" the child muttered in a small raspy voice. It seemed like he did not drink water for a long time.

"You look hungry."

"I am..." the child trailed. Contemplating if what was happening was real.

When Hirayon urged him to get the bag, the child slowly took it with quivering hands.

"Thank you," he said as he hugged the bag as if his life depended on it, clearly showing the two how starved and needy the child was.

Zeno also gave the child some money which made the child shake in so much delight. They were about to leave to eat inside when the child called.

"Wait! Your names? What are they?" he asked.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Zeno smiled at the child, "I'm Zeno, and this is my young master Hirayon."

"You?" Hirayon asked.

The kid smiled at the two. "I am Hirang, and thank you again," he said before quickly running away.

After eating lunch, they continued their tour and eventually said their goodbyes to Onin.

The group continued traveling southwest after getting back to the road. They also accumulated a lot of food and souvenirs from their stops thanks to Hanan, who wants to spoil his son.

"Don't you have any questions?" Hanan curiously asked after watching Hirayon read the book for over an hour.

They were sitting on the sofa, and Hirayon was reading a book about oddities.

It was said in the book that every oddity can enter its Core Space once they reach the right age. Although some were advanced or late, most could enter during their adolescence. It usually differs depending on how strong the oddities' bodies are and the Elemental Aura of the place where they live. They needed to control their power to enter the Core Space, so it was beneficial to have the right environment with their elemental affinity.

After entering the Core Space, the oddity will see the Aura Ring, a large glowing white ring made out of Aura, which signifies how big or vast the oddities' Aura capacity was. In the middle of the ring was the Core Orb, an orb full of swirling Aura in the color of the oddities' element. At first, the orb would be translucent, or the shade would be lighter, and the stronger the person became, the more solid the color was. Its appearance is also mesmerizing. It is not like a solid core but looks like a planet with the Elemental Aura whirling inside. If the oddity gained another element, the color would be added to the orb, mixing with the first element but not combining, creating a colorful sphere similar to a marbled stone.

Hirayon looked at Hanan. That was the ninth time that his father asked him if he had questions about the book.

Although he understood everything he had read, he humored his father by asking him a question.

"When were you able to enter your Core Space?"

Hanan let out a contented smile, "When I was 12."

"What's the color of your Aura?" Hirayon followed.

"It's silver blue like my eyes," Hanan answered, pointing his finger at his eyes.

"How about Mr. Zeno? What is your element?"

Zeno looked at Hirayon and smiled, "Please simply call me Zeno. For your question, my element is water, and my Aura is blue-green." Zeno then used his ability to let out water in a blue-green color. He manipulated it, shaping it in different forms before swirling it around Hirayon and returning it to his hand.

"Will my Core Orb be in blue color as well?" Hirayon asked the two.

"There's a huge possibility, but not all water element users have a blue core. Some people like Zeno and I were a mix of two colors, with blue being dominant. You will know your color depending on your Aura and abilities," Hanan explained while showing his own Aura.

Hirayon used one of his abilities and manifested a Water Orb. The water on his hand slowly formed into a sphere and became more translucent bluish-violet water. "Does that mean my Core Orb would be blue with a hint of violet?"

"Yes. It's like your eyes," Hanan said and watched the Water Orb with proud eyes.

"Is there a way to quickly enter my Core Space?" Hirayon asked as he imagined the Water Orb as his Core Orb. He read in the book that once an oddity could enter his Core Space, they could train inside and gain more abilities faster.

"Usually, oddities can't do anything other than wait until they are at the right age, but some would travel with their kids in places with dense Elemental Aura. But I don't really like that idea because it is dangerous. Why do you ask?"

Before, Hanan didn't give much attention to parents who brought their children deep into forests so their kids would develop faster. But now that he has a son, he realized how unsafe it was and considered implementing a rule to prevent the parents from pushing their children.

Although most parents sincerely cherish their offspring, as there is a clear hierarchy and benefits for powerful oddities, some are still desperate to make their child gain a title as soon as possible and train them rigorously to be a ranked oddity.

Aside from the titles that indicate what rank an oddity is, another ranking within the territory measures the capabilities of oddities enrolled in the academy. Top students are ranked depending on their titles and potential. The top twenty would then be representatives and sent to Gahala to compete with other clans. As the twenty would receive many benefits and sponsorships, the competition was really tight and intense, not just for children but for their parents as well.

Hirayon watched his Water Orb slowly evaporate. "I want to grow strong fast."

Hanan curiously stared at his son's determined eyes. Hirayon usually looks at everything in wonder and interest, but sometimes his eyes display maturity and tenacity. "Why do you want to become strong?"

"Mama always told me I must be strong so no one can hurt me. She said that I must learn to protect myself and not depend on others," Hirayon answered, remembering Marin's words.

Hanan felt strange seeing his child wanting to be strong for himself. He is glad that Hirayon has a dream and wants to be independent, but as a parent, he wishes his young son would rely on him more and feel safe under his protection. But with Hirayon's experiences, Hanan understands why he wants to become strong.

"Then I will look for a safe way so you can try to enter your Core Space soon. Aside from that, do you have any other questions or requests?"

Hirayon thought momentarily before flipping the pages back to the term he saw and didn't understand. "What is the Oddilens?"

"Oh, I'll answer that. Oddilens is a contact lens that oddities put in their eyes. It was infused with a program for oddities to easily access everything about Diwana using their eyes and mind. It has a lot of functions, and one of them lets you see things that would be invisible to others," Zeno explained and asked Oddi to present a hologram showing Oddilens.

"Do you see whenever I am facing nothing as if zoning out? I am actually using Oddiles and reading or watching something. If you search or use your lens, something will appear in front of you as a hologram, and only you can see it unless you allow other people to see it as well," Zeno added.

Hirayon quickly understood its worth. 'I can read as much as I want and learn so much if I have that.'

"Is it expensive?" Hirayon asked.

"There are cheaper versions available for the public, but if you want one, I can buy you the most updated version, but you can only use it when you are 16," Hanan said. "Before that, you could only use cell phones which are an older version of Oddilens but still quite helpful, especially to children," he added, which made Hirayon frown.

His excitement died down. "Why can I only use it when I am 16?"

"Because there are tons of inappropriate content on the net, and Oddilens also requires a mature developed mind. You can only use cell phones right now," Hanan explained strictly. He could remember a case where a parent allowed his child to use the Oddilens before the right age, and the kid experienced side effects after abusing his Aura to use the lens.

Hirayon contemplated and nodded, "How much is a cell phone?"

"I will buy you one once we reach Gahala. You need to be registered as a Diwana citizen first."

"No, you don't have to buy it. It was said in the book that it is expensive," Hirayon said. Hanan already gave him so much, and he didn't want to make him spend more.

"It's not too expensive, and I will buy it for you. That is because I'm not just any other person. I'm your father. As I told you, I am responsible for providing you with everything you need. I want to do it because I am your father," Hanan repeated.

Hirayon always tried to stop him whenever he wanted to buy something for him. Hanan understands that Hirayon doesn't want to depend on others, but he is his father. Hanan wants Hirayon to realize that he is just not any other stranger. He is family and a person he can rely on.

Hirayon looked at Hanan before returning his eyes to the book. Whenever Hanan would say something like that, he felt a strange emotion inside him.

'Would it really be alright to ask him for things?'

R E H I L I Y A