CHAPTER 11
The group traveled for days and toured a few more territories before finally reaching Gahala, the center of Diwana, where most global events and rankings are held.
Compared to other territories, the security at the border was stricter and more complicated. Even though Hanan is one of the chiefs and was already given special treatment, it took half an hour for the group to pass through the security. The reason is that the knights and personnel had to check everything he brought and will bring inside Gahala. They won't need to see the items, but they are using a device to check if all the things Hanan brought are registered to the system. Since he made a shopping spree for Hirayon the whole time, it took a lot of time to check and confirm that everything was a registered object.
After passing through the border, the group was immediately welcomed by bustling streets full of shops. Even though they were still in the outer part of the city, it was already lively and noisy.
Hirayon watched the view outside the window. Compared to the territories they have visited, Gahala was a mix of modern and elemental. The buildings are decorated uniquely, with traces of different elements everywhere.
The most striking thing for Hirayon was how technologically advanced the place was. Aside from the hover cars, Hirayon saw hovering transportation in different models and types. Some were in the shape of a sphere, and some were just plain platforms where an oddity stood. Moreover, there were also hovering orbs in the middle of the roads. It changes color to red, orange, and green every thirty seconds. Other than that, Hirayon also noticed larger hover spheres in grey. When he asked Zeno about it, he said it was a hover delivery. Its spatial function allows it to hold thousands of items and deliver them to houses.
Those were just some of the things that fascinated Hirayon. The more they traveled toward the inner part of Gahala, the more his eyes widened at the sight of things.
When the group arrived at the Oddity System, they entered the monumental building, and the soft bustling of busy people inside instantly became dead silent. They all felt the heavy pressure that a powerful oddity has.
One poor receptionist who lost at rock-paper-scissors stepped towards the group and gave a nervous, shaky smile. He greeted them and immediately guided them to a private room. When the group entered, a woman was sitting behind the desk. On top of it, there is a long plaque with the woman's name and the words Head of Oddity Registration Department. She was smiling professionally while bowing slightly to Hanan.
"It is my pleasure to assist you, Chief Hanan. I am Coreen, and it is truly an honor to meet one the greatest Prime Oddities in Diwana," she greeted professionally.
Hanan gave her an uninterested glance and led Hirayon to sit on the sofa before the desk.
"I want to register my son," he said coldly, making Coreen slightly nervous. Her knees would shake if she had no previous experience dealing with Prime Oddities. But since she has been doing this work for years, she knows how to handle powerful and proud oddities.
'The rumors were true,' she thought to herself. She had seen the viral photos of Hanan with the child at Odidily, but she still had doubts, primarily since Hanan was known to not engage in any romantic relationships.
"Alright, Chief Hanan, I will need some of his information," she said, looking at Hirayon with her practiced, experienced smile.
When Hanan nodded, Coreen asked questions and typed them into the hologram that was visible to everyone.
"May I know the Full name?" She asked, looking at the child.
"Azur Hirayon," Hanan answered, getting Coreen's attention.
"Birthday?"
"Sixteenth day of the last month in the year 3429," Hanan answered again, surprising Hirayon. He didn't know that Hanan knew the day of his birth.
"Mother's name?" Coreen asked while looking at the hologram. She was acting calm, but her heart was beating nervously. Now that Hirayon was confirmed to be Hanan's son, she became extremely curious as to who is the child's mother.
But no one answered. When Coreen removed her gaze from the hologram, she was met by Hanan's fierce silver-blue eyes. With one look, she instinctively avoided the chief's gaze and moved to the following question.
"F-father's name?" She asked, trying her best to stay composed.
"Azur Hanan," a deep cold voice answered.
Coreen asked more questions, and the group left after everything was done. When the door closed, Coreen released a sigh of relief and slumped in her chair. She felt like she was in the middle of the trial even though she was the one asking questions. She didn't even realize she had been holding her breath for a while now.
Coreen was one of many who experienced Hanan's authoritative and cold presence. The person responsible for handing out the National ID felt the same and bit his tongue numerous times. The good thing was it took a little time to create Hirayon's ID, and the group left after a while.
When they finally left the building, everyone let out a silent sigh. They all felt nervous and intense at Hanan's presence, so some didn't even try to look the chief in the eyes. They couldn't even check out Hirayon because they felt Hanan was monitoring them all.
Hirayon looked back at the building and noticed the employees' behaviors.
That wasn't the only time people behaved like that when Hanan was near. In fact, Hirayon noticed that people would avoid and stare from a distance wherever they went. There was even a time when the packed tourist attraction at the Rock territory became isolated in a minute the moment Hanan stepped out of the hover car.
Hanan and Zeno seemed used to it and enjoyed the view, not minding that people avoided them like they had a contagious3 disease.
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"Are you curious?" Hanan asked Hirayon when he noticed where his son was looking.
Hirayon shook his head, "No."
He knew why people avoided them as he experienced firsthand Hanan's pressure. The only difference was Hanan always treated him gently. He got used to his intense presence and even found it somewhat comforting. Not only that he feels safe around his father, but he also knew that Hanan would never harm him.
Hirayon warmed up to Hanan in a few days thanks to the chief's efforts. Although he was still a bit wary and hesitant to approach Hanan, he felt comfortable in his presence and preferred to be around the man.
That is why Hirayon was a little worried when Hanan said he would leave.
"I need to go somewhere for a little bit. Hirayon, could you wait for me at Fantasy Park?" Hanan asked his son as he needed to report to the Oddity Administration.
Hirayon reluctantly nodded. He wanted to visit the park with Hanan because he heard that it was where families go, but he also understood that Hanan was a chief and was usually busy. Even when they were traveling, he saw Hanan work during his free time.
"I'll make it quick and go find you at the park," Hanan said to Hirayon, then looked at Zeno. He used one of his abilities and sent him a message telepathically.
"Protect him at all cost."
Zeno nodded and ushered Hirayon to ride the hover car while Hanan called a hover taxi.
"Are you worried?" Zeno asked Hirayon when he saw the child watching the leaving taxi Hanan was riding.
"He will be back, right?" Hirayon asked. Deep inside, he was scared that Hanan would never return to find him.
Zeno smiled and felt elated that Hirayon finally saw Hanan as his father. "Don't worry. The chief cares for you and will never leave you," he assured.
Even though his chief was initially cold and distant as an oddity, Zeno knew how Hanan treated Hirayon. He was smitten with his son. It is obvious that he really cares about Hirayon and that he will protect him no matter what.
When Zeno and Hirayon arrived, the park was packed with children, teenagers, and adults alike. They wore fun accessories such as hats, headbands, gloves, and many more.
The park was in a large grassland area a few kilometers from the Oddity System building. It has hundreds of stalls that sell food and also offers small games in exchange for a price. But the park's most popular rides are infused with Aura and technology.
There are colorful rides that spin in the sky, a ship that sails in the air around the whole park, a large wheel that allows oddities to see above the clouds, a passage that will enable oddities to experience defeating monsters, and more. It was truly magical that Hirayon's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. His heart beat so fast, and he felt extremely excited to try the rides.
It was a normal reaction from a child, but Zeno was tearful seeing Hirayon's response. He was so proud of himself for suggesting the park to Hanan. As Hirayon was mature and had a similar personality to his chief, Zeno was concerned that he would be a cold and distant child who only wanted to grow strong.
But Hirayon's reaction proved to Zeno that he is still a child and could still have fun.
"So, where do you want to go first?" Zeno asked Hirayon, whose eyes were shining in excitement.
"Can we eat first?" Hirayon asked and stopped looking at the ship. He was controlling his eagerness to try the rides first because he felt hungry.
"Of course. Just the right time. It's almost lunch. What do you want to eat?" Zeno asked and scanned the stalls that sell food. Most of them are snacks and pastries, not that suitable for lunch. However, he changed his mind when he saw Hirayon looking at one particular booth.
'It wouldn't hurt to let him experience eating snacks for lunch,' Zeno thought.
"I think those are puffed pastries. Would you like to have some?" Zeno asked.
When Hirayon nodded, they went towards the stall and lined up. Good thing that the line was short and moving fast.
When they were the next in line, Hirayon finally saw how the pastry was made. After the puffed pastry was taken out of the oven, it was sliced in half and filled with cream. Then, it would be put under a machine that glazes the whole pastry, glistening and shining.
"What size of the bucket would you like?" The seller asked when it was their turn and smiled widely at Hirayon.
"Two medium buckets, please," Zeno answered.
After buying a few more snacks, the two went to a nearby table and started eating.
Because they bought so much, finishing everything took them a while. They even received a message from Hanan informing them that he was finished with work and was on his way to Fantasy Park.
"Where to next?" Zeno asked.
"That..." Hirayon said and pointed out at the large wooden ship that was sailing the air like it was the sea. The boat was colorful with a sail made out of pure golden Aura, leaving a trail of gold mist in its path. The golden Aura then scatters in the air, making it seem like gold dust is raining.
"Alright, let's go!" Zeno said and held Hirayon's hand.
Because Fantasy Park was so large, Zeno rented a hover platform that fits them. They then hovered toward the ship's last stop, where they embarked and disembarked oddities. When they reached the place, the boat had already left, and they had to wait.
Contrary to Hirayon's thought that they would go to the end of the line on the right side, Zeno led him to the middle, where fourteen children and three adults were waiting.
"Why didn't we line up?" Hirayon asked.
"Because we have the premium ticket. We don't have to line up," Zeno explained, raising his hand with a gold bangle bracelet.
Hirayon looked down at his own hand and noticed the golden bangle bracelet that he had. When Zeno gave it to him earlier, it shrunk to his size enough so it won't fall off.
When they reached where the other children were, the group eyed Zeno and Hirayon. They noticed the scrawny child, making them frown and have a displeased reaction. Some even crossed their arms and raised a brow.
Although Hirayon had already gained some weight after eating right the past few days, it wasn't enough to make him look healthy. In fact, he still looked thin and malnourished.
"Did the price of the premium ticket get cheaper?" A little girl slightly older than Hirayon asked the man beside her. The child wore fancy clothes full of gold details while the man wore a black suit with white gloves.
The man bowed slightly and answered the little girl, "No, young lady. In fact, they increased the price last month."
"Then how come beggars can buy it?" The child asked while eyeing Hirayon.
The man looked at Hirayon and Zeno. He first glanced at Hirayon before it stayed for a while at Zeno because he looked familiar. He couldn't remember where he saw Zeno, so he trusted his instinct and smiled at his young lady.
"I don't think they are a poor young lady. If you look at the man with the child, he looked like a decent oddity," he reasoned. As his young lady quite has a rough tongue, his master strictly told him to stop the lady and not to make trouble.
"You think? I think they're really poor. Look at the child's shirt. It looked so cheap," she pointed out quite loudly, making it possible for all the children to hear, including Zeno and Hirayon.
"You think so too, Amalia?" A little boy said, agreeing with the little girl's opinion.
"Maybe the man saw him on the streets and decided to feed and clothe him," One child suggested, thinking Zeno was kind-hearted.
"But he shouldn't have brought someone filthy in here. Look at his clothes. It looked like he was devouring food," the little boy pointed out, making everyone notice the stains on Hirayon's shirt.
Because he was excited to eat all the snacks, he couldn't correctly scoop a dessert, which fell on his shirt, giving him a large stain. Zeno suggested that they buy a new shirt, but Hirayon was too eager to ride the ship.
Hirayon heard everything Amalia said because of his sharp hearing but ignored her and focused on the ship that was about to arrive.
But Zeno has a different thought. He initially considered ignoring the group but could no longer take their evident criticism towards his young master.
"Young master, do you know how special you are?" Zeno asked Hirayon in a flat tone.
Hirayon looked at Zeno with confused eyes, not understanding Zeno's point.
"You are the son of a Prime Oddity, the Chief of the Water Clan. No child other than other chiefs children is more special to you. That's why in this park, you, alone, are the most important child," Zeno said loudly while looking at the group.
R E H I L I Y A