CHAPTER 8

When Favian and Daram reluctantly left, the room fell into complete silence. They didn't even get to say their farewells properly because Nola was pressuring the two.

"Eat more," Hanan urged when he saw Hirayon stopped eating.

Hirayon looked up at Hanan and glanced at him before looking down at his soup. He was feeling complicated. Although he understood their earlier explanation about his father, he still couldn't believe he had a father.

Marin never told him anything about Hanan. He didn't even know about fathers until he read them in one of the storybooks. That is why Hirayon felt glum because Marin didn't tell him something this important. Even though he only learned about it recently, he was convinced he had no father. But now, there was a man claiming to be one. He was feeling happy and excited but scared. He couldn't put it into words, but fear was inside him.

'What will happen now?'

"What's wrong?" Hanan asked when he noticed that the child had just stared at the soup.

"Nothing," Hirayon answered.

Hanan felt a little dejected, but he didn't push it more. He understands that it will take time for Hirayon to be comfortable expressing his thoughts to him. That is why Hanan decided to talk to his son more. He wanted to know Hirayon better and, at the same time, make his son trust him.

"Alright. What do you usually do here?" Hanan asked.

"I read books."

"Do you love reading?"

"Yes," Hirayon answered plainly.

Hanan thought momentarily and looked at his son with uneasy eyes, "I love books too. In fact, I have a huge library at home. Do you want to see it?"

Zeno swallowed nervously when he realized the meaning behind Hanan's question.

"A library? What is that?" Hirayon asked. His interest was piqued when Hanan said he also loved to read.

"It is a place where there are hundreds to thousands of books. What I have at home is really huge. You can read there all day," Hanan said, trying to entice Hirayon to come with them to the Water Clan territory using his library.

"Thousands?" Hirayon repeated curiously. He had already read twenty-four books, and Elira told him there were no more storybooks at the health facility.

"Yes. The library was 100 times bigger than your room, and there were a lot of shelves," Zeno added.

"If you go with us, you can read everything. And I really hope you go home with us at the territory," Hanan said. He didn't want to bring Hirayon without his consent. He actually needs to go back as soon as possible because of work, but he will stay to convince Hirayon if needed.

Hirayon was surprised at what Hanan said. He felt delighted, especially when his father said, 'home.' He lost his home in the cave and felt lost when Elira noted there were no more orphanages in the territory. But now he has a place he can go to. He has a new home.

Hirayon didn't realize it, but the fear inside him was because he was afraid that the man who claimed to be his father would leave him in the health facility. After all, he doesn't think Hanan was obligated to care for him because he had a very different concept of family.

"Can I really go?" Hirayon asked, which brought hope to Zeno and Hanan.

"Yes, of course. You're my son. My home is your home," Hanan pointed out.

"Then, I want to go."

________________________________

Later that day, Hanan paid all of Hirayon's bills at the facility. He also informed Daram about it, and that's why even though Dr. Beka and Dr. Vinne were against the idea, they had no choice but to comply and let the child go.

Dr. Vinne even laid out why the child should continue to be observed. But when he met Hanan's eyes and realized who he was, he immediately backed down. An unpleasant memory stopped him from overstepping and getting on Hanan's wrong side.

Elira, on the other hand, happily said her goodbye's to the child. She was genuinely happy that Hirayon still had a family. Although Hirayon never told her he was lonely, as an experienced nurse, he knew that the child was feeling alone with the look in his eyes. She even prayed to the deities that Hirayon would find a new home. But she never expected her prayers to be answered or exceed her expectations.

When Hirayon finally stepped out of the hospital, he was astonished. There were a lot of buildings with different designs and structures. Some were decorated with plants and flowers, but most had intricate sculptures and carvings out of the mud. It was his first time seeing so many buildings and people in one place that he didn't know where to look first. His eyes kept wandering everywhere.

Although Hirayon had encountered a few in the past weeks that he stayed inside his room, seeing countless people simultaneously still fascinated him. Hirayon even saw children like him, which made his round bluish-violet eyes widen in awe.

Unlike the oddities inside the health facility, who always wore white, the people in the street wore various clothes. Some wear long skirts, pants, shirts, dresses, and many more that Hirayon wasn't familiar with. The only common thing about the clothes is the color scheme. The clothes are in green, brown, and cream shades.

Hirayon's eyes roamed the whole place, taking everything in, and his father let him be. Hanan was looking at Hirayon with sadness in his eyes. He could imagine the life that he lived. Although six years wasn't long, to him, those six years from birth are more important than any other year in a child's life.

Hirayon kept looking everywhere when his eyes caught several stalls in the distance. They were all neatly structured in two parallel lines, creating a space in the middle.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

When Hanan noticed where Hirayon was looking, he asked. "Do you want to go there?"

Hirayon observed the oddities going into stalls. "What's in there?"

"They sell many things, food, accessories, and more. Do you want to check?" Hanan asked happily. He was initially worried that Hirayon wouldn't be interested in such things because of his experience. Still, he was glad that, like other kids, he was excited about something other than books.

Contrary to his thoughts, Hirayon shook his head, "No."

"Huh? Why?" Hanan asked. Surprised at the unexpected answer.

"I don't have money," the child said nonchalantly. He learned from one book he had read in the health facility the use and value of money.

Although many oddities use electronic currency, they still use coins. Before people had gained abilities, the citizens used bronze, silver, and gold coins. But now they are using a new currency called quea which was developed a few years after the spread of ability users.

Hanan looked at his son with a complex look. He couldn't believe what Hirayon said. He felt somber and, at the same time, somewhat proud of what kind of kid his son is.

"Don't worry. I'll buy it for you," Hanan assured.

"Are you going to lend me money?" Hirayon asked.

"No, I am giving you money, and you don't have to pay me back. I'm your father. It's just natural for me to provide for you."

Hirayon watched Hanan's face contort in an unreadable expression. He then nodded, which made Hanan give out a small smile. Hanan then held his hand and guided Hirayon toward the stalls.

They were walking when people started to stop in their tracks and bow briefly at Hanan before continuing to walk. Even if not everyone knew of Hanan's identity, all chiefs had an authoritative natural pressure that they exuded without doing anything. That was one reason Hirayon was wary of his father initially, but now that Hanan kept sticking to his side, he got accustomed to it.

They all gave the two figures curious and surprised looks and followed them in their tracks. They would also look at Hirayon like he was a weird creature, especially since a chief was holding his hand. Murmurs and whispers started going around, all asking who the child was. Some observant people even connected the dots and pointed out they looked like a father and son. This simple walking hand in hand has quickly gone viral in the entire territory. Some people took photos and posted them in Odidily, causing a ruckus in Diwana.

Oddities are continually sharing, commenting, and giving out assumptions. The most popular would be that Hirayon was a long-lost child of the Water chief. Although unverified, most people believe that, especially with the chief's treatment of the child.

While the news about the two was creating a ruckus in the entire Diwana, Hanan and Hirayon stood in front of a stall selling candies. They were only looking, but the vendor stood stiffly with cold sweat running down his back. Just the mere presence of a chief could make normal oddities weaken. Good thing he was skilled and could still hold his position. He gave the two a wide nervous smile. Because he was scared, his smile looked crooked and shaking, making him look like a creepy person.

Hirayon looked at him with strange eyes, but his attention was quickly stolen by the colorful sweets lined up in front of the stall. There were different colors, sizes, shapes, and textures. He had seen candy before in the book, but it was nothing like the sweets in front of him.

"What do you want?" Hanan asked him while watching the child. He could see slight excitement in the child's eyes as it wonders on the sweets.

They stood before the stall for a few minutes, but Hirayon only looked.

"I'm not sure," Hirayon answered honestly. He couldn't choose what to buy.

"You could buy everything if you want, so you can try them all," Hanan suggested like nothing, making the stall owner's eyes glint in greed. His palms got itchy as he clasped them, creating a clap sound that got the father-son duo's attention.

"Everything tastes good. Have you tried this kind of chocolate?" He said, getting all his courage to be more appealing to the child. He realized that if the child liked everything, he could go home early with deep pockets.

When Hirayon shook his head, the vendor pushed a small plate with cube-shaped chocolate atop it, urging the child to get it.

Hirayon looked at Hanan first, his eyes asking for confirmation, and when Hanan happily nodded, Hirayon looked at the chocolate again before getting it with his still-thin hands. He then carefully put it in his mouth, and a crunching sound could be heard when he bit into it. The longer he chewed the chocolate, the larger his eyes got. It was sweet and delicious that his tastebuds were overwhelmed.

Hanan looked at his son, amused. He couldn't help but feel happy seeing Hirayon's eyes widen. He then picked another chocolate with a different flavor and gave it to the child. He puts it near Hirayon's mouth, which the child subconsciously accepts. He didn't even realize that he was fed and just continued to chew.

Hanan felt joy at the scene. He felt like a full-fledged father even though he only fed Hirayon.

Because of that, he continued to feed Hirayon with so many sweets that the vendor and the people around them couldn't help but be in marvel. To them, it was bizarre to see one of the chiefs be really sweet when they were serious, scary, or emotionless most of the time. They even thought the scene was warm and a picture of a standard, cute father and son.

This moment didn't only awe the residents of the Earth Clan but the entire Diwana, including the other chiefs. Some of them were surprised and even doubted if it was really the chief of the Water Clan in the viral photos.

And, of course, the most surprised were the officials and residents of the Water Clan. Although nothing was confirmed, they believed they finally had a possible heir and felt joy with the child's appearance. After all, it was difficult for chiefs to have children because of their power and strength. There was only a tiny chance that they could conceive.

But not everyone celebrated this rare instance. Some people in the Water Clan felt a massive competition with the child's appearance. After all, it was proven that a chief's child has more potential than any other oddity.

This was especially the case for those with brighter children than other kids in the territory. They were already concerned about when Hanan would pass the leadership, and now they have another problem.

"What do you think?" A member of the Water Clan council asked the other two people at the table. They were eating in a restaurant when they saw photos of their chief at Odidily enjoying stall foods with a child.

"They look alike, especially when expressionless," an old woman pointed out.

The last oddity, the youngest of the three, swirled his wine glass with dark blue wine, "Do we have to change our plans?"

The first man, who had a head full of grey hair, answered. "I don't think so. That child looked weak compared to Hanan when he was a kid."

"I hope he is. When is Mohan coming back?" the woman asked the old man.

"He said it would take longer, so probably winter next year."

The youngest sipped on his wine glass and gracefully put it down, "That long, huh? Let's check the child first and lie low. Hanan was extremely wary before. He will be more when the child is here."

"But we also need to get closer to the child," the aged woman said.

The old man nodded, "Let's just wait. I'm sure an opportunity will open up."

"Why wait? We could make it ourselves," the woman suggested with a chuckle.

The three oddities eyed the hologram showing Hirayon's picture and smiled sinisterly. They were so into what they were talking about that they did not notice a man and woman sitting at the table across the room.

They were observing the group, and just like their chief predicted, the group would move soon and wreak waves of havoc in the calm and peaceful territory.

R E H I L I Y A