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Solitude in the Dark
Episode 7: Boundaries Part 4

Episode 7: Boundaries Part 4

Cloud leaning beside the sink teary, "Eugh... I think I'm going to throw up," And he vomits the food he ate, the adobo. It’s too salty for Hayan and Cloud, giving them a nauseous feeling for minutes straight.

Hayan had some time staying in the Philippines in past years, and he loves some kinds of stuff, like lechon and pancit, but there's one thing he despises the most; the adobo, he'd rather leave the country than eat it. Knowing that Yunika would attempt to make it, he considered trying it again, maybe it might change his heart about the dish, but no, he still hated it. "Why did I even give a thought about it?? I should've never put this on my tongue ever," he said.

Yunika turned at them, crossed arms. "Stop you two! You guys are overreacting. It's not that bad come on!" she said as she scooped for another meal.

"What do you think?! It’s your cook! Who the hell talks shit about their cook?!" Cloud bluntly responds.

Later on, after having the greatest meal of all time, they spend their whole afternoon indoors. Everyone does their own thing. Hayan is outside quietly listening to the songs of gale, while the two mind their own business inside.

Yunika casually scrolls online, entertaining herself by watching reels about the country educating herself. While Cloud is on the couch having an uncomfortable sleep, continuously moving in different positions and can't get a grasp of his sleep.

Yunika takes a look at him, concerned. Did I really mess up his sleep that badly? She waves her hand at him, conjuring magic to ease him up, soothing as well as providing him with a pleasant sleep that he seeks all day. Nothing more makes her happy than seeing his friend having a peaceful time.

Hayan who has been resting on the balcony, sees Yunika smiling at Cloud, "Ahem..." he faintly coughs. He startled Yunika, and she quickly grabbed his phone back and pretended nothing happened.

"I suggest not to stare at him, you might wake him up," Hayan jokes.

"Come on, Hayan. I'm just glad to see him relaxed."

Hayan carefully sits on the armrest. He turns on the TV and immediately lowers the volume. He looks at some channels individually to cure his boredom and entertain himself. But the channels have the same content and shows and he cannot even comprehend since he’s not that fluent in Tagalog. Hayan just shuts off the television and sighs. Instead, he stares at the ceiling, wondering about something, "You guys wanna go out?" he asks Yunika.

Yunika thought it was not a bad idea "Yeah, sure, do you know any places nearby that can be visited at this time?” she said. “It’s nearly seven in the evening now."

Hayan remembers one of his favorites, "There's a monument and a park nearby," he said. “Monument of one of the greatest Filipinos in their history.”

"Let's wait for Cloud first, he needs some rest," Yunika said.

Moments later, they waited until Cloud woke up from his sleep and after that, they prepared to satisfy their boredom, he took a quick shower while the two waited for him. Hayan changes clothes and wears a formal white suit with accents of gold linings, as he fixes his cuffs Cloud comes out seeing him wearing such extravagant attire.

Cloud raises his brows, confused "What's with that? Are we going to a wedding?" he asks with sarcasm. "Isn't that too extravagant just for a stroll?" he said.

"Don’t mind about it," Hayan simply snaps his finger cloaking his attire into a casual one. "It’s my uniform, better prepared on something," He flicks his hand showing his flat-tipped daggers.

The sun sunk deep into the horizon, streetlights illuminate the roads of Roxas Boulevard straight down to the bay, overrun by bustling cars and wailing horns. The three have a long walk ahead, but it's long enough to glimpse Manila's nightlife. Cloud enjoys watching the water crash down to the shore, unnoticeable he starts to walk down the road with vehicles passing by, a gust of wind blows at his hair and ruffles his clothes as he steps back from the zooming cars. He looks and Hayan knowingly pulls his back.

"Don’t get yourself killed now," he said.

After a long walk on the busy street, they find their way to Luneta formally known as Bagumbayan.

“Here we are,” Hayan said “This monument is dedicated to Dr. Jose Rizal, he lived up to the phrase ‘a pen is mightier than a sword’ he fought for freedom through his written novels, away from bloodshed.” He said.

As they resume walking on the illuminated paved path of the park. Cloud curiousness sparks, “A civilized approach to conflict? I didn’t know bloodshed was optional. We could’ve used that back in Busan,” he bluntly mouths.

Hayan snickers, “Tell that to yourself, you nearly wrecked half of the neighborhood brawling against Envy. Violence is always optional, you draw the blade when needed, not when you wanted.” Hayan said.

“Help! Please Help!” a desperate father shouted.

Hayan rapidly responds with such haste, “What happened, sir? Is there a problem?” he asks.

“They took my son! Please, help!” the father said with utter hopelessness.

“Where did they head off to?” As Hayan turns to scan the area, he catches a glimpse of the possible culprit sprinting with a teary-eyed child in his crushing grasp. A blinding glint from a dagger darts past the eye of the culprit, as Hayan immobilize him in a flash, with unhuman reflexes the culprit easily slips out from Hayan and remains at constant speed rushing away from the park.

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Cloud catching up, “Hey! What was that? You came like lightning…” left speechless witnessing Hayan’s capabilities in a fraction of a second.

“It’s the same guy…” Hayan said. “It’s the same guy earlier morning, Cloud,” picking up his dagger shot on the ground.

"He’s gone with the kid. How will you catch up to him?” Cloud asked.

The father kneels to Hayan, “Please! Do something he’s my only son!” in desperation he said.

“Rest assured, sir. I will save your son.” Hayan sprints with a streak of light trailing him, as he chases the culprit, he covers his face materializing a white mask, as well as unveiling his radiant uniform, a warrior in white. Nearing his sights on the culprit, he delivers Hayan past the heavy traffic. He locks on and darts his dagger on the culprit. You’re no human…

In the middle of the overflowing cars, the dagger aligned ahead from the culprit laid upon his eyes, Hayan swings a fist straight at him. One sleigh of a hand, and Hayan will snatch off the kid effortlessly. But the culprit releases ominous energy that blasts him crashing into a nearby scaffolding. The culprit did not waste any time and rapidly climbed up multiple storeys still carrying the kid within his grasp.

Laying on the ground, the two caught up from Hayan again. “Hayan! Are you okay??” Yunika asked.

Hayan removes his mask and smugs at her, “Yes, I’m totally fine… just taking a break on here…” he responds. He turns at Cloud, “I told you… You’re not familiar with the place, if I let you interfere with that man earlier, you’d be sent into the air with multiple injuries. I know a Schatten when I see one, especially an aswang, a Drk Class…”

The Schattens are composed of various entities, some of which are approximately three times the size of an average person and have the capacity to destroy an entire city on their own. As a result, they have been classified into three (3) distinct categories depending on their intelligence, skill, and power. The Lesser, the lowest category of the three, are the weakest and have the intelligence of a fish, even though they're the weakest their physical strength outpowers a normal human, Lessers typically follow their instinct, ravage and eat. The Drk Class, they're the middle class of them all with a complete set of physical strength, combat knowledge, and the ability to communicate with humans fluently, with their enhanced skills they can easily butcher a lower-ranked Radiant and eat humans without breaking a sweat. Lastly, The Nytmr, a Schatten under this category completely outranks the two, with enough mana and power they can obliterate a city in one night and have the skills to initiate a battle that can last weeks, their appearances in large populations are rare even Radiants have few fights against a Schatten under the Nytmr category.

Cloud with scrunched brows, "Well, what do we do now? We don't know what will that asshole do to the kid," he said infuriated.

"He’s not that far, I can still feel his mana." he wears back his mask to finish the job. "You two stay down here while I chase him up to the rooftops, I don’t know if he’s alone or what." With no more words to say, Hayan jumps from one car to another, propelling himself upwards with flawless acrobat talent. Slipping from one obstacle to another, with enhanced agility he parkours rapidly as he reaches the roof illuminated by the moon above. There he sets his eyes on the Aswang.

Hayan aims between his fingers toward, and casts "Hyperlight: Sprint: 25 meters..."

As the Aswang runs, a flash of blinding light races past him. Hayan jumps with two daggers cleaving to the Aswang's chest bursting his inners, tainting blood on his mask. Hayan flips his blade to cut the head, but the Aswang morphs his mouth similar to an ant and bites the weapon. Suddenly, the Aswang dashes behind him.

"He's fast!" Hayan said.

The Aswang grabs his head, launches him into the air, and punches him down to another infrastructure. Not giving Hayan a chance to react, the Aswang morphs his feet into talons and dives with such might. Hayan, hastily gains his footing, just in time to parry the sharp talons "Hngh!..." sheer force that almost breaks his knees.

Hayan aggressively elbows the Aswang’s chest and buries his dagger down, "Purifying Magic: Magnificent Rays of—." He is instantly stopped by the Aswang, who kicks him back. But Hayan managed to shoot one light energy, yet it was blasted from the sky instead. The Aswang pins Hayan on the ground and completely halts him, one move he can end Hayan's life in a snap "Do you have a name, Radiant?" the Aswang asked.

"Hay... --ack!" Unforgiving grasp blocking his airway can’t even talk properly. "H- Hayan." He said as he wrestled against the lethal talons.

"Now tell me, Hayan. What makes you think that this flat-tipped blade of yours can kill me, this weapon is flawed, this can’t even pierce my heart properly," the Aswang chuckles.

Back on the ground.

Yunika takes Cloud's hand and flees from the scene concerning encountering another Schatten. While they're on the go. One dark shadow zips past them at an incredible pace, they come to a halt as they watch in terror multiple entities of darkness travelling to Hayan’s location.

Back at the top. "Tell me, Hayan" the Aswang continues to strangle him.

In the tight grip of the Aswang, Hayan mutters "Y-- You..." as he stretches his neck begging for air.

"Hmm? What's that?" he humors as he pleasures watching him suffer.

Hayan clenches his fist to the Aswang's arm, "Your leg is fragile enough to break!" He throws one of his daggers into the eyes of the Aswang and snaps his leg breaking away from it. He pulls back the dagger on the eye and slams him away hitting on the ground, then whips a kick. “Would you like to know, the capabilities of this?” He said as he summons both of his daggers.

The Aswang slams the floor and rushes to him relentlessly, "You piece of shit!! You're going to pay!!" his neck slithers long with deadly fangs aiming at Hayan’s neck. Once this venom enters your body, you will be instantly paralyzed, I will take pleasure in ripping you into pieces and feasting on your flesh.

"Hyperlight: Sprint!" Hayan hurls one of his daggers at him. A flash blinds the Aswang again and as soon as he regains his sight, it's too late to react. In his utter strength, Hayan grabs the Aswang's head and slams it on the floor, smashing the Aswang's skull. Hayan picks him up and slashes both of his eyes. "You said that my blades are flawed?" with both of his daggers, he slowly slices the fingers of the Aswang one by one, then cleaves the stomach and chest, as well as every limb and every joint "This is how it works," Hayan said as he pierced the Aswang's throat, then slides it to the right, cutting the Aswang's head finishing the brawl. His head rolls down as his body crumbles to dust.

In the bloodshed, Hayan wipes off the red on his mask, "Forgive me, if I didn’t meet your disappointments." he walks up to the head, and the last thing that the Aswang will ever see before his demise is a killer with ocean eyes, masked in white, Hayan smashes his head bursting his brains out.

A successful eradication of the threat, being absorbed by the struggle for strength, he lost his mind on one thing.