Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos

Hayne was startled by this, eyes darting from his uncle to Seiya and back.

"W-what happened? What did you do?" Hayne asked, directing his question to his uncle whose eyes squinted, wincing in pain.

"I-I don’t know," the man cried out, his face wrinkled and pale with sweat.

Snapping his head back to Seiya, Hayne hesitated but spoke. "Sei, please…let him go," he requested softly.

Seiya’s brow knitted, ignoring Hayne’s request.

"Please," Hayne repeated.

Loosening his knitted brows, Seiya loosened his grip around the man’s wrist, releasing him. The man shot up from his chair, wrapping his palm around the area as he recoiled. Bruises bloomed over his wrist from the tight grip.

The man panted, eyes red as the area pulsed with pain. Seeing the severity of the bruise, Hayne’s puzzled look deepened.

"What did you do?" Hayne asked his uncle once again, his tone soft and low.

The man merely huffed, trying to calm his nerves as even he had no idea what he did to provoke such treatment from Seiya.

Hayne turned his gaze back to Seiya, realizing that the look on his uncle’s face was one of utter cluelessness—that even he seemed unaware of what was happening.

"What did he do?" Hayne asked Seiya softly, the shock on his face gradually fading as the tension in the air faded.

Sitting up, Seiya peered at the man who shuddered under Seiya’s gaze, studying him. Seeing the man’s reactions to be earnest, Seiya shifted his gaze to Hayne.

"He lied," Seiya replied curtly.

Hayne’s gaze turned to his uncle in question, then back at Seiya, hoping for an emphasis.

Reaching out for his shirt, Seiya continued. "When you asked him what he would use the photo for," he paused, wearing his cloth over his head. "He lied."

Hayne’s gaze immediately snapped to his uncle who was already struck still by Seiya’s revelation. The man gazed with wide-eyed shock at Seiya, unmoving.

He lied? Hayne echoed in his mind, trying to fully understand the situation.

He wanted to question his uncle to clarify what Seiya was talking about but a chilling thought struck him stiff on the spot.

Even if his uncle had lied, how did Seiya know?

Looking from his uncle to Seiya, Hayne’s gaze scrutinized Seiya who casually adjusted his clothes, unbothered. Hayne was trying to come to an understanding, to know how Seiya could have known his uncle was lying.

He wondered if it was because of his eyes, which saw through all things—perhaps they had discerned the subtle change in his uncle’s heartbeat when he lied.

But then again, as far as he knew, Seiya’s eyes granted him sight beyond surfaces and the ability to slow time. Seeing through objects did not grant him the power to hear or perceive the rhythm of a heartbeat. The thought was beyond Hayne’s comprehension.

Setting his inner turmoil aside, he faced his uncle who trembled with eyes glued to Seiya.

"Did you lie?" Hayne asked, eyes fixated on the man now looking pale and stricken from the situation.

The man’s eyes briefly shifted from Seiya to Hayne then back. His face held a hint of reluctance when Hayne asked the question which further confirmed Seiya’s words. Still, Hayne wanted to know exactly what it was his uncle lied about. Discover more stories at NovelBin.Côm

"Just speak already, he isn’t going to do anything to you!" Hayne snapped, irritated by his uncle’s persistent ceaseless trembling before Seiya.

The man turned his head toward his nephew, offering him his attention, yet the corners of his eyes flickered toward Seiya, stealing wary glances.

"I-I…" The man started, stammering nervously.

"I had asked to take a photo not because I want to admire my handiwork like I’d said but because I…" his voice trailed off, gaze shifting back to Seiya who sat comfortably on the table, staring straight at the man as he talked.

The man’s head slowly dipped as he continued. "I had wanted to get a photo of him to try conduct a research to find out who he was," he blurted, eyes squeezing shut from shame at his own behavior.

Hayne remained gazing at his uncle whose head remained bowed from repentance, saying nothing but the disappointment was evident on his face. While he understood that curiosity and the desire to know and understand things people don’t comprehend pushes them to do certain things, he was still disappointed.

As Hayne watched his uncle with eyes filled with disappointment, another chilling thought struck him, tearing his gaze from his uncle and snapping it toward Seiya instantly. His mind reeled as he wondered whether Seiya already knew this, hence why he almost sprained his uncle’s wrist. If he did, doesn’t that mean Seiya also has the ability to read minds?

Hayne’s feet rooted to the ground, cold sweat drenching him whole as the thought paralyzed him. Should Seiya be able to read minds, not that he’s sure since he can’t expect to know everything about Seiya, considering how complex he is, always doing things that go beyond the norms—doesn’t that mean he’s been reading his mind?

Focusing more intently on Seiya, Hayne feared more, seeing how calm he looked. Was he calm because he could already read his uncle’s mind, so he isn’t at all bothered by the situation?

No, no! Hayne shook off the thought the next second, knowing Seiya had always been that calm in any situation after he changed—he admitted he was just being paranoid.

The thought that Seiya is able to read minds feared him so badly that his heart kept pounding no matter how much he tried to calm down. Hayne decided to set the matter aside, preferring to confirm from Seiya first before concluding—that is, after apologizing first of course.

"Sei," Hayne called softly, taking some steps closer. "Could you please wait in the living room while I talk to my uncle?"

Without protesting, Seiya rose from the table, making his way out toward the living room. As Seiya passed by, the man’s breath ceased, flinching. But Seiya neither turned or even cast him a glance, indifferent as he walked away.

Turning to his uncle, Hayne let out a soft sigh before asking him to take a seat on the table to examine his wrist. Hayne took the man’s wrist, examining the bruise which he found quite severe with a little strain.

"You have to get to the hospital for better treatment," Hayne said, disinfecting the bruise with some disinfectant he found in the man’s tool case.

The man remained silent, head slightly bowed to avoid any eye contact with Hayne. Sighing, Hayne apologized to him for the harsh treatment he got from Seiya—but also making sure the man knew his fault in the matter.

Seiya and his uncle had little conversations for quite a while, not forgetting to chide him. He rose to go meet Seiya in the living room after making sure to tell the man to visit a hospital for treatment.

Meeting Seiya seated on a couch in the living room, Hayne gestured for them to leave.

"There’s still somewhere else we need to go," Hayne informed. But as Seiya walked toward the door, Hayne called him back.

"Sei," he began softly. "Can you please tell me how you knew my uncle was lying?" He asked, gazing straight at him.

Seiya watched him in silence for a minute, as if contemplating before speaking up. "I can hear the pulsation of hearts," he revealed nonchalantly.

Hayne was struck numb and dumbfounded for a moment, gaze zeroed on Seiya.

"W-what are you talking about?" He finally spoke, stuttering from nervousness—face pale, drained of color. "What do you mean?"

Watching him again in silence for a while, Seiya answered. "It means I can hear the beat of hearts, down to every pulse, so I know when a person is lying or telling the truth."

Standing before Seiya as he revealed this to him, his mind reeled, shock clouding his thoughts and dulling his senses, the sounds of his surroundings beginning to fade.

Hayne’s feet felt glued to the ground, cold sweat beading him as his dread filled gaze fell downward, heart pounding to a crescendo. His body was rigid as his hand slowly went up to his chest, feeling the raw fear tighten around him.

He trembled, thinking back to all the times he’s ever spoken in front of Seiya, how, most times, he was so carefree in his presence. He couldn’t help the thought that stabbed at him that, had he ever, for once, told a single lie to Seiya, he might’ve ended up dead by now—this sent a wave of terror and distress shooting through his nerves.