Hinata instantly skidded to a stop. He raised his head with imdiate urgency, but nothing was above him.
The sky was still clear, faint clouds drifting around the large sun without blocking it.
Hinata regulated his heavy breathing while rubbing his temples. ’Am I just being paranoid or...’ His eyes widened. ’Wait... Goku, co back.’
Hinata waited for a mont, but no response ca through. ’Shit!’
The fear, hesitation, and growing dread in his heart vanished in an instant as he rushed into the canyon.
’Where did that motherfucker go!’
Reaching a three-way junction, he followed the route that had residual mana from Goku. To others it was basically invisible, but since they shared the sa mana he could sense it as clear as day.
Hinata took the left turn, his strides fast.
The left path was narrower than the others. The walls were rough, with jagged rocks jutting out at uneven angles.
The ground was uneven with loose gravel. The deeper Hinata went in, the more he noticed that the traces of Goku’s mana were slowly fading, leaving just enough for him to follow. He also noticed that the surroundings were growing more dim by the second.
’System, let see in the dark!’
[Seeing in the dark — Cost: 5 points per minute.]
Hinata completely ignored the notification as his vision shifted and everything turned bright, as though a light had been switched on behind his eyes.
As he moved deeper, he ca to a halt the mont he spotted the figure of Goku floating in the air, a candy stick in hand.
Rage built up inside him, but with several slow breaths he cald himself. ’Looks like you’re enjoying yourself quite a bit.’
Goku’s head snapped backward. Hinata expected to find so trace of fear in his expression, but he was smiling sheepishly, as though Hinata had simply decided to stay in this world rather than go back ho.
’What’s got him so excited?’
Goku waved him over, his voice ringing out at a high pitch. "Hina! You’re here!"
Sensing sothing wrong, Hinata took one step back into a stance. At that exact mont a man appeared from behind a large stone near where Goku hovered.
The man was young and handso, with fiery orange hair that frad his face and matching orange eyes. His pair of monocles gave him a refined look, and his staff tapped against the ground as he drew closer to Hinata.
"So you’re Hinata, yes?"
Hinata’s body went rigid. "Who are you? Identify yourself."
The man nodded knowingly. "I knew you would ask that, but currently I don’t have a na. I am just a man that roams the world looking for a place to die. But I do have a title that many people address by."
Hinata said nothing. Instead he took another step back.
Noticing the tension in the air, the man took a step back of his own. "I guess you aren’t one for the mysterious deanor, are you?"
Hinata’s mind raced. The canyon walls were narrow, heavily restricting how he could fight.
Furthermore, Goku must have been controlled with so kind of magic, perhaps sothing similar to Lilith’s endless dreams. There was the option of abandoning the dragon and trying to escape, but he wasn’t one to leave his companion behind.
Deep down, Hinata couldn’t shake the feeling that fighting this man was entirely out of the question.
The man rested his face against his palm and smiled. "You’re really unique, Hinata. Not only can you hear the scream, but you can also sense soone’s deeper strength."
"What?"
"Don’t act like you don’t understand, little brat. I know the reason you haven’t attacked is because you know I can kill you in an instant."
Hinata forced out a shaky grin. "Aren’t you being a little overconfident?"
The man stared at him, then burst into an uproarious laugh. "Overconfident? No, no, it’s more like I’m too strong to act humble around you!"
He kept laughing, his gaze fixed on the sky, chest puffing out. Hinata watched him with equal parts bewildernt and disgust. ’What the hell is wrong with him?’
Seeming to have his fill, the man stopped and tapped his staff against the rough sandy ground. "I am a wizard, young lad. You may address as Absalom Dragonforge, the wandering ghost of the once strongest family!"
Hinata’s face went pale as he pointed at him. "You’re a ghost?"
Absalom nodded. "Yes. The ghost of the most powerful irregular."
The color that had drained from Hinata’s face flooded as his eyes narrowed. "Dragonforge?" he asked, voice flat but sharp. "Did you just say Dragonforge?"
Absalom tilted his head, the monocle glinting under the faint light filtering into the canyon. "Yes," he said simply. He placed a hand beneath his chin, tapping it once with a thoughtful hum. "Co to think of it, how did you hear the scream earlier? That cry is ant only for my descendants. From what I can see, you don’t look like a Dragonforge at all."
Hinata’s stomach twisted. ’Should I tell him about Tamara... the other?’
He let out a small discreet shake of his head. ’It’s better to test the waters before saying anything.’
"If you’re really a Dragonforge," he began, voice calm, "do you know about the great Noctis?"
Absalom’s orange eyes widened. A broad grin split his face. "Hahahaha! It seems you know your stuff, brat. For that I’ll give you lots of sweets!" He jabbed a finger against his own chest. "I am Noctis."
Hinata’s expression went completely blank. "Didn’t you just call yourself Absalom?"
The man waved a hand dismissively, his grin faltering. "Wait, believe , I’m not lying. Absalom is my given na. I nad myself Noctis later. Much cooler, don’t you think?"
Hinata stared at him for a long second. "I’m not buying it."
Absalom opened his mouth to explain, gesturing grandly with his staff, but stopped mid-sentence. His expression shifted into sothing sharper, more calculating. "Wait. How did you even know about Noctis to begin with? As far as I know, my records were wiped from the world by those gods."
Hinata’s blood ran cold. ’Wait, that happened?’ He quickly diverted his gaze to the left, beads of sweat rolling down his temple. "When did I say anything about a Noctis?"
Absalom’s face lit up like a child who had just solved a riddle. "You know the people of Dragonforge, don’t you?" His eyes began to glow with an inner orange fire, the air around him crackling with raw power.
Hinata’s guard went up imdiately, mana flaring around his fists as he took a half-step back.
Absalom waved his hand lazily. "Relax, kid. I’m not going to hurt you. I just wanted to confirm sothing."
In the next instant, he closed the gap between them in a single step.
’Fast,’ Hinata thought, as space seed to fold around them. He barely had ti to react before the man’s fingers caught his chin, tilting it downward until their eyes locked.
"You have slept with a Dragonforge, haven’t you?" Absalom said, his tone amused. "Soone directly related to , at that."
A predatory grin crept across his face as he pulled Hinata’s chin down further, forcing him to stare straight into those spiralling eyes. "And why are you with my core, you fucking thief."
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