Before he follows Neaj, Haise turned around and looked at the certain direction where the slumbering cat was resting. He then thought the things he needed to sort out but chose to set aside about it for now for the unexpected visitor.
His gaze went back to Neaj and asked: "Can I have a minute?"
"Go on..." Neaj just nodded, cautiously.
Haise, then, quickly went back to the tent as Neaj watches his back. The moment he got inside the tent, he looked at the slumbering cat and thought if how he will be able to hide the slumbering cat. Soon, an idea occurred to him, but the question is: 'Is that even possible in my current state?'
'Guess, I could only find out if I try.'
Haise looked upon his palm, and soon, a bari-sphere, that as small as marble, manifested; as he focused his concentration a little further, the bari-sphere turned into black.
'It did work!'
'So, my innate ability does work even in my restricted state, too.'
As an otherworldly vampire, Haise was blessed with [unique] innate ability called Dreamworld. It is an ability that grants him the absolute authority to govern the realm of dreams and consciousness. This also help him to have immunity to any mind-related damages. However, since Haise was a mortal and not in the significant state to use its full potential, he could only use a very small portion of it; if he uses it further beyond threshold, then, he will gain mind-related damages from it (such as hallucinating and extreme mental fatigue).
Haise moved closely to the slumbering cat and dispelled the anemo-barrier he cast around the slumbering cat that make its scent and presence weak.
The black bari-sphere upon his palm suddenly expanded, its texture was like a rubber or a slime and engulfed the slumbering cat. Shortly after, it became a pet carrier bag-pack with very comfortable smooth texture under the will of Haise, the caster.
After performing such phenomenal thing, Haise suddenly felt dizzy as his vision doubled as it became hazy and drops of blood came out from his nose.
...
Outside... Neaj was standing and waiting with questions, occupying her mind. She has her eyebrows frowning together while her eyes were fixated on the direction where Haise went.
Upon her life experiences, Neaj once experienced to have a life filled with sudden betrayals, betrayals from the people she had saved and help in the past. Until now and recently, she still carries the trauma, that arose in the flames at the stake, on her shoulder. Hence, it only natural for her to doubt even the former lover of her foolish elder daughter. Not to mention, Haise's speculation about her was all correct.
Soon, upon drowning herself in her thoughts, she finally saw Haise coming out from the ruined house, approaching her. Her gaze narrowed on the black bag-pack, that seems for pets, he was carrying.
As they began to walk side-by-side together, she noticed Haise wiping the blood coming out from his nose. She also noticed his weariness.
"Are you okay?" She asked in her neutral tone.
"Yeah, I was just imagining perverted things." Haise chuckled, obviously joking.
Upon hearing him saying those words, she suddenly stopped walking and looked at Haise for a moment.
Haise then stopped, too. He, then, looked at Neaj, confused, and politely asked: "Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing." She said as she slightly shook her head in denial. In fact, instead of being more cautious as a woman upon hearing to what he just said before he asked, she felt a sting of worry about him: it was as if he was hiding his pain so that she would not worry.
'Yeah, that's definitely one of his sides.' She thought, but still, not trusting him enough to just expose her back.
Noticing Neaj's behavior, Haise just displayed a small bitter and awkward smile. He just stayed silent and walked beside her.
...
In an abandon palace located at the EastWest yard of the Nimo Street, Neaj and Haise arrived therein through taxi. As they get inside though the old arch of gigantic walls and gate, Haise's gaze wandered around as he sensed a faint of magic around. He also noticed the weird magical symbols embedded on the walls and pillars. If a normal person or archeologist saw that symbol without the knowledge of the existence of true magic, they will just put it on display in history.
The place was quite lonely, big, and wide; at the center of the garden was a gigantic statue of a paladin, covered in bindweeds, solemnly stood with a majestic sword filled with details in its hand.
Haise looked at the statue in curiosity, and soon, a holographic window appeared before him with text and characters that only him can understand. Its text stated: "[
'Lucian Hero?' Haise was a bit confused by the information given by the appraisal of his exsancthuar. As he remembered, the Lucian Hero is a hero worshiped and the symbol of hope in the Lucian Empire. Furthermore, according to the legend, the Lucian Hero had had the blood of the gods flows in his veins and was the chosen one blessed with mana and magical powers.
As the holographic window disappeared, Haise walked closer to the statue and touched. Threads of white light manifested around Haise and the statue, soon after, a flash of light blocked his vision.
...
Haise opened his eyes in a place covered with snow while the wind blows wildly. From afar, not that far, he saw a silhouette of a man carrying a person on his back.
Haise vanished at the place he was standing up and appeared near at the man with respected distance. Now he took a closer look, the image of a man walking like an empty doll while carrying the corpse of a woman on his back. The man's head was downcast, and his face was covered with his long platinum blonde hair that was still shinning in vigor at the middle of snowy storm.
While he was affected by the coldness of winter and storm, the man appears to be unable to see him. It was not that the man simply doesn't care, rather, Haise's existence therein was literally just holographic or a ghost of the past and the future.
"Haise?"
"Haise?!"
Haise suddenly heard a familiar voice as it became louder to his ears. His body slowly became transparent, and soon after, his surrounding became hazy as the same flash of light blocked his vision.
...
Haise opened his eyes, wearily. As his vision slowly became clear, the first image he saw was the face of beautiful woman with worried face, blocking the view of the sky.
"Are you okay? You suddenly passed out." Neaj asked and stated as she felt the coldness of his body: it was as if he traveled in a winter season.
"Yeah, I'm fine... Just little tired." Haise replied, still weary and feeling dizzy as he stood-up.
Neaj looked at Haise with now concern unlike a while ago. The reason she brought him therein was to test and fight him if possible. Seeing his state, she changed her mind and help him instead.
*THUD!!
While still in his weary state, Haise suddenly pushed Neaj with anemo-magic as light suddenly strike them out of nowhere. Neaj flew in the air and landed perfectly on the ground.
As she landed and heard the violent thud of lightning, she quickly looked at the direction where Haise was. To her dismay, smoke of dust was already blocking the scene.