Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 102 - 101: Forgotten Wishes
Seiya’s hand went up to his collar, gently brushing the imprint. Though he couldn’t remember the significance it held or the meaning behind it, he knew he got it from the facility.
Staring down at the imprint, Hayne’s eyes held quiet sadness. He knew the meaning of those letters but knowing within him that Seiya doesn’t remember, brought him a little solace.
"Sei, do you know what these two lettters mean?" Hayne asked for clarity.
"No," Seiya replied and a small smile played on Hayne’s lips. "I see. Good, good," he blurted and Seiya shot him a questioning look but Hayne returned it with only a smile.
Strolling over to the projector, Hayne began. "My papers are already prepared." With a click, he switched it off. "I’ll be leaving sooner than I expected—otherwise, my uncle will tattle on me to my parents," he admitted. "But before I go, I want to make sure everything is set in place."
"Don’t misunderstand—I’m not abandoning you. I’ll be back," Hayne assured. "And I’m not leaving the revenge entirely in your hands. I’ll continue working on it from my end as well. I need to track down everyone involved, after all."
He paused before adding, "Even your elite, Nanaki, has a role to play. Given his background, he’s perfectly suited to operate from the shadows—serving as a spy, monitoring the facility movements and activities, and keeping us informed."
"The only person you’ll remain with," Hayne paused, turning back to Seiya, "is Kaeliyus." He spoke his name without the usual reference to his demon race.
"Though I’m not yet certain of the connection between you two, I’m not blind to the fact that he cares for you—perhaps more deeply than even I can understand." Hayne’s gaze dropped, a quiet sadness washing over him as he considered the possibility that Kaeliyus might care for Seiya more than he himself did.
"Nevertheless," Hayne continued, pushing aside his personal thoughts, "even if he proves untrustworthy or turns out to be an enemy, I trust you to stand your ground."
"As for the imprint," Hayne said, folding up his sleeve to reveal a plaster on the front of his wrist.
"It cannot be cleaned," he informed, peeling off his plaster and revealing an imprinted number: SD-0109. Imprinted vertically down the front of his wrist.
"Ours hold no real significance—they merely mark our numbers and series. It makes little difference if I leave mine as it only serves as a reminder of the past. But yours…" he paused, brows drawing slightly together in a mixture of mild anger and pity.
Hayne let out a heavy sigh, keeping his emotions in check before continuing. "Yours will have to go because you’re after all, not that anymore."
"However," Hayne continued, "since it can’t be erased because the alloyed material they used was one that streamed deep into our nerves and system—it can only be covered up with something else," He informed, gaze fixed on Seiya, carefully observing his every reaction.
He waited for Seiya to ask what would be used to cover the imprint, but when no question came, he posed it himself. "Do you know what will be used to cover it up?" he asked, eyes gleaming with anticipation, as if expecting Seiya to already know the answer.
However, "No," Seiya replied, wiping off every look of expectancies from Hayne’s face. Hayne’s eyes spread briefly in surprise at Seiya before softening—his disappointment evident.
"I had thought a part of you would still remember—because your cries that day were so genuine and heart wrenching," Hayne muttered softly, his head dipping low in quiet melancholy.
Some time, years ago when Seiya was younger, about 12, Hayne had walked in on him crying bitterly in the restroom. When he asked him what had been the problem—Seiya recounted it to him in bitter tears, severely broken from it.
Apparently, the Seiya back then had been keeping tracks of how many children were being sacrificed for his failure to compete a task. He had been inscribing the numbers on the wall in the restroom behind the mirror—the numbers were inscribed messily in a row across the wall.
When Hayne had asked why he had been doing that, Seiya had replied saying he wanted to carry the burden of the dead children and wanted to keep remembering them—the very ones he referred to as the sustainers of his life.
He had said he felt remaining alive had been a sin and that he needed permission from the kids to keep staying alive—he wanted to know if it had been okay to still live despite being the bane of multiple children’s end—that too, in a brutal way.
However, since the children were dead, he felt the only way he could atone was to keep track of each and every soul sacrificed, not forgetting anyone—to always remember that they ARE the reason he still has his life.
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He revealed he had wanted to imprint it somewhere in his body to always accompany him through life should he ever one day, escape and see salvation. But the killing of the children for his incomplete tasks, spiked up over the years that Seiya lost track—hence, his bitter break down.
Seeing how broken he was at that time, Hayne had comforted him—telling him there was still a way to make that wish come true. He had promised Seiya then and there that he would come up with a symbol—one that represented the countless number of children killed, that carried the weight of their souls.
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A symbol that neither dictated the exact number nor dictated the end—since he lost count and multiple lives were lost.
Hayne had taken to his hands over the years to make sure he came up with the symbol, to fulfill his promise. However, since he couldn’t entirely create a symbol, he thought of using an already existing one—in a way that it is tweaked a little.
Looking at him now, Hayne felt a mixture of multiple feelings he couldn’t quite describe.
"Your imprint will be covered with a symbol that represents and bears the weight of the countless lives lost in your name," Hayne began. "Though you might not remember but it was a genuine wish of yours from the past," he revealed, pausing to check Seiya’s reaction but Seiya merely watched with detached eyes and interest.
"It is after all, a symbol of atonement—a burden and weight meant for you to carry," Hayne added.
He stepped up, moving so close to Seiya that his gaze fell over his head but Seiya never lifted his gaze to meet Hayne’s, he maintained his posture and kept his gaze level.
"And since you cannot remember the children sacrificed in your name anymore," Hayne continued, his stern eyes boring into Seiya from above. "It is all the more reason to bear and carry them along in your journey through life," He remarked sternly.
