"What happened? Why are those stupid creatures shouting?" asked Zarafel, curious about the shouts of people at the port. "Don't you want to go see?"
"Later, for now let's just take a look from afar," replied Hastora as he sat on the edge of the white sandy beach, where small waves gently lapped against the shore, leaving behind fine bubbles that shimmered under the twilight light.
The people at the port ran in a stampede, leaving the old wooden port looking empty and silent. None of them stayed behind.
"Is it empty there?" asked Hastora.
"Just a moment, let me analyze it first, ¢€##$, done. There is no one left there," Zarafel replied, informing him of the results of his analysis.
"It's empty, huh?" said Hastora as he stared coldly at the port, its silhouette clearly visible against the background of the sky, which was beginning to change color. "We should just wait for that monster to come out again, then we can go there."
Hastora sat on the edge of the beach, the cool seawater lapping at his feet, to lure the sea monster towards him. The sand on the beach felt warm under his feet. The sea monster has a keen sense of smell, they will know Hastora's position immediately just by his presence.
"What are you doing?" asked Zarafel. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm just trying to lure the sea monster," replied Hastora. "The sea monster has a keen sense of smell, they will know my presence if I stand here."
Hearing that, Zarafel became a little confused by the meaning of Hastora's words.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"I'm not hiding my presence like I usually do. Right now, my presence is very strong, they will know my location just by my presence here."
Zarafel immediately understood what Hastora was saying, Hastora's words were immediately absorbed by him. Zarafel decided to stay silent and not utter a word, he wanted to see the reaction of the sea monster. Zarafel also thought that Hastora's presence was very strong.
!!!
Not long after, from the dark and deep sea, a sea monster jumped towards Hastora. The sea water scattered, forming a high spray. The sea monster had a large body, and also had four legs with sharp claws. Its eyes were red like burning embers, it also had a long tail on its back that swayed in the air. The twilight light reflected off its shimmering scales.
Hastora, who already knew about the monster's attack, dodged it easily. He created ten dark chains, and attacked the sea monster using those dark chains. The chains emerged from the darkness, like black snakes wriggling in the air.
"You will die here," said Hastora as he stared coldly at the sea monster.
The dark chains hit the sea monster, and instantly the sea monster was entangled in the dark chains.
"Your attack hit the target," Zarafel said, his voice sounding very happy.
Hastora created six dark spears. He fired the dark spears towards the sea monster. The spears shot out at high speed, leaving traces of dark light in the air.
The dark spears pierced the sea monster's body, causing the sea monster to die instantly.
"Easy," said Hastora, feeling a little disappointed with the monster. "That monster wasn't what I expected."
"You're just too strong, damn it!" yelled Zarafel, feeling a little annoyed with Hastora's arrogant nature.
"No, that monster was just too weak," replied Hastora. "Most of my power has been lost due to using reincarnation magic. Now, my power is only 40% of my original power."
Suddenly, five more sea monsters emerged from the water, their bodies emerging from beneath the calm surface of the water, creating ripples that spread out in all directions. They did not attack Hastora directly, but instead attacked him from a distance.
The sea monsters shot energy balls from their mouths, the energy balls were aimed directly at Hastora. The energy balls were green and glowing, leaving traces of light in the air. But, an attack like that would never be able to hit him.
"<𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗩𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝘅>"
Hastora used his magic, a gravity vortex in the form of a black hole appeared in his arm, the black hole had a very strong gravitational pull. The black hole looked like a dark ball spinning rapidly, absorbing the light around it. So strong, it even sucked up the energy balls shot by the sea monster."
"Take this, you bastard," said Hastora, his voice sounding flat and cold.
Hastora threw the black hole towards the sea monsters. In an instant, the sea monsters were sucked directly into the black hole, they were unable to resist the black hole at all. The black hole then disappeared, leaving the sea calm again.
"Very easy," said Hastora as he closed his eyes.
"So arrogant," Zarafel responded to Hastora's words. "Those are just ordinary sea monsters, you can't be considered great just by defeating them."
Hastora opened his eyes, staring at the sea with a flat expression. The sky in the western horizon had turned into a gradient of orange, pink, and purple that was stunning. The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon, leaving behind a golden glow that illuminated the calm surface of the sea.
"So what should I defeat?" asked Hastora. "Do you want me to defeat a kraken?"
Hearing the name "kraken," it made Zarafel curious, his curiosity was piqued.
"Kraken?" Zarafel asked curiosity. "What creature is that?"
"Don't you know?" asked Hastora.
"No," he replied shortly.
"The kraken is a monster that looks like an octopus, but it is very large," said Hastora, informing Zarafel about the Kraken. The image of a giant octopus appeared briefly in Zarafel's mind, bringing a sense of fear and curiosity at the same time.
"How big is it?" asked Zarafel.
"13 meters," replied Hastora. He imagined the kraken's tentacles, capable of destroying large ships.
"Wow! It's so big!" shouted Zarafel in amazement. "Let's kill that creature, Hastora!"
Hastora sighed, "No," he replied shortly.
"Eh?, why?" Zarafel asked curiously.
"The kraken is in the Black Sea," replied Hastora. "It's very far. Besides, my body can't hold my full power right now, it could endanger my life."
Zarafel became curious after hearing the words "Black Sea," his curiosity was overflowing. The darkness of the name seemed to depict a terrible place.
"Black Sea?, what is that?" asked Zarafel.
"The Black Sea is in the western direction of the earth, 100 kilometers from the Starfall Kingdom," answered Hastora, while informing about the Black Sea. "The Black Sea is very vast, the weather there is very stormy and dim. The wind blows constantly, creating large waves that hit the steep cliffs. The sky above the Black Sea is often dark, even in the daytime, because of thick clouds that cover the sun. The creatures in the Black Sea are also very strong, with my current strength, I can't kill a single creature there, I have to evolve this body to be able to contain more of my original power." He described a bleak and terrifying seascape.
"What kind of creatures are there?" asked Zarafel.
"Hmmm... I think there are siren, with their alluring and deadly songs, black sea dragons that are large and strong, giant crabs with their giant claws, winged seahorses that are agile and dangerous, mud monsters that can bury their prey alive, shadow octopuses that can manipulate shadows, giant sea worms that are horrifying, krakens, constantinopel claws with their sharp claws, crimean sea serpents that are long and deadly, giant fire turtle, and azov sea ghosts that are mysterious and terrifying." Hastora mentioned each creature in detail, making Zarafel shiver.
"I think those creatures look pretty strong," replied Zarafel. "The Black Sea also sounds very scary."
"Why do you say that?" asked Hastora.
"Its name, I think the Black Sea is very scary because of its name," Zarafel replied. "The names of the monsters you mentioned earlier also sound a little scary."
"Weak," said Hastora flatly.
"What!" shouted Zarafel angrily. "How dare you!"
"Shut up, you lowly creature," Hastora replied. "You can't do anything to me."
"!"
Zarafel just stood silent and could not say anything after hearing that.
"You're right," he said, his voice low. "By the way, where did you get the information about the Black Sea?"
"I don't know, I suddenly knew about the Black Sea. Maybe, I know it from the memories in this body," replied Hastora. "And, I have one question."
"What is it?"
"When I reincarnated, why did I reincarnate directly into my body at the age of 15? I should have reincarnated as a baby, right?" Hastora asked.
"Hmmm... I think most of your soul is late to reincarnate," Zarafel replied. "Maybe that's why you just realized you reincarnated when you were 15. And, before you realized you had already reincarnated, your nature was not the same as your original nature."
"So, actually I've been reincarnated since I was a baby, but I only realized that I had reincarnated when I was 15?" Hastora asked.
"Yes, most of your soul is late to enter your new body. And maybe your nature before you realized you had reincarnated was different. And, when most of your late-reincarnated soul entered your new body, that's when your true nature returned, and you also realized that you had reincarnated".
Hastora held his chin, Zarafel's explanation was easily absorbed by him.
"No wonder people in my house looked shocked and confused when my true nature returned."
...
The sea breeze blew stronger past his body, the twilight sky was completely dark, stars began to appear one by one, decorating the dark night sky. The crescent moon appeared thin in the sky, emitting a soft light that illuminated the beach. The waves that were once calm were now slightly rippling, driven by the increasingly strong night wind.
"It's twilight, it's almost night," said Zarafel.
"Right, it's pretty calm here," replied Hastora. "Are the sea monsters that attacked the port still there?"
"No," Zarafel replied briefly. "You killed them all."
"So there were only six?" asked Hastora.
"That's right," answered Zarafel.
"Then we should go back."
Hastora walked away from the beach, he climbed the steps at the edge of the beach towards the road. The stone steps felt cold under his feet. Before leaving, he took a quick look back at the beach. The larger waves were now hitting the beach with a low rumble.
"Why are you stopping?" asked Zarafel. "What's wrong?"
"Waiting for the sunset," replied Hastora. The remaining light of the sun in the west had faded, replaced by dark colors in the sky.
"That's a good idea," Zarafel replied.
...
The sun had completely set, leaving a sky full of stars. The orange and pink colors in the sky had been replaced by a deep blue. The full moon appeared in the sky, casting a soft light that illuminated the beach. The night wind blew gently, carrying a fresh scent of the sea. The waves that were once calm were now slightly rippling, driven by the increasingly strong night wind. The atmosphere on the beach felt quiet and calm, only accompanied by the soothing sound of the waves.
The sun has been completely replaced by the moon, marking the end of the day. Hastora immediately left the beach and headed back to his house. He walked quickly, passing by the streets that were beginning to empty.
He put both his arms in his pants pockets, looking up at the night sky. Visible, the stars shone brightly in the sky, decorating the dark night sky. Several star clusters were clearly visible, forming interesting patterns. Hastora stared at the stars, to calm himself from all the burdens, problems, his goals. The light of the stars was like small points of light twinkling in the darkness.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Zarafel.
"So-so," Hastora replied briefly.
"Do you like this?" asked Zarafel, his curiosity piqued.
"Not really," replied Hastora. "This is just my habit."
Zarafel was a little curious about it. He decided to ask.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"When I feel tired, stressed, or in trouble. I always look at the stars in the sky to calm myself down," replied Hastora.
"That's a strange habit."
"You should just keep quiet, you'll never know what peace is like in my version."
"?"
Zarafel didn't understand the meaning of Hastora's words, he chose to stay silent and not ask again. He thought that Hastora would definitely say words that he couldn't understand if he asked again.
Hastora returned his gaze to the road, he quickened his pace.
"I'll just run," he said.
He began to run quickly towards his house without using any magic energy. Even though he didn't add magic energy to his legs, his running speed was still very fast. It made Zarafel a little surprised, but he didn't ask anything about it.
...
...
After a long run, Hastora arrived at his house. The big house looked magnificent in the darkness of night, the lights inside the house illuminated the front yard.
"What time is it?" asked Hastora.
"Hmmm... I think it's 8 pm," answered Zarafel.
"Is this 8 pm already considered 'late'?" Hastora asked curiously.
"I think not, 8 pm is not yet considered late," answered Zarafel.
Hearing that, Hastora immediately walked through the gate of his house. In the yard, there was a very luxurious horse-drawn carriage parked there. The horses looked calm, while the carriage looked sparkling under the moonlight. This made Hastora a little curious about who the owner of the horse-drawn carriage was.
He immediately moved towards his house, and quickly opened the mansion door. After it was opened, inside there was a white-haired, blue-eyed girl about 15 years old, a blonde, blue-eyed adult woman about 35 years old, a white-haired, blue-eyed adult man about 40 years old, and a blonde, blue-eyed girl about 18 years old sitting in the living room with Elara and the head of the family. The atmosphere in the living room felt formal and tense.
"Eh?, who are they?" Zarafel asked curiously.
"I don't know," replied Hastora.
All eyes were on Hastora. However, Hastora didn't care about them. He closed the mansion door and walked towards his room with a flat and cold expression as if he didn't consider their presence. His footsteps sounded firm on the wooden floor.
The guests, the head of the family, and Elara were shocked and confused by Hastora's attitude just now. They all looked at Hastora who was climbing the stairs to the second floor. Silence filled the room after Hastora left.
"He's so cold," said the white-haired adult man. His voice sounded a little shaky. "He's your son, Elara?"
"Yes," Elara replied, her voice sounded low. She looked a little worried about her son's behavior.
"No wonder his personality is as cold as yours," said the blonde adult woman. Her tone sounded a bit sarcastic.
"Not really," Elara replied as she closed her eyes. She tried to stay calm.
"Focus," said the head of the family. His voice sounded firm and authoritative. "Don't be too surprised just by looking at a cold teenager."
Although the head of the family said that, actually he was also a little surprised by Hastora's attitude just now. "He's really changed," he thought. He could hardly believe it, the boy who usually locked himself up in his room was now a boy with a very cold personality and a powerful presence? How is it possible? He looked at Elara, searching for clues on the woman's face.
They all went back to their conversation, meanwhile, the white-haired, blue-eyed girl was still looking at the stairs that Hastora had climbed. She was a little curious about Hastora. Her gaze was full of curiosity and a little admiration.
"Mom, who was that man?" asked the white-haired girl. Her voice sounded soft and curious.
"He's Miss Elara's son, he's the same age as you," the blonde adult woman replied. Her tone sounded a little teasing. "Why are you asking? Are you love at first sight, Charlotte?"
Hearing that, Charlotte's face immediately flushed. She felt very embarrassed, but she did not deny her mother's words at all. "Mom's right, I'm a little interested in that man," she thought. Her cheeks flushed even redder.
"That's enough, don't play around," said the head of the family. His voice sounded a little loud, stopping the conversation that was starting to deviate.
"Alright," replied the blonde adult woman.
They all went back to focusing, and immediately continued their main topic. However, their gazes occasionally turned towards the stairs, as if they were still curious about Hastora.
On the other hand, Hastora was currently lying on his bed. His room felt dark and silent. His body felt very sore, he got up for a moment and stretched, then he lay back down on his bed. The softness of the bed felt comfortable against his tired body.
"My legs are very sore," said Hastora.
"That's your own fault," Zarafel replied. "You should have added your magic energy to your legs so the trip would feel faster."
"I'm just trying to enjoy the night atmosphere," replied Hastora. He closed his eyes, trying to relax.
"Whatever," replied Zarafel.
"Don't you want to enter the academy?" asked Zarafel.
Hastora was a little curious about the academy. 20,000 years ago, he had never heard the word academy. That's because he wasn't born a nobleman. Out of curiosity, he decided to ask Zarafel.
"Zarafel... what is an academy?"
---To be continued in the next chapter---