The Beginning of a New Journey [3]

"What do you mean, 'if he's human'? Of course he is!" Hayne blurted to his uncle.

His uncle, however, remained silent, studying his nephew with an unreadable expression. His gaze flickered toward Seiya, and he couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that his eyes and instincts saw something different—something other than human.

"Anyway, he needs help," Hayne urged, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

His uncle sighed. He had countless questions for Hayne—questions about his years of absence, about where he had been all this time—but as much as he would have liked to sit down and discuss Hayne's years of absence, he knew his nephew's mind was elsewhere—preoccupied with the strange group he had brought along into the shop. With that in mind, he followed Hayne toward Seiya.

"Who are they?" he asked as they walked.