"Ken! Wake up! You are late."
A loud voice came from downstairs, which startled the young man sleeping on a small bed.
The bed was near the window, but the curtains were blocking the sunlight.
The young man slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on the alarm clock next to his bed.
8:45 AM
"Eight... EIGHT! I am late."
The young man murmured while reading the time, and the next moment, he jumped up like a cat whose tail was caught.
"No, no, it's the first day and I am late. I can't be late."
The young man jumped from his bed and went to the bathroom. He brushed, cleaned his face and came out.
He went to the wardrobe and picked out new clothes. He wore a simple blue shirt with a black coat over it.
As for pants, he wore slick navy pants and left his room while combing his hair.
"Mom, I can't eat. I am getting late."
Ken shouted while waving towards a middle-aged woman in the kitchen. Despite being a mother, she looked fair and young.
She wore a simple skirt that reached her knees and an apron. While cooking, she had a gentle smile on her face. Her long black hair was tied with a ribbon.
Just when Ken was about to touch the door, his mom appeared in front of him like a shadowy figure.
Her smiling face, replaced by a clear anger. A strange red aura surrounded her body as she spoke.
"What did you say?"
In an instant, Ken froze as his body began to sweat. He realized he had made a big mistake in a hurry.
While his mother might be a typical housewife, she also had a strong heart for battles.
Unlike his father, who had joined the 'Warlock Association', his mother worked as a part-time hunter.
It was a risky job. She had to work alone in a dangerous environment simply because she was a part-time hunter.
She also loved taking care of her child, so she couldn't join the Warlock Association with her husband and work full-time.
Because of this, she maintained a strict rule in the house.
No skipping breakfast and lunch!
"I'm sorry, Mom."
Faced with this dangerous situation, Ken immediately bowed in front of his mother and apologized.
The dangerous aura disappeared, and the anger slowly turned into a smile.
"Then, let's eat!"
His mom smiled and took him to the kitchen.
Ken helplessly sat on a dining chair while looking hopeless.
'I can't make any excuses. I am gonna be late on my first day.'
Although helpless, he still ate the entire food that his mother served. It was a curry with rice and vegetables.
It was normal food, but packed with nutrients and his mother's love.
"Mom, can you tell me what it felt like when you first bonded with your Astral Being?"
Ken excitedly asked while eating his food.
"No!"
His mother rejected him without a second thought, but when she saw his sad expression, she softly explained.
"Expectation creates hope, and when your hope gets destroyed, it leaves a long-term mental effect on you. That is why parents are strictly not allowed to talk about anything related to cultivation."
Hearing that, Ken swallowed his food and nodded.
"I know. I am sorry for asking. I am just too excited for my Bonding Ceremony."
His mother smiled and got up from her chair. She walked behind Ken and patted his head.
"Don't worry, you will have a wonderful experience while bonding with your Astral Being."
"I can't wait."
Ken finished his food happily, but his eyes showed a gloomy look. After finishing his meal, he waved goodbye to his mother while leaving the house.
After he left, a strange blue energy emerged from his mother and slowly transformed into a creature.
This creature was only ten inches tall and had a humanoid shape. The face looked similar to Ken's mother while having distinct, bird-like eyes and a nose.
There were two pairs of wings behind her back. A blue dress draped over her body, with silver hair flowing on its back.
"Flora, it's connecting to your son." The creature made a serious face and spoke.
Flora's expression changed drastically as she asked.
"Are you sure, Loira? He hasn't even gone through the Bonding Ceremony."
"But the Natural Energy is constantly flowing into your son's body. If his body hadn't awakened his Spiritual Planet, that guy would've bonded with your son."
Loira spoke with a serious expression.
A look of concern appeared on Flora's face as she bit her lips and clenched her fist.
"Why is this happening? Why is that outlier of your planet so attached to my son?"
Loira turned her head, facing her human bond, and sighed.
"Flora, something that is meant to happen will always happen. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, your son has something that he needs. Now, you can only hope that your son has something that suppresses that guy."
"What about that artifact?"
Flora asked. She had a big secret that she hadn't told Ken or anyone else. She did share this secret with her husband, but it was a cooperation between husband and wife.
When Ken was a baby, they learned about his connection with the Outlier of the Astral Dimension, which terrified them.
Even though they hadn't traveled outside the planet, they had heard about his reckless actions.
Because of that, they were extremely worried about their son's future. After all, the future of a human being was closely related to their Astral Bond.
So, to find something that could help them in this situation, they learned about an artifact that had the potential to suppress and change one's Astral Bond.
Under the pretext of being the Solo Hunter, Flora traveled to the Forbidden Land, fought several powerful enemies, and finally got her hands on the artifact.
That journey left several long-term wounds on her body, which made her give up being a full-time hunter.
Because she traveled alone, her feat remained unnoticed by the world. She used that artifact to stop that outlier from making any bond with her.
She hoped that would be the case.
But it didn't work. At least, according to Loira, it wasn't working the way she intended it to work.
"Don't worry, Flora. Although that artifact didn't do what you intended it to do, it did help you suppress that guy's Aura. Now, unless your son reveals it in front of top-tier hunters, nobody should recognize his Astral Bond."
Loira smiled and patted Flora's shoulder.
Flora gave a weak smile and said.
"I hope so. Once he awakens his Bond, I will tell him about his Bond. I don't want my son to face troubles left by that guy."
Loira helplessly nodded.
She knew this was all they could do. They had been trying to suppress or even change the bond for a long time.
But without harming Ken, they had no chance of doing that. So, they could only hope Ken could hide his Astral Bond for as long as he could live.
.............
Ken took the bicycle to school. It was only a ten-minute ride.
But it took him almost ten minutes to finish his breakfast, so he was going to be late.
While riding his bicycle, he couldn't help but curiously raise his head towards the sky.
Humans normally can see the sun during the day. But they could also see strange shadows hovering above their heads.
Although these shadows wouldn't block the sun, they would cast an ominous aura over the Earth.
It was for this reason, the profession of hunter was introduced.
Seven shadows were hovering above Earth, and each shadow was a whole different dimension.
Because of this, the creatures from those dimensions had direct contact with the Earth. Except for Earth, there were many other planets with direct contact.
But that didn't matter because Earth had become one of the focal points for Seven Dimensions as it was one of the very few planets that managed to fight back against other dimensions' invasion.
Because of this, Earth had gained quite a powerful reputation in the universe, not for its technological or power, but for its special bond.
Humans were the first and only creatures in the universe who had a complete bond with one of the Seven Dimensions.
Because of this, despite having only three hundred years of history after the invasion, humanity had gained enough power to fight back against massive invasions.
This was the result of Bond.
Bond between Humans and Astral Beings.
Bond between humans and unknown creatures.
Bond that shaped the human future and gave them infinite possibilities.
But this bond also brought them quite a lot of trouble, especially from other dimensions.
As humans formed a bond with one dimension, the creatures from other dimensions became increasingly angry with humans.
So, for hundreds of years, millions of hunters have given up their lives to safeguard the Earth.
Millions of People have preserved this Bond.