The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

BACK at his hotel room, after changing clothes and removing make-up, the first thing Astrid did was to call Wulfric. Unlike usual, the call didn't go through immediately. His first thought was the other was probably busy. He was thinking of just calling later when the call connected and Wulfric's handsome face appeared on the screen.

Astrid was startled when he saw Wulfric's current state. 

The other's white hair was completely disheveled, as if he rolled on the ground or something. But more importantly, there were splashes of something red on his face. Astrid didn't think that it was paint. That didn't even cross his mind. The first thing that did was only one thing.

Blood.

Not only that, Astrid could also hear some commotion at the background. Like the wheezing sound of a laser gun. He was familiar with the sound because he sometimes accompanied Reas when the other played in the [VirtualNet]. His brother would often play games there spanning from gun battles to mecha battles. So, he knew this sound.

Astrid frowned. Looking at the background where Wulfric stood, he could see smoke and even people fighting. 

"Are- are you okay?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I'm fine. Oh, are you talking about this?" the other asked while wiping the blood on his face, as if he only realized that it was there. "Don't worry, it's not mine."

"I probably should have not called you at this time," Astrid said, aware that the other was in the middle of something important, maybe a mission of some sort.

"It's fine, we're almost done here anyway," Wulfric said with a wave of his hand, as if what he's doing was akin to a walk in the park. 

He kicked away the person who fell near his feet. Then, he walked and sat on the captain's chair so he and Astrid could have a better conversation. It was a rare thing that Aster called him first. How could he tell the other to end the call just because of some minor inconvenience?

"What exactly are you doing?" Astrid asked.

The worry he felt was no longer so palpable. Maybe because despite whatever dangerous environment Wulfric was right now, the other was far from being in danger.

"Ah, we encountered a pirate ship on our way to our destination. As a responsible general, it's my duty to apprehend them. So, my soldiers and I are currently doing just that."

It was just a run off the mill pirate ship, so his soldiers hadn't even used half of their strength to capture these outlaws. 

Hearing that, Astrid was reminded that space pirates was actually a thing in this era. He was worried once again. But then looking at Wulfric's carefree attitude, there's probably nothing to worry about.

"You're not in any kind of danger, right?" he still asked.

The corner of Wulfric's lips subconsciously tilted up when he heard that question. Because it showed just how much Aster was worrying about him. This was not a bad feeling at all. In fact, he liked it quite a bit. 

"No, not at all," he said. "Why did you call, by the way?"

Although he's happy that the other called him, he also knew that something must have happened for Aster to take the initiative to call him like this. 

"Right. I want to ask you a question regarding abilities," Astrid started, no longer hesitating and just said the reason he called the other. "I want to know if it's possible for someone to develop an ability connected to pheromones or the likes?"

Wulfric's brows furrowed a bit when he heard that. "Hmm… pheromones, huh. Although not impossible. It's certainly is rare."

"Then, that means that it exists, right? An ability related to pheromones?" Astrid asked again to make things clear.

  Wulfric nodded. "It's like a combination of physique level and mental level. Pheromones are produced by the body but its effect is perceived by the brain. So, for an individual to actually develop this kind of ability, there should be a high synchronization between their mind and body."

Aster didn't react, as if trying to digest what he just said. 

"I'm sorry, I'm not really good at explaining things," he added when he didn't hear the other's response.

"No, I kind of get it," Astrid said. "It's like someone who doesn't have much inhibition. Not hesitating to do what the mind tells them."

"Yes, it's something like that."

Astrid nodded at Wulfric's confirmation. "But even so, it's not like that kind of characteristic is rare. So, why isn't there a lot of people who had that kind of ability?"

"I'm not sure as well. But there's a study that shows that people who manifested this kind of ability have a much more developed sweat glands compared to others," Wulfric explained more.

Was that so their scent would be different? – Astrid pondered. "But how come I've never heard of such an ability?"

There was even a study about it. So, surely, it wasn't like a legendary ability or something.

"There are a lot of abilities not made public," Wulfric said, his ability for example was one. "Especially those that could cause panic and fear to the people."

Astrid could somewhat understand that. If a person knew that there's an ability that could force them to like someone even if they didn't want to, wouldn't people's trust for one another hugely decrease? It's like that saying, 'ignorance is a bliss'. What one didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

"Those who manifested an ability related to pheromones were usually conscripted by the Empire to the military's intelligence division," Wulfric added.

"You mean like a spy?"

Wulfric nodded. "But why are you asking about this anyway?"

Astrid debated whether to tell Wulfric about Lance. But at the end, he decided that he should. After all, the military was even involved. He should his civic duty as a citizen in the Empire.

"I think I met someone with the same ability."

The glint on Wulfric's eyes suddenly turned dangerous when he heard that. "Who?"