With hesitation, and hands as cold as ice, in a moment of complete despair, Raym held the letter.He paused for a few seconds, his heart beating slowly and heavily, as if every beat reminded him of what he had lost...He thought to himself for a moment, but in the end, curiosity won, and he opened it.
He read it carefully, confusion crossing his face, until his eyes widened slightly in surprise.It was indeed from Lorian. It read:
Greetings. This is not the first time I've sent you a letter, but I have not given up on receiving a reply...More importantly, I hope this letter reaches one of your officers, or that white-haired boy… I believe his name was Raym...It has been a while since our last meeting, and since then, sleep has not touched my eyes...But my efforts have finally borne fruit. I have found clues that may lead us to those bastards...And you, Raym, will find all your answers as well...So if you're interested, we can meet on the last day of this month, which happens to be a week after this letter was written...And to prove my intentions, we can meet near your base… since you're about to relocate anyway.
Those words struck Raym's wound perfectly...They were almost exactly what he had been searching for… answers.
Who were those bastards???What were their goals???Why did they target Lonz???And did they have any connection to the SI army???
Raym clenched the letter tightly in his fist, not realizing what he was doing.In a situation like this, Lonz would usually help him…But Lonz was gone...
He set the letter aside and went to wash his face...Slowly, he raised his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror.For a moment, he felt like he was staring at someone he didn't recognize...
He remembered everything that had happened since the last time he saw himself like this, and muttered:
"You… weakling.How long will you keep relying on others???Do you really want to stay near them???Didn't you see how one of them betrayed you… and the others didn't believe you???And do you even trust them anymore???Because of them… you're not just losing acquaintances… you're losing yourself too."
He paused, staring into his own reflected eyes...
"Look at yourself… talking to your reflection like a lunatic.If someone saw you now… they'd think you were insane..."
In a moment of blind rage, Raym punched the mirror...
Glass shattered, and drops of blood fell onto the cold floor...
He looked at his bleeding arm and said in a calm, emotionless voice:
"I'll rely on no one but myself..."
Raym began preparing himself...He put on his armor, drew his sword, closed his room quietly, and slipped out.
He didn't hesitate to leave the base...It was noisy and distracting anyway...The voices in his head tried to unsettle him, but this time… he didn't give in.
After moving a short distance away, he started hearing sounds.He tightened his grip on the sword, tension running through his body.
But it turned out to be Lorian and his companions.
Raym felt slightly relieved, though surprised that Lorian had arrived early...
Lorian sighed and said:
"Bright boy… you'll never know how happy I am to find someone willing to help me with this ambition...That's why I always arrived early and left late...But this is the first time someone actually responded...But… where are the others???Did you come before them???"
Raym didn't answer...He simply tilted his head and said:
"They're useless… we won't need them."
Lorian seemed to understand and sighed...
"Hm… boy, I won't interfere with your decisions...But hating or cutting someone off because of a single incident… or a single person… might be the wrong choice...But I'm not inside your heart, so I just hope the decision you're about to make… comes from a clear mind, not wounded feelings..."
He sighed again...
"Well, anyway… no time to waste...Let's go...The place is far..."