The mist surrounding them did not move, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
The golden bars still stood as they always had, clean, gleaming, and cruel. Not rusted. Not broken. Like a symbol of a prison that was never meant to be opened.
Ray stepped closer. "I didn't come here to fight," he said. "If you want to call me a fake, go ahead. I just want to know… who I really am."
The real Gamma leaned his back against the bars. His gaze was different now, colder, clearer. And yet, Ray felt that Gamma was not acting. It was as though he had finally shown his true self.
"How interesting," he said flatly. "You live in my body, wear my name, protect the people who were meant to be protected by me… and then you come here asking who you are?"
Ray gave a small, bitter smile.
"If I don't ask now, I'm afraid that one day I'll forget that I ever asked at all."
Gamma fell silent. Behind the bars, the mist slowly swirled, forming vague shadows. Distant sounds echoed, wailing, whispers, prayers that never reached their destination. But none of it was strange in that place.
"You want to know the truth?" Gamma finally asked.
Ray nodded.
Gamma stood straight and stepped closer to the bars, until their faces were separated by only a few fingers, "You are not me," he said softly, "But you are no longer fully yourself either. Are you sure you want to understand me?"
Ray exhaled deeply and replied, "I told you from the beginning, that's why I came here. There's far too much I don't know about who I am now."
Gamma sneered. "You say that as if you've truly become me."
"Enough with the nonsense," Ray snapped, "I'm sick of your provocations. If you want me to help your family, then tell me about your past."
Gamma stared at Ray sharply, without a trace of fear in his eyes. "What makes you think threatening me with my family will make me agree?" He sighed casually and continued, "Besides, I don't care about them at all."
"That's a lie," Ray replied without hesitation.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You may be dead, but you're not truly gone. Your soul is still connected to this body along with mine."
"And what makes you so sure?"
"It's simple." Ray looked down at his own palms before continuing. "Because I understand myself."
"What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Ray looked back at Gamma and explained, "When I saw your mother—"
Suddenly, Gamma stood up and shouted, cutting him off. "Shut up! She's not your mother! She's my mother!"
Startled, Ray stumbled back a step, then broke into a wide smile at the sight of Gamma's frustrated expression.
"There it is. That reaction. That expression. Everything." Ray pointed at him. "How can you deny it now? You care about your family."
Suddenly, Ray felt an unpleasant sensation. His smile faded instantly. But he dismissed it, assuming it was merely a side effect of the poison.
Gamma slowly composed himself, putting his poker face back on.
"I just don't want you to misunderstand anything," he said coldly. "You are not me. You're merely an anomaly living in my body. You're a fake. A lost soul that accidentally took over my body. Remember that until you die."
Ray smiled in response. "It doesn't matter if that's who I am. At least I can live in peace. But to live in peace, I need to understand myself." His smile disappeared as he lowered his head. "That's why… I'm begging you. Help me become Gamma."
"…" Gamma fell silent.
"I'm not asking you to help me," Ray continued quietly, "I just want information, so I won't be lost in the future."
"No," Gamma answered firmly, "you don't deserve it."
"Why?" Ray shouted. "Why do you keep acting like this? Why do you keep pretending to be a bad person?"
"Pretending?" Gamma laughed bitterly, "Don't make me laugh. I don't care about anyone around me. I only think about myself."
Having lost all patience, Ray yelled, "What is wrong with you?! Your family is clearly worried about you! There are so many people who support you! That kind of trust could never be earned by a bad person!"
His voice slowly softened. "I really don't understand… I don't understand you at all."
"That's right. You don't understand," Gamma replied, "You truly don't understand anything, Ray. And even if you did, I wouldn't care about you. Leave. Don't come back, not even when you finally understand."
Suddenly, Gamma began to drift farther and farther from Ray's sight. Like a forced rejection, pushing him away again and again. No matter how much Ray tried to reach him, the rejection repeated endlessly, until Ray finally understood. Gamma was refusing to see him.
Damn it!… so I can be rejected?
Then why did you accept me in the first place if you truly didn't care? What are you really thinking, Gamma?
Ray looked around. All he saw was thick mist with no end in sight.
Am I still trapped here? When will I wake up?
Oh right… can I talk to someone else?
The first person he wanted to see was Harrington. He was curious about his condition. But no matter how far he wandered aimlessly, he found nothing. Then he tried to meet Alice, but the result was the same.
Just when he was about to give up, his third attempt succeeded. The person he wanted to meet now was Violette Hall, Gamma Hall's mother. Or, in a way, his own mother now. Ray smiled in relief when he realized it. That meant his mother was definitely still alive. But that relief quickly turned into worry when he realized he couldn't see his two older siblings.
As he stood there with a serious expression, a gentle voice suddenly reached his ears. "Gamma… is that you?"
Hearing that, Ray replied immediately, "Yes, Mother!"
Violette smiled. "Thank goodness. What actually happened?"
"You were cursed during dinner. It left you all on the brink of death."
"I see. How many people?"
"Beatrice, Harrington, Alice, and also some maids and all the chefs."
"...", Violette was silent while thinking.
"But don't worry! We're preparing to head to the elven lands to ask for help."
Violette's eyes widened, her brows knitting together. "Huh? Why?"
"Why? Of course, to save you all, " Ray noticed the strange look on her face and asked back, "Do you know something, mother? curses and magic is the elves specialty, right?"
"That's true… but—" Violette looked genuinely disturbed.
"But what?"
"It's dangerous there! The elves hate humans. You'll be killed the moment you show your face!"
"It's fine. Father will come with us. And I'll do my best to help with the negotiations."
Violette grabbed Ray and shook him desperately. "No! That's not it! Just don't go! Don't go there! Tell your father to abandon this plan!"
"B-but you'll stay like this forever if we don't do anything!"
Tears began to fall from Violette's eyes as she looked straight at Ray. "Please… protect my child's body."
"Eh?..."
"You're not Gamma, are you?" she continued. "I knew it from the beginning. I knew Gamma was already dead. But at least, protect the body he left behind for you!"
"W-what do you mean, Mother?"
Violette glared at Ray, suppressed anger burning in her eyes. "Don't call me Mother! I don't even know you! You don't need to care about strangers! Just protect that body! my child's body! If anything happens to my son, I will hunt you down even into hell itself!"
Ray stood frozen, unable to say a word. He can't.
Suddenly, Violette smiled. She sat down and offered her thigh as a pillow. Ray, seeing this, could only comply. Gently, she stroked his hair as if doting on her own child.
"That's right. Gamma only needs to protect himself," she murmured. "You have no obligation to save strangers. So take care of your body, okay? It's the last memory of you that remains."
She pressed her cheek against Ray's and continued, "Oh my beloved child… forgive Mother for not being able to save you. It was my fault for not stopping you from carrying that burden. It was my fault for not opposing your father's decision. It was my fault…"
Her voice slowly rose. "It was my fault! My fault! My fault!"
Without realizing it, she began to scream.
"My fault! It's my fault! It's my fault!" Unaware, her hands had already wrapped around Ray's neck, choking him as she repeated the words. Then, instinctively, her anger turned toward him, and her words changed. "It's your fault! Your fault! Your fault! Die! Die! Die!..."
Ray felt nothing, even as he was hurt. His body took no damage. He allowed a grieving mother to vent her rage upon him until he was beaten again and again, though no blood was drawn.
The meaningless torture lasted a long time, until Violette finally felt satisfied and slowly regained her sanity.
"Why did my child have to die?"
It all ended with Violette crying. Crying. And crying.
And Ray could only watch, facing the consequences of his choices.