Orion carefully walked through the front hall of his house, where the doors to all the other rooms were connected.
The first door closest to him was his bedroom. He approached slowly, his fingers wrapping around the handle. With a soft creak, he opened it just enough to peek inside, his body poised to react. The room was empty. Everything seed untouched, just as he had left it.
He stepped back, closing the door quietly, and turned his attention to the next—the living room.
Sothing about this door felt different, a sense of unease creeping into his chest. His pulse quickened slightly, but he didn't hesitate.
'I can sense it. There is soone in this room!'
Orion could feel the presence of soone behind the living room door. He was certain—his senses never failed him. There was definitely soone there.
Silently clutching the doorknob, he turned it and flung the door open, ready to attack if needed. What greeted him, however, was the sight of a figure calmly sipping tea from his second-favorite cup, sitting on his most cherished chair.
"It took you long enough," the figure smirked, seeing Orion enter.
Orion's expression darkened with annoyance as he recognized the figure. It was the sa person he had fought alongside against the 9th-level platinum rank killer.
"Mark, what are you doing here?" Orion asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes.
Mark gestured for Orion to sit on the couch across from him. "Sit, Ray. We have a lot to talk about."
But Orion stood his ground, gripping his sword defensively. The tension between him and Mark beca thick, almost suffocating.
They had just fought side by side, battling a common enemy, but that didn't change the fact that Mark had killed Ray. That was sothing Orion could never forget.
From the mont they'd t, sothing about Mark had always unsettled him. It wasn't anything obvious—no sudden moves or blatant hostility—but Orion's instincts were sharp, and they kept telling him not to trust this man. Even during the fight against the killer, Orion had been on edge, half-expecting a sneak attack from Mark at any mont.
"Hey, we just fought like real friends against that killer, and now you're pointing your sword at ?" Mark said in a disappointed tone.
"What are you doing here?" Orion repeated.
"Where's the trust, Ray? The trust we had during the battle? The belief that I had your back? Where did all that go?" Mark asked, sounding dejected.
"I'll ask you one last ti—what are you doing here, Mark?" Orion's tone sharpened.
Mark's expression shifted to seriousness. "Fine. If you want to be serious, let's be serious."
He leaned forward slightly. "Who are you, Ray Wiser?"
Orion's heart raced at the question, but his expression didn't waver. "Who am I? Have you gone mad?" he replied coolly.
Mark shook his head. "I know you're not Ray, so drop the act."
"What are you talking about?" Orion feigned ignorance, though his mind was racing.
Mark looked at him with disdain. "If you were really Ray Wiser, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Ray Wiser was my best friend."
Orion's eyes narrowed into slits, the sudden revelation catching him off guard.
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Mark observed Orion's stunned expression and continued. "There was a ti when Ray and Tracy would co to the park with their parents. I was just an orphan, alone and sad. I was jealous of kids who had parents... so I was jealous of Ray too."
Mark went on, "But Ray was different. He saw things others didn't, did things others wouldn't. When others pitied , he showed kindness. When others ignored , he paid attention."
He paused, then resud, "Whenever Ray and his family ca to the park, he'd always bring food for . He'd always play with . Because of him, my days got better. I'd wait at the orphanage every day just to see him. Playing with Ray beca my favorite thing. Eventually, we got so close that Ray's parents decided to adopt ."
A look of sadness crossed Mark's face as he continued.
"But then, everything changed. Ten years ago, Ray stopped coming to the park with his family. I waited and waited, but they never ca. A year passed, and on my tenth birthday, I got a gift with a letter. It was from Ray, apologizing for not visiting. He said it was because of his family."
Mark sighed.
"I was sad, and so was he. But the next day, Ray ca to the park with his family again. I was so happy. I thought they were going to adopt . But Ray told his family's financial problems ant they couldn't. I was devastated."
Mark paused briefly before continuing.
"However, that sadness didn't last long. Ray kept coming to the park with his family. Years passed, and when I turned seventeen, Ray's parents died in an accident. That day, I visited his house for the first ti, and it was the only ti I saw him cry."
Mark looked at Orion and continued, "After that, I visited Ray's house regularly. We got even closer. But sothing changed in Ray. He beca lazy, started to yell at his sister, stopped eating, stopped hunting—he didn't do anything. He just locked himself in his room."
Mark smiled sadly. "At that ti, I decided to take responsibility. Ray had done so much for , and now it was my turn. I worked part-ti jobs to et their daily needs, and Tracy started hunting. We sohow managed. Life went on until one day, we got the news that Tracy had died during a dungeon raid.
I cried hard that day, but soone else was even sadder."
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