"And now? Has this lone wolf also grown old, going to such lengths to find my hideout and seek help from an old friend waiting to die."
"I have indeed grown old, even to the point where I dare not face the mistakes of the past, that huge mistake." The man looked at the cooling coffee and slowly closed his eyes.
"I shouldn’t have let those two children be born; they weren’t ant to exist in this world."
"Why do you say that? Aren’t those two children beautiful? They’re even kind, not falling into corruption even without you." Prince blew on the hot water and slowly finished drinking.
"Yes, from an outsider’s point of view, not only did I have the best wife, but also two angelic daughters."
"But what if they truly are angels, divine beings who never entered this realm?" The man recounted the truth he knew.
"Do you know the story of Pandora in Greek mythology?"
"I know." Prince didn’t wait for the other to speak but continued.
"I also know what you’re about to tell , about Pandora’s Magic Box, and what was left at the bottom."
"That’s right, it’s ’Hope.’
As if making a resolution, the man in the sweater stood up and paced the room.
"When do people grow?"
"The answer is in despair."
"When do children leave their families?"
"The answer is when they know this family can no longer provide the freedom and space they need."
"At that ti, I was very young, hating the various falsehoods, deceptions, and injustices seen in life, and also despising those weak and apathetic people. I thought I no longer cared about these mundane things."
"Yet, at the most crucial mont, you chose idealism and betrayed the organization." Prince replied with a hint of mockery.
"Yes, when people make choices, it’s not about grand principles, it’s just that impulse lasting a few seconds."
"I once thought I did well by replacing the special vial found on that mission and kept it."
"Yes, none of us realized and we all believed it was just sothing randomly fabricated by a mad cult; if such a treasure truly existed, it would have been confiscated by the Federal Official or the Cult long ago." Prince set down his cup.
"Until ten years ago, we didn’t pay attention to that little thing from back then, thinking you just fell for that beautiful girl from The East and chose to leave the organization for family."
"Despite the unhappiness back then, no one blad you too much, letting you leave in peace."
"Now, more than thirty years have passed, so forr companions are gone, so have retired, and so, like , are hiding in hard-to-find places. Now you suddenly tell to help you get rid of your daughters."
"I thought you were very calm, logically strong, and a decisive, rational person." Prince continued to shake his head.
"Now you look like an old lion driven from the pride, exuding a stench of contempt and decay." He leaned back in his chair, slowly mocking.
"Moreover, who do you think I am?"
"Now I’m already that crow guarding the cetery, quietly waiting for the day of my own burial."
"I have no obsessions, nor gratitude or hope for anyone, you won’t convince ."
After this, they fell into a long silence.
The man stood by the window, looking at the dark streets and the cold, uninhabited city outside.
"This is where you grew up, right?" he suddenly spoke again, not continuing the previous topic.
"Yes." Prince stood up and also ca to the window.
"There weren’t many people here before, but I liked this quiet, undisturbed environnt."
"Are there still people living here now?"
"Now, besides , there should be two families."
"Can I visit them tomorrow?"
"Go ahead, but don’t say you are my friend."
"Heh."
The two said no more.
...
The next day.
The man, with a little gift prepared on the spur of the mont, arrived at a gray-white house in the city and gently knocked on the door.
After waiting for a while without any response, he knocked again, the knocking echoing on the empty streets.
After an hour, the old wooden door slowly opened, revealing a bent old woman. She wore thick glasses, and beside her was a scuffed and faded robot dog, parts of its outer shell fallen away to reveal its circuits and structure.
"Who are you?" The old woman feebly raised her head to look at the man.
"I just arrived here and wanted to learn about so things from you, this is a small gift for you." The man showed the gift box in his hand.
"No need." The old woman closed the door, and the door shut again.
After hitting a wall, the man went to another house, this one near the outskirts, with ssy weeds all over the yard.
When he arrived, the old man here was sitting in a wheelchair, taking a walk, looking at the nearby public cetery, while a personal terminal beside him played the radio, recounting recent news events.
When the man appeared, the old man was visibly shocked, even directly pressing the alarm button on the wheelchair, causing several Riot Control Units to take off from the city and head this way.
"I’m not a criminal, I just want to say a few words to you." The man explained, but the old man still shook his head in disbelief.
Afterwards, the Riot Control Units arrived, and after so questioning and explanation, under the watchful eyes of these Riot Control Units, the man slowly left the yard.
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