Eren hesitated for a mont, then gave a silent nod and stepped inside.
Adyr closed the door behind him and gestured toward the couch. "Please, sit," he said, then turned to the beverage machine on the table. "Tea or coffee?"
Eren sat down slowly and finally spoke. "I won’t have anything, thanks. I ca to talk about sothing." His face was tight with tension, his tone serious, but Adyr could see it—beneath it all, the weight was gone. Like a man who had finally put an old burden to rest.
Without saying anything, Adyr made himself a plain coffee and prepared a tea for Eren anyway. He placed both cups on the table and sat down. "Sure."
Eren stared at the steaming tea in silence, gathering his thoughts.
"Do you know where I’m coming from?"
Adyr took a sip of his coffee but didn’t answer. He waited.
Eren didn’t keep him waiting long. "From the head of the research departnt’s office."
A subtle smile tugged at the corner of his lips—so small it would go unnoticed by most, but not by Adyr.
"I asked them if I could get approval for my little sister’s gene mutation operation. And do you know what they said?"
He picked up the tea and took a sip before continuing.
"They said yes. No questions about my status. No absurd price tags. Nothing. Just a simple yes. Just like that." His voice began to waver near the end, and after another sip, he looked Adyr straight in the eye.
"For years, I tried everything to save her. I begged everyone I t, just for a single operation, just enough to stop her disease. I even forced myself to believe soone as useless as could make a difference. I worked, pushed myself, got a scholarship to the city’s only university. And still, it was always the sa."
His voice was trembling now. The weight of all those years bled through every word.
"Always the sa answer. You’re not eligible. It’s against regulations. There’s nothing we can do. You’re not worthy."
He paused, realizing his emotions were slipping out of control, then took a few more sips of tea.
"I was worth less than nothing... until a few days ago. Until I started playing this ga. And suddenly, from nothing, I beca a recognized player with official status. The kind of person who can save his sister’s life."
He lifted his head and looked directly into Adyr’s eyes—the sa eyes that had quietly listened without interruption.
There was light in Eren’s gaze now. The kind of gratitude that needed no words.
"I have to ask... why did you help ?"
Adyr held his faint smile and answered plainly, "Because you’re worth it."
Eren blinked, caught off guard. Then he covered his eyes with one hand and started laughing, loud and unfiltered.
Adyr could see the tears slipping between his fingers.
That laughter carried everything—grief, release, and the peace that ca with letting go. He laughed with him, quietly.
After a mont, Eren wiped his face, lifted the tea, and downed it in one go, as if it weren’t scalding hot. Then he stood up. His expression returned to sothing serious, though warr than before.
"Adyr... my sister is the only thing I have in this world. The only one I cherish."
He bowed his head slightly and continued.
"I don’t know your reasons, and I won’t ask. But you gave a life. And in return, I’ll be your shield. Your sword. I’ll prove I’m worth your help."
"I know," Adyr said with a quiet smile, taking another sip of his coffee.
Eren didn’t seem bothered by the detached reply. If anything, it confird what he already believed about Adyr.
When Selina first visited the house, Eren had asked her who sent the helt, and she shared her thoughts on Adyr. Back then, he couldn’t understand why soone like her would speak with such admiration about soone like him.
But now, he did.
The man in front of him—good or evil, it was too early to say—but one thing was clear. He wasn’t ordinary.
Where Eren had spent years trapped beneath fate, Adyr had toyed with it, holding no more status or power than anyone else.
And that, to Eren, was enough.
Eren reached into his back pocket and pulled out a few crumpled pages, holding them out. "These are logs. Records of everything I’ve done since I entered the ga. I sold part of it for rit, but what’s left still has unreported data."
Adyr took the crumpled papers from his hand and gave a simple, quiet "Thank you."
Eren nodded and turned toward the door.
The way he carried himself had changed—his shoulders were lighter, his spine straighter. It was the posture of a man who no longer carried any regrets.
Right as he reached for the door, Adyr called. "Eren."
He paused and glanced back.
"I don’t need a shield or a sword," Adyr said. "Just stay the kind of brother she can rely on."
A brief silence followed.
Eren offered a determined smile, gave a final nod, and closed the door behind him.
Adyr looked down at the notes in his hand. It read like a journal—detailed, precise, and carefully written. As he skimd through, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"You’re worth more than I thought," he murmured.
Henry had claid that in Shelter City 9, only a few had registered two paths—and apparently, Eren was one of them.
"Physique and Resilience, huh. He’s a beast, inside and out," Adyr said with a quiet chuckle.
Eren hadn’t just listed his stats. He had even included his registered talents. It looked like he hadn’t kept anything to himself.
At the last page, there was a rough, hand-drawn map of his current location—crude but serviceable. It marked a large kingdom inhabited by various species, most of them with beast-like features. A mixed population, but clearly organized under one rule.
What caught Adyr’s attention the most, though, was a ssy attempt to transcribe the language spoken in that region. The notes were scattered and hard to follow, but to Adyr, who understood the language fluently, the aning was clear.
And it wasn’t Latin.
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