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 seemed untouched, just as he had left it.
He stepped back, closing the door quietly, and turned his attention to the next—the living room.
Something 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 someone in this room!'
Orion could feel the presence of someone behind the living room door. He was certain—his senses never failed him. There was definitely someone 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 same 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 became 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 something Orion could never forget.
Mark went on, "But Ray was different. He saw things others didn't, did things others wouldn't. When others pitied me, he showed kindness. When others ignored me, he paid attention."
He paused, then resumed, "Whenever Ray and his family came to the park, he'd always bring food for me. He'd always play with me. Because of him, my days got better. I'd wait at the orphanage every day just to see him. Playing with Ray became my favorite thing. Eventually, we got so close that Ray's parents decided to adopt me."
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 came. 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 came to the park with his family again. I was so happy. I thought they were going to adopt me. But Ray told me his family's financial problems meant 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 time, and it was the only time I saw him cry."
Mark looked at Orion and continued, "After that, I visited Ray's house regularly. We got even closer. But something changed in Ray. He became 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 time, I decided to take responsibility. Ray had done so much for me, and now it was my turn. I worked part-time jobs to meet their daily needs, and Tracy started hunting. We somehow 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 someone else was even sadder."
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