Mark looked down and placed the cup on the table.
"Ray went mad. He started to break down internally, having panic attacks every day. He couldn't sleep, and his life became a nightmare. He tried to commit suicide many times, but I stopped him every time.
"Seeing him deteriorate, I decided to join a guild to seek professional help. I joined a small guild, and after a few missions, I befriended someone with healing talents. I invited him to our house to treat Ray, but he only said Ray was physically fine and that his problems were mental, something he couldn't help with. I was devastated, and Ray grew worse by the day.
"Even with all of this, I didn't let him die. I kept going. My talent got recognized by bigger guilds, and I was invited to join the Lords Guild, which I eagerly accepted, hoping they could help Ray.
"Our lives continued like that. I worked hard to get recognition in the Lords Guild while keeping things stable at home. Everything was going fine until one day, I came home from grocery shopping and found a lady in our house. She was holding Ray in her bloody hands as blood poured from him. He had injuries everywhere, and it looked like he was moments away from death.
"At that moment, I was so shocked and sad seeing Ray in such state that something inside me awakened, and I received my talent, the ability to extract others' talents. But my mind was focused on the woman holding Ray. She looked at me and told me that she'd tried but couldn't change his fate, and that was why Ray was in that state. I became furious and attacked her, but she was too powerful.
She did something, and I couldn't move, not a single muscle.
"Then she laid Ray on the bed and vanished. Once she disappeared, I could move again, and I rushed Ray to the nearest hospital. But the doctors said he was in a coma and had little chance of survival. My world collapsed when I heard that. I was heartbroken, but the image of that woman stayed in my mind. I wanted revenge.
"Before seeking revenge, I did something drastic. I extracted a mind manipulation talent from someone and erased everyone's memory of me. Anyone who knew Ray and me together had their memories altered. I deleted all evidence of my existence in Ray's life. I didn't want my revenge to affect Ray in any way, so I had to erase myself from his life."
It seemed like a simple twist of fate, but now Orion couldn't help but wonder if it was all more than just coincidence. The pieces were falling into place in the worst way possible, and the realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Had his plan been doomed from the start?
'Why is this happening?'
Just when Orion thought he had everything under control, something shocking always seemed to happen—and it had happened again.
Looking at Mark, who was waiting for an answer, Orion didn't know what to say. He couldn't reveal his true identity to anyone here. Taking off his mask was out of the question. He also couldn't stop impersonating Ray, as Ray was his ticket to Dollas Academy. That left him with only one choice.
'I'll have to kill him.'
Orion knew this was a cruel decision, but he couldn't afford to let anyone question his identity. If it meant resorting to killing to keep his secret safe, he would do so without a second thought.
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