The wind… once gentle, once familiar in its quiet whispers…had fallen still...
Not faded… not weakened…
Silenced...
As if something unseen had pressed down upon the world itself—forcing even the air to hold its breath.
Raym stopped abruptly...
His brows tightened, unease creeping into his voice as he spoke:
"…What do you mean… he wanted you here?"
His eyes locked onto Lorian, shock clearly reflected within them.
Then, more urgently:
"You mean… he knows we're here?! That he… led all of us into this place??!"
Lorian exhaled slowly, raising a hand just slightly...
"Lower your voice…"
A brief pause...
"…He doesn't know you're here."
Another step closer...
"…Not yet..."
He moved closer to Raym, until there was barely any distance left between them.
His gaze… steady.
Unshaken.
But deeper than usual.
"…And even if he did…"
His voice dropped.
"…he wouldn't care about you."
Silence...
"…He wants me."
Raym froze.
For a brief moment… even his breathing felt distant...
Lorian stepped even closer...
"So, Raym…"
He paused—just long enough to make the next words heavier.
"I want to end this… here."
His voice did not rise.
It did not tremble.
"…Once. And for all..."
Raym's chest tightened.
He could feel it now—
This wasn't just determination...
It was something else.
Something final...
"So… when I face him…"
Lorian's eyes locked onto his.
"Leave him to me."
A breath.
"…To me alone."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable...
Almost suffocating.
Raym hesitated.
Those words…
They weren't a request.
They were a decision already made.
And yet…
This was Lorian.
The calmest.
The most rational person he knew.
And now…
He sounded like someone ready to throw everything away.
But those eyes…
They weren't reckless...
They weren't lost.
They were…
Resolved.
Raym closed his eyes for a brief moment.
A quiet breath escaped him.
Then—
"…Alright."
He opened them again.
"I trust you."
He turned slightly, glancing back at the others—
Expecting doubt.
Objection.
Anything...
But instead—
They were calm.
Steady.
As if they understood something he didn't.
A sudden laugh broke the tension.
Aldous stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Raym's head, ruffling his hair with a grin:
"Hah! Seems like Vail wasn't exaggerating after al..l."
He smirked proudly...
"You've grown… faster than I expected, kid."
From the side, Arvela approached with a gentle smile.
"I still can't believe it…"
Her voice softened...
"You're the same boy who could barely hold his sword…"
A small pause...
"…Feels like it was just yesterday."
As for Lyra…
She said nothing.
She simply watched him.
Quietly.
Something stirred within her.
Something unfamiliar.
Was it pride…???
Was it envy…???
Or perhaps…
A strange sense of comfort, just from seeing him stand there?
She didn't understand it...
But her eyes…
Said everything...
Lorian allowed himself a small smile...
He had understood Raym's answer long before it was spoken...
Then, quietly:
"Follow me."
"…And stay hidden."
They moved.
Carefully.
Silently.
That strange stillness returned…
No—
It deepened.
With every step they took, the air grew heavier.
Thicker.
Harder to breathe.
Or perhaps…
It wasn't the air at all.
Perhaps it was the weight of what awaited them.
Lorian stopped abruptly.
Everyone froze behind him.
His expression shifted.
Subtly—
But noticeably.
"Move faster…"
He lowered his voice further.
"…But quieter."
"Hide your presence. Completely."
Minutes passed.
Slow.
Tense.
Then—
They saw them.
Members of the cult.
Aldous and the others tensed immediately, preparing to strike—
But—
Lorian raised his hand.
"Wait."
They listened.
"…Hurry. The master is waiting."
"…I thought I sensed something…"
A brief exchange of glances.
A silent signal.
Then they walked away.
Silence returned.
But this time…
It wasn't safe.
Aldous narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…They noticed."
They all knew it.
But they chose…
To ignore it.
They continued forward.
Even more cautiously than before.
Then—
Raym stopped.
"Raym???"
Lorian's voice carried a hint of irritation.
"Why did you stop? We're close… I can feel him."
But Raym didn't move.
His eyes were fixed ahead.
"…This feeling…"
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"…Don't you feel it?"
A pause.
"This presence…"
His voice dropped.
"…It reminds me of that moment…"
Silence.
"…when that dragon appeared."
Everyone froze...
Fear… spread instantly.
And Lyra felt it the most.
But Lorian stepped forward.
Calm.
Firm.
"I understand your concern..."
"…But Araki is there."
His gaze sharpened.
"This is our chance… before he does something worse."
A quiet breath.
"He's already reached something far beyond what we expected…"
"…and we don't have much time left."
Raym lowered his gaze to his sword.
His reflection…
Blurred.
Distorted.
For a moment—
It felt like a warning.
He hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
He raised his head.
And remembered.
"I'll be the one who protects everyone."
His grip tightened.
"…No one dies… while I'm here."
He looked at Lorian.
A burning determination in his eyes.
Lorian smiled.
And moved forward.
But the wind…
It had changed.
It no longer whispered.
It cried.
Ahead of them stood something…
Like a burned barrier.
A scorched boundary.
But the place…
Was not abandoned.
It was prepared.
As if…
It had been waiting.
One step.
Just one—
Clap…
Slow.
Echoing.
Deliberate.
Then—
A voice.
Calm.
Confident.
Cold.
"…Welcome."
From within the shadows—
He stepped forward.
Araki...