"Akhh...!?"
He woke up in panic, but instead of seeing the blue sky where he had collapsed, he saw the blue ceiling of a tent, along with an oil lamp whose sides were covered with thick glass, while the top and bottom were made of teak wood with strange carvings along its edges.
His eyes widened as he tried to recall what had just happened to him.
"Was that just a dream...!? But why did it feel so real?" he muttered while slapping both of his cheeks three times.
(Slap x3)
"Am I still dreaming...!?" he mumbled.
"I should still be in those ruins...!? Damn it, that's right... where is this? Why am I already here?"
Quickly regaining awareness, he began to get up from the bed he was lying on to look outside the tent-yet as he moved, he realized something strange.
"Hah..? How...!?"
"How did my body recover completely this fast?"
Still sitting on the bed, he kept processing what was happening to his body while observing everything inside the tent. There were four beds identical to the one he was on-these beds were made of wood that looked worn out, some even eaten by termites. There were also racks beside each bed, each with two slots to place items.
"Why... what is actually going on!?" he said while thinking.
Suddenly, as his thoughts spiraled, a loud and firm voice of a man was heard from outside the tent, instantly breaking his focus.
"Hey! Villagers, you may now line up for data registration!" the man shouted.
"Damn... what is that?" he said in shock.
"Yes, sir!"
"Alright...!"
(Voices of people responding to the soldier could be heard.)
"Enough... this isn't the time to think, it's time to act," he muttered.
He fully got off the bed-while steadying his breathing, he stepped toward the exit of the tent.
"Hahh... fyuh..."
(His breathing sounded controlled yet heavy.)
As he opened the tent, he saw the bright sky fading into a painted sunset across the horizon, and beneath it were many people taking shelter-some lining up, others talking among themselves.
(On the right side, the village that had been completely destroyed could be seen.)
There were also many officials bearing the kingdom's emblem, dressed in dark green minimalist uniforms, with pocket watches hanging from their chests, giving off an elegant and disciplined impression.
"Are they the officials here?" he muttered.
As he walked further, he saw a flock of pigeons flying away-whether it was a good or bad sign, he didn't know.
He continued walking toward the line, which was already getting shorter, but with each step, he heard people talking about a group that had attacked their village.
"Hey, old man... that group is completely insane. This village didn't even have the mana stones they were looking for."
(Other murmurs could be heard, though not clearly.)
After reaching the line, he tried to gather information from someone.
"Excuse me, sir... do you know what happened to our village?"
"Ahh... our village-"
Before the man could answer, a soldier shouted at him to line up properly.
"Hey! You there, young man! Weren't you taught proper manners by your family!?" the officer yelled.
Startled, he immediately joined the line of villagers.
"Tch... that bastard is so arrogant."
"And this line is still pretty long."
"Now I have to wait."
Evening turned into night, and finally, it was his turn to register his identity.
"Alright... you may come in," said a man from inside the tent.
Slowly, he shifted from standing to sitting on a chair, with a table separating them.
"Good... I will ask you a few questions."
"First, what is your name?"
"My name... is Raymond."
"When were you born? Month and day?"
"Sorry, sir... I've already forgotten my birth month and day."
After several questions were asked and answered, it was now Raymond's turn to ask.
"Alright... you may leave now," the man said.
"Wait, sir... I want to ask something."
"What is it?"
"What happened to our village, and-"
(His lips suddenly stopped.)
His mind reminded him of his real purpose-where his mother and family were.
"You don't want to ask anymore?" the man asked calmly.
"No... I want to ask... where are my mother and father?" he said while staring coldly.
"Alright... according to the data, you are the child of Luci and Ronald."
"This might be bad news-your father died protecting your mother, and your mother was kidnapped by an organization," he said in a tone that showed no concern.
His eyes widened, and his hands suddenly went limp.
(His once steady heartbeat became unstable and weakened)
(His eyes, once filled with light, turned empty without hope)
(Tears began to fall, though he tried to hold them back)
(His teeth clenched rapidly)
"Hey... don't mess with me, you bastard!"
(Bang! The table was slammed hard.)
"And what the hell is with that tone!? You act like you don't care about my parents' lives!" he shouted.
With a cold expression, the officer looked at Raymond.
"You... people like you live like livestock. This is not a place for your useless emotions. You'd better accept that your family is already gone. If you want revenge, find that organization... if you even can," he said provocatively.
Holding back his emotions, Raymond stood up and walked out of the tent without saying another word.
"Bastard...!?"
"People like you are all the same in this world...!?" he muttered inwardly.
Now, his mind was filled with thoughts of revenge against those who had destroyed his family.
(His footsteps felt heavy.)
Each step he took seemed to fuel the fire of his anger.
Yet, at that moment, Raymond remembered his mother's words once again.
Because of that, he tried to calm his anger by looking at the stars hanging in the night sky.
"Huft..!?"
"I need to calm down," he muttered.
As he sat down, Raymond gazed at the stars, while recalling the warmth of his parents' hands reaching out to him in the past.
"I can't just stay still... I have to make those bastards pay."