Chapter 29
***
"And then he was charging right at me like a bull. It twisted around and then..."
Click—!
The sound of a door unlocking could be heard causing the two boys in the room to turn towards the door and see Ray walk in.
"Oh. Seems you both are getting along nicely." He commented as he shut the door behind him and walked into the room.
"Welcome back, Ray. Where did you go?" Kai asked with a warm smile.
"... Nowhere." Ray replied indifferently as he walked into the bathroom to take a shower leaving the duo in the main room.
Kai just stared at the door in confusion.
"And you say he isn’t always like this?"
Van nodded with a sharp exhale.
"He has never been like this since the time I knew him. It’s just..."
Van paused as a few moments of silence pervaded the air while he thought back to what had happened.
"..."
"... He changed after what happened."
Kai lifted an eyebrow in confusion at Van’s words.
"Huh? What happened?"
Click—!
The door to the bathroom was heard opening again with Ray stepping out of it.
The time was already 9:48pm as he walked towards his bed.
"Isn’t it time to sleep? You have been talking for so many hours now." Ray frowned at the two boys as he sat on his bed.
Kai just smiled again.
"... Actually, I’m not re..."
"I don’t care. I was speaking to Van." Ray coldly replied as he shot Kai a glare.
He sighed deeply before turning around.
"You both can keep yapping for all I care about. Just don’t disturb my sleep. I need to wake up early tomorrow." He added as he shuffled into his bed while turning around to back the two boys.
"...."
A few moments of silence was unconsciously observed as the two boys stared at Ray’s back in deep thought.
’... Ray. What has suddenly come over you? You were never like this before. Is it because of your loss?’ Van clenched his hands tightly at the thought of helplessness towards his friend.
’Humph. I wonder what happened. Did he lose something or some...’ Kai trailed off as his brows knitted deeply before sharply turning to face Van.
"I was meaning to ask. You said you are both childhood friends, right?"
Van nodded replying to the question.
Kai continued;
"... Where are you both actually from? What wall?"
Hearing the question, Van’s shoulders slumped hard as memories of the invasion instantly invaded his mind causing his body to shudder.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Kai though as he lifted his brow up.
Ray who said he wanted to sleep, was actually still awake as his ears picked up on the question asked causing memories of his family’s death to flash through his mind.
"... We are. We are- we are from wall Rose." Van replied amidst stutter as he kept his head hung low.
Hearing the reply, Kai’s eyes lit up in shock as his mind flashed back to the news he had saw a few days ago.
"Wall... Wall rose? Isn’t that the wall which fe—"
"... Fell to an Abberant attack. Yes. That one." Van swiftly interjected after taking a deep sigh.
Hearing this, Kai’s head hung low.
"I really can’t begin to imagine the trauma you both were in during the attack. I’m so sorry."
"...."
"Well, you can’t know nor understand what we had been through because you all were solidly and comfortably sealed in a much more better wall." Ray suddenly shouted aloud amidst the silence stunning them all.
"... While we were all being massacred all around, begging and pleading for help, we got none. Nobody came to help us. Neither the Vanguard order nor the Legacies. Nobody did! You were in another wall, surrounded by strong security and metas. So don’t act like you suddenly care."
"...."
A few moments of silence rained in the room as Kai blinked repeatedly listening to every of Ray’s words while Van was just curling his fist, tears streaming down his face.
"... We don’t need your sympathy nor the fake sympathy of this damned government. We have been taking care of ourselves for a while now, and we will continue to do the same. So goodnight. We have classes tomorrow."
After he was done speaking, he shuffled closer to the wall on his side while drawing his duvet over his body before closing his eyes shut, tears threatening to spill from behind his eyelids.
"I guess you are right. I also need to sleep." Van mumbled as he wiped his tears with the back of his sleeves before walking to his bed and plopping himself in it.
Kai just stayed rooted in the same spot staring into space as Ray’s words continuously flowed and spun in his mind.
’That checks out. He lost someone important in the attack. If only there was a way I can help... argh Kai! Damn it. Why do you suddenly care about them?’
He balled his fists tightly, teeth grinding back and forth as his eyes narrowed in the distance trying to imagine what it was like during the attack but he couldn’t.
With a deep sigh, he lay on his bed and flicked the lights off before drifting into sleep a few minutes later.
***
It was 5:30am when Ray stirred awake with a silent yawn.
The morning sun wasn’t up yet causing the whole world to still be in darkness as the boy rose from his bed quietly.
He stretched for a bit feeling his muscles crack into place while he stared all around him at his sleeping roommates.
The moment his eyes laid on Kai, he instantly recalled the previous night and all the words he had spewed out.
He sighed deeply as he shook his head.
’What is wrong with you? Ray. He is just trying to be friends with you for some reason so why are you pushing him away?’ he mused with his eyes narrowed.
’.... But come to think of it, why is grade six meta trying to befriend a group of lower grades? It doesn’t make sense.’
Cocking his shoulders slightly, he calmly walked towards the door and twisted the knob.
’No use thinking about that right now. My main priority is getting stronger fast and hence, I need to complete my first daily quest.’
With that thought, he pulled the door back and quietly slipped out of the room heading to where he would complete his system quest.