Akira wiped his mouth with the napkin at the table:
— I know I'm asking too many questions, but I have one last one.
— It's fine.
Akira continued:
— Raiga, why did you come here, to this village, and how did you two meet?
— First of all, the reason I moved away from Eldravon, as I said before, was to find peace. So I moved as far away as I could. When I saw this village on the edge of Velmorya, I realized it was the best place to settle down. But when I got here, the village wasn't in good shape. So I decided to develop it, and during that time, I met a beautiful girl in the village. I fell in love the moment I saw her, plucked up the courage, and talked to her.
Luna looked proud.
— Of course, you couldn't find anyone better than me.
This time Raiga asked:
— Akira, you mentioned you lost your freedom. What did you do after Yui died?
Akira clenched his fists.
— After Yui died, I decided to look for my sister's killer. During this time, because of the spirit in my left eye, I received a death-penalty sentence from the kingdom and was arrested by a council member. I was spared from execution, but there was a terrible price... I don't want to talk about that.
Luna looked distressed.
— I'm sorry to hear that.
Raiga just nodded.
— I understand...
Akira finished his meal and bowed his head:
— Thank you again for inviting someone like me here.
Luna smiled.
— I heard your title before, but I think that's ridiculous. You are a good person.
Raiga agreed.
— I think so too. You said you've changed, but you're still as good as you used to be.
Akira was surprised.
— Thank you. I haven't been greeted so kindly in a long time.
— By the way, you can come and stay here anytime you want.
Akira smiled.
— I didn't leave Eldravon much. It really would be nice to come here occasionally.
Luna looked out the window.
— It's still a while until dark. Let Raiga show you around the village.
Raiga stood up.
— Yes! Let's go explore the village.
Akira wiped his hands and mouth with the cloth next to him, then stood up and began to follow Raiga:
— Okay!
For a long time, Raiga showed Akira around the village and introduced him to its people. Finally, night fell, and they returned home.
Luna prepared the bed in the guest room for Akira. Akira was so tired that he immediately fell asleep.
Akira woke up to the sound of a knock on the door early in the morning. He ignored it at first, but when the knocking wouldn't stop, he got up. Sunlight was illuminating the room, but it was clearly still early. He walked down the corridor to the door and, in his sleepy state, opened it. A breathless man with an Eldravon badge stood before him.
Akira asked in a low voice:
— Palace soldier, what are you doing here?
The man looked at Akira with annoyance.
— I am a palace soldier! Who do you think you are?
Akira took his badge from his pocket and showed it to the man:
— I am Makise Yura's soldier, Akira Valen.
The man suddenly bowed his head.
— I apologize, Lord Valen! Of course I knew who you were! I was just asking.
Raiga appeared behind Akira:
— Akira, who is it?
— I don't know, but he's from Eldravon.
Raiga looked sternly at the man with a serious expression.
— No one from Eldravon has come here for a few years... What do you want?
— I was sent from the Laboratory by Lord Hoshigaki. The Laboratory requests information from Raiga Draven regarding his defeat of Takeshi Volgrath.
Raiga sighed.
— Why are they asking for information out of the blue?
Akira turned to Raiga.
— So, are you coming back to Eldravon with me?
Raiga grumbled and headed toward his room.
— It looks that way... You get ready too. We should leave quickly. We have a long journey ahead.
Akira nodded.
— Okay.
The man at the door looked unhappy.
— I wish I could at least rest a bit. I've been on horseback for hours.
Akira slammed the door shut.
— Wait for us here.
Akira went to his room and put on his military clothes. After strapping Setsuna to his back and his black sword to his belt, he headed toward the door. Raiga was ready, waiting for Akira at the door. Luna had just gotten up and was waiting to see them off. Akira stepped outside. The man from Eldravon was sitting on the ground, his exhaustion visible on his face. Luna, like everyone else, had that sleepy look of someone who had just woken up:
— Raiga, are you going to stay in Eldravon?
Raiga thought about it.
— Probably not. I don't like it there. I mean, if my work doesn't take long, I should be back tonight.
Luna nodded.
— Okay...
Akira bowed his head.
— Thank you again for welcoming me so kindly.
— You're welcome. See you later.
After one last farewell, the three of them started walking toward the edge of the village. Luna closed the door and returned to her bed.
Akira said goodbye to the villagers, then they mounted their horses tied at the village entrance and set off for Eldravon.
The journey was silent; everyone was sleepy and tired, but the long ride helped them wake up. Also, the roads they traveled were natural wonders. At the end of the peaceful and serene journey, they reached Eldravon. They stopped when they arrived in front of the 12 palaces.
Akira turned to Raiga.
— I'm heading to the palace from here. You'll probably go straight to the Laboratory.
Raiga sighed.
— Yes, stopping by the palace would be a waste of time. I would actually like to see Mr. Arisawa, but...
Akira spoke in a cold voice.
— That's not possible, even if you wanted to... He's probably shooting himself up with drugs with a needle right now...
Raiga was shocked.
— What? Drugs? Arisawa?
Akira answered in the same cold tone.
— Yes. I wouldn't want it to be true either, but he's a despicable addict...
— I'm sorry he went down that path... I respected him a lot.
— Me too...
The man turned his horse toward the building next to the palaces.
— Come on, Mr. Draven, don't hold me up any longer. I want to go home immediately.
— Okay, okay, see you, Akira. I hope to see you again as soon as possible.
Akira nodded, then rode his horse toward the palace. Raiga and the man next to him went to the Laboratory. Raiga counted 10 to 20 soldiers around the Laboratory. Normally there wouldn't be so many soldiers. Because of this, he thought something was going on inside and became a little suspicious, but he decided against asking the man next to him. After tying their horses in front of the Laboratory, a couple of soldiers stopped them. The man next to him showed his badge, and the soldiers stepped away. When they reached the door of the Laboratory, the man knocked twice. The door opened immediately, and an old man with white hair, wearing a Laboratory coat, greeted them.
Raiga asked:
— What will you be asking me?
— Come inside, we'll talk there. You can leave.
The man next to Raiga walked away.
— Okay, I don't want to work anymore anyway.
Raiga went inside. It was dark inside. As he looked around, trying to see something, suddenly a vapor surrounded him. He didn't understand what was happening. He put his hand over his mouth, but his vision was blurring, he was unable to stand, and finally, he fell to the ground...