On his way back to the Clan, Lain walked through the Nalmere town, his armor stained with dried blood, his shirt torn and red, his head dirty and his face streaked with dried tears.
As he walked between the members of the Leviathan Squad through the illuminated streets, he could sense their stares and hushed murmurs.
Amongst these murmurs were whispers born from observing Lain. Even Lain's guides noticed the weird air around him.
The Lain everyone knew of, the wimpy boy traumatized and scared of battle, was no where in sight.
From what they heard, Lain had survived an assassination and brushed shoulders with death.
The majority of the people in the clan knew a thing or two about battle, and they knew near-death experiences shaped people.
After surviving another assassination attempt, they couldn't help but wonder what Lain had been shaped into.
Lain kept an emotionless expression as he walked, busying himself with plans in his head.
He had to map out any flaws they could use to frame him after all.
Soon, he was led to the building where he stayed with his mother and sister.
Upon reaching his room, the five members of the Leviathan Squad remained stationed around the building.
As Lain sat on his bed, someone barged into the room.
A woman–looking younger than her age, with orange hair tied into a ponytail and bright golden eyes–ran to Lain, knelt, and hugged him.
This was Lain's mother, Cira.
"Dear?" she said, worried. The corner of her eyes had a trail of tears and her eyes looked puffy.
Hugging Lain tightly, she began to speak through her tears:
"Are you okay? Is there any problem?"
Lain, who had always struggled with mother-son relationships, was stunned.
His lips curled down as he brought his hands around Cira and hugged her back.
"I'm fine… Mother. Everything you gave me really helped."
Cira cried, the sound of her wails sounding throughout the room.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," She kept on saying. "If only I had been better."
Lain listened to her, emotions he wasn't familiar with rising within him.
No—he was.
Recalling the memory induced by the Heart, he remembered feeling similar.
The warrior had wanted to see his family in the last moments of his life.
When Lain began to believe he might die, he too desired to see this woman—the longing to finally have a mother seeping in.
Lain, or rather Ray–all his life–had wanted to be acknowledged like this.
Lain clenched his fists behind his mother as he thought of the wretches who suppressed this woman along with him.
Then, he relaxed and said to her, "It's alright, mother. I'm fine. I assure you."
His mother relaxed, releasing slightly and looked at him.
She saw the warm smile Lain wore—and the loneliness hidden beneath it.
She brought her hand to his face, and said, "Whatever happens, I'm–no, we are here for you."
Now free to look around, Lain saw a short girl at the door. A girl that looked like the child version of his mother.
She stood with indifference, but the way her hand clenched her clothes, her restless legs, and the tears in her eyes only deepened Lain's understanding.
This young fourteen-year-old was Lain's sister, Liana, who died trying to save Lain and her mother in the novel.
Lain flashed Liana a smile before looking at his mother.
"Thank you. Please, I have a request."
His mother raised her brows a bit as she asked, "What's it?"
"Can I have a moment with Captain Kaida? Alone?"
Tilting her head a bit, she acquiesced, knowing they had some talks together earlier. She wanted to ask to join, but she could tell that Lain wouldn't agree.
"Alright."
Hidden at the door, a sixteen-year-old girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes, came out.
"I-I will go call the captain., Lain's childhood friend said, staring at the floor after making subtle contact with him.
Liana added with her childish voice, "I'll follow."
As they left, Cira also stood up, cleaning her tears. "I should give you time to rest before you meet her."
Lain nodded with a smile.
Cira lingered a bit before leaving. She had thoughts as she left Lain.
She couldn't help but imagine what Lain faced for him to change like this… Her son felt so different.
Lain, who had only grown worse at pretending to be the original, sighed as he prepared to bathe.
After changing into a shirt and free trousers, he heard a knock.
'Was she waiting for me to finish?' he mused. 'That's kinda creepy.'
"Come in."
Opening the door, a woman donning a shirt fitted at her waist and tight trousers walked in.
Resting her back on a wall, Kaida, white-haired and dark blue-eyed, scrutinized Lain's state.
"I see you obtained the Artifact…and in a state that doesn't make me see your mother's wrath."
Lain smiled and walked to the table, pulling out Warforged, around 110 cm in length, from his bag.
From the end of the room he stood, he extended the black blade across the room, pointing it at Kaida.
Looking at it, Kaida stated, "I have not seen or heard about anything like this. It should be from long ago. It will improve your prowess."
"I believe so too," Lain said as he retracted the sword and sat near his table. "It actually has skills of its own that I'm yet to grasp."
Kaida furrowed her brows. "You shouldn't tell people things about yourself and your items."
Lain shrugged. "I know. I am justing telling you, Captain."
Sighing, Kaida explained.
"Things are worse than expected. If not for you, the situation would have become even worse. At least we have a level of control in the situation now."
In a disdainful tone, she added:
"Mark and Joel were secretly moved to a chamber in my Squad base, but since they're the only ones that 'died,' the ones who sent them should know something is up."
Wearing a thoughtful look, Lain chimed in, "We should start preparing our next move. We can't give them time to breathe."
Kaida smiled as she complimented, "The plan earlier was actually impressive; I was surprised you did that on your own despite lacking experience."
'If we count experiencing fictional experiences, I'm quite experienced,' Lain joked inwardly.
"Maybe the Solmeres are born for battle," he replied with a smile.
Kaida chuckled, "When your father saw my growth and your elder sister's growth, he said something similar."
Lain tilted his head, "How interesting."
"Anyways, what do you suggest we do next?" Kaida asked with an anticipative look.
But when Lain did explain, her face changed to an unsatisfied smile.
"With what strength do you want to carry this out?"
Sitting on his chair, Lain replied, spreading his arms, "With this."
Multiple blue magic circles popped up in the room one by one, until they almost filled all corners.
Kaida… felt a weight press against her chest.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the story, please support with comments or powerstones. They are motivations that keep me going.