We had just arrived in front of the Cathedral gate when Merlock was already there, looking at me with displeasure and then approaching.
Before I could understand what had happened to him and… his balls, Lair ran up and kicked his legs.
But this time he dodged, jumped up and was about to hit her back with his elbow.
Lair turned around and grabbed his hand, kicked him once more.
Another kick landed right in his broken pride, straight to the point.
He fell to the ground, writhing and then fainting again.
"Since when did you… become a destroyer of men?"
Lair replied with a smile, but the answer sent chills down my spine.
"If you have a tantrum every now and then, I still have a way to calm you down!"
"Ah… yeah. Believe me, I wouldn't throw any after seeing this."
We ignored him and walked into the main hall.
In front of us, in the center of the hall, was a large statue.
An angel with two different halves of the face and two pairs of wings, one closed up to hidden the eyes and the other spreading back.
The statue seemed to give me... a strangely familiar feeling.
I've never seen it, or have I?
Suddenly images flooded into my head.
Pictures of a castle in the middle of a green plateau, of my sister, Cecile, of a statue that looked exactly like the one I was seeing, of two strange men, and… Duke Ress when he was young?!
A bright light obscured all thoughts. And from within the cerebral cortex, I hear prolonged "buzzing" sounds…
"Ray… Ray… Raymond!!"
Waking up, I knew I was living in a wilting, fading dream that followed my spring path.
A spring without flowers.
"Lair, I feel like I've been here before. Although not sure yet…"
Eliane descended from the curved stairs across from us, opposite the god statue.
"How much have you learned from Virtine, Raymond?"
"Aren't you going to ask why I came to see you?"
Slowly stepped down the stairs, we looked at each other in the suffocating heavy atmosphere.
"I was about to, but seeing your reaction to the statue made me realize why you were here."
Lair lowered her head, mumbled something, then spoke up.
"I am... sorry for misbehaving. I don't know how relationship between you guys is, but if possible, please help Raymond…"
Eliane stepped closer to Lair, lifted the girl's chin with her hand, then gently hugged her back.
"What makes you want to help him? For yourself, or for him?"
The girl turned away, mumbling.
"Ray is…my benefactor. Today's light still shines in my eyes thanks to him. It's not that I'm grateful to him or anything, it's just… I don't want to leave him suffer alone."
The woman looked Lair in the eye for a moment, then quietly hugged her.
"You didn't lie. Don't worry, I'll try to help you two as much as I can."
Saying that, Eliane turned to look at me.
"You've found a great friend, Cecile."