He quickly tried to remember what he did last night. There he saw Lock, who only slept in his bed. The next moments, he remembered nothing.
He subconsciously turned to Owen with a face full of despair. Next to Malie and lastly to everyone in the room. A sharp ringing was heard in his ears. He could hear the voices in the hall echoing and unclear in his ears.
"Are you okay? Lock!" Old Man Owen asked as he noticed his blank state.
God, Owen's voice turned muffled and he could not hear it clearly. His heart felt so tight he could not catch his breath. At the same moment, the original Lock's memories since when he was young started flashing circularly.
Sob, sob.
He then stood up in front of Old Man Owen. His head was lowered and her gaze could only stare down. He could feel the heat in his eyes as clear tears were now pouring out of them.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry for what I did…I'm really sorry."
He cried and started apologizing as he begun embracing Old Man Owen. His tears were simultaneously bursting out as he covered his face deep into Old Man Owen's wide chest. He couldn't stop trembling as he continued to apologize.
"...u…sorry."
He continued embracing him.
Along with everyone, Owen was stunned. He could feel Lock's strength was weak, and trembling. Naturally, he could only feel the young boy's sadness and remorse.
Sob, sob.
He then embraced the teenager's figure as tight as he can and started to cry too while smiling.
"What are you doing? You done well!" he said.
"You don't understand…I'm really so…sorry for what I did…"
Owen gently pulled the teenager away from him and grabbed his shoulders, looking at his eyes and earning his attention
"It's fine! You could start over." He advised and grinned.
Owen was genuinely surprised, shocked, but mostly happy at this very moment. The young boy has actually grown up already! Everyone, too, was startled by the scene that suddenly unfolded. They felt like they were watching the ending of a drama they had always followed week after week.
Sob, sob.
Malie, too, like some people, was already crying. She was extremely touched at the scene.
However, no one knew what was going on in Lock's mind.
Lock closed his eyes. When he saw the people Lock actually knew, but was a stranger in his eyes, he felt something extremely unfamiliar. An emotion he had never encountered.
'I want to die.' he thought.
Before Lock could figure out anything, he was blankly staring at a wooden ceiling, tracing the tiny gaps between the planks. It had already turned noon, but he had yet to eat lunch. He was strangely unaware, though.
The celebration from the academy hall still echoed loudly in his consciousness.
'I killed him…'
He did not know what to do about the strange emotions in his heart. Right now he just wanted to run away and not show his face to anyone ever again. It was no exaggeration to say he lost reason. As long as he was breathing, the original Lock's memories kept resurfacing.
'Was this my punishment for killing him?'
His thoughts were on puzzles. The unfamiliar emotions were hunting him wherever he goes. He felt trapped and he cannot escape. Like a prisoner who continued to repent while asking for forgiveness in his mini dark cell.
"Shit." He clenched his jaw in frustration.
Knock! Knock!
"Lock, I would go to the academy now. Don't starve yourself!" Old Man Owen said from the door before footsteps started to walk away.
Then, from outside, Old Man Owen spoke to a female voice.
"I feel worried about the boy." An old female voice said.
"Leave him alone for now. I could rest assured that he's now a changed man." Owen said before leaving.
Lock continued to stare long at the ceiling and muttered, "He still did not know what had happened. I'm really a work of art!"
He gritted his teeth and grabbed the bed sheets very tightly. Then, like he decided to do something, he blankly dragged his feet away from the room. His emerald eyes were now dead. He never thought killing someone would be this painful.
'Outside of this place.' He kept repeating to himself.
He opened the door and saw an old woman who was taking care of a bonsai.
"Another one…" he mumbled.
She was Aunt Hilda, a 40-year-old auntie who was a resident of the town and was working for Old Man Owen's orphanage for at least 20 years. He remembered the young her smiling with the young Lock as she told him stories about the then Prime Wizard Owen.
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Both of them were sitting on wooden stools in the yard. The young Rid was watching Aunt Hilda taking care of several bonsai. She always liked them. The yellow sun shone the plant's branches, and it emitted a magical and refreshing ambiance.
For some reason, she has always taken care of them greatly. Perhaps it was because she was a healer.
"Owen was really amazing back then. The path to the town of Sentri used to be very dangerous, so no merchants and caravans dared to come here. But when Owen came here, he defeated all the magic beasts in the vicinity and made the surroundings safe. Now even the Human Council came here and made it one of the primary bases in the borderlands."
"OOOOHHH~ What type of beast was there?"
"They were a nest of wyverns and drakes near here back then, but Owen could beat them all. With the help of a few companions, of course." She smiled.
"Wyvern! Drake! So cool! Those are A-Tier magic beast! Why is there no more now? I want to see it!"
"That is all, thanks to Owen. He made this place peaceful."
"I want to see one! Do you know where I can see one?" The young Lock said with a wide smile.
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Lock remembered the scene. He once again felt a bit of pain enter his heart, blaming himself for more.
"Oh. Are you okay? I also noticed it earlier, but you seemed down. What's the matter? You can tell me like always." Aunt Hilda smiled.
Lock stared at her face and smiled back weakly. The original Lock was indeed close to this old lady.
At the same time, Lock also felt bad. It was only recently when the original Lock yelled at her in the town square when she tried to scold him.
Lock started to walk and bowed his head before leaving.
"I'm okay, Aunt Hilda. I'm sorry for what I did in the past. I'm just gonna go for some fresh air. Tell the others not to worry."