"Ray, have you ever experienced something like this?"
After hearing Harry's question, Ray lowered his head and looked down, reminiscing about the past.
"Do you know about the hallucinations I'm experiencing right now?"
Harry smiled, "Anyone would notice that if they saw your strange behavior. Right, Maria?"
Maria nodded in agreement with Harry's statement, "You're right, back then you even stroked a stone. What were you doing then?"
Ray remembered that incident, "Ah... That, I saw it as a rabbit back then."
Maria burst into laughter, while Harry tried to hold back his laughter.
Harry asked again, "Since when has this been happening to you?"
"Actually, I've had it since I was a child. But over time, I went through rehabilitation and started to get better and eventually it disappeared. But..."
Harry became more curious, "But what?"
Ray sighed, "It seems that some recent events have made my mental state unstable. And yes... This is how I am now."
Maria looked sad, while Harry listened to Ray's explanation with a serious expression.
Harry muttered, "It seems that this is different from that."
Ray heard it and felt curious, "What's different?"
Harry looked at Ray for a moment and then asked back, "Ray, do you want to know what has been happening in the past 8 days?"
Ray nodded in response to Harry's question.
Maria, who had finished cleaning up, immediately asked Harry, "Are you really going to tell him?"
Harry nodded, "This is a problem that Ray has to solve on his own. He is the only one who truly knows who he really is."
"If you insist, then fine. I'll return these cleaning tools first," after saying that, Maria walked out of the dining room to return the cleaning tools to their original place.
Harry shifted his gaze back to Ray. Now there were only the two of them in the room.
Ray was ready to sit there and started eating the food on the table. He didn't realize that he was now finding a way to deal with the hallucinations without even realizing it.
Harry said, "Uh... Where should I start?"
"First, can you explain where we are now?"
"Hmm... If I heard correctly, we are currently in the Serenity city."
"Serenity?"
"Yes, according to the princess, this place is very peaceful and quiet. At first, I doubted her words, I thought we were sent to a city full of criminals. But... After seeing the surroundings of this area, I understand why she said it's a peaceful city."
Ray smiled hearing Harry's explanation. He also remembered the face of the princess mentioned by Harry.
Elaina...
What's wrong with me... I even miss someone who doesn't even know me.
But... What can I do. Even though she doesn't know me, I still know her.
Elaina probably doesn't have any memories of being with me. But at least I remember her, I can't run away anymore. Because now... Elaina's name is already on the list of important people in my life.
Harry saw Ray smiling for no apparent reason, making him curious, "Why are you smiling?"
"Oh, it's nothing... I was just thinking about the people over there."
"Why are you thinking about them? It's better to think about your current condition. Besides... I'm sure they're enjoying good food there."
No... I'm sure they're already dead. As long as they are unaware of the attacks from the people in black robes. I'm very certain that they will die...
And Harry is right, I have to find a way to deal with my problem.
Wait a minute!
Ray paused for a moment as he realized something. He realized that he was currently eating normally without any strange disturbances like before.
Is this only temporary?
After thinking for a while, he gave up thinking about it and chose to continue the conversation.
"Harry, can I ask another question?"
"Sure, but before that, did I ever tell you my name? I don't remember."
There's no way I could say that I knew his name before my previous death.
"You too, how do you know my name?"
"Before we went to the other world, you were already quite famous, Ray."
Ray was slightly surprised and felt happy. But suddenly he realized something and said, "In a bad way, right?"
"Not really bad, more like negative."
I knew it, there's no way I'm famous for something to be proud of.
Ray wasn't too disappointed to hear Harry's answer. Because he knew the answer from the beginning. Although it seemed like it, Ray still felt a little disappointed.
Ray asked again, "I want to ask again, this is the most important thing. What happened in the past 8 days?"
Harry stared into Ray's eyes, which looked serious as they looked at him. He started speaking, "Do you really not remember anything?"
"No."
"Not even a little bit?"
"Nothing, I only realized it today for the first time."
Harry pondered for a moment, moving his feet to help him stay focused on thinking. After coming to a conclusion, he answered, "I actually don't know what really happened to you. But I think, you've been possessed by something."
Ray's eyes widened in surprise, "Possessed? What do you mean?"
"Yes, possessed. That's the only conclusion that makes the most sense so far. For the past 8 days, you've been silent and withdrawn. Not responding to the questions asked by people around you."
"I... Possessed..."
What's the cause? Who possessed me? What kind of creature is it? When did it start being in my body?
"I'm quite sure that's the most logical conclusion in my opinion. This is just a conclusion, I'm also not 100% sure. Moreover, you kept repeating some words over and over again."
"What words?"
"Useless, impossible, I'm worthless, why me?, it's all in vain, what am I doing?, why not someone else?, I can't do it, it's my fault."
"It seems like you memorized them, Harry?"
Harry answered with annoyance, "How could I not? You keep disturbing my sleep with all those words!"
Ray tried to calm him down, "I'm sorry, I wasn't even aware at that time."
Harry sighed, "Well, no one can be blamed in a situation like this."
While continuing to eat slowly, Ray asked again, "What do you think I should do?"
Harry, who was already full, answered slowly, "What can you do right now? It's clear that you need to rest first. Make your mental condition stable."
"Stable..."
"I suggest you, don't think too much about other things. Just relax for now, besides, we're not forced to do anything at the moment. We're free now, there won't be anyone disturbing us in this place."
Ray murmured while pondering, "Freedom..."
Freedom? Is it okay for me to relax for a while?
Is this really the only way I can do it right now?
What's the difference between running away and freedom?
Running away is a path to find freedom. But... Can freedom only be obtained by running away?
No... Right now, I'm just resting. I'm not running away.
While Ray was contemplating, Harry had fallen asleep in that place. The sunlight was also starting to disappear from the surface of the Earth where they currently lived, indicating that night would soon come.