The days that followed were boring.

As for his parents, they came, picked him up, threw him here, and then disappeared again.

He tried calling them several times, but they never answered the calls.

"Your vitals are normal. You can now check out."

Reigns finally received clearance to leave the academy infirmary. His stay had been cut short after all the assessments were completed.

He had been found mentally and physically sound, and honestly, neither result surprised him.

Of course he was sound. That little bit of trouble wasn’t enough to break him mentally.

Still, there were a few things he wanted to investigate regarding the dungeon, but since he had been monitored twenty-four hours a day, he never got the chance to take out the loot after the dungeon clear.

The nurse who had completed the final procedure looked at him and asked in a friendly tone, "Where will you be going after getting out?"

"A mourning center."

The nurse’s expression stiffened slightly after hearing his answer, but she quietly nodded and did not ask further questions. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

A while later, Reigns arrived outside the mourning center.

The sky above was gray and gloomy, and the cold wind blowing through the area only made the atmosphere feel heavier.

Reigns stood silently in front of the massive building, dressed in a black suit and pants. His hands remained in his pockets, and his expression seemed calm, but his eyes quietly scanned the people around him.

The entire area outside the center was crowded.

Many people stood there crying quietly, while others were barely able to stand because of grief. A middle-aged woman had collapsed onto the ground while clutching a framed photograph tightly against her chest. Beside her, a man continued staring blankly ahead as if his mind had already gone numb.

Students from various academies could also be seen standing silently in black uniforms, holding white flowers in their hands.

There were even reporters outside the mourning center, but none of them dared to speak loudly in such a somber atmosphere.

A moment later, a familiar figure slowly walked toward him.

"Darling!"

"Nyx!"

Reigns immediately grabbed her hands firmly as Nyxara stepped beside him.

She was also dressed entirely in black, and her usually cold face seemed quieter than usual today. Her fingers slowly tightened around his hand for a moment before both of them raised their eyes toward the mourning center.

Neither spoke after that.

Maintaining proper decorum, the two quietly walked inside together.

The moment they entered, the atmosphere inside felt even heavier.

The entire hall was silent except for the muffled sobs and the soft echo of footsteps across the polished floor.

Long rows of memorial photographs filled the massive hall. Each frame carried the image of an awakener who had lost their life inside the Zone of Redact. Beneath every photograph rested white flowers alongside candles that continued burning quietly.

Some family members stood before the pictures while crying helplessly, while others simply stared at the photographs without saying a word.

A young child tugged at his mother’s sleeve, asking where his older brother had gone, but the woman only broke down into tears and pulled him tightly into her embrace.

The air itself felt suffocating.

Even Reigns slowly lowered his gaze after seeing the endless rows of sorrowful faces.

The particular mourning center had been built solely for the victims connected to the Zone of Redact.

In fact, the total number of deaths from all the other transferred zones combined hardly even came close to the casualties suffered inside the Zone of Redact.

That single truth alone cast an overwhelming weight of sorrow over the entire center.

As Reigns and Nyxara continued walking deeper inside, they could feel countless gazes occasionally landing on them.

Some people recognized them immediately.

After all, they were among the very few survivors who had returned alive from that hell.

But more than that, who among them did not know Nyxara? You would have to be living under a rock not to know her.

Many people looked at her first before shifting their gazes toward Reigns with strange and bothersome expressions that immediately made him grimace inwardly.

’Come on guys... This isn’t the occasion for such bullshit. Show some respect and decorum, you idiots.’

He cursed inwardly while continuing to walk through the memorial hall.

Reigns slowly picked up a white flower from a nearby table and respectfully placed it before several memorial photographs as he walked ahead with Nyxara beside him.

His expression remained solemn as he quietly lowered his head toward the deceased.

The sound of crying continued echoing softly around them.

Some people sat on chairs with their faces buried in their hands, while others simply stared blankly at the photographs as if unable to process reality.

As Reigns passed another row of memorials, his footsteps suddenly came to a halt.

His eyes slowly widened in horror as he stared at one particular photograph standing before him.

"This..."

His lips trembled slightly.

Reigns slowly turned toward Nyxara with a darkened face but paused after noticing two familiar figures sitting silently on nearby chairs with deadpan expressions.

"Kellar... Lira..."

His voice cracked slightly as he rushed toward them.

Lira and Kellar, who had been sitting there with weary and exhausted expressions, slowly looked up after hearing his voice.

Their hollow, lifeless eyes showed a faint flicker of emotion the moment they recognized him.

"Reigns!"

Reigns’ entire body shivered after seeing their expressions.

His feet felt heavy as he approached them before slowly raising his trembling hand and pointing toward the memorial photograph behind them.

"Kellar... how did this happen?"

"Tell me it’s a lie... Tell me..."

Reigns’ hoarse voice broke under fear and disbelief as he looked at the two.

Lira immediately covered her face with both hands as tears began flowing uncontrollably from her eyes.

Her shoulders shook violently while muffled sobs escaped from between her fingers.

Kellar slowly rose from his seat with a mournful expression and gently patted Reigns on the shoulder.

"It’s not a lie..."

Kellar gritted his teeth hard as though forcing himself to swallow those painful words before finally speaking in a trembling voice.

"They are finally at peace now..."