The next morning, Ray knew, that he would have to leave the castle today again. He could pay the tribute again but refrained from doing so. It felt too suffocating in here, no matter how good a real bed could be.
After packing the few things, he had taken with him, and washing himself with the prepared water and cloth one last time, Ray made his way to the cafeteria.
His time should technically go out by the end of the day, so he took the freedom to eat another meal, while he could. He walked the usual route towards the room, around him many people were doing the same, the voices of his flaw had long become second nature to Ray. Very few people caused extreme reactions, so he didn't show anything on his mind, while walking down the corridors.
Upon reaching the hall, Ray went to the hand outs and received his portion.
Scanning the room for a moment, only to keep his gaze on his newly made friend. Ray walked over to Kai and greeted him.
"Hey, what's up Kai? Can I sit here?"
"Oh, Ray, it's you. Sure, sit down," responded the charismatic man, before seeing the bag that Ray had over his shoulder. With a slightly confused expression, Kai asked, "Why do you have your bag with you? Can't pay the tribute? If so, I can lend it to you."
"Nah, everything's good. It's just a bit suffocating in here, and as I've decided against joining the guards, there is not much more reason to stay, for the time being," Ray answered with a simple shrug, before focusing on his meal.
It was just some normal stew… soup? Whatever it was, it wasn't bad, so he ate it with gusto.
While Ray was eating his meal, Kai was just looking on with a weird expression. At one point he couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "I know that it can feel suffocating in here, but isn't it still better than to live outside, where you're in danger all the time?"
Hearing Kai speak, Ray stopped eating for a moment to think, before then responding, "Kai, you said that you arrived here 2 years ago, right?"
Kai, caught of guard by this sudden question, was silent for a moment, but regained his bearing fast enough. "Yeah, and what of it?"
"Are you content with your life here?"
Kai frowned slightly at Ray's question, tapping his fingers against the wooden table. "I mean, it could be worse, yeah. At least I don't have to fight nightmares out there every day."
Ray nodded, taking another bite of his meal before speaking again. "That's true. But tell me this - if you weren't famous, if people didn't recognize you, if you didn't have a talent that made others want to keep you around… would things still be as good for you?"
Kai's fingers stopped tapping. He stared at Ray, something unreadable in his expression.
Ray continued, his voice calm. "Most people in this castle, the guards, the servants, even the ones paying tribute, they're all playing by the king's rules. They stay because it's safer, because it's easier. But safety and freedom don't always go together. Out there, yeah, I have to fight. I have to survive. But I decide where I go, what I do. Here? Even if you don't see the cage, it's still there."
Kai exhaled through his nose, leaning back in his chair. "You make it sound so simple."
Ray gave a small smirk. "It is, for me. I'd rather take my chances outside than get comfortable in a place where my choices are limited. Also, if one doesn't join the host, then their growth path is even more limited."
For a moment, Kai didn't respond. He just looked at Ray, as if trying to understand him better. Eventually, he let out a small chuckle and shook his head. "You really are something else, Ray."
Ray shrugged, finishing the last of his meal. "I try." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Well, I should get going. My time's almost up."
Kai hesitated for a second before nodding. "Take care out there, alright?"
Ray grinned. "Of course. Wouldn't want to miss another chance to take your soul shards."
Kai laughed. "Next time, I'll be ready."
With a final nod, Ray turned and walked away, weaving through the tables toward the exit. He didn't look back.
As he stepped out of the cafeteria, he exhaled, adjusting the strap of his bag. The castle had been a decent stop, but it wasn't his place. He had more to do, more to see.
His next stop: the reception hall. Time to leave.
Before he could make his way over though, someone else appeared before him. Caster.
"You need something, Caster?" Ray raised his brow and asked. It was unusual of Caster to approach him like this.
"Yes, do you have a moment?" Caster asked, looking around cautiously before he gestured towards another corridor, and walked that way.
Ray didn't know if he could trust the legacy so easily but followed him regardless. In case of an ambush, he was at least more than confident to be able to escape.
When the both of them reached the empty corridor, Caster began speaking, still with his back to Ray.
"Ray," Caster's voice was different, it seemed heavier than usual, "I think, we are the only arrivals this year, here on the forgotten shore. I asked an artisan for help. One that has the ability to know people's location, at least roughly. I went to him as soon as I heard of it and asked him to look for other people."
Now a bit surprised, Ray, with both eyebrows raised, looked at Caster expectantly, "And that person said, that only we two came here, or what?"
"No… he said that there were seven people that arrived here on this forgotten shore, this year. But the thing is, it has been nearly a month now, since the winter solstice. It is unlikely that they survived till now."
The message of Caster was clear; they were the only ones of this year's badge that made it. It still didn't change Ray's plans for now. He would still leave the castle.
"Okay, thanks for letting me know. I will still leave now. For me, most of the badge were just numbers from the very beginning. I wouldn't have expected many to be able to survive here anyway."
With these parting words, Ray gave Caster a two-finger salute and was on his way to the the reception hall, once more.
Walking towards the entrance of the castle, Ray couldn't help but notice, that there were fewer and fewer normal people around, only guards.
'Seems like the people paying tributes don't linger around here often.'
It barely took Ray a few minutes to finally get to the familiar hall. Surprisingly, behind the desk sat now a different person. Instead of the young woman, that was there before, now there sat a gaunt figure, a young and uncomfortable man. Though, boy would fit better, when looking at him.
Ray stepped up to the desk, his sharp eyes scanning the new receptionist. The boy - because he really did look more like a boy than a man - had messy brown hair, slightly hunched shoulders, and a nervous energy about him. His thin fingers fidgeted with a quill, and when he looked up to see Ray approaching, his eyes widened slightly.
"H-Hello," Harper greeted, his voice quiet and unsure. "Um… can I help you?"
Ray tilted his head slightly, taking in the boy's demeanor. He was clearly new to this, though that much was obvious already. "You're not the woman from before."
Harper blinked. "Oh! Uh, no. She… um, I mean, I took over." He straightened a little as if realizing how unprofessional he must have seemed. "I'm Harper. I, uh, I got to pay the tribute recently and… well, I really wanted to stay, so I applied for this job."
Ray hummed, leaning one arm on the desk. "And they just let you?"
Harper laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Not exactly… but they needed someone, and I wasn't really picky. As long as I got to stay inside the castle, I didn't care what I had to do." His gaze flickered over Ray's bag before hesitantly asking, "Um… you're leaving because you can't pay anymore?"
Ray glanced at him but didn't answer, instead holding out his hand. "Just mark me out."
Harper hesitated, clearly wanting to ask more, but wisely chose not to push. He quickly took out the book, flipped to the right page, and marked Ray's departure with a slightly shaky hand. Then, after a moment of internal debating, he hesitantly said, "Um… if you ever want to come back, I mean, if you can pay again, you know where to find me."
Ray gave a small smirk. "Yeah. I do."
Harper's face turned a bit pink at the attention, and he hurriedly busied himself with the book again.
Without another word, Ray turned on his heel and strode toward the exit. The castle door loomed ahead, and beyond them, the world waited.