Lin Yan honestly confessed his troubles. Ruler tilted her head as though she found it unbelievable. In that fortress, she had once heard "Black" Rider happily speak of the boy's future life.
"He'll surely go to a village, use that place as a foothold, and then continue onward to a city. He'll meet all kinds of people, keep moving forward while being healed and hurt, and eventually he'll probably fall in love with someone and grow old together with them—ah, how wonderful that would be!"
After hearing Ruler say that, he shook his head and denied that future.
"Ah... if it were freedom, then—I suppose I could do that. But for some reason, I have absolutely no desire to."
"I'm really sorry, Rider..." he said dejectedly, lowering his head. Ruler comforted him.
"You've only just gained your freedom, after all. I don't think your way of thinking can change so easily... But perhaps you have some other wish?"
"Another... wish..."
The future Rider had envisioned for him was undoubtedly an appealing choice. Yet his heart simply could not take any interest in it. If so, was there something else he wanted to do...? Another path toward the future he wanted to take?
"If you don't have a dream yet, then experience freedom first and slowly search for one afterward. But if you already have a dream now—then I think you should try saying it honestly."
A dream. His dream. What exactly was it? Lin Yan closed his eyes and looked back over his life. He had escaped in order to survive, sought help, fled for his life and failed, fallen into a state of death once... yet now he had awakened again and gained freedom.
It had been a very short life, but fortune had favored him many times. He