Lord of Mysteries: Sustainer of Salvation

Shortly after Gregor came out of the house holding Laura, the thick gas that formed a black fog disappeared, and so did any sign of the killer.

The local police retrieved Wilson's body, which, as expected, had a part of his body missing—his left arm.

With Gregor's help, Eleanor took Laura to her house.

....

While Gregor held Laura's body in his arms, Eleanor opened the door, guiding him inside.

Gregor relived the incident in his head, Wilson's last words to him echoed through his mind: "Take her..."

Gregor calmly placed Laura on the bed in one of the rooms.

The Rigby family's house wasn't large; it had three rooms, one bathroom, and a living room, which was divided from the kitchen by a wood counter.

The room where Gregor left Laura was previously hers but was transformed into a guest room by her parents after she went to live with Wilson.

Before leaving, Gregor clenched his fist twice, activating his Eye.

He looked at Laura's vision, another point of view of Eleanor's vision.

As he deactivated his Eye, he felt a bubbly sensation in his stomach, as if something was being slowly digested.

....

Gregor did not stay there for too long; he quickly went back to the hotel, locking himself in his room.

He sat on the chair, staring at the ceiling.

Did I forget something? What was that gas? Is that man not from the Criminal Pathway?

Many questions appeared in Gregor's mind.

More than ever, he was determined to stop the killer, so that Wilson's sacrifice would not be in vain.

Is he from those three Pathways?

Maybe the Sequence 7 of the Delusional: Schemer? No, if he had the Eye of Providence, he probably would have noticed my intervention before it happened...

Lana did not give me enough details for me to understand the abilities of the Hallucinated path, but she also never mentioned gases being part of her abilities...

While Gregor delved into his own theories, someone knocked on the door.

Gregor took a deep breath and calmly went to the door, cautiously opening it.

"Gregor, I know it's weird, but—can I come in?" Eleanor said with a weak smile. She looked as if she might break down crying at any moment.

"Of course, Eleanor. Did something happen?" he asked, letting her in. His tone carried a hint of worry, especially since Laura still hadn't woken up.

Eleanor entered the room and sat on the edge of the bed, resting her hands on her thighs. "Don't worry, Gregor, everything is fine—it's just that..." She paused, tightly gripping her thighs as she tried to hold back her tears. "The hotel's owner gave me the day off because of what happened, and—I don't want to be at home."

Gregor moved the chair from the desk to face her.

He wanted to ask what was troubling Eleanor, what was on her mind. Gregor himself did not understand why he cared so much, but all he wanted at that moment was to see Eleanor's warm smile.

Even though he had many things to think about, his priority at that moment was to understand what was bothering her.

Eleanor couldn't hold back any longer. She looked down so Gregor wouldn't see her tears. "It's all my fault."

Gregor stayed silent, listening intently to every word she said.

"They were supposed to get married yesterday—I ruined it." As those words left Eleanor's lips, Gregor felt a pang in his heart. Ever since he had known her, she had always seemed happy, determined. But now, she looked broken—hopeless, regretful, and consumed by guilt.

"She won't forgive me..." Eleanor paused. "I ruined her dream."

Eleanor's words hit Gregor like bullets; he began to remember the events at the Burey's Villa.

He remembered how happy Rebecca was, inspired and determined to follow the dream she had long forgotten.

He remembered the days of their childhood, when Rebecca would cancel her plans at the last minute to stay with him.

He remembered how helpless she looked when the viscount announced her engagement.

He remembered her pale, lifeless face hanging in the attic.

He remembered that Rebecca had been buried in the clothes of the family that bought her.

All those memories came flooding back, and Gregor finally understood why he cared so much about Eleanor: empathy. He saw himself in her—the guilt, the fear, the regret.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at the ceiling and calmly said, "I had a sister..."

Eleanor raised her head, wiping her tears on her sleeve as she looked at him.

"She was the kindest person in the world. I remember when we were kids..." He paused, lost in nostalgia. "I was really scared of thunder. I hated how loud it was. Because of that, every time a storm approached, she'd come to my room and stay with me the whole time."

He chuckled before continuing. "But I was a brat. I didn't want my big sister to see that I was scared of thunder, so I'd throw pillows at her, scream for her to leave, and even tell her I hated her." He took a deep breath, reliving those old times.

"But she never listened. Instead, she'd flick me on the forehead and stick out her tongue, mocking me." He closed his eyes and chuckled. "I used to get so angry and embarrassed that I'd forget all about the thunder."

Eleanor couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Are you still scared of thunder, Gregor?"

He looked into her eyes, which were red from her tears, and replied with a gentle smile. "No, I'm not."

"When I hear thunder now, I just remember the good old days."

Eleanor wanted to ask more about his sister but held her questions to herself after noticing that Gregor talked about her in the past.

"I'm sorry. I think I got lost myself. I always lose track when talking about the past," Gregor said. "What I mean is that—what happened isn't your fault. You did what you thought was best. You were just looking out for your sister and nephew."

Before Eleanor could respond, he continued, "Of course, when she wakes up, she won't see it that way at first. She'll throw things, scream, and blame you." He paused, taking her hand in his and looking deeply into her eyes.

"But she won't mean it. She'll just need someone to blame, to vent her frustration. And she'll also need someone to lean on, a shoulder to cry on, to help her through this, and you'll need to be this person, be there for her, with her." He said before letting go of her hand.

"But what if she doesn't forgive me, Gregor? The love of her life died before they could get married because I convinced her to postpone it," Eleanor said, her tone filled with guilt and fear.

"Nothing that happened today was your fault, Eleanor; and I'm sure that your sister will realize that too." Gregor answered.

"But—"

Gregor quickly interrupted her. "Eleanor, trust me. There's nothing your sister will want more than to have you by her side."

"How can you be so sure, Gregor?"

"Because that's what I wanted," Gregor said calmly.

Eleanor was taken aback by his words and, without thinking, said, "Your sister—"

Once again, Gregor interrupted her, already knowing what she was about to ask.

"Yes, she died." His face didn't express any emotion, nor did his tone.

Eleanor immediately regretted asking.

"I'm so sorry, Gregor." She felt horrible, thinking she might have reopened an old wound for Gregor.

"Don't worry, it happened some time ago."

"Anyway, I think you should be there when Laura wakes up."

"You're right. Thank you, Gregor. I feel a little better now. You're really good at giving advice," Eleanor said with a chuckle as she stood.

Gregor got up, opening the door for her. "I told you, I'm a little bit of everything." He said with a smile.

"You better get there quickly, or else your sister might want to yell at me too." Gregor said in a playful tone, pretending to be scared.

Eleanor finally smiled. It wasn't as warm as her usual smile, but she no longer looked as sad as when she had arrived.

"I'm sure you hear this a lot, but your smile is beautiful, Eleanor. You look much better like this," Gregor said.

Eleanor was taken aback by the compliment. Her face turned slightly red as she looked down, embarrassed. "Thank you, Gregor," she said before leaving his room.