BONUS CHAPTER!
Rafie: These are Izakiel's last thoughts.
You were my best friend. You were my only friend. And yet, I turned against you. What kind of friend am I?
Do you remember the day I helped you get out of the hitman camp? My plan was that, one day, I'd get out of there and escape from the eyes of the government at least once. I'd look for you, then we'd run away together.
I loved you, Valenia.
When that day finally came, Sophilia told me that you went out to become a hunter. For months, I sat alone, getting angry at myself because I was too late. Soon, I succumbed to the ways of the Altarians.
Money.
Money.
Money.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
That's all I could think about.
Then, Xaphan called me to his mansion. He told me that you were with a man who went by the name Leorio Paladinight. He must've known I was in love with you because he hired me to kill you. That's when the anger came rushing in.
Blinded by anger and jealousy, I devised a plan that would get me everything that I thought I wanted. It went like this: I'd frame you, making the government think that you killed your own master. Surely, the Altarians would put a price on that. Once a good bounty was settled upon, I'd hunt you down and kill you.
Before that, I decided to do a little research. I had my tracker disabled for a few months. I found you with that Leorio guy in his house. You looked so happy. Your smile was beautiful. It was so beautiful that I even forgot what I was doing.
At that moment, I realized how twisted I had become.
I discarded the whole "Kill Valenia and Get the Money" plan and decided to help you without giving myself away. I knew that if I came to you and admitted how much I loved you, it would only make matters worse.
I started killing hitmen. I also started, in a way, stalking you. I admit that that's creepy of me to do. I'm sorry.
The last part of my plan was simple. Once all the hitmen, except me, were killed, I'd get in a fight with you.
And lose.
Then, I'd call the Altarian government and tell them that I killed you. It would be the only way to redeem myself.
That last moment… that hug you gave me… I never expected that. Your hug felt warm. I felt as if I was forgiven. I was happy.
You never deserved anything Altaria threw at you, Valenia. More importantly, you deserve to live a happy life. I hope you do.
I am truly lucky to have met someone like you, Val. Truly.
Happy birthday, Valenia.
I love you.
I'm sorry for everything I've said and done.
Goodbye.