He's staring at the lake for the third time, now, appreciating the silence surrounding them. This time, his gaze is focused on what lay at the bottom, where numerous eggs - dragon eggs - could be found.

For the moment, it seemed that none were hatching around this time (though if he looked long enough, he might catch a few that would). Gray, however, opts to glance again at Rilea.

"Helping people, giving them a chance to get back up from their lowest points", he replies, and his tone becomes more introspective. "Making a real difference in their lives so they'd be better off, and that maybe - just maybe - they won't have to deal with the pain of losing loved ones too soon..."

In his mind, he's thirteen again, and powerless to do anything as men and women in masks dragged aside people - men, women, elderly, and children - to condemn them to slow and painful deaths just to send a message. He could hear their terrified screams as they were put through unimaginable torments, picture their broken forms as their captors carried them away, destined to be dumped somewhere in a city where they would eventually be found.

"They'll find us, hermano. Just... just don't give up. Don't give up, now. We'll get out of here alive. I know it."

And he remembers Jaime Salazar, his best friend, the one who had stayed hopeful for the both of them throughout that ordeal. The one who fought to keep him from being among the latest batch of victims, and ended up being riddled with bullets for his efforts...