Dream Realm. No-Man's Woods.
---
Confused, Veridicus tilted his head to get a closer look at him.
— Are you implying you didn't want to wake up?
Flinching slightly at the question, Lucius averted his gaze and answered with slight uncertainty.
— No. No, I didn't want that…
Swallowing, Lucius looked at his hands. The feeling of Edric and Thomas's blood on his skin still haunted him.
— It was a good, pleasant dream… I didn't have to think about all the bad things happening in reality, about my actions…
Gradually, Lucius's monotone voice began to tremble. Surveying the forest of leathery trees scorched by the explosion, Lucius winced at the smell of blood and added:
— And I definitely didn't have to think about what happened in Mom and Uncle's past, or what this place even is.
Veridicus watched quietly. Something resembling curiosity slipped into his ancient voice.
— You look emotionally drained. — he said quietly, as if stating a fact, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"The kid's shaking like a leaf. I'll loosen him up first."
— Nothing new. I'm used to it. But what I'm definitely not used to, — slowly, a lump rose in his throat, making speech difficult. — is seeing them like that…
A hurricane of memories flashed before Lucius's eyes. Images of well-known faces echoed clearly in his memory. He felt a drop roll down his cheek and immediately wiped it away.
— Th-They… They always tried to smile. My whole fucking village. — he sniffled. — My family too. Especially Dad. The whole village only held together because of him.
— And why is that?
— Lots of reasons. He's a healer. A damn good one. It's not like I know the difference between good and bad — he's the only healer I've ever seen. And that's the whole problem. When someone gets sick, everyone goes to him. No exceptions.
Tears streamed down Lucius's face again as memories of Asa's sleepless nights caught up with him. From anger and sorrow, Lucius could only clench his fists.
— Fucking bastards… Oh. D-Dad works himself to the bone. Constantly, for years. He's a good man, but because of the other villagers, he rarely gets to spend nights at home. He tries his hardest to take care of me and Mom. I… I appreciate it. I really do.
With these words, Lucius sighed timidly and lowered his head. But Veridicus's gaze beneath his helmet grew sharper.
— You speak of your father with love. And yet, you're shaking with rage.
Lucius didn't raise his head. Instead, his shoulders tensed under Veridicus's grip. Then the boy's voice exploded with anger and contempt.
— If I'm angry at anyone, it's at those who won't let our family live even a normal life! They're all too dependent on him!
Unable to hold back, Lucius jumped to his feet, breaking free from Veridicus's hands, but the knight only crossed his arms.
— Damn them all… — his voice rising, Lucius began mocking the villagers. — "Asa, you're the only one in the village who knows the healing arts! We're counting on you!" "Asa, you're the only one in the village who has any documents and can go to Cellaflun! We hope you'll sometimes go there to earn money to help the village!" I'm sick of all of them!
A second of silence hung between them. Shaking, Lucius hugged his head and sank into a crouch, faint sobs coming from him.
Veridicus was the first to break the silence.
— He could always say "no." — his voice was dry, almost indifferent. — He's just weak.
As soon as Veridicus said these words, he felt something unexpected. A sharp spike of Aletheia that did not belong to him.
Lucius let go of his head and sharply glanced back at Veridicus over his shoulder. His golden-pink eyes began to glow again. His body was wound tight like a spring under pressure.
"What the hell? He's generating Aletheia… naturally? With his emotions?"
— What did you just say?..
Veridicus lifted his chin and uncrossed his arms.
— You heard me. If your father can't refuse them, if he lets those people push him around, then he's weak. Nothing is stopping him from leaving that damned village. I don't even need details to understand that.
Lucius clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Springing to his feet, he turned fully to face Veridicus, his face twisted with new anger.
— You fucking maggot… You don't know shit! — his cry came out like a roar, saliva spraying from his mouth. — You hear me?! Shit! Nothing about my father's reasons, nothing about him!
Not waiting for an answer from the knight, Lucius drew back his fist, then froze.
"What the fuck am I doing? That feeling again, that urge… Just like when I stabbed Thomas and Edric."
And then recent words, long etched into his memory, caught up with Lucius.
— "Let's just rape his mother!"
— "Let's beat up that little brat over some petty excuse, say she pissed us off, and tell her it's Lucius's fault. A child's heart is so fragile."
Slowly, Lucius lowered his hand and looked at it as if it were foreign. He understood what that desire had been. Bloodlust, fueled by anger.
Watching Lucius, Veridicus shook his head in disappointment, the tension in his body vanishing as if it had never been there.
— Looks like you're just as much of a weakling as your father. I don't need to know anything — I can see it clearly.
But Lucius didn't get angry. Only a hoarse laugh escaped his trembling lips. Under Veridicus's sharp gaze, he hunched over and pressed a hand to his mouth, stifling his laughter.
— Seriously? Is the human child's mind so fragile that he's already lost his mind after such a short conversation with me? — at that, Veridicus could only shake his head. — Ohh, it doesn't matter. I still need you. Even with a broken mind, you'll still be useful to me.
At that moment, as the dark knight reached out his hand to grab Lucius by the scruff of the neck, an unknown force pushed him back a couple of meters.
Shocked, Veridicus watched as Lucius straightened up, the boy's face half a smile, half a smirk. The aura of Aletheia around Lucius's body vanished, and his eyes dimmed.
— Seriously? You're jumping back from a kid? What, scared? — he asked mockingly.
— You little brat… What was that?
— You know, for a second I thought you were really smart and all…
"This child… what's wrong with him? That wasn't Aletheia or Irida. Something third? Impossible."
— Don't start rambling, boy. What was that power? How did you do it?
When Veridicus interrupted him with his questions, Lucius just looked at him irritably and sighed.
— Oh, shut up already. I have no idea what you're talking about. So, where was I… Ah, I remember! But as it turns out, you're a complete idiot!
Stunned by the insult, Veridicus froze for a moment. In all his long millennia of existence, no one had ever insulted him like that, especially a human teenager.
— Excuse me?..
— Oh, don't apologize! — as Lucius spoke, his smile grew more mocking, widening to show his teeth. — After all, stupidity isn't intentional or desired.
Looking at the motionless knight, Lucius laughed again.
— Oh gods, you look so ridiculous standing there like a fucking statue!
— Such incredible insolence… You're pushing my buttons, you—
Suddenly, Lucius walked up to Veridicus and covered his entire visor with his palm, shutting him up like a child. Having done so, the boy looked at Veridicus with the most stupid and ridiculously innocent smile.
— Ah, ah, ah. Idiots can't interrupt the conversation when the smarter ones are talking! You might be wondering how I figured out you're a complete moron? But in fact, it's quite simple!
"Damned brat, is he deliberately trying to piss me off? No, I can't give in to his taunts and kill him — I need him alive. Maybe I should use mental torture to curb his arrogance? I think I'll have to do that, but a little later."
With difficulty restraining himself, Veridicus pushed Lucius's hand away from his helmet.
— Is that so? Then go ahead, surprise me.
Playfully grabbing his pushed-away hand, Lucius took a step back and giggled.
— Oh, so aggressive! Alright, alright, I'll tell you. I think you're an idiot because… You think like one! No, seriously, how can someone with such a threatening appearance be so PATHETIC? I don't even care anymore that you're probably the same kind of being as that glowing thing that put me to sleep.
As if breaking free from a chain, Veridicus suddenly shot out his hand, trying to grab Lucius by the neck, but he dodged at the last moment with a laugh.
— Hey, hands off! Ha-ha-ha!
— We are NOT alike.
At that, Lucius just rolled his eyes and said drawlingly:
— I don't give a shiiiiit! Anyway, like I said, you think like a complete idiot. You barely listened to my whiny complaints about the hard life in the village and my father's problems, and you're already drawing conclusions without hearing the reasons! "I don't even need details to understand that." What stupidity!
Veridicus's hand twitched. He could kill this insolent brat with one move. But the Aletheia the boy emitted… it was too pure. And the energy with which Lucius had pushed him away was too intriguing. Too valuable. He suppressed his rage, but the hatred remained.
"Oh gods, he looks so ridiculous trying to hold back."
— You're playing with fire, kid. You have no idea what I can do to you.
— Is that so? And what exactly are you going to do to me? Kill me, like you killed that glowing thing? Oh, wait… You can't.
Having endured enough mockery and insults from the boy, Veridicus reached his boiling point. Clenching his hand into a fist, he made a stone pillar grow beneath Lucius's feet.
— W-Whoa! Wh-What are you doing?!
Feeling that Veridicus didn't give a shit about his words, Lucius fell silent and looked down. The ground was rapidly receding, and he couldn't afford to become helpless in the knight's hands. So he resorted to a desperate move.
"Don't look! Don't look, don't look, don't look…"
Closing his eyes, he rushed to the edge of the pillar and, to Veridicus's shock, jumped off. In that moment, his entire short life flashed before his eyes. The faces of Valeria, Asa, and Ignavius lingered the longest.
"What the hell?! Aren't humans supposed to be afraid of heights?! Shit, if he dies, it will all have been for nothing!"
Veridicus stretched out his hands, trying to stop the fall with his magic. But even his sharp reflexes couldn't withstand the shock of human recklessness. When the first signs of spatial distortion appeared in the air, Lucius had already hit the ground.
The sound was short, sickeningly solid. Silence fell too quickly, like someone slamming a heavy cellar door.
In a hurry, Veridicus teleported to the impact site, and ended up witnessing a shocking sight.
He lay on his stomach, arms spread as if to embrace the whole earth. His legs were unnaturally twisted, knees bent backward. A fragment of a rib protruded from his back through his torn shirt – white, sharp, completely motionless.
Veridicus would have said without a doubt that the boy was dead, if not for one "but." His spiritual core had not been carried away into the Rebirth Vortex.
Frozen in place, he watched as Lucius's body was covered by a growing aura of Irida.
"Unbelievable… He's generating not only Aletheia, but Irida as well? So this is the full spectrum of emotions… I want this."
Looking at him now with a predatory gaze, Veridicus flinched as Lucius began to move. Gradually, the protruding rib was sucked back into his body, returning to its place. The mangled limbs began to straighten, resuming their original form.
"This… He's using Irida to heal his broken body? Subconsciously?!"
With each passing second, Veridicus grew more astonished. How could a mere boy, who had never been to the Dream Realm before, instinctively use Irida for something as complex as self-healing? And what surprised him most of all — he couldn't understand what the boy was so happy about that he was emitting Irida from his emotions? He had just barely survived death!
Meanwhile, the ribcage had finally recovered. Under the influence of Irida, consciousness returned to him. The pain from the fall washed over him like a wave, flooding his mind. So his body found the only way out.
Leaning on his hands, Lucius slowly lifted his torso from the ground, and a hoarse laugh came from his chest. He laughed as if he hadn't fallen from a great height, but had merely been strongly tickled.
— H-Hah… Oh fuck, this… Ha-ha-ha-ha, this hurts! God damn it, this hurts too much! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Lucius was crying from the pain. But he was also laughing like crazy. He laughed and cried, not understanding the jumble of emotions consuming him.
And all this time, the silent Veridicus watched as the boy writhed on the ground in pain, his body piecing itself back together from a flattened state. Greed and the thirst for possession burned away his clarity of mind. His shell betrayed his feelings by how he trembled with the desire to seize the boy.
And at that moment, Lucius looked at him sideways, pressing his forehead to the ground.
— I w-win, you bastard… Argh, shit! Ha-ha-ha-ha, this is starting to piss me off. — Lucius muttered as his kneecap snapped back into place, moving through torn muscles.
These words, this confidence with which the red-haired boy spoke, surprised Veridicus.
— What are you talking about, kid? You? Won? How absurd. You're the one lying there with a broken body, laughing like a madman.
— Oh Aya, how can this moron be so narrow-minded…
With great difficulty, Lucius got to his feet, clutching his side as he did. Standing up, Lucius tilted his head back, looking straight into the ruby flames beneath Veridicus's visor.
— I won because I proved it. I proved that you need me, you shithead. And I'd rather fucking die than stay in your hands.
With these words, a sly grin spread across his lips, ignoring the agony of regeneration. Slowly, Lucius extended both arms and showed Veridicus two middle fingers.
— You're right, brat. — Veridicus said involuntarily. — I really do need you alive…
Suddenly, a black hand gripped Lucius's neck and lifted him off the ground.
— B-Bitch!
— But who said I need you healthy?! You've gotten way too cocky, so it's time to put you in your place.
— Oh, yeah? Go ahead, bastard, try to put this arrogant boy in his place! Ha-ha, good luck with that. But don't forget. I. Will. Piss. You. Off. Until. The. Bitter. End.
As if waiting for Lucius's words, that familiar force pushed Veridicus away again. Dusting himself off as if nothing had happened, Lucius turned and walked away.
— And where do you think you're going, you little shit?!
For a moment, Lucius paused in thought, then kept walking.
— Where am I going? To find what I need. Someone like the glowing thing.
Lucius glanced back at Veridicus over his shoulder with a smirk.
— You're not like her, are you? Actually, something like the opposite, right?
But Veridicus could only watch. Every time he tried to lay his hands on the boy, the same unknown force pushed him back.
— How pathetic… And THIS is your choice?! Instead of being of some use with your existence, you'd rather rot in a paradise of lies?!
— Pfft, exactly!
Veridicus realized: he needed a new plan. The prey was about to slip away, and he had no way to seize him. So he struck below the belt — at Lucius's feelings.
— How selfish.
The words hit like a trigger. In an instant, Lucius froze as if slapped, not uttering a word. He didn't answer, but he listened. The smirk vanished.
— You want to find someone who will show you the illusion of a perfect life. The illusion of the paradise you're so desperate for. But you haven't even thought about your loved ones. Your body is still there, still alive, in their hands.
Lucius's breathing hitched, inhaling and exhaling almost simultaneously. His shoulders dropped, making the boy look as if an invisible mountain rested on them. And Veridicus was pleased by this.
Seeing Lucius's reaction, the black knight approached him and placed both hands on his shoulders.
— I can see it clearly from your reaction. Your emotions are an open book to me. You do care about them.
— And what… What does that give you, you bastard?
Lucius's voice dropped to a whisper, his shoulders no longer offering the slightest resistance to Veridicus's hands. Veridicus, for his part, squeezed them harder.
— What does it give me? Enough of what I need. Since you don't want to obey me, I'm offering you, sort of, a partnership.
Hearing Veridicus's words, Lucius raised his head and looked at the knight over his shoulder.
— Partnership?
— Precisely, brat. Mutual work. On your side, you'll help me with research. Research on you — how you got here, your power, your potential. And on my side, I'll help you, sooner or later, return to your world.
— And why should I trust you?
— Ha! On that count you needn't worry. My kind never lies.
"He never lies? What a load of crap. Even if he only tells me the truth, there must be some kind of catch."
Trusting Veridicus's words absolutely not at all, Lucius pushed him away and kept walking.
— What the devil… What's this supposed to mean?
— It means no, you narrow-minded oaf. — Lucius said, his voice filling with resolve.
— Fool. That was a one-time offer. It was your only chance.
— Ha! Like I give a shit!
— So you've chosen to be a weak worm who picks a personal paradise.
— And again you're wrong, you loser! What's the point of enjoying paradise alone when you can share it?
"What the fuck is wrong with this kid?!"
Veridicus's armor began to shake, and he began walking after Lucius with heavy steps.
— But you won't be able to do that as long as you're here.
— I know, that's why I'm going to get out of here.
— Idiot! I'm one of the few who can help you return home! And I won't do it if you don't cooperate with me!
— And what difference does it make? If no one helps me get back to my home world, I'll do it myself.
Veridicus froze, stunned by Lucius's confidence. All the knight could do was watch the boy's retreating back. Carefully choosing his words so as not to show his surprise, Veridicus slowly asked:
— And may I ask, how do you plan to do that?
Hearing his question, Lucius looked back and gave him a genuine smile.
— The same way I got here. Somehow.
At Lucius's words, both their bodies froze. A sourceless voice resonated deep within them. Not in their heads, not even in their souls. Directly in their memories, as if that voice had always been there.
— What a… wonderful answer.
An overwhelming sense of fear gripped them both; their bodies stiffened.
Out of nowhere, book pages began to appear, covering Lucius from head to toe. Slowly, his body began to vanish inside a paper cocoon, starting from his feet. Seeing this, Veridicus flew into a rage.
— No… No! I won't let anyone take him! Not even the Trinity!
Overcoming his fear of the higher being, Veridicus forced himself to move.
Like a dog off its leash, Veridicus rushed toward Lucius, who was disappearing among the sheets of paper. His armor crumbled to dust under the weight of invisible pressure, releasing his true form — black mist.
Reaching the cocoon, he materialized a pair of clawed paws. Digging into the paper, he began to forcefully tear off the sheets hiding Lucius's body.
— I won't allow it! He's mine!
Exploding in a wild roar, Veridicus pressed his paw as hard as he could against the boy's chest, leaving a guiding mark on his soul. When he tore the paper from Lucius's face, a wild wolfish muzzle peered out from the mist, fixated on the frozen boy.
— You're not getting away from me, boy! I will find you anywhere! You will be mine…
As soon as Veridicus finished, the paper once again swallowed the remnants of Lucius, absorbing him completely.
---
The Void. The Akashic Library.
Gradually regaining consciousness, Lucius rose to his feet and found himself amidst giant bookshelves.
— What the hell…
No matter how hard he stared into the distance, he couldn't make out the end of the corridor. As if there was no end.
— Don't try to wander here.
Again, that feeling. The voice had no source; it simply was.
Hearing these words, Lucius jerked and began to look around warily.
— Who's here?! And where am I?!
— I am the master of this place. And this is my Library. You are the first mortal to ever set foot here.
— Like I care! — Lucius snapped back, trying to see anything besides the endless shelves, densely packed with books.
— And why won't you show yourself, voice? Shouldn't the master of the place greet his guests — especially those he didn't summon himself?
A moment of silence hung in the air, unnerving Lucius.
— I cannot. You would not survive it.
— What the hell are you talk—
— Your soul would be erased from reality by my mere presence. One glance at a part of me would fill you with endless knowledge that would burn your mind from within, corrupt it, and in the end, the result would be the same. Do you still want me to show myself?
When Lucius processed what he'd heard, all his arrogance evaporated in an instant. The silence became deafening.
Breaking the silence, Lucius sighed and answered uncertainly:
— Uhh… No. Not really… But can you at least tell me your name? Please?
— …Akashi.
Unimpressed, Lucius raised his eyebrows.
— That's it? No grand speeches from a god, no titles, just a name?
— Yes. You asked for a name, and I answered. Nothing more is needed.
Lucius opened his mouth to object, but Akashi cut him off, not letting him get a word out.
— You have three questions. Do not waste them.
Lucius's face instantly became serious and thoughtful. He looked around one last time and noticed a ladder on wheels propped against the shelves.
— I… I need to think.
He said and walked toward the ladder.
— As you wish. Make sure you phrase them correctly.
A second later, Lucius felt completely alone. The oppressive presence of the being — which had altered his memory to create the illusion of conversation instead of speaking normally — simply vanished.
"The strangest day of my life…" — Lucius thought as he began to climb the ladder.