Lucian stepped slowly out of the library, occasionally touching his pants pocket to make sure the folds of the old documents were still in his pocket. His steps were orderly, but his mind was busy replaying the events of the day. And just as his foot came out of the threshold of the library, a name flashed through his mind, making him pause for a moment.
"Wait, Natty..." His mutter was soft, his eyebrows furrowed faintly. "Looks like I've heard that name..."
He lowered his head, trying to remember the contents of The Luminous Hero of Avandor game more deeply. His brain tried to remember the wrong details of the main story of the game.
Then a memory comes to his mind at this moment, Natty is one of the minor characters in the game but he helps the protagonist quite a lot. If that's true its her, Natty isn't one of the attacking character types, but she's quite helpful as a supporting character in combat.
She has one of those magic called telekenesis. This magic is quite helpful in combat, by moving an object from a distance, to be honest Natty's character is quite helpful in the beginning of the main story.
Lucian raised his eyebrows, a smirk then appeared on his face at this time
"Interesting... Why would someone like him be in the Hale mansion?" His eyes narrowed, then continued, "Looks like I got a good pawn this time..."
He then continued his steps down the corridor of the current mansion. Suddenly he felt a pain in his head, a wave of pain that suddenly struck and made him almost stagger. The world around him spun around, his vision became blurred, and his footsteps felt heavy, as if bound by an invisible burden. He felt very tired, as if all his energy had been drained.
"Damn... Why does my head suddenly hurt like this?! It feels like it's about to break..."
Lucian then bowed, he held his head throbbing so hard. He tried to stay upright, but his body felt more and more weak. His vision was getting blurred, and the world around him was spinning faster and faster. He felt that he would fall unconscious at any time.
His head pulsed harder and harder, until finally his body could no longer hold it. His knees faltered, and in an instant, Lucian's body fell to the floor of that corridor. He heard a voice that slowly called to him from behind.
"Young Master...!!"
"Young Master Lucian...!!"
The name repeatedly called his name, he wanted to reply to it, but I don't know why his mouth couldn't utter a word at this time. His vision was getting blurry and then, the world darkened instantly even his consciousness couldn't control at this time.
***
Lucian slowly opened his eyes. A dazzling white light filled his vision, making him blink a few times before finally adjusting. He found himself in a large, empty white room, without any furniture or ornaments.
The walls are smooth and clean, creating a sterile and cool feel. He tried to move his body, but the movements felt stiff and heavy, like a doll with rusty joints. Then the reflection of a person's body was seen by his eyes, his eyes widened for a moment.
"Wait... Ini... Isn't it my body?" he muttered, his voice hoarse and weak. He then looked at his hand, this was his body before he possessed Lucian's body.
As he tried to look around, it wasn't long before he saw a small circle of light in front of him. Inside the small circle, he saw a scene that looked like a memory. He saw a small child, about 5 or 6 years old, with a body that looked like a black shadow. The child appeared alone, sitting in a dark and quiet room.
Next to the child, there was a black-haired adult man, with a stern and serious face. The man looked like a family head, handsome but seemed cold. An aura of power emanated from his body.
"Lucian. Do you already know your mistake?" The voice sounded cold and firm, echoing in the empty white room. It was the sound that sounded from the light of that circle.
"I'm sorry, Dad." His voice was quiet and almost inaudible, the voice of a child full of regret. He lowered his head, feeling the heavy burden of guilt on his shoulders.
Inside the circle of light that was still in front of him, he saw a clearer scene. But strangely the part of the child's face was not clearly visible, like a black shadow.
"Wait... This... Is this the original Lucian memory? But... Why does his body look like a black shadow here? Like... just silhouettes?" He muttered, his voice full of confusion, not understanding why Lucian's body looked like a black shadow in those memories.
"Your face is a mistake, so don't show it to anyone anymore." The cold voice was heard again, this time more piercing and full of hatred.
Those words were like a knife piercing Lucian's heart, inflicting immense pain. Kalandra seeing this now, he didn't understand why Lucian's face was considered a mistake. Was there something wrong with his face?
The little boy—Lucian in the memories—pulled his body deeper into the shadows, his body shaking violently. Tears flowed down her cheeks, showing deep fear and sadness. He didn't dare to look at his father, he could only curl up and cry. His little hands gripped the fabric tightly of his shirt, as if seeking protection from his father's wrath. The expression on his face, even if it was only a shadow, showed tremendous despair. It looked so small and fragile, as if it would be destroyed at any moment.
The new circle also emitted the same light as the previous circle, but this time he recognized this memory, his eyes were rounded when he saw it. There, a black-haired boy was seen, sitting on a study desk chair with exam papers on his desk.
In front of him stood a man dressed in a neat formal suit with a disappointed expression visible on his face.
"What the hell is this, Kalandra? You failed your test again this time?"
His voice sounded flat, yet piercing. His eyes were full of demand. The boy, who was himself in the past, then gripped his pants tightly and looked at the exam paper on his desk. In the upper right corner of the paper was the number 85, clear and bright, but to the man in front of him it was like a failure.
"I-I'm sorry Dad, I've tried. But the teacher said... That value is perfect enough..." The boy replied quietly, he tried to explain to his father.
However, the words from the little boy actually made the father clench, his expression getting harder which showed how emotional he was at this time.
"Perfect enough?" He snorted, his eyes staring intently at the little boy. "If you are satisfied with 'enough', then don't expect to be the successor of this family."
The little boy lowered his head deeply, his lips quivering holding back the tears that could come out of his eyes at any moment. All the things he did, hard work or whatever it was, his father never acknowledged in the slightest.
The circle slowly faded back, leaving behind the white void. Not long after, faint whispering sounds began to sound.
"... You've seen everything, haven't you?"
The voice sounded calm, and over time it got closer and closer and seemed to whisper directly in his ear.
"... You and I are the same, both here and where you came from."
The voice whispered in his ear, then his shoulder as if it was being held by something, the voice whispered in his ear again.
"So... Do you think what you planned worked?"
He froze in place. His whole body tightened, the voice, I don't know who it was but his words infiltrated too deeply, "Who... who are you really?" he muttered, "Are you an architect and something like that..?"
There was no answer to be heard, there was only silence in that empty room at this time.
"Damn, just answer my question...!!" He shouted with emotion, his voice echoing throughout the white room. He clenched his fists.
However, the voice was also inaudible. No one appeared, silence was around him at this moment. Lucian's eyes slowly opened. The faint light from outside broke through the gaps in the curtains, creating a faint shadow in his room.
He blinked a few times, trying to adjust his vision to the incoming light. His head still felt heavy and throbbing, reminding him of his sudden fainting. This time, he felt himself again in Lucian's body.
He looked around his room, paying attention to familiar details. He sat up, trying to remember what happened before he fainted. When he came out of the library, he felt an excruciating headache and was in a white room.
"Ugh, what the is that dream..." Lucian rubbed his face, feeling the remnants of dizziness that still haunted him. He tries to remember the details of the dreams—or rather, flashbacks—that he has just experienced. The shadows of the empty white room, the halo featuring memories of the past, and the face of Lucian's father and his past were still vividly imagined in his mind.
There was something different about the dream, it was like more than an ordinary sleeping flower. It's like... Fragments of the Soul. Both he's, and the real Lucian's.
He stared at the ceiling, and thought back to the voice that echoed in his mind. However, suddenly Pavel's voice broke the silence that was there.
"Young Master! You've finally come to your senses!" Pavel's voice sounded panicked, mixed with relief.
Hurried footsteps rang out, and a moment later, Pavel appeared in the doorway, his face pale and sweating coldly. His hair was a little disheveled, his suit a little wrinkled, showing how anxious he had been during Lucian's fainting. Pavel's normally calm and restrained eyes were now filled with real concern.
"Ugh, you're noisy, Pavel! I feel like my head hurts again..." Lucian grimaced, holding his head that was still throbbing. The headache was still felt, reminding him of his sudden fainting.
"I'm sorry, Young Master," Pavel bowed deeply, showing genuine guilt.
"I... I am very worried. I'll call a doctor right away." He looked restless, his footsteps pacing back and forth in front of the door, showing how anxious he was.
Pavel immediately goes outside to call the doctor but Lucian stops him.
"No need, I'm fine," Lucian said, his voice still a little weak, but his tone firm. He tried to show that he was strong, that he could overcome all of this.
However, the pain in his head was still felt, reminding him of the terrible experience he had just had. "And also... I have something to talk to you."
Pavel was silent for a moment, looking at Lucian with a worried look. "What are you saying, Young Master?! I was very worried when I heard from the maid that you fainted in the middle of the mansion corridor! You looked so pale back then!" He let out a long sigh, trying to calm himself down.
"You were even unconscious for seven hours! How could I not be worried?!" Genuine concern emanated from every word he spoke. He truly felt responsible for Lucian's safety.
"I told you, I'm fine now," Lucian sighed softly, trying to ease the tension. He was a little annoyed by Pavel's overreaction, but he understood his faithful servant's concerns.
"Huh..." He took a deep breath, then said in a softer tone, "I don't want to talk to anyone if it's that far away." His last sentence was spoken with a slight emphasis on the word "so far," as well as a subtle gesture—even a code—for Pavel to get closer.
Pavel, who had been standing tense a few steps from Lucian's bed, instantly understood the subtle gestures in his Young Master's words. With quick but careful steps, he approached, stopping his steps right beside the bed. A short silence enveloped the room.
"Pavel, I need your opinion," Lucian began, he looked at Pavel, seeking support and understanding from his faithful servant. He knew that this question was a little strange, perhaps even absurd, but he felt the need to ask.
"What do you think... About my face?" The question came out of his mouth, carrying a greater burden of questions behind him.