AN: I wanted to say a big thank you to Wolfy Schnee for this story. She's helped me a lot over the course of this, giving me ideas for future chapters and ones gone by, like the previous one (that makeout session would've never have gotten written in the way it was otherwise.) She's also got a huge idea stored up for later chapters, one that should bring some levity into the fic once we start down the more serious tone. I'm sure you'll all enjoy it! I should've given credit earlier, really, but I always write the authors notes before the chapter, and I always forget D:
I'm also sorry for the wait, and wanted to thank you all for being patient with me. Here's a longer chapter to make up for it :)
Chapter Twenty-Nine (Luka's POV)
That night had been a peaceful sleep, and I had awoken to find Miku curled up on the other side of the bed, facing away from me. Thankfully, it did not appear as though she had suffered with any nightmares, so I spent a while looking at her face, wondering.
Last night had been as far as we had ever ventured in that regard. I had almost said everything, then, but had decided to bury it once more. The closer we became, the more I wanted to say my secrets out loud.
But, I admitted quietly to myself, I was afraid. Afraid that she would leave, despite everything we had worked towards. Despite everything she had helped me become. Maybe, if she did leave, I would revert back to my old ways. That provided me less comfort than it once would have done, I realised. I also did not find that knowledge as troubling as I once would have.
Though I would have to tell her soon. The further we travelled south, the more likely it was that I would be recognised. I would prefer to tell her myself than let her find out through other means. That had not gone well in the past, and I cared for her more deeply than I had back then. She had just been a means to an end, then.
Now… now she had awoken in me feelings that I doubted I could ever supress again.
I moved over to her, cupping her face with my hand, and she stirred, sleepy turquoise eyes opening to meet my gaze.
'Good morning, Luka,' she said, smiling. Sitting up, she stretched, making a cute squeak as she did so. It was this, I realised, I would miss the most. The more passionate side of our relationship was special, yes, but this was even more so. I did not want to face an empty bed.
'Good morning, Miku,' I said, finally.
'Something on your mind?'
Oh, if only she realised. I shook my head and we began to get ready.
Kaito and Sonika were already at a table when we made our entrance. Both their mouths dropped open as they saw Miku.
'What – I mean… just, what?' Sonika said. Miku giggled and gave a little twirl.
'So, what do you think?'
'I love it!' Sonika shouted, and ran over to ruffle Miku's new haircut. Miku fought her off, and they began a playfight. Shaking my head, I went to sit down opposite Kaito.
'Did you cut it, then?' he said. I nodded. 'I didn't realise you could do that sort of thing.'
'I have learnt many things, in the time I have been alive.'
'Another mystery to add to the pile,' he said, and I tilted my head. 'You're going to have to explain those secrets one day. We all know you've got them… well, maybe Sonika doesn't, but Miku and I do. I know you'll tell her first, but make it quick, okay? The longer you drag this out the more it's going to hurt.'
It was a warning, I knew that. I had forgotten that he knew of the secret about my parents, as he had made no mention of the matter since. 'Why did you not tell her of my parents when you said you would?' I asked, so quietly only Kaito would hear.
'I was rather occupied with becoming a vampire,' he said. 'And then I realised that something like that had to come from you. It would've been wrong for me to say it. I knew it wasn't my place, in the end, angry as I was.'
'And are you still angry now?'
'You would know if I was,' he said, and that was that.
Sonika and Miku came back from their fight, with Miku looking thoroughly defeated. She soon brightened up, however, digging through her bag to lay the map out on the table.
'So, we need to decide how we're going to find Luka's parents,' Miku said. I frowned, putting on a mask of deep thought. I would have to play this carefully. I could see Kaito looking at me.
'We are better heading right to the city of Veronis. That is where I was based for much of my life, and my parents may be in the surrounding area. As you can see, Nuriel is split up into regions, each governed by a different party. We will have to cross their borders in order to get to Veronis proper.' Since I actually had no clue as to where they might have been hiding, this was the safest option, plus it would give me enough time spill my secrets when needed. As long as we did not actually enter Veronis before I had my powers back, I would be alright.
Limuria city would also be a problem. In my time as ruler of Veronis, I had managed to spread my affairs further than my own region, mainly through manipulating the current ruling parties. The royalty in Nuriel was notoriously corrupt, and I had managed to work it into my favour. Either that, or assassinating whoever got in my way – subtly, of course. The heir to the throne easily fell into my traps, making them puppet rulers. But Limuria… their rulers, Ezra and Illaria, had been difficult to work with. No doubt they had seized the opportunity to become more powerful with my disappearance. But, we had the region of Orwais, which we were in now, and Azer to cross before we had to worry about that.
Time, it seemed, had given me its blessing.
'We have a long way to go, then,' Miku said. 'We're definitely going to have to find some horses.'
'And some proper food,' Kaito said quietly. 'Luka and I have been surviving off bottles for far too long.'
'Right,' Miku said, without missing a beat. 'Well, let me go and get my new helmet, and then we'll leave Mircia and get on the road to…. Varino, is the next town.'
'This all sounds great,' Sonika said. 'But we'll be on the road for the full moon. I'm used to it, but I'm not on my own now. We'll have to find a cave or something I can hide in.'
'There are many abandoned forts and similar such things off the beaten track,' I said. 'We will find something suitable. I would not worry.'
The three stared at me, but smiled, Miku's being the brightest.
'Hey, Luka actually showed some empathy for someone other than Miku,' Sonika said, grinning. I glared at her.
'Moving swiftly on…' Miku said quickly. 'Let's get some breakfast and get out of here.'
The day, to Miku's sour disposition, was only marginally less hot than it had been yesterday. We had reached Gaius's stall, and the elf waited for us with a smile. I noticed that his eyes lingered on my face for a moment, as he had done the day before. I had forgotten until we came to Mircia that elves were far less forgiving when it came to scars.
With a theatrical flourish, he presented the helmet to Miku, and she gasped.
'Oh, Gaius, it's wonderful. It matches perfectly,' she said, taking it and trying it on. It was simple in design, like the rest of Miku's armour, but she was right – it matched very well indeed.
'Now,' Gaius said, 'you'll be protected like a proper warrior.' Miku grinned, her mouth the only part of her I could see fully with the helmet on. Her eyes were shadowed behind the visor. She pawed through her bag once more and paid the elf, who gave us self-satisfied smirk. 'Be on your journey then. I'm sure you'll need that helmet soon. The roads aren't as safe as they used to be, these days.'
I frowned, but did not say anything. I would have thought that Gumi, assuming she was Veronis's ruler, would have strived to leech out the corruption of Nuriel, hero that she was. Perhaps it was too soon to be thinking of such things.
Thankfully, the descent down past the church was downhill, and one could see the road out of Mircia beyond into the region of Orwais. If one had good eyesight, they could even spot Varino off in the distance, surrounded by lush forests and meandering streams.
As much as I felt apprehensive about the coming days, I had to admit to myself that it was good to be on familiar soil. The earth here was lighter, the water a healthy turquoise, and the sky seemed to arch over us instead of pressing down with foreboding grey clouds. Miku and Sonika had filled their water flasks up to the brim, and I reminded them to keep them topped up as we ventured forth. Once we came to the bottom of the hill, we searched for a stable to buy two horses. One, Kaito would ride with Sonika – who could thankfully ride a horse, and the other Miku would ride with me.
'I assume you are going to give it another ridiculous name,' I said, ruefully, but Miku was grinning at me.
'I know you loved Artax just as much as I did.'
'No way!' Sonika cried. 'You called your horse Artax? That's so cool.'
'Why does everyone know of this damned adventurer except me?' I said, and the three of them laughed.
'He's not just an adventurer,' Sonika said. 'He's a hero! Like the stories, y'know?'
'Really?' Miku said, and Sonika nodded vigorously. 'But we've met actual heroes.'
'You're joking. No way, that's amazing! I didn't even know we had heroes in Mirren.'
'I don't know much about heroes, to be honest,' Miku said, and Kaito nodded as well.
'Well,' Sonika began. 'They're mortal, for one thing, if I recall correctly. But they're supposed to be really tough to kill despite that, though I'm not sure why you'd want to.' I stared straight ahead. I could certainly think of many reasons to kill Gumi. 'They're kind, good people, only picked to become heroes by the gods if they've done enough good deeds in their lifetime, or proved themselves worthy by overcoming difficult or impossible odds. Being a hero should be every adventurer's dream.'
Every adventurer's dream. I supposed that I was an adventurer, now, even though I was royalty, also. It was far from my dream.
But what was my dream now? I still wished to ascend the throne, but how would I do that, with these three by my side? They would not stand for the ways of my past. I was certainly not the same as I was back then.
Did I regret it, my time as a queen?
'I still have the adventure book, by the way. You know, the one you lost,' Miku said, nudging me and bringing me out of my reverie. I rolled my eyes.
'I did not lose. I merely wanted to see what happened to Artax with the options I had.'
'Which meant you lost.'
'I never lose.'
Miku shook her head and carried on walking to the stable.
We purchased the horses after a small bit of bargaining, and we set off into the forest. Sonika soon named her horse Teto, but it took Miku a good while longer before she settled on Ritsu.
I shook my head, but held my tongue. It pleased the both of them to name the beasts, so I would not cause an unnecessary argument, as much as it pained me. I had a feeling that this would not end well, given the last time Miku had owned a horse. Hopefully, we would not be besieged by any unwanted vampires.
As evening took its hold over the world, Kaito spotted a ruined fort deeper into the woods off the road.
'It's lit up, though,' he said, peering through the trees. 'We should tie the horses a little off the path and go the rest on foot. We might have the element of surprise, given the foliage.'
'I highly doubt that,' I said. 'With Miku and I in our armour, the noise would surely attract sentries, if there are any.'
'For some reason, I didn't think elves would really be bandits,' Sonika said.
'There are just as many pathways in an elvish life as there are humans,' I said. Sonika shrugged.
'Well, the only thing we can do is try. And hey, they might not be bandits, y'know?' The three of us looked at Sonika, who just laughed sheepishly. 'Yeah, alright, maybe they are. Who else'd be cooped up in a ruin like this?'
Once we had tied up the horses in a more secluded spot, we made our way up to the side of the fort. I could hear singing from inside. Bad singing.
'Most definitely bandits,' Miku whispered, echoing my own thoughts. 'The singing's dreadful enough, anyway.'
'Why do they always seem to sing the same songs?' Sonika whispered. 'I thought they'd at least sing something else in Nuriel.'
'Will you two be quiet and take the front gate? Cause a distraction and allow Kaito and I to climb over this wall,' I whispered, trying to put a harsh tone on my words without raising my voice.
'Will do,' Sonika said, and the two moved off, granting Kaito and I some time to prepare.
'I always forget that I'm stronger now,' Kaito said quietly. 'And faster. Maybe I should look into getting a weapon myself. Necromancy isn't exactly useful when everyone is alive.'
'As the years go on, you will only grow stronger. As for your powers… well, it sounds as though there shall be a few dead to practice upon.'
As I spoke, I heard the sounds of shouts, some of which were cut short prematurely. Kaito and I took the chance to climb up the wall, with Kaito going first and lending me a hand, which I accepted after a moment of hesitation.
There was no one on our vantage point, and we could see that most of the meagre resources of the bandits had been spent trying to fight Miku and Sonika. The earth magician was in her element, pointed stones circling around her that had been ripped from the cobblestone floor. However, Miku – though her sword was bloody – was panting thickly. Not due to any sort of wound as far as I could see, but her expression seemed pained nonetheless. I could not think about it now, not when we had work to do, but I set it aside to ask about it later.
As Kaito and I descended from the wall down some stone steps, Sonika stood over someone who was barely clinging on to life.
'Is there anyone inside?' she said, and the bandit shook their head. Sonika smiled cheerily and walked off towards the door to the fort, leaving the elf to their fate. 'Well, this looks good enough. The full moon's tomorrow, so we should stay here for now.'
Kaito shook his head at her blasé attitude but agreed anyway. I looked over at Miku, who gave a single, silent nod, having taken off her helmet. Waving the other two away to let Kaito feed, I went over to Miku and put my hand on her shoulder, looking down at her. Her eyes were trained on the floor.
'What is the matter?' I asked. She swallowed, then brought her gaze up to meet my own. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
'It's just… it's been a long time since we last did anything like this. I still get those nightmares.'
'I know.'
'I mean, they attacked us as soon as we showed ourselves. But I can't help but think that I'm still a-'
'No. You are nothing like that.'
'How do you know? How can you know something like that, Luka?' Miku cried, gripping me by the shoulders.
'Because you are not me,' I said quietly. Miku froze and her eyes widened.
'Luka… you can't say something like that.'
There was so much she was still yet to learn about me. So much that I had neglected to tell her, hoping it would one day reveal itself without me having to open my mouth, to face her after it was all said and done.
And yet I still could not tell her now.
'You trust me, do you not?' I said, and she nodded. 'Trust that I have faith in you, along with Kaito and Sonika. We have faith in you. We trust you. No matter what.'
She nodded, and even though we both knew the battle was far from over, we had decided to let it be, for now.
After I had fed myself that night, and after we had brought the horses over, we settled inside after a brief exploration of the fort. It turned out that there was an expansive cellar which Sonika could hole up in, and there were plenty of heavy boxes of old provisions that we could barricade against the door to the cellar itself.
Though Sonika appeared to be as cheerful as ever, there were indicators of her anxiousness through her body language. Not being able to stand or sit completely still, appearing lost in thought when left alone, perking up at the slightest noise – the beast inside of her was restless. I could at least sympathise with her, though I did not offer any empty comfort. We all knew it was going to be a terrible experience, Sonika more than anyone, she did not need patronising reassurances.
Kaito was also clearly worried, though again, he did not voice it. He just sat beside her and discussed their magic, keeping her occupied. Miku did her best to follow the conversation, though it was also clear that she was completely lost. Instead, she just listened and appeared attentive, offering a constant smile.
We retired to sleep early, and woke late, judging from the light filtering in through the small windows. Sonika was pale and sickly looking. I noticed that she and Kaito were holding hands. Miku was also looking, but chose not to comment. Now was not the time, and although Miku could be obtuse at times, she wasn't tactless.
The wait for evening seemed to take forever, and if it felt like that for me, I could barely imagine what it felt like for Sonika.
But evening came, for better or worse, and we walked Sonika down to the cellar. She was shivering.
'Put the boxes of stuff in front of the door. Pile it as high as you can. If I get any of you…' Sonika said, her voice strained.
'That's not going to happen,' Kaito said. 'We'll barricade it as best we can, but that door looks tough as nails. It's metal.'
'Even so, you've not seen me when I'm like this.'
'I know,' Kaito said easily.
'Just remember. If I get out, you'll have to fight me. I can run faster than all of you, and I'm stronger than even you, Kaito. You'll just have to do your best to kill me.'
We nodded, and Sonika closed her eyes. Sighing deeply, she stepped into the room and closed the door. The metal creaked, echoing off the walls.
We immediately started pulling over the boxes to the door, stacking them as high as they could go. We put everything we could find there, large sacks of flour, crates of alcohol – everything. Kaito spoke to Sonika all the while. She answered back, although her voice was very muffled. I was not sure that she could even hear Kaito, but the sound of his voice must have been soothing in some way for her. I imagined what it would be like if Miku was on the other side of that door, and suppressed a shudder. We sat down in front of the makeshift barricade, and Kaito continued to talk.
After a while, Sonika stopped answering back, the muffled buzz of her voice faded away. Kaito's fists were clenched, and Miku was biting her lip so hard I feared it would draw blood.
Then a scream cut through the silence. Kaito stood up immediately, looking as though he would like nothing more than to rip away the barricade and go in there to be with her. Another, then another, until they became tinged with hideous growls and snarls.
Finally, a howl seared through the walls, primal and deadly. It was loud, but not as loud as it could have been. I assumed that Sonika had taken herself away from the door when she started the change, just so her beast form would not immediately focus on the door – the only way out of the cellar. Miku's eyes were wide, and she shifted a little closer to me.
Kaito began to talk again, about nothing in particular, all the while facing the barricade. He sat down cross-legged, eyes trained on the boxes in front of him. Miku looked at me, then steeled herself and went to sit by him, hand on his shoulder. I stood in the shadows, and waited.
After an hour of growls, and Kaito's steady voice, I had to admit to myself that even I was unsettled by all of this. I had thought that this would be a rather boring affair, but Sonika had managed to make herself a fixture in my life, much like Kaito and Miku. That enough was enough to shake my core, but having this… concern for her on top of it all was rather alarming.
But it was not unwelcomed. Not anymore.
A while later, it seemed that Sonika – or rather, the beast – had discovered the door. And it wanted out.
A great bang made Miku stiffen, although Kaito kept his composure. He was still talking, eyes closed and hands on his knees. I wondered if he was doing this more for himself rather than Sonika at this point.
The next hour passed with some difficulty. The bangs, though ferocious at first, seemed to have lessened over time. I did not think that the beast was giving up, or tiring, though I knew little about werewolves. Perhaps Sonika had found something else to occupy her down in that cellar, something else to rip apart.
Another hour. We were all sat close together, now, and Miku was resting her head on my shoulder while draping an arm around Kaito. He finally paused, speaking more quietly to us, voice hoarse.
'I want to be with her.'
'I know,' Miku said gently. 'I know.'
'This is what she didn't want any of us to see,' he said. 'We've spoken, outside of time with you two. She wanted to split up from us, after the boat trip. Explore Nuriel by herself and see if she could find a cure. I managed to convince her to stay, but her feelings… I don't know what this has cost them.'
'Do you love her?' Miku asked. Kaito laughed and gave a rueful smile.
'I forget how young you are sometimes, Miku. I feel like I understand her, if that's what you mean. We've both been saddled with something we don't want, a curse in many ways. Hers is worse than mine, though I don't suppose you can categorize these sorts of things.'
'Do you think you'll look for a cure, too?'
'Maybe, one day. I want to help Sonika first, though. And you too, Luka.'
I thought back to our conversation earlier, about my secrets – well, one of my secrets, thankfully the only one he knew about. And yet he still wanted to help me.
Would Miku?
Another bang broke our train of thought, and it was back to the waiting game.
Kaito didn't speak again, after that.
That night felt like the longest I had ever bore witness to. The banging never ceased after the second round, and although Miku told me that I could go and get some sleep, I refused.
But finally, finally, morning came, and with it, a tired, hoarse voice.
'Kaito?' Sonika's voice came floating through the walls. 'I'm okay. It's morning.'
Silently, Kaito got up and started moving the barricade away, Miku quickly getting up after him with a stretch of her limbs. I helped, though not being as strong with my lack of powers meant that I could not move everything with the same grace and speed they could. But we managed it together, and the door opened slowly from the other side. Sonika looked worse for wear, of course, but not as sickly looking as last night. She gave us a wan smile, her arms folded over her chest, almost as though she was hugging herself. Sonika let out a long breath.
'I'm sorry for putting you through that. You all look as tired as I feel.'
'Don't apologise,' Kaito said. 'There's nothing to be sorry for. This is just what happens. We're a team, don't forget that.'
She smiled, although I could see that her eyes were shining at the same time. Sonika did not let the tears fall, however.
'Let's get you something to eat,' Miku said, yawning. 'And then we'll get out on the road. The fresh air will do us good.'
'That sounds like a plan,' Sonika said, obviously grateful to get away from the topic at hand. Miku beamed, and guided Sonika up the stairs to the main part of the fort.
We slowed down our pace to recover from the lack of sleep, and Sonika's turning, so by the time evening fell again we had to camp out in the forest rather than taking the extra leg to Varino. Miku went to wash up the bowls she and Sonika had used, hunting for a nearby stream, and also to fill up their flasks with the fresh water. I followed after a moment, following her tracks through the soil.
She had found a suitable stream, but although the bowls were clean, she kept on wiping the rag over them. Quietly, I sat beside her, and she put the bowls away and rested her head on my shoulder.
'You never got a chance to utilise your training,' Miku said.
'I believe that you both had the situation in hand.'
'We're going to start it up again in Varino. You need to keep on practising, no matter what.'
I did not argue. I knew why she wanted me to continue this charade, even though I was not as adept at the practice as I had hoped I would be.
'I do not think we shall continue your lessons, however,' I said. Miku laughed.
'I'm really that bad?' she said, and I huffed.
'Even with a teacher such as myself, I do not think you shall master the art of stealth, no.' She laughed again, and we sat in a comfortable silence, watching the stream bubble its way through the light soil.
'You know…' she said, sitting up to face me properly. 'We haven't kissed in a while. I miss you.'
'How can you miss me? I am right here.' I knew what she meant, however, and cupped her face with my hands.
She sighed as soon as I began to kiss her. It was all touch, ones that made us both shudder in contentment and piercing desire. And hand on my back, one drawing me closer by my neck. A kiss to my jawline, to my neck, to my collarbone. A small breath escaped me and I tilted my head back to allow her better access. Miku shifted, her legs wrapped around me as she straddled me.
'What do you want?' I murmured.
'Not here,' she said. 'But when we get to Varino, I promise… I'm ready.' The words sparked in me a feeling that I once would not have been able to name, along with a deep-seated lust that I had to place a lid on so I did not forget myself. 'Just hold me, for now.'
I did not need to be asked twice.
