In which Luca is reunited with a familiar face from his past and receives a warning for the future.
Even the evilest of evil can appreciate a good bath.
The contents of this chapter are loosely based on a post from January 19th, 2005.
Thick clouds of steam cascaded across his body as he stepped into the hot water. For all the castle's shabbiness, even the prince of Highland couldn't deny the baths at Budehuc were top notch. He absentmindedly ran a hand across his lower back. Fresh, unfamiliar scars covered his body. If his last memories before awakening in the fields bordering Iksay Village were any indication...he had a pretty good idea where they came from.
I've been here only for a short while, but this place makes me want to go on a killing spree.
"Heh, at least it seems I'm feared around here," Luca mused to himself aloud, "I don't know how many times I've walked around the castle only to find people shiver or turn the other way to avoid me."
Loneliness ranked high up on his list of "wasteful emotions." Normally he found himself in the company of bootlickers and peons, but no one at this castle seemed either aware or interested in the significance of his status or title, although they gave him a wide berth in the halls. But even without the company of other people...
"Tch…" he sank deeper into the water. The silence of his rune was unnerving. Initially he was delighted to discover the True Beast Rune decided to merge itself with him, but he expected it to be more responsive. Without its voice, he felt more alone than usual. "What's so great about these holidays everyone has been talking about? Valentine's Day? Such a waste."
Normally the thought of any sort of celebration was laughable. Yet here he was, in a foreign place, covered with new scar tissue from wounds he barely recalled, and not one familiar face to be seen.
And my rune is silent.
Was his last battle that satisfying? Was it able to quench its thirst for blood into silent dormancy? While there were moments where he contemplated painting the halls red with blood, the raw drive to murder wasn't like usual, and without the goading whispers of his rune… Discovering Highland no longer existed left him feeling deflated. What was left for him in this unknown future? Who was left for him? Alive or dead, it was a cruel punishment, but he welcomed it.
It's not like I deserve anything less. I will have to rebuild from nothing and start anew.
"I have been feeling different since I arrived," he begrudgingly admitted to himself and closed his eyes. The warm water reached past his shoulders to his chin. "Who'd have thought my first decent conversation in ages would be with a pathetic woman. Yun...she wasn't afraid of me," he chuckled. "It's refreshing. Maybe there's something more to her."
A silky voice carved through the steam. "So the rumors are true. Luca Blight lives."
I know that voice.
A lean, blond figure sat submerged in the baths, leaning against the opposite wall with his arms spread out with casual confidence. His long braid floated across the top of the water.
"Yuber," a slow grin spread across the Highlander's face. Finally, someone familiar. "How long were you planning on sitting there in silence?"
"Long enough," Yuber snickered. There was a menacing twinkle in his red eyes. "How amusing. I could've sworn I heard you admitting to having feelings. You? After committing mass murder, you have the complete and utter nerve to even contemplate feelings. I think that's your libido speaking, as the Alma Kinan shaman is kind to everyone, including myself."
"You have guts, speaking to me like that. Mind your tongue," he growled. "I have no use for anything of that nature."
The day those Muse thugs broke my mother…
A dark memory from his past bubbled up, and Luca immediately pushed it back below the surface. There was no place for that kind of emotion, not after the crimes he witnessed. His interest in the shaman was a pure curiosity and had nothing to do with carnal desire.
The demon shrugged. "I only thought to warn you, lest you find yourself disappointed with the inevitable outcome."
"The only outcome I'm looking for is amusement. I assume that's the same reason why you're here."
"Partly. I confess, I heard rumors Luc might be here, and I was curious. You see...I was under the impression the mage was already dead," Yuber put precise emphasis on the last word and locked eyes with Luca. "Very much like yourself, in fact."
"Heh. I can't die. I am sublime—my sitting across from you here and now is testament to that!"
"Maybe...but until I validate the rumors myself, I'm more interested in observing," Yuber smirked. "There will be plenty of time for blood later. If this is a gathering place for fallen friends and foes, I can only imagine the kind of chaos awaiting us."
"I never thought delayed gratification was your style," Luca jeered and rose from the water, wrapping a towel around his waist. "Very well. You've piqued my interest. I'll stay my hand and see how things play out."
"Restraint? That's almost as shocking as an admission of feelings."
Luca grunted and ignored the demon's taunts as he exited the baths. He knew that regardless of what he said, Yuber would do whatever amused him most, so for the time being it was better to let him stay entertained.
If Yuber is here...that means chaos can only follow.
Luca dried his hair and wrapped himself in a robe. The fabric was soft against his skin. When was the last time he indulged in such comforts? Between his reunion with Yuber and the luxury of the castle baths, things were starting to feel less like a punishment and more like a reward...or at the very least, some kind of consolation prize for losing Highland.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" a woman knocked into him as he exited into the hallway. The stack of towels she was carrying fell to the floor. He stood unflinching and watched her scramble to pick them up without offering assistance.
It's her.
Yun stood upright. Her expression lit up in recognition. "Ah! Luca...was it?" she tilted her head, then her eyes flickered across his robe. Her gaze did not go unnoticed, much to his ego's delight.
"Hmph. You should watch where you're going."
"You're right," she giggled sheepishly. "I told Goro I'd help tidy up, but I guess my mind was elsewhere," Yun idly twirled a loose strand of black hair around her finger, her dark eyes looking off to the side. Something about her...he hated to admit it, but her appearance wasn't wholly dissimilar to Jillia…
"There you go again, wasting your time doing something for other people. Maybe one of these days you'll learn life is more fun when you put yourself first instead of planning stupid parties."
"You know, some people love holidays because you can spend them with your loved ones, friends, or simply for fun. To me...that is having fun. That's why I try to plan things for others."
"Tch. Wasteful."
"Well, they are a lot of work, and I am only one person…" she suddenly frowned and clung the towels closer to her chest. "I'm determined to see you have some fun on Valentine's Day, whether you like it or not."
"I don't have any loved ones… not even my 'sister' or my worthless excuse of a father. I don't like parties or events, so what makes you so sure I'd go anywhere with you, no matter how determined you are?"
Heh. Does she think she can make demands of me?
"I think you'd be surprised by how much fun Valentine's Day can be! After all, it's a new year, right?"
Something in her expression was unsettling. For a brief moment it almost felt as though she knew things—things he wasn't about ready to share.
"Valentine's Day again? I am incapable of loving anyone, and no one will ever love me. You are wasting your time, woman."
"Really? Why do you believe that you can't love anyone? Given time, I'm sure you will find someone who will interest you," she smiled quietly, her expression serene. "After all, you are still human."
"I can't love anyone because I sustain myself by fighting. I've told you this. This world is all about strength, and the ones who have power are tasked with putting the weak in their place. That's how this world was designed!"
"Maybe the world you once knew was like that...but can't you see this is something brand new?"
That damned knowing smile was back. He wanted to wipe it from her face. Why did it feel like she could see into his soul? He was supposed to be the powerful one, so why did it feel like she was in control?
Luca suddenly punched his fist into the wall with a crack, trapping her in the hallway. Seeing her jump in surprise was immensely gratifying. "Let me tell you something, Yun," he leaned down and stared into her eyes, "you know nothing about me. Love makes people weak. Even if I did love someone, she would never accept the sins I committed. I've lived my whole life alone, why would this change things now?"
She blinked in surprise, but there was no fear in her expression. He started to feel like he was losing the upper hand again. The smile returned to the shaman's face once more as she balanced the towels in one arm. "You haven't realized it yet, have you? Of course things are going to change. We are the same, Luca."
"The same? Don't make me laugh, woman. You have nothing in common with me."
"That's not true, you're the only other person I've met at Budehuc yet who died."
What.
Hearing her openly—no, joyously admit that he died...it made it feel real, and he didn't like that. There was a part of his mind that was still coming to grips with his loss on the battlefield and whether or not this truly was hell or something more. His fist shook as he withdrew it from the wall. "I did not die. And if I did, this is not a new beginning. I will continue living exactly as I did before."
The shaman reached out and grabbed his retreating hand in hers, still holding the stack of towels in her other arm. A string of visions flashed in front of his eyes at her touch—the cold interior of a solitary jail cell, faces of people he had yet to meet and didn't recognize, the warm flickering of a lantern, rolls of gauze bandage, crackling fireworks shimmering overhead, blood-stained snow—
He jerked back. "What is this!?"
Yun drew her hand away from him and resumed clutching the towels. Her expression was embarrassed, like a child caught in the middle of disobeying orders. "I wanted to share with you… there are so many new beginnings the spirits can see for you. Aren't you excited to find the purpose behind your resurrection?"
"Purpose…? What kind of magic is this?"
"I'm a shaman of Alma Kinan," she nodded. "Several years ago, I surrendered my spirit as part of a ritual. Yet I've returned to life. I don't know how or why...somehow I've aged with the passage of time, but you—time stopped for you and has restarted anew. You began the same as the day you died, didn't you?"
His memory briefly drifted back to the sight of his fresh collection of scars, and he shook his head. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being correct.
"Your death was different from mine. I offered my soul, but yours was torn from you. Yet we are the same—"
"Silence! I...I am nothing like you," he spat. "Are you so eager to die, woman?!"
"Oh dear," she giggled. "That wouldn't do you any good. You have aspirations, yes? Plans?"
That knowing look was back. He hated it. "Whatever I'm planning is none of your concern. My patience listening to your voice is wearing thin," Luca's hand reached for his sword before he remembered he was still wearing the bathrobe.
"All I'm saying is that based on what I've heard from the spirits… let's just say none of those plans of yours will come to fruition if you feed your bloodlust."
"Heh. Your ignorance knows no bounds, woman."
"Perhaps," she smiled and wrapped her arms closer around the towels. "But it seems I was correct about your rebirth. It would do you well to heed my warning if you ever hope to achieve what you are seeking. Not everyone gets a second chance at life, after all."
A growing sense of discomfort and unease rose in his chest. Everything she said was making too much sense, and he wanted to hear more. But hearing meant acknowledgment, something he wasn't ready for yet. Acknowledgment that he truly died, but even more infuriating...
Telling me not to kill… is this woman really that insolent?
"We are done with this conversation. You should consider yourself honored to have wasted so much of my time and still walk away alive."
"I see…" she didn't look honored in the least, only curious. "Well then, please have a good evening. I'll stop by to say hello at a later date, and we can discuss plans for the Valentine's Day party, yes?"
"Tch. You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?"
"Very much," she smiled.