Time of Woe Kanon58
Summary: Maura returns every year at Nekome-cho to mourn on Leon's death. Suddenly a mysterious box in Leon's room transported Maura to the past of 3 years ago. Regrets to fix, will Maura survive once more the threat Tree of Woe not to devour him?! A HiroxMauraxLucia fanfic!
Notes: I realize the reason there is no one at Shadowverse fandom because people are too serious. You guys should make fanfics, explore Shadowverse in all of its storyline whether video game or anime. Fanfics are meant to be fun, don't be so serious! This is why nobody talks about Shadowverse the fans are too strict.
Before you get angry universe of Champions Battle, Shadowverse Flame and Shadowverse anime is merge in my fanfics. inshort expect all characters in one world as crossover. FANFIC IS FANFIC.
**ENGLISH SUCKS BUT BARE WITH IT, JUST ENJOY THE PLOT**
Episode 2 - Is it A Dream or Reality?
Maura's POV
"Hey are you alright?"
"Eh...?"
It feels like I woke up from a horrible dream.
"Can you...hear me?"
After all, right infront of me is a younger Yonazuki Lucia. As if I went back to the past, I was lost for words.
'A younger...Yonazuki...Lucia...how?!'
I felt like everything I had live on so far is faker than Leon Aurenche's lies.
"Yonazuki Lucia is that you...?" I dared to ask when I was not suppose to. After all, am not so sure what just happened to me nor do I understand why did I even think I was a bit older in the first place...?
"I heard you groaning in your sleep. You seem unconscious. As if you were having a nightmare."
Lucia tells me.
I was like... "Uhh...So I was asleep the whole time?"
Even though Yonazuki Lucia lacks the capability of displaying his facial expression, I did manage to notice he was skeptical of my situation. It feels like he was worried about me.
And that is very rare.
I noticed Lucia was crouching like a typical prince movements he is born with elegance. He made sure he meets me in the eye to its perfect level. He was being...rather gentleman.
I suddenly laughs. "Ahaha~" I cannot help but find it interesting that Yonazuki Lucia would look so concern about me.
He was always mean to me. If ever we would cross paths he would always ignore me or talk back to me with such cold gaze and detached emotions.
But right now, I can see it through his aura that he is genuinely curious and worried for whatever happened to me that I fell asleep while I guess...making weird sounds.
And it is about time that I noticed my own hands.
My hands are small...
'M-my body...!'
Of course it would be small right? But I wonder why my guts' tells me that I should be...
I gasps.
'...I remember!'
There was a box I found at Leon Aurenche's room and a dazzling light took me!
Wait...
Hold on, then why am...?
Finally I continued my questions. "Say...where are we?" Lucia raised an eyebrow.
"You don't remember how you got here?" Of course I would sound weird. But do I have a choice? I genuinely cannot remember why am here and why am younger!
"I think I had a bad dream and I can't seem to say for sure if this is my reality or the recent memories in my head..." When it comes to Lucia, I was always honest on what comes to my thoughts. I always had this resonance with him even at the darkest peak of my life I clings to him.
"You are here in the underworld. The Shadowverse Underground Casino."
Ahh, the underworld where I stalk him.
Whenever I feel depress or feeling dramatic, I always tell him. Because out of everyone I know he would understand me. He and I carry such burden in our lives.
Although it did not work out the way I wanted. Because I admit I was a little bit forceful on pushing to be closer.
I'm just not good on socializing or making friends in general.
However I didn't want to be just friends with him, I wanted to be closer. The more I wish to be closer, the more he was going far away.
Everyone thinks am a creep and he is included on that group who thought about it.
"Oww...!" An immense pain shivers my whole body. "I-it hurts...!" I couldn't help but wince.
For a short second I saw Yonazuki Lucia's eyes got triggered upon seeing me in pain. "Do you need a doctor?!" He sounded rather urgent.
I shakes my head, I do not need a doctor! I don't even know why do I feel like someone just squish me to shrink!
"I-I'm fine...more importantly..." Before I could even ask for more, Yonazuki Lucia stood up and proposed his next actions.
"I'll get you some cold water. Stay here and wait for me."
I didn't even have the time to reply, he just walks off grab some water and delivered it to me.
"Here you go."
I was rather weak at this point, I couldn't even move my body at a laying position like a pig panels to a stick.
"Do you need help to sit up?"
I blushes.
Lucia is never like this, this must be the actual dream then...?
"I appreciate that~" I smiles and allowed him to help me sit up.
As I sit up, for whatever reason I gain control of my body even if it feels somewhat alien that I was even on this body.
The back of my head tells me that the box is real, that Leon Aurenche did die and I was left all alone while gaining my freedom.
Gulp...gulp...
I finished the glass of water.
I felt refresh, the way it's ice quench my thirst. I didn't even realize I was feeling hot. Maybe my face look feverish. Perhaps Yonazuki Lucia thinks am sick...
"W-what is it?" I stop breathing.
Just now Yonazuki Lucia is actually sitting beside me, he just joined me at this sofa. He was staring at me without a strain of thought.
"How do you feel now?" He acts like a doctor asking a patient.
It felt silly.
So I giggles. "How sweet of you Prince of Shadows~" I teases him.
But then Lucia made a puzzled face. "Prince of Shadow?"
Why would he wonder now? If this is reality he should have known about his famous nickname.
"Everyone calls you that, you forgot~?"
This time Lucia made a rather serious face than emotionless.
He tells me.
"I think someone drug you. This place is dangerous for someone like you dressing up like that. You better be self conscious."
Eh-
It sounds like this is the first time he saw me wearing off shoulders.
What the...
Are you telling me...
Yonazuki Lucia doesn't recognize me?!
...
Outside POV
'Boring.'
The first thoughts of Yonazuki Lucia.
Everyday is normal and full of struggles.
Average on people interaction.
Hardcore in money hunt.
This is his life ever since he became the bread winner in the family. Just him and his little sister Yonazuki Shiori survive the tragic car accident.
Since then Yonazuki Lucia had stop being a kid.
Everyday Lucia goes to school, he does everything perfectly as a scholar student. Everyone greets him with such adoration whether be it the girls or the boys.
Yonazuki Lucia is a walking prince.
But in reality.
'Frankly none of them matters.'
Lucia is actually full of hate. The only thing keeps his sanity is... 'What matters to me is to save Shiori from her unexplainable illness.'
His thoughts are just... 'I have to get better at Shadowverse to reach Grandmaster rank.'
Which is why every after school, there is a place he goes without needing to be perfect, no need to be kind, no need for him to smile.
The façade of a nice prince becomes dark.
To the Underworld.
They call it that because in here you can get a huge amount of money through Shadowverse. In short it is a underground Shadowverse gambling battle.
"Hmm..." Lucia then entered the said realm of danger. Everything here is unsafe. Although some girls are brave enough to enter here and get involve with people who is hungry for a thrilling Shadowverse.
Yonazuki Lucia though solely here for money. This place is quite convenient for him, no questions ask once you win whatever is bet to you is now yours. Nobody cares where you use the money you badly needed.
They are gamblers. Addicted to thrill and humiliation.
And a bit recently A lot of them lost to him, some were strong but Lucia was stronger in terms of playing.
Yonazuki Lucia never lost a bet before. When he is younger of course he lost, but after self study of how Shadowverse works and how he mastered the Bloodcraft he became undefeatable.
So far luck of gambling was by his side.
This causes him to get bored too.
'Every single one of them bores me to death but at least they give me the money I want.' Lucia walks around the casino to look for better opponents.
Some are willing to bet themselves if they run out of money. Example they sell their accessories or their very smartphone with their Shadowverse account. Some sold their own freedom and become pet slaves.
Lucia is not a fan of those though, sketchy things like that will get him in trouble.
His goal is to always get back to Shiori's side. Therefore he must make sure he is safe here.
Until this encounter came across his fate to disturb his boring life...
"I got a good amount of money for tonight." Lucia said to himself as he now hides his smartphone back to his pockets ready to call it a day.
And yet the moment he was about to leave, Lucia hears a faint whimper.
"Hnn...uhh...ahh..."
Lucia thought his ears were playing tricks in himself.
It was disturbing his curiosity. 'Is someone is...moaning?' Bothered. '...Is someone having sex?'
Yonazuki Lucia stop his tracks and scanned the whole surroundings. Everyone is busy on gambling Shadowverse, drinking, smoking, or playing with girls.
Normally a noise like that won't make him care much as long it does not harm him or not about messing with Shiori.
Unable to drop his curious ears he stops at where he stands and listened carefully.
'No hold on, that is not a breathing pattern of pleasure. It...It sounds like...someone is in pain...' The sounds were not moaning but grunting. This sound is similar whenever Shiori is hiding her pain from her illness.
Now the idea came to Lucia's mind. 'The sound am hearing feels like...feels like it's calling for my help.' Eyes scanning the area, Lucia is alert mode.
'At the spot am in, it's near the exit so nobody is really occupying the place except... There is one huge sofa facing at each other and at it's middle is a wide table where you can also play some Shadowverse.'
He walked closely, his suspicion the sound coming from there is correct.
Lucia hears the following.
"Uurgghh...it...hurts...help...someone..."
Lucia narrow his eyes to the sofa, he does not see anyone in sitting position.
'Is someone having a nightmare...?'
Finally Lucia came closer and found someone lying at the sofa wearing an anguish expression.
"...!"
Normally he won't help people because he cherish his safety of all times. However something tells him he need a immediate attention to this person.
The person is no other than Maura Abelard wincing in pain.
Maura made a short coughing sound.
That was it.
Lucia thought its a sick person, so he went ahead and cautiously approach Maura whose thrashing a bit in his sleep. Slowly Yonazuki Lucia crouches down and tug the person.
"Hey-"
Suddenly this is the time Maura actually rolls around to face from ceiling to the sofa' fabric.
To Lucia's perspective he could see Maura is clawing to the sofa's fabric. The person is struggling with body movement and seems to be having a headache.
'The person is trembling, sweating and panting...' Lucia speculated. 'Some illness...?' The person doesn't seem choking on a food so...
Taking a careful look at Maura whose still unaware of his presence. 'This person cannot be drunk since the body structure appearance is definitely someone same at my age.'
Lucia cannot fathom why did he even got himself involve with someone whose either sick, drunk, on drugs or just mentally unstable.
One thing for sure. 'If its someone suffering from an illness like Shiori, I cannot help but urge to find out.'
Lucia calls softly. "Hey are you alright?" The watermelon head is grunting in pain. "Can you hear me?"
The moment the person looks up to meet him in the eyes, what greets him are gorgeous piercing purple eyes whose in pure shock.
Lucia is dazzled. 'Such unique eyes...' Shaking his weird thoughts about it. 'What am saying? He look so terrified to the point he braced himself.' Staring back to Maura with a straight face. '...Something hurts in him or maybe inside...his bones his flesh they all hurt.' That's how Maura a stranger to him at this timeline looks like.
"Eh...?"
What made him surprise the most is when this person knows him.
"Yonazuki...Lucia...is that you?"
After a few moments of exchanging interrogation talk, Lucia eventually able to settle Maura down to sit after the glass of water.
But then when Lucia don't seem to recognize Maura even though he had been referring to the two of them since the start.
The stranger started frantic. "I-Impossible..." He says in a shaky voice while Lucia frowns at him, he listened to him. "T-this is a dream...a dream...I-It has to be!"
Lucia tries to calm him down. "You are awake now, I will make sure you will be able to get home-"
Maura flinches. "Y-you are not the Lucia I know!"
Lucia raised an eyebrow, somehow the watermelon head is kinda high.
'Is this person getting mess by drugs...?'
Maura remembered touching a box that looks cursed and that is his greatest mistake. Therefore an assumption came to him. 'What is this? Did I woke up in a dream world or I travelled back in time?!'
After all Maura is sweating, trembling and making weird noises out of his mouth, saying words that makes no sense to Lucia. He couldn't control the overwhelming shock and pain he felt when he got transported here.
"Ow...!" Maura grabs his own shoulders to try on controlling pain. But it's no use. "Ow..ow..ow..." Nearly in verge of tears, Lucia stood up. "Hey, hang in there." Is Lucia's comfort.
Maura though unable to focus, he replied far from Lucia's initial conversation "Was it all a bad dream...? Everything...about the end of the world...and...and..." He says. "And am not...not...actually safe yet...?"
Those did not make sense.
Lucia made a face, he is thinking what to do if this person is actually forced to take drugs or is just plainly sick whether by illness or mentally.
Something about the watermelon head makes him worried.
"Where do you live, I'll get you home. I'll make sure you'll be safe." Lucia offers and frankly...
'Why am so bothered by this person's problem?'
Maura just appreciated it but sounds rather sarcastic. "Sure you do~"
Simply he waited for Lucia to say anything else but he didn't. Just waiting again till the pain is finally subsiding in Maura's.
Apparently his soul is big for this small vessel. After all he is already a teenager. Maura'a soul is age of 17, yet his body right now is trap to a narrow holder, an age of 14 years old boy.
Lucia can be socially awkward at times. He finally think about changing the topic, maybe it will stray away Maura's thoughts from whatever making him freak out.
"I could see you are a Shadowverse player too. Have we played before?" He is referring to the Shadowverse wrist in Maura's left. Finally a bit more calm. Maura finally speak out his thoughts.
"You know I don't know why am acting like this." Lucia pushed his willingness to help by getting Maura's trust. "May I ask what is your name?"
Maura looks at him with a unexplainable dumb face. "...You called me Prince of Shadows but I do not have such nickname. You must be mistaken me for someone I may look like." Lucia's brief explanation for himself without much of a thought if it might hurt the others feeling.
Maura then felt the headache, he clutch his head as he mentally think about it. 'Uhhh...my head hurts. Why everything keep hurting? What exactly happened to me?!' shaking his head.
Lucia asks him one more time. "...Even just your nickname so I can address you."
Maura is now not sure about which is the true reality. 'Could it be this is the reality and those years of growing up is the actual dream?'
There is only way to find out...
Maura puts an act. "I think am in a world where I don't belong." He smiles at Lucia.
Yonazuki Lucia though didn't react to it he just looks at him and that was the issue.
Lucia's eyes kinda look different. There is no sparkle in them.
'Yonazuki Lucia's irises...As if he is back at the peak of his life consume by vengeance.'
"Is that so...?" is the only words the other can say.
Yonazuki Lucia actually noticed something strange on Maura's casual talk towards him even though this is the first time they met.
'Why is this person talking as if were close...?'
Maura's choice of words felt like there was a connection between them.
'Did I actually play with this person yet I forgot?' Is the only thing Lucia can think of why Maura acting familiarity towards him a supposed stranger.
Maura still at the sofa, he refuses to say his name believing Lucia is trolling him while everything else feels nostalgic yet estrange.
"Say, how long had weve' been here~?"
Lucia stared at Maura, it felt kinda weird. 'Why is this person referring the two of us..?'
He is starting to think maybe this person is really up to no good. But who is he to judge? "I found you at the sofa grunting. I decided to wake you up." He says. "I can't tell if you were having a nightmare or..." he wanted to say if Maura is ill or something.
Since his noises earlier sounds like he was dying, kinda like when Shiori is in pain.
"Aahh~" Maura just nods somewhat reading out the room between them. "So we are strangers here I see." He unconsciously took out his smartphone from his pocket. "Let me see the time-" the moment the screen lit's up, his eyes snaps opens again. "Eh?"
Maura reads the following.
"...Calendar May 27 2025."
That day is his birthday.
But the year...
'Is this a joke...?'
Strange. The year shouldn't be like this. Or is the year have always been stagnant?
Have things not move forward?
Did somebody edit his phone timeline?
Doubting self he asks Lucia. "Nee~ what is the date today? My calendar is wrong."
Lucia glad Maura finally feeling no pain, he gladly tells him the time and date.
"Sure. Its 05/27 year 2025."
Maura forced a crack smile. "Pardon~?" He starting to think maybe Yonazuki Lucia hate him so much that things may have been a prank.
"Uhh.. year 2025~? Not...year 2028?" Nervous laugh.
Yonazuki Lucia furrowed his eyebrows and proposed the option they should be doing right now. "You seem to know me, but I will apologize in advance. I do not remember interacting with you until this night. I'm bad at remembering people, do not take it personally."
Maura gasps in disbelief. "You really forgot what happen between us..?!"
Lucia chokes.
'Something happen to us...?!' But he swiftly gain back his stoic face. "Like I said I do not recognize you. Whatever I did to you, trust me with this. I'm not the one who set you up." To Lucia its still really Maura got drugs. Specially Maura says things he cannot comprehend.
And the way Maura say things were kinda fruity.
Maura can see it again how Lucia blinks then the undeniable difference of the eyes exchanged between them. It is sinking to Maura why Lucia's eyes were unrecognizable. Because when their eyes met, there was no recognition towards him.
Yonazuki Lucia doesn't know him yet apparently. But he did have memories spending time with him. This must be an illusion like Eldora or its a prank.
Maura is not ready to handle the truth.
So Playing silly, still in denial. "You forgot about me Yonazuki Lucia~? I thought we had something between us a secret we only both know!" Maura referring to the end of the world where the 7 of them saved everyone with their Legendary cards. "Do you know my name...?"
Lucia had a puzzled face as he says with all honesty. "Unfortunately I don't know your name. That is why I was asking you earlier." Whatever Maura have said made no whatsoever impact to the other.
His usual wrong choices of words did not seem to make Lucia fluster.
While for Lucia, Since Maura is asking his own name he assumed. "...Do you not remember who you are?"
That's it. This is funny.
"AHahaha~!" Maura typical laughs at the face of despair.
"...?" Lucia is slowly freaking out deep inside but kept his face stoic.
He should probably had not got himself involve with this strange person whose wearing a rather unique tribal outfit.
Exposed off shoulders, Lucia finally sees the red diamond tattoos at Maura's left cheek.
'...Is this a trap? An act? What is going on?' Lucia now a bit suspicious.
However Maura opens his eyes and those were crystal clear pleading for an answer.
"Do you really not remember me...?!"
Lucia did not hesitate at all. "I'm afraid not. Do I know you? It doesn't seem like we battled before...?" He run out if things to say.
Maura proclaims. "Its me, Maura! Maura Abelard your greatest fan who hustle all your preys to battle you so you can get all the glory~!"
Awkward.
"Fan...?" More like, 'Prey and glory?'
Lucia has no memory asking someone to find him opponents. He is the one hunting them.
'What the heck Yonazuki Lucia is making me crazy in a whole different level...!' Maura is running out of patient.
"Yonazuki Lucia~ if this is a prank its not very funny!" Maura zooms his face to Lucia's. "Is it Hiro's idea? Alice? Or is it your own prank idea?"
Lucia is loss for words. "I...don't know those people. Sorry." Then again at the back of his head. 'This person really knows my name...must have heard me due to Shadowverse if we did not battle yet...?' He did say he is his greatest fan but...he never heard about this person existence.
Nor the presence of stalking has not occurred yet.
Lucia thinks maybe Maura is being delusional because he is a fan. '...Most likely.' There is another thing came to him. "You should really not hang out here for long." Is Lucia's advice.
Maura then shuts his mouth as his smiles drop and his eyes shuts.
'Noway...did I travel back in time or was everything just a dream for all those 3 years...?!'
His memory from Leon's room into this present event makes him question himself and his memory.
There was doubts about it. Something hard to explain, such feelings squeezing him internally within his soul.
It's making him hard to breath.
'Did I fell into a deep sleep? Was I...really drug by someone...?'
Judging the calendar May 27 means he just turned 14 years old.
But then again it also tells him his desire to amend things with Lucia. So maybe this is not the reality similar to the events inside Eldora.
Which is why if this is a dream...Maura has to wake up.
Or if this is his reality...means the 3 years of memories he had with them is a vision or just really a weird dream played within him due to strong imagination because he loves reading books so much.
Maura Abelard is ready to try and see.
'Only way to find out.'
He acted hurt. "My~my~ I guess I shall accept that you do not remember me, so be it." Then he grab Lucia's hands. "Say, your offer to help me get home is it still available~?"
The way Maura spokes, the way he looks at him and the way he moves, it reminds him of his little sister.
'Kinda looks like Shiori if she was more free to be herself.'
For whatever reason, for the first time Lucia feels like helping till the very end.
"Yes."
Maura took his hand and clasps them together. "Why thank you Yonazuki Lucia~!"
Yonazuki Lucia just nod and instructs Maura.
"Lead the way."
...
Lucia jaw drops.
"H-how...?"
The building...
"Thank you for taking me home~" Maura casually says as if its nothing of a big deal.
Lucia slowly swallows. "You...live here?" The fact Maura just- "Yes."
Yonazuki Lucia knew he was not an ordinary person when he saw Maura at the underworld. But he didn't expect him as a big shot.
The building he was gazing from afar is no other than Genesis building corporation.
Maura Abelard calls it his home which means he either works there or he is part of the family of whoever owns Shadowverse.
Still skeptical of the situation, Maura calls out Lucia's attention back to his. "As a sign of my gratitude, I will you the greatest pleasure."
BLINK!
Lucia's phone notified him something. "...?" there is a feeling that Maura did something.
When he tap at the notification, he was bewildered. "...My bank account?!" He opens the app to his bank. "Money...?!"
It came from Genesis company it says. "How-"
About to confront Maura about it, too bad he already twirls away.
"Yonazuki Lucia, see you later~!"
Maura ditches him off and runs inside the building.
"Hey wait!"
Yonazuki Lucia is now highly disturb.
'...Why does he know my bank account?!'
Who on earth is he...!?
...
Meanwhile the glass door shuts.
"...Genesis building." Maura Abelard have arrive back home.
Here begins the real investigation whether:
1. He got drugs and time never pass by.
2. He is in another realm of dreams from the box.
3. The box made him travel back in time.
Maura Abelard is quick to catch when it comes to lies. Like in Eldora he is the only one well awake while others struggle to woke up.
The only lie he never expect is Leon Aurenche's love for the 10 years he was groom by him and he thought it would last forever.
Then again...back to the matter Maura thinks carefully. 'Everything looks normal, lights are all open. Busy people and agents who work here. The usual service desk at the front view.'
Maura touches the wall. 'Its solid.'
Standing for a few seconds to observe his surroundings, nobody seem to question him why he hasn't march forward from the automatic glass doors.
Which is obvious. Because he is a tenant in Genesis Company. Not only that, he is the adopted son of the CEO.
'People know me here...I see.'
Maura Abelard is now contemplating what his memory tells him whether its true or not. 'The fact I can access the server logins of other Shadowverse player means I should be powerful around this time of year...'
It could be possible that he is trapped again in a dream right?
"Let's test it out."
A cat's walk, Maura approaches the service desk with the usual service lady who is actually afraid of him back when he is younger.
'Whether this is my reality or another set of illusion...it should response to how I imagine. How things have always been for me.'
He greets the lady. "Hello~"
Automatically the lady's smile drop into fearful ones. "Ekk! M-Maura-sama!"
As expected, the lady is browsing through the magazine of Shadowverse pro players at her shift. He uses it to his advantage to show his typical bratty attitude just to see how further the lady would react.
"I see you slacking the other day. I wonder what happens to you if Leon-sama finds out~?" Evil smirks.
The service desk lady bows at him. "N-no! Please don't! Please spare me!"
Maura pauses. 'I see, they are afraid. So indeed I either really dreamed all of those events and this isn't really a time travel...?'
Maybe indeed everything is just a dream, it was maybe never real.
His surroundings felt real even the emotions of people who sees him resonates back to the good old days.
Nothing seems out of place except his memories.
Well not for him, this is actually the most dangerous year of his life.
'If...if this is somehow a situation I never went back in time nor dreaming...that means...the Tree of Woe has yet to...' Maura fist. 'No, I must think positive.'
He stop toying with the service lady and went ahead to the elevator.
Pressing the buttons to the top floor. Maura's mind is fully occupied.
'Let's say this is not an illusion but an actual time travel.' Tapping his feet. 'In this case...This universe means...' he gasps in realization. 'Leon-sama is still...alive...!'
DING!
The elevator opens.
Gulps.
Maura had no choice but to get to their unit.
The darkness is crawling, it is late at night past his given crew few. Maura somehow hope the man who died in his dreams should have remained dead even if he has a lot of things to say...to tell...
Creak~
Slowly he opens the door, going inside while doing a tip toe. Avoiding to make noise.
The lights were off. "Maura, why are you late?" Until the familiar voice can be heard in the dark then the light opens!
"Eeek!"
Squinting his eyes from the sudden lights opening.
Maura's heart drops.
"Did I raise you to break crew few?"
BADUMP!
The man himself is there. Leon...Aurenche...!
"Le-...on...sa..."
BADUMP! BADUMP!
(Hahh...hahh...)
His mouth trying to say something but it feels hard.
Overwhelming emotions sparks into Maura.
As if his tongue is stuck.
(Hahhh...hahhh...)
Cold sweats.
'Calm down! Calm down! Do not...panic!'
Seeing Leon back in flesh, the man apparently just got home a few seconds before he did. Seems like he did not win the race to get home before master comes back.
BADUMP! BADUMP! BADUMP!
His heart is beating so fast. His emotions were mix with terror, confusion, loneliness and happiness.
'Act normal as if...you don't know the truth...!'
Maybe it was not a dream after all. Even if the things he thought was reality, the fact he felt like this upon seeing the man his life solely reason to live for and to do his mission...
Is it a vision from the future or it all transpired that causes him to distrust?
'The enemy of this world...!'
Where his memories true though?
Maura's spine shivers when Leon stood up from his sit and approaches him.
"Maura...I'm asking you..."
Tap, tap, tap.
'No! No...! Don't come near me! Or...I will...go...crazy...!'
BADUMP! BADUMP!
Scary.
The man who betrayed him...
Pain.
His smell, his voice, his appearance and his gaze.
Everything is surreal.
He cannot believe it.
Despite the fear of getting discovered that he is already aware of who really Leon Aurenche is.
He thought he would hate him.
However..
Droplets of tears.
Huh...?
Really.
'Ahh...' Maura parts his lips as he stares back to Leon who feels like in an eternal slow-motion sequence going near his sight yet far away in reach.
'It's Leon-sama's voice, his scent...and his...nostalgic appearance. I do...miss him so much...'
Maura is always a child at heart. If the story of Leon who discarded him and died is just really a horrible nightmare...then he would like to take this opportunity to change that future.
"Le...on-sama...!"
He jumps to hugs him, stunned Leon the man froze on spot.
"Maura...?" His hands were lift up in surprise while he observes the boy hugging him tighter with tears.
"Leon-sama you are alive...you are...here...!"
Sobs by Maura.
Leon is suspicious of it. "...Did something happen?" For Maura to cry like a kid again is highly impossible. After all, the last time he told him to cry is during the age of ceremony.
Maura got his tribal tattoo at his face. Since then the boy was mature and no longer acts like a timid shy boy...hence a crybaby.
So why is the subject crying now...?
Leon sighs as he decided to pat Maura's back.
"Yes am alive..." thinking to calm Maura, Leon used his typical kind smile. "Let's have a seat for now."
As Maura's cries died down, sitting across the sofa to face each other...Leon Aurenche begins his interrogation.
"Can you tell me why you were saying stuffs about me being alive? And why are you late?"
Maura sniffs as he wipes his remaining evidence of crying like a kid earlier...well he was a kid at this timeline.
He is being scolded so he fidgets. "Uhh...Someone drug me apparently then I fell asleep."
Leon narrowed his eyes. 'Someone targets my property...?'
Leon asks. "Why would you get drug? Where did you go?"
Maura confesses. "To the underground Shadowverse casino."
Leon knew about that place. But how would someone manage to get their hands on harming Maura?
"Did you drink something?" He had suspicion that maybe Maura went ahead to drink liquor since he taught him that.
To his disappointment Maura says. "I do not remember Leon-sama." Then the boy added while playing with his fingers. "A-all I know...I-I had a terrible dream..." his voice shakes while avoiding eye contact.
Maura is not sure if he should really tell Leon what he knew so he just given him part of the story. A white lie is necessary for him to find out if this is a dream or things never happened in the first place. Time travel would be the least of the happenings because...that is too much impossibility right?
Leon listening narrowed his eyes. "...A dream?"
Why would a silly dream will make his best pawn cry when he made sure he is well trained from Sparta lessons in Shadowverse.
Somehow upon hearing Leon's voice makes Maura Abelard wish that everything is just really what his mind made up, he delicately told Leon.
"In my dream...the world ended...then Leon-sama...was...was killed. Then your body disappeared inside the Tree of Woe..."
Leon is surprise but he hid it very well.
"You saw the whole world devoured by the Tree of Woe?"
"Y-yes. Unfortunately you died in process... I was...left alone after wards." Maura cannot believe he would say it so clearly.
'I finally said it! Now what...?'
Waiting for Leon to react back, the man is now thinking. ' To think this object has a ability to see the future or is this foreshadowing of my ambitions will be successful...?' For now Leon decided to do the nice father and master method to address Maura's strange behavior.
"Its alright Maura, I will not die. Not until we save the world together."
Ahh right.
'Liar.'
Quickly Maura's trust issues resurface.
'He is lying to me.'
Because Maura have grown up right. Looking back to his memories, he can now tell the difference of Leon lying versus when Leon is being honest to him.
'Right now Leon Aurenche is lying to me...'
Maura though allowed to look like an innocent kitten crying over a spilled milk. Leon touches him, he lifts up Maura's chin and the boy allowed him so. "So don't cry anymore ok?"
Or again and again...
'Maybe I'm over thinking? Maybe...Leon-sama here is...' Somehow Maura hope this is the truth so he doesn't have to hate Leon.
'I just can never hate him.' So Maura decided to be happy for now that everything is not true but just some heart wrenching terrible dream, he convince himself that this is his truth is what he wanted to feel about this situation.
"I understand Leon-sama."
Though unaware, Leon is thinking about what he mention. 'Hmm...if that thing is dreaming something that relates to the Tree of Woe. It must be a vision...or could it be...Nexus is calling him?' That could be a possibility. 'After all Maura is the chosen guardian to the Tree of Woe. The perfect vessel for Nexus...'
Well then...
"Come its late, get ready to sleep." Both Leon and Maura left their seat.
Maura a happy boy he is. "Yes Leon-sama...ugh!" Suddenly he felt that immense pain again.
"Maura?"
Maura's world spins.
"It...hurts...kuhh...!"
Unexpected.
"Maura...!"
The boy clutch his head and everything even Leon's voice sounds muffled.
"Leon...sama...?"
Its no use, the fatigue took over him. It was too painful and it made him collapse in Leon's arms.
"Maura!?"
Leon barely sound worried but he can hear the act of concern as he uses the remaining strength he had to fight the migraine.
"Maura! Maura...!"))
Maura got defeated.
'My vision is fading into...nothing...'
He lost consciousness.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
*beep beep*
Something ticks him off.
'A sound of...heart beat...machine...?'
Heavy eyelids, Maura forces to open them slowly. The ceiling is color white and the smell of room...smells like he was in an hospital...
A dextrose in his hand, octopus wires attached to his arms and forehead. The beeping sound coming from the monitor heart rate machine.
Oh...he...
'Did I collapse...?'
Once more it felt like he was squeeze.
"Urgh..." Maura groans as he squint his eyes. "What...happen to me...?" Maura says out loud since he figured someone will be by his side.
His guess is right.
"You finally gain consciousness, Maura." One of the Shadow Knights is there watching over him.
Weak and somehow his throat feels dry, Maura tried his best to acknowledge her presence. "E...in...?" Although he was once more questioning things.
Maura notice his clothes were changed to a white-daster. An outfit you give to a patient or subject in a lab experiment.
Maura lay on bed to gain his ability to feel himself. Out of nowhere...
"Y-You..!" Ein stood up from her chair with alarmed face.
"Huh?" Maura slowly turns his head.
Ein not understanding why Maura's... "Your eyes are blue...!"
Maura blinks. "Blue...?"
Wait...
That sounds very familiar.
He remember when the Tree of Woe shadow ate him and possesses him.
During that memory, his eyes turned blue and his clothes were slowly disappearing until his legs and arms were all covered in a blue light.
Maura frowns when he realize what Ein meant of his eyes turned blue. 'If my eyes are blue that means...the Tree of Woe...did it took over me already?!'
Again another panic attack.
'When was it is!?'
Maura's body in pain again. "Argh...!" He yelps at his bed. Teeth grits while he is holding his face.
Everything hella hurts.
The only thing he hears now is Ein shouting.
"Emergency! Something happening to Maura!"
Once more Maura collapses.
...
A few minutes later Leon Aurenche arrives at the clinic lab where Maura has been put.
This is the 7th floor where various experiments and medical equipment room of Genesis Company resided.
"His eyes turned blue?" Leon questions Ein whose reporting the situation with Maura.
Maura actually just gained consciousness after collapsing again when his eyes turned blue. Counting from when he got home he seem to have collapse 3 times in one day.
Totally making Leon alarmed. If someone actually put a strange drug to Maura that may lead his plans to foil is never a good sign.
Therefore Leon decided to take Maura at their lab floor where he can be put under observation.
Leon even called Marguerite to check on Maura.
"I find no abnormalities so far except Maura-san is having a intense body pain and were about to take test to see more results."
Leon then looks down to Maura whose now seating at his lab bed.
"Your eyes turn blue as per Ein."
Maura nervous and tried to pretend he doesn't know what they are talking about. "...I did?"
Leon trying to read him. "You don't remember?"
Maura smiles. "Sadly I don't."
If there is one thing Leon taught him that benefits him the most is the act of smiling to hide all the lies beneath.
Maura is seriously threatened by this discovery. 'If Leon-sama found out that am already partly possessed by the Tree of Woe, he will be delighted. I cant let anyone realize this...!' If worst come to worst. 'For sure I will hasting my death!' Trouble by his own memories and now this is happening. 'I need to get out of here soon before symptoms of being eaten gets more visible...!'
Leon decided not to pressure him though.
"I want you to rest here Maura. While we find out what is wrong with you. I can't have you dying with some uncurbable illness."
The way Leon says it sounds so serious. Leon is clearly worried he would loose his pawn and that will destroy all his plans.
Leon Aurenche is actually going to set some Shadow Knights to investigate who Maura last interacted.
'Who could have drug Maura...Hmm...' Leon had suspicion. 'Is it Wolfram...?'
While the boy looks normal for now.
"Understood...Leon-sama..."
Maura kept his good boy act while his head is actually debating. 'But where do I go if I run away from this place? Leon Aurenche the richest man of the world can hunt me anywhere. No escape...'
Wait, not really.
'Ah right...'
There is someone he can probably hide the least expected spots.
'Yonazuki Lucia would be the best first step or Ryuugasaki Hiro.'
Although things are still surreal.
Maura Abelard knows his life is in danger once more.
...
Meanwhile Yonazuki Lucia at Hospital.
"How are you Shiori?" Lucia smiles at his little sister at her hospital bed.
"Niisan." Yonazuki Shiori smiles back, but a bit concerned. "Niisan how unusual you came late. Did something happen?"
It always puts her in anxiety whenever Lucia works too much for her. It scars her spiritually. "...Are you alright?"
Lucia avoiding to show weakness, he pats Shiori's hair. "Yeah...am fine."
But of course Shiori does not buy that. Pushing to make him spill out the beans. "Is something bothering you? Is it money again for my hospital bills...?"
Yonazuki Lucia furrowed his eyebrows, indeed it is not that harming to share this strange event happened to him.
"It is actually the opposite." Confessing a little bit. "You see, today niisan helped someone. Then that person gave me money as a thank you."
Shiori delighted to hear her beloved brother actually had time to be kind on other people aside from her is a shocker. "Wow! A good Samaritan?"
Shiori hope Lucia would love himself more, get himself involve more to others and not isolate himself as a working student.
To Lucia it maybe a blessing but somehow it did not felt right. "I can't say the person is a good Samaritan. But that person kinda reminded me of you. So I couldn't stop myself to help. I'm sorry Shiori for being late."
Shiori smacks him.
"Ow!" Just a typical sibling moment, Shiori pouts. "Niisan don't be a dummy! You did a good thing!"
Cheering for her brother. "I'm happy niisan still has the heart to help!" Grabbing Lucia's hands into her chest with adoration. Lucia can hear Shiori's heart is beating healthy right now and its a good sign.
"I love your kindness Niisan. Please don't become cold..."
Shiori hopes for the better.
Lucia although still wants to punish himself. "I would never be cold especially to you Shiori." He decided to call it a night. "Well you have to sleep now."
Shiori for a second got sad but she obeyed.
"I know Niisan. Please sleep well as well at our home."
Exchanging goodnight kisses and hugs.
"Of course."
...
Lucia getting out of the hospital...
Walking late at night still in his Obsidian uniform, he looks at his smartphone.
"Genesis Company..."
The logo is legit even the account number and money digits.
"That person I help...knows my bank account."
And what makes him annoyed Maura never revealed his name despite knowing his.
"Is my Shadowverse account hacked or something?"
Lucia checking at his phone settings, nothing strange except the money he received.
Thinking again of Maura's vulnerable appearance at the sofa panting and eyes all glitters in a unknown suffering.
Lucia stops walking. "He didn't seem like a bad person...but definitely...the appearance wise looks like..."
Shaking thoughts.
"Neverminded."
Gazing up to the moonlight that calms his tired heart and brain.
"Will I meet that person again...?"
On second thoughts on that mysterious person.
'...If so, what do I ask?'
Yonazuki Lucia finally arrives his gloomy house and closes the door into the darkness.
"I'm home."
CREAK~
DOOR SHUTS.
TO BE CONTINUED
Notes: I hope I was able to make you feel the pain and confusion of Maura. And how Lucia is barely caring to others suddenly sees Maura somewhat familiar yet no recognition. I'm bum~
**CAN'T PROMISE TO FINISH BUT HOPE YOU STILL APPRECIATE THIS FANFIC EVER EXISTED TO HELP SHADOWVERSE FANDOM LIVE ON**