Chapter 8: Read and dash

The forest dweller woke up with a jolt, looking around him only to see the shabby camp he had made last night. Realizing where he was, Luka got up to gather his belongings and clean after himself.

He had that strange dream again, the one where he's aware of everything around him. This time he used the opportunity to practice his sword skills since he couldn't during the day. There's also the fact that he has seemingly an endless supply of stamina while he's in there (something he had found by trying to see if there's an end in the dream world).

Luka remembered going over the training regimen he had set up for himself and the move he had used on the necromancer the other day. It's useful on its own, but if he were to incorporate some distractions while performing it, he was sure no one could defend against it.

"If only Sylph can be there too..." As far as he knows, the purplette is the only person who could be in there. He tries multiple times to call upon his fairy friend, but it doesn't work which is a shame because he would have loved to play around with her in there. He's sure she'll have a great time too; she could literally think of anything, and it would appear!

...

Anything she could think of...

Sylph...

You know what? He took it back. Maybe not having Sylph there is a good thing after all.

For everyone's sake.

===0===

It surprised him how fast he got used to flying.

Back then, the concept of taking off and soaring through the air sounded completely unbelievable to him. Now though, he couldn't imagine travelling without it. He doesn't have to worry about his feet hurting after a long walk or finding a source of water when he could just fly up into the air and look for one.

It's a lot faster too. The distance he's gone through is practically impossible for the past him to achieve in such a short amount of time. Just a couple more hours, and his next destination should be just in sight!

At this point, calling it amazing would do it a disservice, It's liberating. The feeling of his hair wildly dancing behind him, the rush he gets when the momentum almost ends as he once more stomps the air below him, the jaw drooping views he can get from up here would make any painter cry in joy.

Luka can confidently say he loves flying. The freedom it gave him is unmatched by a large margin.

Who would have guessed that his last-minute plan of running away from Alma Elma would end up being so useful in the future huh?

"Funny how that work." Said the forest dweller as he continued making his way where the winds guide him.

'What is?'

'Nothing Sylph. Just talking to myself.'

'Oh, okay then~'She said, and he could hear the sound of her stretching and drinking a cup of water in his head. It raised a bunch of questions, but he'll just chalk it up to another unexplainable Sylph stuff.

'Did I wake you up?'

'Nah~ I was already half awake when you started flying. Didn't want to distract you.'

'I don't mind.'

'Really?'There's a hint of surprise in her voice.'Back then they would always say I talk too much... I'm in your mind now, so I don't want to annoy you.'

'You wouldn't have.'

'But-'

'I mean it.'His response came immediately.'I would never get annoyed at my own friend trying to talk to me so don't worry about it.'

He could see his destination on the horizon.

'Thanks Luka...'

"Hmm." He pointedly ignores the sound of sniffles in his head.

===0===

San Ilia is a human kingdom of the Natalia region; it's famously known for its worship of the goddess Ilias as the kingdom is also named after her. The sky was clear, illuminating the beautiful architecture like that of the big castle in the middle of the town and children could be seen playing around the bustling kingdom.

It was a peaceful day, the birds were singing, flowers blooming. And for our shy forest dweller...

He is complete and utterly out of his elements.

Standing on the roof of an inn, Luka clutched the hood hiding his face, bringing it down further in an attempt to calm his discomfort. Morning has passed, and he wonders how a place that could hold so many people exist?

"..." It's too loud...

Back in the forest of spirits, Luka would go about his days in relative silence. Discounting his fairy friend, not a lot of noises could be heard in the depth of the forest where he lives. Unlike here where he feels overwhelmed with sounds of over thousands of people going about their business and living their lives.

'Of course it is, silly~' Sylph giggles. 'Why would you expect a town full of people to be quiet?'

That's true, he supposed. Luka should have expected it to be different. But not to this extent.

"How can they be comfortable living like this...?"

'Like what? Carefree?'

"No, I mean like that street packed full of people." He feels uncomfortable just looking at it.

It's a good thing he had the wind conceal his presence or else everyone would have seen him. The purplette is open to the idea of talking to people, but not so many! He would rather have the ground swallow him than that!

'Well, I guess it depends on where you grow up! Now c'mon! Let's go find that library~!'

That's right, the library. Ever since the winds told him there's one here, he has been looking for it nonstop. From lively streets to the quiet corner of the kingdom, yet he still couldn't find it.

Luka turns to look behind him, "There's one place we still haven't checked yet..."

The wind blows as he points toward the castle.

===0===

Getting in was surprisingly easier than either of them thought. Though, considering his speed, the fact he can fly and how hard it is for people to even see him, he figures it made sense.

"Not that I'm complaining..." Said the shy forest dweller.

Sylph evidently doesn't either, as she physically appeared and started looking left and right for the library in the castle. She can do that for a couple minutes as long as the area fits her nature. For example: she can't appear when he's in the middle of a hot desert or a freezing terrain.

After a bit of searching, they hear footsteps coming closer and hide behind a set of knight armor in the halls. Three men walk into view, one of them appears to be a knight and the other some sort of scholar by the look of his outfit. Lastly, a kind looking old man wearing a regal white robe. Luka had a feeling they are very important people (especially the old man) so he was on his way to flee. That is until their conversations reached him.

"That is enough, scholar! The King has already said he was busy and yet you still intend to pester his majesty with your selfish request!" The knight raises his voice towards the other man, making it clear how he feels before continuing. "Leave, before I make you."

Luka was surprised to that the frail old man is the King of San Ilia, he was even more surprised when the scholar talks back instead of doing as he's told to. "B-but you don't understand. Please your majesty! I know that the Underground Library is due for maintenance today, and that people are forbidden from entering until tomorrow. But even then, my research is almost done! All I need is one more day inside the library and-"

"And nothing! I have already given you a warning, if you're going to continue, I'll-"

It was the knight's turn to be interrupted, as the oldest man in the room raises his hand in a placating manner. "Calm now, my loyal knight."

The man in full armor falters at this. "Your majesty, I did not mean to speak so rudely at your presence, I am sorry." He lowered his head, "However, this scholar is-"

"Yes, I know. I am not so old that I need everything to be explained to me." He cuts in.

"N-no! Your majesty that is not what I mean!" The knight sputters, quickly trying to explain himself. Though he doesn't have to, Luka could feel that the King isn't annoyed at all.

Just as he suspects, The King lightly laughs at the knight's panicking.

"Well now." He then turns to the scholar that has been silent till now. "Mister scholar, I understand your desire to finish your research. However, I must ask you to wait until the Underground Library is done with its maintenance. After all, I would never allow my own people to study in such a messy place."

His words brought clarity to everyone there, a true sign of an experienced ruler.

Now that the purplette knows where the library is, all he has to do is wait until they leave and-

"Alright! Now we know where it is! We sure are lucky, right Lu-"

Getting over his shock, he immediately covers his friend's mouth. It's a bit too late though, as the King and the two with him turn to their direction in surprise.

"H-hey, what was that!?" Said the scholar, pointing at the set of armor they're hiding behind.

"I heard a voice! There's an intruder in the castle!" Shouted the knight, drawing his spear and making his way towards them.

Bad! Really bad! He has to get them both out of here now!

Just as Luka was about to make his move, he saw something that greatly confused him. Behind the King, he could see... is that a fairy playing with a ghost...?

"Huh?" It was so unexpected that he forgot how dire the situation was.

What happened next took everyone by surprise, as the small yellow fairy knocked one of the expensive-looking vases down, breaking it.

CRACK!

"Oh, dear Ilias!" Said the King, turning to the vase on the floor.

Luka really doesn't understand what just happened, but he decided to use the distraction and leave the area without being seen.

As he was doing that, the purplette could swore the ghost was looking at him, waving goodbye.

===0===

Luka dropped like a sack of potatoes after he finally managed to find the Underground Library. It took a lot out of him after all, not physically, but mentally.

Opening the big wooden door, he was greeted with row upon rows of books. All the way from the first floor to the second. The place is a bit dusty, and Luka saw that some of the railings on the second floor are broken.

'Must've been why the maintenance was needed...' He thought.

The shy forest dweller taps into his connection to the wind and scanned the whole room. After making sure there's no one here other than him he let out a sigh of relief.

"Fuhh... That was stressful."

'Sorry...'Sylph apologized in his head.

'It's fine, no one got hurt. But why did you speak out loud back then?'

'I got used to speaking in your head... when I said all of that, I thought only you could hear me...'

Oh well, it's a good thing everyone was distracted by that vase.

Speaking of which...

'Hey Sylph, do you know about that fairy that help us?'

'Oh yeah!'She said, bouncing back like only Sylph could.'She's one of the friends I made in the forest! Good to see she's doing fine~'

'Come again?'

So apparently, after the event in the Forest of Spirits where he put the rampaging Dryad to sleep, a bunch of fairies started leaving the forest and made their way here. As for the ghosts, even though he freed them from being contain in the Haunted manor, some of them still wishes to explore the world and have taken a liking to San Ilia.

And now the kingdom is being visited by fairies that like to play pranks on people and is haunted as well (despite the ghost being quite passive). Considering the people living here are all very devoted to Ilias, Luka is kind of worried that something bad might happen.

Oh well, it's not like he can do anything about it since nothing bad has happened yet. For now, he'll just focus on the present.

The purplette moves in the middle of the library, with all this source of knowledge within his reach, it's unfortunate how little time he has. To go through them one by one, he would need an entire month at most, and he would still need to read as fast as he can.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind and calling forth the familiar presence all around him. Soon the whole library is shaken by a spiraling gust of winds, surrounding their favorite forest dweller.

"Don't have time for that..."

...

...

...

2 hours 54 minutes and 21 seconds later, Luka has read about 2,677 books of various different genres and topics. There's some work he ignores either by a lack of interest or because it contains disturbing subjects he would rather not know.

He finds it fascinating to close his eyes and visualize the words in those books happening before him. All the stories, be it fiction or real, studies on specific topics, encyclopedias of different species of animals and even monster girls, cooking recipes, historical events and important people that have affected the world to what it is today. If it's there, Luka would gladly read about them. There's even an updated map of the world in the back of the second floor that he has memorized.

Overall, Luka would say that it's been a worthwhile endeavor coming here. In the future, he would love to come back here to see if there's any new books that have been added.

...Maybe he'll bring a new friend too.

'Hey Luka~' Chimes Sylph. 'Are you done?'

"Hmm." Getting up from his sitting position, he did a little stretching since he read that it keeps his muscle healthy and flexible.

'Cool! Does that mean we're done here?' She asked.

"Not yet, I want to check on something that's been bothering me." Having said that, the purplette started walking to one book in particular.

'You mean that one you can't read?'

"Hmm."

While he was on his speed reading session, there was one book that he couldn't read for some reason. He figures that it might be protected by some sort of magic that's been placed in the book.

Although, that does bring into question why someone would go out of their way and place a spell on a random book in this library. That could only mean that there's something special about it. Either that, or a magic accident happens out of incompetency.

Grabbing it from the shelf on the back of the library, the purplette examined the hard leather cover. The word "The Four Animists" is written on it.

When he began skimming through its pages, the wind warned him of an enemy close by. Startled, he dropped the book on the floor and started looking around.

"Human." A feminine voice shouted out to him, turning back to the book, Luka was shocked to see a monster girl coming out of it.

"!?"

She's odd, even for monster girl standard. With the upper body of a human woman coming out of a floating page, vines covering around her, and a calm and collected expression.

"By the order of the current Monster Lord, I, Page 17 will be stopping you from reading this book." Her words were spoken as if they were fact. Clear devotion to her duty can be seen in her eyes.

"…"

"…"

After a minute of staring at each other in an awkward standoff, the forest dweller finally spoke back.

"How long have you been waiting in there...?"

The innocuous questions seem to catch the monster girl off guard.

"H-how long I've tended to my duty should be of no concern to you, human."

Luka considered her deflection for a moment, before deciding to let it go and asked another question. Before he does that however, Page 17 lashes out and sends a barrage of sharp pieces of papers at him.

Calling upon the wind, they scatter all over the floor, failing to reach him.

"…"

"…"

Gathering her bearings, Page 17 took on a contemplative look. "Ah, I see. You seem to be more problematic than I had initially assumed." One of her vines reached for the fallen book and started skimming through the pages like he did previously.

Soon enough, another monster girl appears before them.

This one is basically an upgraded version of Page 17. With the upper body of a human woman coming out of a floating book, light blue pajamas, reading glasses, a giant grey hand behind her, and a polite smile (Luka secretly thought it was kind of cute).

"In the name of the current Monster Lord- Oh!" She stopped in the middle of her sentence upon seeing her fellow monster girl.

"Page 257."

"Page 17! What happened? Has the current Monster Lord relief us from our duty?"

"No, I require your assistance in dealing with this human."

"Oh my! What kind of human would give you so much trouble as to ask me for help? Is it a hero searching for the spirits?" Asked the new resident inside the library.

"It's him." Page 17 points to her left, where he has been standing the whole time.

"Ah... hello." The purplette stiffly waves at Page 257.

To be fair, he never expects to have a conversation with more than one person when he comes here. The fact he didn't immediately run away is a sign of improvement!

She gasps, covering her mouth with one hand and pulling Page 17 close to her before whispering something to her. At first, she was confused, but then she started whispering back.

After a quiet conversation with each other (Luka could hear everything they said because he's still connected to the wind, and he's too embarrassed to say anything), they both turn back to him with confident expressions.

At least, Page 17 is, Page 257 is blushing too much to look confident. Luka could relate as he's also blushing bright red.

"Alright human! After seeing how strong you are. I've decided to call upon my fellow guardian to deal with you. With our combined powers, you best give up now or suffer from defeat." Said Page 17.

"B-but I'd appreciate if you don't!" Page 257 added hurriedly causing him to blush even more, steam coming from his head.

"Right..." Was all he could manage to say.

As the fight begins, Page 257 burst into action, her eyes filled with wicked desires. The giant hand behind her rushing at him for a grab that would have ended the fight right then and there. Neither of them expected him to dodge it by leaping to the right, when she tried again, Luka pulled out Iris and cut through the air sending a strong blade of wind that pushes the giant hand back to Page 257.

[Sharp gust]

"OH NO!"

CRASH!

"That's-!" Page 17 tried to intervene by attacking him from the side, but his action seems to put her in shock. "You have already made a contract with the Spirit of Wind!"

Still in the air, the forest dweller decides to use the move he's been practicing inside the dream world.

'Sylph.'

'Hmm~?'

'I need a distraction.'

'Coming right up!'

The distraction he asked for came in the form of a table being flung straight towards Page 17.

CRASH!

"GAH!"

...That works too, he suppose.

Concentrating, Luka held Iris in a striking position. Gathering the wind beneath his feet, the purplette moves faster than the speed of sound, yet instead of a booming crack, what follows is the sound of a faint whistle.

[Whistling blade]

Ones he's done, Luka calmly places Iris back in her sheath.

"H-huh?"

"What was that!"

The two didn't know it at that time,but thatwouldn'tbe the last time theyarebe befuddled bythe forest dweller, at least, for awhile.

Before Page 17 could say anything else, her body fell to the floor, too tired to continue as she passes out. Page 257 turns to look, only for her eyes to grow heavy, she has already lost the fight before her defeat could even be registered.

It's a shame, honestly. Luka never wanted to fight them, but he knew if he didn't then he would be treated like toys to the both of them. Just remembering what they were whispering about back there was enough to send shivers down his spine.

He thought it was just superstitious, but it ended up being true.

The more innocent they look, the more unhinged they actually are…

He doesn't know what to do with them now that they're unconscious but leaving them like that is probably not a good idea. He'll have to find a way to put them back in the book ones he's done reading it.

Speaking of which, now that he has dealt with those two, he should be able to read the book freely.

"...?" Wait, hold on.

Has it always been open like that? Last time he was pretty sure it was closed. But now it's laying open on the floor.

Walking over, Luka tried to pick it up before a tentacle came out of the book and grabbed hold of his arm.

"!?" Eyes widening, the purplette tried to back away.

It was too late, however, as the forest dweller then forcefully pulled inside the book.

The sensations are familiar to swimming yet there was no water. He's pulled along what seem to be an endless page of text and scriptures all around him. Whenhe thought it was never going to end, itfinally stopped.

Gathering his bearings, Luka was greeted by something only seen in dreams. All around him the floor was made of papers and text, even the sky is no exception. He could see Page 17 and 257 laying behind him and wonder how on earth did he ended up here.

"Welcome to my world, human." He scanned the area for them, but the voice came from every direction, exuding an aura of control and strength.

"I'm here." Suddenly, the space in front of him rips open, allowing him to see her. Wearing a librarian outfit, her body seems to be coming out of a mass of tentacles, each of them either holding on to an object or ready to spring into action. She appraised him with a professional looking expression. Her eyes, sharpened by experience, pierced into his soul.

"Where is this...?" He asked apprehensively.

Nodding to him, she begins to speak. "What you see here, is the world I have created inside this book. Using my power as a 'Queen class' monster, it is possible for me to shape it to suit my needs." Listening to all this, Luka had a feeling he is going to have a difficult time.

The idea of creating your own personal world fascinates him, but he has always thought such things to be unachievable. Now, however, he's seeing it happening with his own eyes.

"From the look on your face, I assume you're amazed?" Her voice brings him back to the present. Looking over, she took off her glasses and placed them in her front pocket. "If so, then I'm flattered. But now it's time to get serious. I've seen what you can do and I'm not taking any chances."

Just as she said that, her aura grew noticeably more powerfulthan before. Filling the world around them with intense amount of pressure.

Luka can see that conflict is inevitable and call upon the wind for assistance as before. What shocked him to the core was the lack of answers.

"Sylph!"

'I'm here!' Her voice called out, fainter than usual. 'Being in someone else's world must've dampened your connection to the wind, but I'm still here!'

On one hand he's glad his friend is still with him, but on the other, Luka is growing increasingly worried about his situation.

"I'm well aware of your connection to the Spirit of Wind. Having said that, you still stand no chance of beating me in here." The world grumbled with her words. "Surrender, your effort would be futile."

'Luka! This is dangerous, you have to focus!' Warned his friend.

Pulling out Iris, he gets into a counter stand. Readying himself for anything that could happen.

Tentacles burst from the ground, each meant to subdue him before he leaps back. When more shows up, he takes to the sky, angling himself so that he can keep his eyes on the powerful monster girl while doing his next move.

[Sharp gust]

Sending the blade of wind downward, he was hoping to reduce the number of limbs pursuing him. That hope was dashed when they brushed his attack to the side, either his lack of connection is the problem, or sheis just that powerful in here. Both are equally bad for him.

Thinking quickly, Luka decides to compensate by adding his own magic to it. Pouring it out through his feet, he began weaving the group of tentacles, barely fast enough to escape each time. Upon seeing this, the powerful monster girlcalmly raises her hand.

RIPS!

The forest dweller turns his attention to the disturbing sound of space above him ripping itself apart. Coming from it a giant tentacle that slammed itself to the ground. Seeing no other options, Luka dashes away as fast as he can, the impact causing a loud booming sound to reverberate across her world. Papers and artifacts flying everywhere in a messy cluster of chaos.

Digging himself out of mountain of papers, Luka witness the state of his surrounding to found-

Nothing. It looks completely clean and orderly as if nothing has happened.

"What the..." Is her control of this world so great that she can reverse everything instantly?

"Like I said, It's futile." Said the voice behind him.

The papers below him suddenly started moving, sticking to his body and trapping him in place.

"No!" All this time she didn't use this ability, she made him think that the papers were safe, was it to catch him off guard!?

Facing her, the purplette tried to unleash another blade of wind.

Hold on, why is her eyes glo-

'Don't look!'

On instinct, Luka turns away and closes his eyes.

[Eye of submission]

"There is a quote from an old philosopher that I read years ago, I still remember it till this day."

When he opens his eyes, his whole body is restrained by papers. Not only that but surrounding him are an army of tentacles ready to stop him from trying anything.

"Cogito, ergo sum." She saunters across the world to him, putting her glasses back in place as the powerful aura subsides. "For someone like me, Page 65537 who is created for the purpose of following the order given by the Monster Lord. It's fascinating how that one simple sentence could make me questions and reaffirmed my existence, don't you agree?"

'Luka! Don't give up, we can still win!'

Page 65537 clasps her hand on the side of his face, forcing him to face her.

"But for now, I will continue with my order." Her stern demeanor melted off; a small smile made its way on her face as her eyes started glowing. "And that includes dealing with troublemakers like you~"

[Eye of submission]

Luka falls unconscious, a voice echoing in his head growing smaller and smaller.

...

...

...

END OF CHAPTE-

"NO."

...

...

...

"Partner, wake up..."

...

...

...

"This is no place to slumber..."

...

...

...

"She is waiting for you..."

...

...

...

"...Don't fail her."

...

...

...

Assured of her victory, Page 65537 went to take his pants off, but something at the edge of her vision caught her attention.

It's small – barely noticeable but it's there. Something has appeared in her domain outside of her control. Perplexed, she sent out one of her tentacles to investigate. Just then, another one shows up, this one closer to her.

She narrows her eyes to what seems to be... a spiral?

The anomalies confused her to no end, and when they started to grow in size her eyes widened.

"What in the name of-"

"I agree." The voice of the human she had defeated reached her, turning to him, she gasped.

Free from his bindings, he calmly stood before her. Surrounding him from all sides is the same green spiral that has distracted her earlier. Even worst, by now her world is filled with it.

"You!"

"The quote I mean, it's thought provoking." He continues, uncaring of her angered expression. "Thanks for sharing your opinion about it with me. But I never gave you mine, did I?"

He held out one of his hands in front of him and snapped his finger.

SNAP!

A bright light enveloped both of them and Page 65537 had to cover her eyes from the intense flare. When she opened them back, she was greeted by an unbelievable sight.

The world she had made is now gone, overpowered and replaced by an endless green sky.

"What did you do..."

"I figured it would be easier to explain my point like this."

Trying her best to keep her composer, Page 65537 gestures for him to continue.

He tilted his head at this, probably not expecting her to. Then he gave a nod of approval.

"Cogito, ergo sum. Which means I think, therefore I am." He starts off. "When I first read it in the library, I'm not sure if I even understand what it means, but after I hear what you said about it reaffirming your existent and a bit of reflection I now know that I have been following this very concept since the very are defined by what we think and feel, is that right?"

Page 65537 unsurely nodded back.

"Then bythat logic, the only reason we are fighting right now is simply because we believe we should, Is that right? You have a sense of duty, and I wanted to defend myself."

His words brought a conflicting look to her face.

"...Yes, that's right."

"Not only that, but I started on this journey because I was curious about the outside world, so I did. Then I was worried that my strength wasn't enough, so I trained. When you almost beat me, I wanted to win, so I made my own world a reality. Even back then... I was afraid, so I ran away." He said the last part quietly.

. . .

"Tell me, human. What is your name?"

"Luka... just Luka."

"Are you a hero?"

"No. I have no intention of being one."

"Luka, why do you wish to read this book? Is it to gain more power for yourself, or do you wish to spread the knowledge from it?"

"Well..." He scratches his cheek sheepishly. "To be honest, I don't even know what the book is about."

She blinks. "Truly?"

"Hmm..."

It took her a moment to proses it all, not only did he not understand the true value of the book, but he's only been fighting in self-defence. The monster girl knows that, if they were to fight now, she would have surely lost. Yet despite that, Luka chooses to talk with her instead.

In all of her years living, she has never met a human like him.

Confirming her thought, she turns to find Page 17 and 257 lying unconscious behind her. Other than the attack they received from Luka; they both haven't been harmed throughout their fight.

Page 65537 decided to do something she previously would never have done.

Turning to Luka, she spoke firmly. "I surrender. Luka, you have won this fight."

He stares in shock, to be honest, she found it hard to belief too.

"...Really?"

"Yes. My duty is to stop any nefarioushero from acquiring this book. You are neither nefarious nor a hero, therefore, I am still doing my duty."

"I'm not sure how to feel..."

"I can relate."

...

...

...

When he came to, Luka found himself back in the library.

"I'm back..." Said the forest dweller as he felt something on his chest.

Looking down, It's the book that started all of this. "I can finally read it."

'LUKA!' Shouted a voice in his head.

"Woah! Sylph, what's wrong!?"

'What do you mean what's wrong!? You were gone! I was- I'm so-...Waaaaaaahhhhh!'

Ah, no wonder she's worried.

And now she's crying.

Oh boy...

END OF CHAPTER


Author's note: I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter of this fic I've written. Huh, neat.

As for the chapter itself, bet you didn't expect to read about Luka having a domain expansion fight with a librarian monster girl and have it concluded with a philosophy talk huh?

But for real, I know that the quote is supposed to mean something else, and I probably annoyed a bunch of people whose studying about this with this chapter and I'm really sorry, I'm just trying my best to make it work.

Other than that, Luka read some books, fought for a bit, the chapter about to end until Iris said "no", finally managed to talk down someone he's fighting, and made his friend cry (unintentionally, but still).

I originally wanted Luka to absolutely demolished Page 65537 but then I thought about it for a second and figured that would be out of character for this version of Luka. The reason he was so harsh with Chrome is because he was angry with her, even then he still heals her after. Luka has no reason to hate Page 65537 because she's literally just doing her job. That's why he chooses to talk her down instead when he clearly could have just used violence.