บท 82: Veil of Deception

Lucy squinted her eyes, her face contorting with mounting unease as she followed Lucas's pointed finger, yet the elusive target continued to elude her gaze.

"I don't understand, Lucas," Lucy confessed, her voice carrying a hint of worry that echoed her growing apprehension.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, why is it only me who can see this?" Lucas exclaimed in exasperation.

Frustration clawed at Lucas's core, but he couldn't allow himself to remain paralyzed by the enigma any longer. With a swift, determined movement, he broke free from Lucy's grasp and sprinted toward the enigmatic shadow, a surge of fear and unwavering resolve coursing through his veins.

"Lucas, wait!" Lucy's desperate cry echoed through the forest, but Lucas had already sprinted away, her pleas falling on deaf ears.

Ignoring Lucy completely, Lucas pursued the elusive shadow figure. It seemed to taunt him, darting deeper into the dark forest as if aware of his chase.

"Hey!" Lucas shouted, his voice ringing ominously through the dense woods.

With unrelenting determination, Lucas sprinted after the shadow, casting aside any sense of danger. His pursuit led him to the shore of a mysterious lake, and the shadow glanced back at him before gracefully disappearing beneath the water's surface.

"Water again?" Lucas muttered to himself, torn between apprehension and curiosity. To catch up to the shadow, he knew he had no choice but to leap into the chilling embrace of the lake. With fear gripping his heart, he plunged in, his limbs propelling him deeper into the frigid depths, a blend of curiosity and terror urging him onward.

"Hey, stop!" Lucas called out, desperation tainting his voice as he followed the enigmatic shadow beneath the water's surface.

As he swam, time seemed to distort, and the surroundings shifted and warped around him. The shadow remained just out of reach, a tantalizing mirage.

Yet Lucas couldn't bring himself to halt his relentless pursuit. He couldn't ignore the allure of the shadow. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lucas pulled himself out of the water on the far shore of the lake, drenched and shivering from the icy plunge. His entire body was soaked, and he was left wondering what mysteries lay ahead.

"Lucas! Where are you?" Lucy's frantic cries pierced the air, echoing from the opposite shore, but Lucas had ventured into a surreal confrontation.

At the edge of the lake, Lucas could now discern the shadow in all its eerie, unsettling detail. It stood there, an enigmatic grin etched upon its face, and Lucas couldn't help but feel a chill crawl down his spine.

"Who are you?" Lucas called out, his voice trembling as confusion and unease reached their zenith, the boundaries between reality and illusion blurring.

"Hello, Lucas," the shadow responded, its voice cloaked in enigma.

"Who are you?" Lucas repeated, his words wavering with uncertainty.

The shadowy figure maintained its cryptic smile. "I am someone who came to help you wake up," it replied, its words carrying profound meaning.

"Wake up?" Lucas pondered aloud, a sense of déjà vu washing over him, uncertainty clouding his thoughts. "Am I still in a dream?"

"Answer me. Who are you?" Lucas demanded, his patience wearing thin as he sought clarity.

The shadow remained silent, adding to Lucas's growing frustration. Stressed and perplexed, Lucas gazed at the shadow, its form blurring as the surrounding darkness swallowed everything else, rendering the encounter surreal.

The shadow met his gaze. "You know it too," it said cryptically, leaving Lucas in a state of disconcerting uncertainty, as if the answers he sought were just beyond his grasp, shrouded in the shadow's cryptic presence.

"No, I don't," Lucas insisted, his disbelief palpable in his voice.

"Open your eyes," the shadow urged.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, his voice tinged with confusion and curiosity.

"You are in a dream, Lucas," the shadow asserted with an eerie calmness.

"A dream?" Lucas repeated, his voice laced with incredulity.

The shadow nodded once again, its enigmatic presence casting doubt upon the reality Lucas had known.

"No, I'm not. I can still feel how wet my clothes are, how cold my body is," Lucas argued, a touch of desperation seeping into his words.

"This is a dream, Lucas. A realistic one," the shadow insisted, its voice a haunting whisper.

"No way... I mean, I do feel like I've been trapped in a long, terrible dream, but there's no way this is a dream. No dream can be this realistic," Lucas confessed, the weight of his ordeal evident in his heavy words.

"Do you mean none of what's happening here is real?" Lucas asked, his sense of reality unraveling.

The shadowy figure nodded, leaving Lucas's thoughts in disarray as he grappled with the implications.

"What about you? Are you real?"

But just as Lucas began to suspect that this encounter held profound significance, his consciousness began to slip away. The world blurred around him, and the shadowy figure receded into obscurity.

"Hey, wait!"

"Ah-"

With a sudden jolt, Lucas awoke. He found himself on a makeshift bed, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding in his chest. The memory of his encounter with the shadow felt like a fading dream, slipping through his grasp like grains of sand. "What was that?"

He tried to remember, but all he could manage to mutter was, "I feel like I had a really terrible dream." Despite his efforts, the memories remained just out of reach.

"I'm so confused."

Rubbing his temple, Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Where am I anyway?"

Lucas glanced around, his head still muddled, his surroundings hard to discern. It seemed to be a classroom, and the night had fallen, casting the room into darkness.

He sighed. "I don't know what's happening."

"CRASH!"

Suddenly, he heard something fall; the sound shattering the silence like a shard of glass.

Lucas let out a startled gasp, turning to look in the direction of the sound, his heart pounding.

"Lucas? Oh, my goodness, Lucas, you're awake," a voice cried out, and he turned to see Lucy at the door, rushing over to hug him.

"I missed you so much," Lucy confessed, her voice filled with longing.

"Ouch, careful, careful, it hurts," Lucas winced as he felt the ache in his body, his reality now a perplexing blend of memories and emotions.

Not fully comprehending the situation, Lucas gently cupped Lucy's face and peered into her teary eyes. "What are you doing, Lucy?" he began to ask, but then he noticed the glistening tears.

"Are you crying?" he inquired, his voice filled with concern.

"No, no, I'm not," Lucy tried to deny her tears, but her emotions were too overwhelming.

"You are crying," Lucas persisted, his voice soft but insistent, albeit a little shocked; this wasn't the first time she had shed tears in his presence. "You can cry all you want, Lucy," he said, looking into her eyes.

"Ah-" Lucy finally couldn't hold back any longer, and she nodded in response, her tears now flowing freely.

Amidst the confusion, Lucy met his gaze, her eyes brimming with tears. "I tried so hard to be strong, Lucas, but I'm scared. Scared that you'll leave me first. I'm really, really scared."

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and Lucas, overwhelmed by her vulnerability, pulled her into a warm, comforting embrace. "It's alright, Lucy," he whispered soothingly.

As they held each other in the dimly lit room, a slight chill seemed to permeate the air, yet despite the strange sensation, Lucas couldn't ignore Lucy's trembling form in his arms. He tightened his embrace, conveying reassurance. "I'm not going anywhere, Lucy," he murmured, his voice filled with sincerity.

Lucas didn't understand why Lucy was crying or why she had sought comfort in his arms, but he didn't need to know at that moment. They could talk later. For now, his priority was to comfort her.

"It's okay, Lucy, cry if you want."

They remained locked in this comforting embrace, their heartbeats gradually syncing within the quiet room. The eerie chill in the air began to dissipate, replaced by a comforting warmth that enveloped them both.

Lucas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, resolving that whatever had troubled him could wait. For now, his utmost priority was Lucy. Nothing else mattered.

***

"I've fulfilled your request, Meri," the shadowy spirit suddenly materialized, startling Meri as she delicately combed her hair in the dimly lit room.

"Is Sir Lucas healed?" she inquired, her eyes widening with hope and anticipation.

"Not only is he healed, but he has also awakened," the figure disclosed, a note of triumph in its tone, its form flickering in and out of existence like a wisp of smoke.

A blend of relief and joy overwhelmed Meri. "Oh, my goodness, thank you," she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.

The spirit's voice turned more solemn. "I didn't assist him for his sake; remember your promise," it reminded her.

Meri nodded. "Don't worry about that. From now on, your goal is my goal too. I owe you a great debt."

The shadow spirit's presence seemed to intensify as it spoke again. "Don't break your word, Meri. I trusted you."

"I won't," Meri vowed solemnly.

The shadow spirit's form wavered as if nodding in approval. "Very well," the shadow concluded, its voice resonating like a whisper in the wind.

As the shadow spirit vanished into the ether, leaving Meri alone in the room, a wave of contemplation washed over her. She stood there, her emotions in turmoil. "Ah, how do I go about this?" she muttered, her brow furrowed, her mind racing with the weight of her newfound responsibility.