Chapter 23: Unseen Wounds

Yumiko stared down at the plums in her hands, a small smile tugging at her lips. The fruit felt warm, comforting, like a message sent from her brother, urging her to keep going. She closed her eyes, preparing to offer a silent prayer of thanks, when a soft murmur interrupted her thoughts. Lukas stirred beside her, his voice barely audible, but enough to catch her attention.

She turned toward him, her brow furrowing as she noticed beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. His face was tense, his expression strained as if he were locked in some internal battle. Yumiko’s smile faded.

“Lukas?” she called softly, placing the plums aside and stumbling over to his bed despite the pain that shot through her limbs. Her body still hadn't recovered from their fight, but concern for Lukas overrode her discomfort. She leaned over him, watching as his face twisted in pain.

“Will…” Lukas murmured, his voice hoarse and fragile. Yumiko exhaled softly, realizing it was just a nightmare. She was about to return to her bed when Lukas’s body tensed, his voice rising in panic.

“Tom! Get out of there!” he yelled, his breathing becoming ragged and erratic.

Yumiko spun back toward him, her heart pounding. “Lukas!” she called, reaching out to shake him gently.

“They’re everywhere!” he cried, his voice full of terror.

“Lukas!” she repeated, louder this time, shaking him harder.

“No more! Please!” he shouted, thrashing in his sleep.

Yumiko pulled him with more force, desperate to wake him. “Lukas, wake up!”

His eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright, gasping for air. His chest heaved as if he had just surfaced from drowning, tears glistening in his eyes. He looked around wildly, disoriented and still trapped in the lingering terror of his nightmare.

“Where… where am I?” he panted, his eyes searching the room as if expecting danger to still be there.

Yumiko crouched beside him, concern etched across her face. “Are you okay?” she asked softly, her voice steady despite her own surprise.

Lukas didn’t respond immediately. His breaths came in shallow bursts as he slowly lowered himself back onto the bed, one arm draped over his face, hiding his teary eyes. “No…” he whispered, his voice broken. “No, I’m not okay.”

Yumiko sat in silence, watching the man who had always been so stoic, so closed off. Now, he seemed fragile, vulnerable in a way she had never seen before. He kept his arm over his eyes, as if trying to shield himself from her gaze, from the world.

“What are you still following me around for?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, but laced with a bitterness that caught her off guard.

She blinked, taken aback by the harshness of his words. “I’ll have you know, some adventurers and a doctor found us after the fight. You should be thankful right now,” she said, trying to keep her voice even.

Lukas didn’t respond right away. He kept his arm over his face, the silence between them thick and heavy. Finally, he spoke again, his tone colder now. “Before that. You followed me to Torrwr. In the wagon, into the town, even after I told you not to.” His words cut through the air like a knife. “Why?”

Yumiko stared at him, her heart sinking. His anger was palpable, and it was directed at her. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. “You were going to die back there,” she said softly. “The voice—”

“There’s no damn voice!” Lukas snapped, suddenly sitting up again. His eyes flashed with frustration and pain. “Stop with the nonsense of saying you have to protect me all because of some damned voice! I want no part in people following me, and I don’t need saving!”

Yumiko clenched her fists, her frustration bubbling to the surface. “You were going to die!” she shouted, her own voice rising now. “If I hadn’t stepped in, you would have—”

“Would have what?” Lukas interrupted, his gaze hard and unyielding. “I would have been fine.”

“No,” Yumiko said firmly, shaking her head. “You wouldn’t have. If I hadn’t stepped in, your magic would’ve rebounded even further and you would have been killed by that man! You were already on death’s door from the rebound alone. If that doctor hadn’t come when he did, Lukas—you’d be dead.”

Lukas’s fists clenched, the tension in his body radiating. He raised his head, and for the first time, Yumiko saw raw emotion flicker in his eyes—anguish, frustration, fear. His voice rose, cracking under the weight of his words. “And so could you!” He finally snapped, his voice carrying a sharp edge of desperation.

Yumiko flinched at his outburst, not from fear but from the raw pain behind his words. His eyes locked onto hers, filled with emotions he had been hiding for too long. “I want no more to die,” he yelled, his voice breaking. “Not under my watch. Not anymore!”

His voice softened, the anger giving way to something much heavier, more fragile. He lowered his gaze, his fists slowly loosening as his hands shook. “If that explosion had been a foot closer to you…” he trailed off, unable to finish the thought. “I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. First Hiro, dying under my watch, and then… possibly you.”

Lukas brought a hand to his forehead, his head hanging low, the weight of his words pulling him down. “Having two members of the Hoshino family die because of me… that would be an insult. Not just to my honor but to your brother’s memory.” His voice grew quiet, the shame in his words cutting through the room like a whisper of guilt.

Yumiko stood in silence, her mind racing as she pieced together the puzzle that was Lukas. The nightmares, the exhaustion etched into his face, the way he recoiled from her—it wasn’t just about the present battle. It wasn’t just about her. This was about Hiro. The death of her brother weighed on him, like a shadow that followed Lukas wherever he went. He is a man stuck in the past.

Her eyes softened as she spoke again, her voice gentler this time. “You don’t want me to follow you because you’re afraid I’ll die, but you have the same risk. I don’t wish for you to bear that risk alone.”

Lukas shook his head, his voice hardening again. “My life is my responsibility”

“And so is mine,” Yumiko cut him off sharply. “I can take care of myself, but yet you wish to protect me when I’m in your care—and I wish the same for you. One thing you need to understand, Lukas, is that without me, you would be dead right now.”

Lukas’s jaw tightened as he looked away, his frustration evident in every line of his body.

“At first,” Yumiko continued, watching him closely, “I thought you were someone devoid of emotion. Someone who thought they were above everyone else, who didn’t care about anything.” She paused, her gaze unwavering. “But now I’m starting to think… you’ve given up on life and give up on letting people in.”

Lukas flinched at her words but said nothing.

Yumiko turned her back to him, picking up the plums from her bed. “You act like you don’t care if you die anymore. But you won’t give up either, because deep down, you know there’s something out there, something you’re still living for. And that purpose is something grand.” She turned back to face him, her eyes full of quiet intensity.

Lukas shook his head, his voice rough with denial. “No. My purpose is to keep living for the ones I’ve lost. I made a promise to the squad members who died in front of me.”

Yumiko’s expression hardened. “Then how foolish of you to nearly lose it all back there. If you had died, what promise would you have kept?” Her voice was sharp, frustration lacing every word. “I don’t know what happened to send you down this path of anger and grief, but you need to understand—there’s more to life than just walking in and getting yourself killed.”

Lukas glared at her, his eyes cold again, retreating into the safety of his anger. “And you need to understand,” he shot back, “that life isn’t as simple as telling someone to smile and smell the damn roses.”

Yumiko nodded, her expression thoughtful, her voice soft but steady. “I won’t lie. That’s how I saw the world just moments ago. Part of me died when I saw those kids back in Torrwr. I realized then just how much sadness there is in this world. There is so much cruelty and suffering.” Her eyes met Lukas’s, searching for something beyond his cold exterior. “But there is good in it, too.”

Lukas didn’t meet her gaze, instead staring down at the sheets. “For some,” he muttered, the words heavy with resignation.

“I was consumed by sadness,” Yumiko continued, her voice fragile yet resolute. “My childhood was suffocating—strict rules, endless expectations. My family always felt distant, like no matter what I did, I was never enough in my father’s eyes. The only solace I had were my older brothers, the ones I admired, the ones who made me feel like I wasn’t alone.” She paused, her hands trembling slightly. “And now, one of them… gone. I spent years searching for him, hoping to find something, anything, but it was all in vain. And then, seeing that town… destroyed by madmen... it felt like everything crumbled around me.

“When you left me alone in that house with that girl, I thought that was the end. What’s the point of following someone who's broken when I’m no better off myself? I almost gave up. I almost let that darkness consume me completely. But then I started reflecting—on my purpose, on my life, on the dreams that I keep seeing. I decided to find the good, even if it’s just a flicker in the middle of all the chaos.”

She stepped closer, her eyes locking onto his. “I know you felt happiness once. There was something that made you believe in a brighter world. But something happened, didn’t it? Something that took that away from you. What was it?”

“Nothing,” Lukas said, shaking his head, his voice cold and dismissive. “You’ll only learn that there are beasts in this world—beasts that consume, take, and lie. There is nothing else.”

“So, by that logic, that would make you one such creature, correct?” Yumiko’s gaze never wavered, her voice firm yet gentle. “Is that what you’ll tell my brother one day, when you move on from this life? That you’re a beast who only takes? If you dare say yes, then you know as well as I do what Hiro would think of you. He has no tolerance for that, and you know it.”

Lukas’s blue eyes flicked toward hers, and for a brief moment, the sadness in them was laid bare. He clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

“What was it, Lukas? What made you think this way?” she asked, her voice full of quiet determination.

Lukas glared at her, the frustration in his eyes intensifying. “Listen, lady, you’re starting to annoy—”

“Who are Will and Tom?” Yumiko interrupted, her voice calm but direct.

His eyes widened in shock, and for a split second, his guard dropped. “How did you—?”

“You screamed their names in your sleep,” she said softly. “You did the same thing last week when we were in that jail cell. But back then, you also said my brother’s name. Is that what changed your life? Is this something that is haunting you?”

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His fists clenched even tighter, “You’re really pushing your luck…”

Yumiko didn’t back down. “Why do you keep pushing me away when I’m trying to help you?”

“I don’t need your help!” Lukas barked, throwing his covers off with a sudden burst of anger. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, trying to stand, but his weakened body betrayed him. His legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor, gasping in frustration.

Yumiko moved around the bed swiftly, watching as Lukas struggled to push himself off the ground. She stood over him, her voice soft but unyielding. “You need to rest, Lukas. I can help you, but I want some answers. I have a right to know, and no matter how many times you push me away, I won’t leave.”

Lukas glared at her from the floor, his breathing heavy and labored. For a moment, his eyes softened, the weight of his past and the pain of his memories visible in the way his shoulders sagged. He was a man who had built walls around himself, but they were cracking, crumbling under the pressure of the truth Yumiko was asking him to face.

He was silent for a long time, and in that silence, Yumiko could hear the unspoken pain in his heart—the torment he had been carrying for so long. But she wasn’t going to let him carry it alone anymore. Not if she could help it.

“Damn it!” Lukas roared, slamming his injured fist into the floor. The wooden boards cracked beneath the force, sending splinters scattering across the ground. Blood seeped through his already stained bandages, but he paid it no mind. “Damn it!” he shouted again, pounding the ground once more, his anger rising like a flood.

Yumiko stood still, her eyes filled with worry as she watched him. The silence that followed was thick, weighted with the unspoken pain that radiated from Lukas. Slowly, she knelt down in front of him, her expression soft but resolute.

“Please…” her voice was quiet, but there was a tenderness in it. “If you can’t tell me about it… tell me something—anything. Let me help you, let me understand you. My brother wanted me to look out for you.”

Lukas remained still, his forehead resting against the floor. His fist clenched, blood pooling in the cracks of his knuckles. His voice was strained when he finally spoke. “I can’t…” His words trembled with frustration and helplessness.

“Why?” Yumiko asked gently, not moving from her place beside him.

Lukas gritted his teeth, muscles tensing as he tried to push himself off the floor again. But his strength faltered, and he collapsed back down, a defeated exhale escaping his lips.

“Life isn’t about doing everything on your own,” she continued, her voice calm and unwavering. “It’s okay to lean on others, to let people in… It’s something that I am learning too.”

His back rose and fell with labored breaths, the silence stretching between them once more. Yumiko closed her eyes briefly, gathering herself before speaking again. “My name is Yumiko Hoshino. I grew up in Yoshinori. My father wanted me to stay home, to be the ‘perfect woman.’”

Lukas remained quiet, listening as she spoke, her tone carrying a gentle rhythm.

“I found archery fascinating when I was young. My brothers would sneak me out to the woods, and we’d go hunting together. Even though I was the youngest, I always had the best mark. As we got older, I grew fond of hand-to-hand combat, too.” She smiled faintly at the memory, but her voice stayed even, steady, as she shared her story.

“I trained with my brothers’ teacher. They said I had a talent for it. My father did not like that and tried pulling me away from anything relating to combat or the arts of self defense. Eventually, Shoto, my eldest brother, left for the United Republic to gain knowledge and spread our family’s name. My father didn’t approve, but he went anyway. Shoto was always so driven, always had something to prove. Though Shoto was gone, Hiro and I kept training together under secret from my father. We didn’t want to fall behind our brother.”

Lukas stayed motionless, his head still pressed against the cold floor. His breath came in deep, steadying waves now, but he said nothing.

Yumiko continued, “When Hiro turned seventeen, he snuck out one night. He told me he was going to follow Shoto, to join him. My father was furious when he found out. He locked me down, placing heavy restrictions on me. I was so alone and trapped… But Hiro… he kept sending letters and made me feel a little free each time. For two years, I got messages about his adventures, about how he was pushing himself, making a name.”

She paused, her gaze falling to the plums still in her hands. She ran her thumb over their smooth skin, her thoughts momentarily drifting. She placed the fruit on the ground, watching as they rolled into place.

“Hiro always wrote about his friends, the group of people he traveled with. They faced death more times than I could count, but they always made it out—barely, but they made it.” A small smile played at her lips, though her voice carried a touch of sadness. “But then the letters stopped.”

Lukas’s breathing remained steady, but there was a tension in the air as he listened, his silence an acknowledgment of her words.

“For six months, we heard nothing. Then Shoto’s letters began arriving. He wrote about the search parties, how they were looking for Hiro. Naturally, I wanted to help. But my father would never allow it.” She paused again, the memory of those stifling days flashing in her mind. “So, just like Hiro, I snuck out.”

Lukas’s eyes shifted slightly at that, a flicker of recognition.

“When I found Shoto, he scolded me like a child. He told me Father was enraged, Mother was worried. I thought for sure he’d send me back home, but he said I was too clever and knew that I would sneak back out again. So instead of sending me straight home, he told me to split up, to search for Hiro on my own with his guidance.”

Her voice softened, the memories of those long, searching years tugging at her heart. “For three years, I looked for him. I traveled, I fought, I learned more than I thought I ever would. But I never found Hiro. I honestly thought he was alive somewhere…”

Lukas looked up at Yumiko. Her face was etched with sadness, her dark eyes shimmering with the weight of her words. "For three years, I searched," she said softly, her voice trembling. "I looked, and I kept looking... and still, I found nothing. Nothing at all." Her fists tightened around the fabric of her pants, knuckles white with frustration. "I was ready to give up, to go back home, but something… something told me to stay."

Her voice faltered for a moment before she continued, eyes distant as if reliving a painful memory. "I had nightmares every night. Blurred images of places I can't even describe. They felt so real... like I was actually there. I heard voices—laughter, whispers—faint but unmistakable. And then the dreams changed." Her eyes met Lukas’s, intense and unwavering. "It became an angelic voice, guiding me, telling me where to go. It led me to you, to help you."

Lukas's breath hitched, but he remained silent, watching her closely as she spoke.

"And now, after all this time, after everything, I know almost nothing about you," Yumiko admitted, her voice tinged with frustration and disappointment. "The only things I’ve learned are from other people—‘The Hero of the North,’ ‘The Ghostly Man.’ I even know how your father died when you were young."

Lukas's eyes widened. "H-how…?" He stammered, his voice cracking with shock.

Yumiko’s gaze softened, but her expression remained firm. "As I said before, there are good people in this world—people who want to help. The very person who saved your life is one of them. And there are more, Lukas, more than you’d like to admit. There are those who care about you, who want to be there for you. So… will you tell me something about yourself?" Her question hung in the air, heavy with meaning, a plea for connection.

For a long moment, Lukas said nothing. His silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. He stared at the floor, fists clenched, before finally lifting his gaze to meet hers.

She stared at Lukas, who still hadn’t moved. But the air between them had shifted, her words slowly seeping into the cracks of his guarded heart. He was fighting a battle of his own, and she could see it now.

“Lukas…” she began again, her tone softer, more personal. “I don’t know what you’ve been through. I don’t know the names you cry out in your sleep or the weight you carry on your shoulders. But I do know one thing—my brother trusted you. And I want to trust you, too. But you have to let me in.”

Lukas’s body tensed, his hand still gripping the floor, blood from his fist staining the wood beneath him. His expression was unreadable, torn between pain and resolve. Slowly, he tried to push himself off the ground, gritting his teeth as he struggled. Yumiko’s heart sank as she watched him, disappointment flickering across her face as she closed her eyes.

But then, Lukas steadied himself. He gripped the edge of the bed and pulled himself up, moving with slow, deliberate effort. He sat down on the bed, his bloody hands resting in his lap as he stared at the ground.

Just as Yumiko was about to rise, Lukas’s voice broke the silence. "You already know my name," he said quietly. "I grew up in Hoffen. I was a farm boy."

Yumiko blinked, surprised by the admission. She had always imagined Lukas as the son of a noble family, someone who came from wealth or status.

"I don’t know how you heard," Lukas continued, his voice low and distant, "but yes, my father died when I was young. He had the Silent Cough... it ate away at him for two years. I never left his side. Not once." His blue eyes darkened, a shadow passing over them. "Until the day he died."

Yumiko felt her chest tighten at the quiet anguish in his voice, watching as Lukas recollected the memories that clearly haunted him. "After he passed, I left. I had nothing left in Hoffen. I came here, to this cursed land, looking for something—anything—to distract me from my grief."

He paused, staring at the floor as if lost in thought. "That’s when I met your brother. Hiro." His voice softened at the mention of the name. "He was... unusual. But in a good way. He had this energy, this relentless determination. He wanted me to join his group, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. For weeks, he pestered me, wouldn’t leave me alone. And eventually, I gave in. We made a bet, and I lost." A ghost of a smile flickered on Lukas’s face, though it was tinged with sadness. "It was the best loss of my life. I made friends—real friends. For almost two years, we were like family… But then I lost that family."

Yumiko leaned in, her heart pounding in her chest as she finally felt like she was getting closer to understanding the man before her. "What happened?" she asked, her voice in a gentle whisper.

Lukas’s face darkened. His hands gripped the edge of the bed sheets. "It was a massacre," he whispered, the words barely audible. His body tensed, shoulders hunched as if the weight of the memory was crushing him.

Yumiko’s breath hitched, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"One of our group members… he made a mistake," Lukas said, his voice thick with emotion. "He charged in… somewhere we never should have been. None of us should have been anywhere near that place." He placed a trembling hand on his forehead, as if trying to push the memory away, but it lingered.

"We thought it was just another job. Another quest. We’d done it a hundred times before—fought, struggled, survived. But this time… it wasn’t the same. They came out of nowhere, out of the trees, surrounding us. We were outnumbered by the thousands." His voice cracked, and his whole body began to shake.

"Thousands?! What were you fighting?" Yumiko’s voice rose as she pushed herself off the ground, ignoring the pain that coursed through her battered body.

Lukas shook his head, his entire frame trembling. "No... I can't say it. I don’t want to." His voice wavered, hands clenching as if trying to grasp something unseen, something beyond words. "For years, these memories... they haunt me. Every night. Every quiet moment. I wanted to be free of them, to forget. But then I realized..." His tone shifted, darkening, the pain hardening into something sharp and cold. "These memories are meant to stay with me—they’re my curse. A reminder to never forget, and to find the one responsible."

Yumiko narrowed her eyes, her gaze steady on Lukas's tormented face. "Who?" she asked, her voice soft but firm, demanding an answer.

His eyes flickered with anger, his jaw tightening as he spoke. "A knight in black armor. You never forget the way he looks at you... like his red eyes burn straight into your soul."

Yumiko shook her head, disbelief washing over her. "Red eyes? That’s impossible. Humans don’t have red eyes."

Lukas’s fists clenched, the tension in his body unmistakable. "You don’t see them directly because of his helmet," he muttered, his voice tight. "It’s more like you feel them. They hover, just in front of your vision, as if they’re burning into your soul. They fill you with regret, despair... and fear." He paused, his knuckles white from the strain. "It’s one of the most terrifying things you can experience."

Yumiko froze. A chill crept down her spine as the pieces began to fall into place. The description... the feeling of terror that Lukas spoke of, it reminded her of the stories Helfott told her. "What if," she began slowly, her voice trembling with realization, "what if it’s not a human with those eyes?"

Lukas glanced at her, confusion crossing his face. "What do you mean? I know what I saw. I know what he was."

"I’m not talking about him directly," Yumiko said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I’m talking about the eyes. What if the red eyes you saw... they weren’t his?"

Lukas’s brow furrowed in frustration. "The eyes were his, part of his magic. He cast some kind of spell. It was all an illusion—some twisted mind game to make us panic, to break us before the battle even began—and it worked."

Yumiko shook her head, her expression serious. "Illusion magic that powerful? Magic that could cause a whole group of trained warriors to lose their minds in an instant? I’ve never heard of anything like that, Lukas. No mage, no matter how skilled, could conjure that kind of terror out of nowhere."

Lukas’s eyes darkened, his frustration growing. "Then what? If it wasn’t magic, what was it?" His voice rose with anger and desperation.

Yumiko took a deep breath, her gaze steady as she spoke. "Have you ever heard of vassals? The chosen children of the gods?"

Lukas scoffed, shaking his head. "Vassals? That’s just the nonsense churches and cults preach to get people to join their cause and give them money. Stories for gullible children."

Yumiko’s eyes narrowed, her voice sharp with warning. "Do not speak idly of the gods. They are not myths. They are real. The gods exist."

Lukas’s jaw tightened. "If the gods are so real, where are they? Where have they been all this time? In all my years, I’ve seen nothing that proves their existence."

"You’ve seen one, Lukas," Yumiko said quietly, her voice filled with certainty. “Maybe not directly, but you saw the powers of one.”

Lukas’s eyes flickered with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Meino," Yumiko whispered, her gaze unwavering. "The god of Fear. The man that you were fighting with my brother… I think he was his vassal."