Chapter Fifteen (Luka)

I had been emerged into a peaceful sleep for a couple hours when it happened.

My nightmares came flooding back, ripping and tearing apart any barriers that the medication had created. I could feel the pain of it making my temples throb, but there was nothing I could do as I found myself standing at the gallows, the noose wrapping around my throat as my eyes darted up to see Naosia staring down at me.

He rose, giving his cruel, hate-filled speech that stung me to the core.

No. No, this isn't Naosia talking.

Naosia wouldn't say this. He had no choice. Someone was controlling him. That was the only explanation. And my nightmare pressed further on as Naosia stopped in the middle of his speech, very unlike the real memory. Naosia looked down at me, tears suddenly flowing down his cheeks as my eyes widened.

"Luka.... My Ruruka... Help me..." He pleaded, his expression heartwrenching. My whole body ached, my chest especially as I started to take a step forward, but the executioner pulled the lever and I choked, falling through the hole in the floor. The noose became taut and the rough rope clenched into my throat, cutting off my air. I choked and gasped for breath, but no air came in. I writhed and squirmed before I managed to peer up, seeing the rope slowly breaking.

I gasped in desperation, kicking and writhing until the robe snapped and I fell down. I waited to hit the hot sand, but I didn't. I fell into a dark abyss that engulfed me completely until I hit the floor on my knees, gasping in pain.

I blinked a few times, but everything remained black. My hands were still strung behind my back, but this time, it was something stronger than leather straps. It felt like dark leather cuffs with chains linked between them. Another chain ran up behind me and to a leather collar around my throat, keeping my head thrown back and my body bent in a horribly uncomfortable position. It didn't take long before the stretch of leather came over my skin and I writhed.

No!

Damn it! I had finally gotten rest and now it was ruined!

"Quit whimpering," Ash's voice scolded me gruffly, the sound of his boots scuffing on the floor around me, "You'll be fed tomorrow... Funny, even with that suit on, I can see your ribs. One, two, three..." His fingers poked each of the ribs that threatened to rip through my skin and suit. I whimpered past the ball gag that was still pierced to my tongue. Ash laughed and I felt his hand run through my hair before grabbing a handful of it.

The next thing I felt was his knee jamming into my face, followed by a loud crack that made me scream past the gag in my mouth. Pain exploded in my face, centering in at my nose. I whimpered loudly, breathing hard. Ash snickered and I felt his fingers grab my nose, making me cry out in pain before he snapped it back into place, causing my cry to turn into a loud, pained scream.

I tried to make pleas past the gag, but nothing audible escaped. Just bloody babble.

And as I sat there, pleading and only being beaten in return....

I began to realize that if Naosia was telling the truth, this was how he felt.

Someone was controlling him and he had to watch and feel everything.

Only in my case, I knew who was controlling me and I knew that it was for a reason. And I didn't regret giving Kasper the ability to live for eternity. He deserved to live forever with Gavin, even at my expense.

I kept trying to tell myself that, but Kasper's thoughts were intercepting mine, causing me to sob in pain as Ash ground his foot against my groin, sending bolts of agony through my stomach. I writhed, jerking at the chained cuffs and trying to speak past the pierced gag, but it was all in vain.

Stop! Please stop hurting me! Please!

Pain tore through every muscle in my body, my chest tight and my mouth numb. My brain swirled in agony and it felt like it had last several days, not several minutes as I heard someone shouting my name.

"Luka! Goddamn it, Luka, wake up!"

Gavin?

Oh my God... Gavin, please... Please, wake me up!

A few more violent shakes and punches from Ash before my eyes flickered open and I saw Gavin staring down at me in concern, his hand brushing the hair back from my face and his other gripping my bicep. I managed a shuddered gasp, writhing in his grip before sitting up quickly, breathing hard. Gavin backed away and I winced to see Kasper standing beside him, looking agonized.

"Wh-Why're you both in here?" I managed, finally catching my breath. Gavin frowned, glancing at Kasper, who looked away from him, before he looked back at me.

"He insisted. Luka, didn't you take the medication?" He asked. I nodded, reaching out to the pills and snatching them off the nightstand, studying the label with a frown.

"I took one with my meal! I don't understand..." My voice trailed before I threw the pills across the room, watching the bottle pop open against the wall, the pills going flying. I groaned and ran my hands through my hair in frustration as Gavin growled low in his throat, pressing his hands to his temples before he slammed a fist against the wall, making it crack. Kasper winced, nibbling his lower lip before looking at me.

"Luka, I-I'm so sorry. What if you... What if you gave the gift back? Would that make them go away?" He asked, making Gavin blink and whirl to stare at him. I looked back at Kasper, then gave him a little smile, shaking my head once.

"No. What's done is done... That's why I asked you before. If that was what you wanted. Don't try and be noble, Kasper. I know you want to live with Gavin forever and I knew something like this would happen. I've dealt with it this far. I can do it again." I assured, throwing the covers back. Kasper blinked, then surprised me by looking rather angry.

"No, you can't," He protested, clenching his fists, "If I could barely handle them, you can't either! And all those times you moved around the house at night. You didn't get any sleep and you were up all the time and so tired! You fell asleep at the wheel, Luka! What if Gavin or I aren't there to wake you up? I know you can't die, but you can still be injured! Yesterday was proof enough when you came home with a busted leg and concussion!" I blinked, staring at him in surprise.

"Kasper..."

"Please," Kasper pleaded, "Stop trying to do things on your own. I know from experience that you can't do everything by yourself. Sometimes you need help. You just have to be strong enough to ask for it." I bit my lower lip, staring at Kasper's face before I looked down at my feet, sitting on the edge of the bed.

As much as I hated to admit it, Kasper was right.

I couldn't survive the rest of eternity like this. I needed help...

"I'm sorry," I murmured at last, making Kasper tilt his head to look at me as I kept my head down, "I didn't want to inconvenience anyone or make you think it was your fault when it wasn't. The reason I have nightmares and not your left foot or anything that would normally happen is because the Fates needed a chance to punish me and this was the perfect chance as they make all the contract decisions... It's my fault for being a terribly ignorant person in the past. And I know I don't deserve to ask this after everything I've done, but... I need help."

Kasper relaxed, giving a heavy sigh before he came over and sat on the bed beside me. He reached out hesitantly, resting his hand over mine. I looked up at him and he smiled reassuringly. I bit back a smile before I looked up at Gavin, who was frowning, his arms folded over his chest.

"Isn't there anyone you can ask about this?" Gavin asked at last. I frowned, reaching up to brush back my bedhead as Kasper looked between us.

"The only person I know disappeared thousands of years ago... I've never met another sorcerer." I admitted with a shrug. Gavin cocked a brow.

"You're older than dirt and you don't even know another sorcerer?"

"When's the last time you met one?"

"That's not the point. I'm not as old--"

"But you're still freakin' old," I retorted, making Gavin roll his eyes, "Maybe we're looking in the wrong category. Maybe we shouldn't look for a sorcerer.... Who's as old as I am?" Gavin frowned, averting his eyes thoughtfully. Kasper did the same before grimacing, rubbing his arm uneasily.

"Uhm, I think I know someone... I mean, not personally, but I know someone who's older than Gavin." He offered quietly. I looked at him, surprised. Gavin frowned as Kasper looked up at us.

"Your father." He said to Gavin, whose eyes flickered. I blinked, then winced as the realization hit me. The answer had been sitting under my nose this entire time. Kornelius was ancient. He had to know at least one trick and I had a bad feeling that he wasn't going to give it to me out of the kindness of his heart.

"We can't," Gavin said at last, making me glare at him and he glared back, "We can't ask him. If he thinks he's useful, he'll take advantage of it and hurt us. If you think I'm lying, just ask my mother... Oh, that's right. He killed her!" Kasper flinched and I scowled, rising to my feet.

"You don't have to do anything, you big baby. I'm going to ask Kornelius myself." I responded flatly, brushing past him as I went to the wardrobe to change. Gavin stared after me, incredulously.

"You can't! He won't do anything for you! Not just a servant, but a lich. A cheater of death and of our world. As if once being human wasn't bad enough, you're a lich now and that just makes your situation worse. And even if, by some miracle, he decides to agree, he'll want something in return. And if he asks for what I think he's going to ask, then I refuse to let him die!" He snarled. I twitched, then turned to look at him with an irritated smirk.

"Oh? You rather find someone else than let your dad ask for his own death? Okay, fine. Go ahead, Prince Gavin. Let's see you come up with another person to help us." I responded harshly, jerking on a sweatshirt and keeping my sweatpants on as I went out the door, slamming it shut behind me and heading down the stairs, relieved that my leg had fully healed by now.

I had just come down the stairs when I saw Noah waiting for me, smiling up at me. I felt my heart skip a beat, seeing him dressed in a pair of nice jeans and a blue plaid fleece shirt under a brown leather jacket.

"Hey, are you busy?" Noah asked me innocently as I made it to the bottom of the stairs. I paused, shoving my hands into the pocket of my sweatshirt, glancing at him.

"That depends. Why?" I asked dryly. Noah smiled, blushing lightly as he brushed some hair out of his face.

"I wanted to talk to you for a bit... Just a little bit. If you get bored or pissed, you can just walk away." He added hopefully. I didn't have the heart to say no, especially after my dream last night, so I sighed and nodded as Noah beamed even wider, leading me outside.

Our shoes thumped on the porch outside and down the steps before we stood out in the middle of the front yard, staring up at the sky as a couple snowflakes fell down. I followed one until it landed on Noah's nose to see him smiling at me warmly. Our breathes came out in soft, lumpy clouds, trailing up towards the sky.

"Luka... I love you so much," Noah murmured, making me blink and look at him, "You're beautiful and smart and talented... You would have made an excellent emperor." I blushed hard, hating myself for it as I stood there, facing Noah. It took me a moment to realize how close he'd gotten. I gulped down a lump in my throat, biting into my lower lip.

"Yea, well... I doubt that," I admitted carefully, "I've never been much of a leader." Noah just smiled, then leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. I hesitated as he kissed me before my mind melted. The kiss only lasted two seconds when I felt it.

Something went through the space just below my chest and just above my stomach, between my ribs.

Something sharp.

My eyes flew open to see Noah backing away from me, still smiling as he twisted the knife deep into my chest. Pain exploded in my chest, ripping and roaring through my veins and heart that began to pound wildly at being assaulted.

Noah pushed the blade in deeper and this time, I gasped. Blood sprinkled past my lips and down my chin, splattering onto the pure white snow below. I blinked a few times, watching as Noah buried the knife into my chest, the blood gushing past it and wetting his fingers.

"You're right," He decided, his voice calm, "You wouldn't make a good leader. You're too childish, Luka. Too naive... Oh, let me cut to the chase. You're too stupid."

I couldn't tell what pain was worse. The butcher knife that was cutting the top of my stomach and slicing my lungs open or the fact that I had done it again.

I had repeated the same mistake that I did in the past.

It didn't matter if we were mates because this would happen every time the Goddess was stupid enough to resurrect Naosia.

I should have known. I didn't want it to be true, no. I wanted desperately to believe that the real Naosia, the one I knew, was somewhere deep inside there. But he wasn't.

No, that Naosia never existed.

Not the one who brought me gifts from his travels. Nor the one who slept with me, holding onto me as if he were afraid someone might steal me away. Not even the one who was delighted by my use of magic.

Tears burned the backs of my eyes as Noah twisted the blade in a bit further before he stepped back, letting go of the handle that dripped with blood. Noah waved his hand so the blood flicked to the snow. He still smiled at me.

A familiar bolt of betrayal shot through me and I bit my lip for a moment before smiling, then laughing quietly.

"Thank you, Naosia," I murmured, then reached up and jerked the knife out of my chest, lifting my eyes to lock with Noah's, "But you're still stupid. I told you before and I'll tell you again. I'm a lich. I can't die anymore." Noah's eyes flashed and he stepped back, his shoes crunching in the snow as I went to bring the knife at him when I heard Gavin's voice shout from the doorway.

"Luka, stop! It's not Noah!" He shouted, making me twitch. Remi came bolting out behind him and Kasper stayed on the porch, his eyes wide. I went to stab Noah anyway, but Gavin had reached me by then and caught my wrist, twisting it in an attempt to get the knife away from me.

"Let me go!" I barked angrily, my eyes flashing. Gavin winced in pain as my magic spilled out powerfully, struggling to throw him back into the snow.

"Remi! Ugh! Get the bitch!" He shouted.

"With pleasure." Remi announced, then threw a cup of what looked like water at Noah's face. Noah yelped, blinking a few times before his eye colors shifted between blue and dark brown. He choked for a second, then started to pant. I blinked, dropping the knife in the snow as Gavin let go of me, almost falling over as my magic sucked itself away from him. I could only watch as Noah writhed, gasping and gritting his teeth.

It took a moment before Noah collapsed to his knees, breathing hard. As he caught his breath, I watched him wiggle his fingers in the snow.

"I-I'm me," He managed, lifting his hands up to stare at them for a moment before jerking his head up to look at Remi, "Salt... water?" Remi nodded grimly as Gavin turned to look at me.

"Luka, it wasn't Naosia that did this to you. It was--"

"Keep your mouth shut, leech! I introduce myself!" A voice shouted, making us all jerk our heads up to look at the doorway as Kasper leapt away from it.

Something about that voice...

The authority in it was so familiar that I found myself unable to disobey the instinct to look as my eyes landed on... Trisha?

The she-wolf stood in the doorway, smiling warmly as she shut the door behind her, coming out to step down the porch and come toward us. Her long, dark hair was tied back with a blue ribbon to match her turtleneck and jeans. Her dark eyes seemed to glow as she approached us.

"What's... going on?" I heard myself ask at last, confusion making my head pound. My chest continued to burn with pain, but I knew I wouldn't die. I was just fine, physically. Mentally, I couldn't understand what was happening. It made me wonder if I was just in another nightmare.

Trisha brushed past Remi, Gavin, and Noah, who all seemed to be stuck in place as if some kind of powerful magic was holding them. For a second, I thought it was me when I realized that when I tried to move, my legs were also trapped. I watched as Trisha approached me, her dark eyes studying my face. I was stunned to see a layer of crystal blue tears well in her eyes. She reached up, cupping my cheeks.

"Oh, Luka.... My sweet little Luka... My sweetling." She whispered.

I felt like another knife had been stabbed inside of me, but this time, the blade cut through my heart. I suddenly felt like I was falling. In fact, I was. I fell to my knees as the magic dissipated. I still couldn't take my eyes off those round, dark brown eyes that slowly began to change in front of my eyes.

From dark brown to dark blue to a piercing light blue, like sapphires. She reached back and pulled her blue ribbon out. As she did, the dark brown color of her hair was pulled away with it and her hair was revealed to be a white-blonde.

Kira smiled down at me, tilting her head a little as she dropped the blue ribbon in my lap.

"Hello, my beautiful Luka.... My sweetling." She greeted gently. I didn't know what to say. I suddenly felt numb. Kira knelt down, brushing her hand against my cheek and I felt a shiver course through me.

This was the woman who saved me from starvation.

This was the woman who taught me magic. The woman who fed me, clothed me, bathed me.

She raised me.

Questions buzzed around in my head, making my temples pulse and my throat feel choked off. Kira smiled, reaching out and pulling me against her chest. I felt a little whimper escape my throat as she stroked my hair, her cheek resting on my cheek.

"It's all right, my sweetling... This won't last too much longer. It'll end before you know it and things will go back to the way they were." She assured, in the same gentle, motherly tone she'd used all those years ago. My chest tightened and I felt like tears were threatening to spill down my face.

"Get off him," Noah's voice broke through the haze, making me blink as Kira frowned, rising slowly to her feet and turning to face him, "Keep your filthy hands off him, you bitch! If you came out of hiding, that means you're going to tell us why you're doing all this!" Kira smiled a little, then rested her hand on top of my head, sending cold chills coursing through my veins.

"Oh, of course. I'd be willing to tell all of you since you're going to die anyway and once you're reincarnated, you won't remember a thing once I find you and destroy your past life connections." Kira responded brightly, raking her fingers through my hair. I wanted to pull away.

I wanted to get away.

But, I couldn't. My body felt like it was frozen as I sat there on my knees in the snow, Kira petting me like I was some kind of dog.

"Where's the real Trisha?" Remi demanded first, clenching his fists. Kira smiled.

"She's gone now. She's been gone. I showed up around the same time Naosia did. I recognized him instantly, but I had to find someone to impersonate, so I chose the weak omega wolf. Who'd ever suspect that timid little child? I needed to be as close as possible for my abilities to work. I never possessed Naosia, or Trisha, for that matter. I used a puppet spell. I just had to move my fingers and thoughts at the right time." She explained calmly.

"How did you do that the first time?" Naosia demanded angrily. Kira beamed as if the thought of it made her giddy.

"The servant boy. You hired him a couple years before the death sentence. I tricked him to come outside... and I killed him, then took his place by changing my appearance. It's just one of the many perks of being a lich. Even my sweetling knows how to change his appearance. Otherwise, he'd be nothing, but a walking corpse. Our spell kicks in the moment we die, but it only retains our souls, not our bodies. Our bodies are rotted and decayed. Nothing but bones. At least, Luka's are. Mine are practically dust with how ancient I am." She mused, cocking her head to the side and making a face as if the idea were disturbing.

"T-Then why did you kill me?" My voice came out small and it stunned me at how child-like and scared it was. Was this really how I was feeling? It was so hard to tell with the numbness spreading through me like wildfire. My vision would tilt every so often.

"Oh, my sweetling," Kira sighed, getting down beside me again, touching her knuckles to my cheek, "I was never supposed to get attached to you. The day you stumbled into the forest, I instantly knew I had to use you to get what I wanted and I wanted what any normal lich wanted and that was power. I wanted to destroyed everyone who had screamed for my death. All those followers of the new religion of Light. Calling me a dark, demonic witch! Well, they got their demonic witch all right... When I asked you to kill that general, that was the beginning and my original plans had been to use the puppet spell that I had worked years on perfecting, on you... But I couldn't."

She ran her fingers through my hair, giving me goose bumps as she leaned in and pressed her lips to my temple. I couldn't tilt my head or move, just watch Noah seethe as he watched and the others try and break free of the magic holding them.

"You had become the son I had always wanted. You did whatever I said when I said it. You were the perfect son. You hardly ever disobeyed me and when you did, you'd cry in apology. You were so excited to learn about the magic your parents never had the chance to show you... And I couldn't kill you, not by my hand. And when I figured out Naosia was coming into town early for a stake out, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a new puppet. I sent you out to bring him back and pretended to disappear afterwards, when I had really just killed one of your guards and taken their place. I was there the whole time, Luka. Watching you grow and show your magic." She sighed, leaning in and kissing me again.

My chest felt tighter and achier. The blood from my wound trickled out slowly, turning the snow red as I felt some of the blood rise in my throat, then seep past my lips and down my chin.

"What're you doing to him?" Noah demanded angrily. Kira's eyes glittered as she leaned in, hugging me close to her as she kissed my cheek. She rose to her feet slowly.

"The knife you plunged into his chest was coated in a spell. A spell that I spent centuries working on. The only spell in the world that could destroy a lich." She replied gently, stepping in front of me.

"No!" Noah managed to cry out past clenched teeth. Kira smiled sadly.

"The job is done. The spell works depending on age. The older you are, the faster it works. Luka will be dead by tomorrow morning. But no matter, because the rest of you will die now. And don't think you can escape death now, vampire," She added, glancing at Gavin, who was baring his fangs hatefully, "Even a vampire can die."

I felt the spell doing its work, mending my body. It took me a moment to realize that the spell was making me human again. My body was building itself back up. It was almost like a time spell, working my body backwards. My bones cracked and bent back into place, my skin and muscles solidfying and becoming real again.

The spell worked deeper, though, and made my entire body real again, including the bloody wound that was now gushing blood like a normal stab wound would. My body trembled and I choked, finally leaning forward to spit up blood in the snow.

"No! Kira, stop! If he's so special to you, why are you doing this?!" Noah yelled, his voice echoing in the yard as he fought the magic's hold. Kira looked at him.

"Luka was the first person in my entire life, and that's a long life, who has ever shown me true innocence. True purity. True beauty. He was perfect. I was taught that perfection did not exist, but my tutor lied. Luka was perfection and I cannot have perfection exist while I reign over this pathetic world." She explained gently, as if it were no problem. She didn't even look at me as I hacked up another glob of blood, gasping in pain as it coursed through my body.

I grabbed around at the snow until I felt something sharp cut my fingertip. I blinked, my eyes landing on the knife in the snow. I picked it up by the handle, still feeling the spell pulsating through the blade before I looked up at Kira, who was chiding Noah for talking so much.

I looked back down at the blade, then clenched my grip on the handle, struggling to my feet.

"You're a sick twisted bitch," Noah snarled, "Just you wait! The Goddess will reincarnate all of us and you won't be able to find us in such a big world! And the Fates will make you pay for it!"

"They already have," Kira snapped in irritation, "By sending Luka to me and forcing me to kill him."

"They're not forcing you to do anything!" Noah protested angrily. Kira scowled, raising a finger to point at Noah, the tip of it glowing with magic.

"I've had enough of your lip, boy. This is why you cannot be with Luka. You're tainting him."

"You're tainting me." I managed, my voice wet with blood. Kira blinked and turned around, just as I brought the knife down with the last of my strength. The blade ripped through Kira's torso, through her turtleneck and flesh. Blood spurt free and splashed at my face, making me stumble and collapse to my knees again. Kira choked, grabbing for the knife, but I had managed to rip it downwards, cutting a huge gash down the center of her torso.

"Luka!" Noah barked instantly and found he could move as he raced after me. Gavin did the same as Remi kept his eye on Kira.

She screamed, her body cracking and mending, becoming human just like mine was now. The blood poured heavily to the ground, followed by a few organs and making my stomach lurge forward as Kira slumped to the ground, her blood steaming against the icy snow.

"Is she dead?" I managed, blood bubbling past my lips, causing me to choke. Noah caught me under the arms before I fell back in the snow. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, his hand over the stab wound in my chest.

"Luka! Ruruka, are you all right?" Noah's voice started to sound distant. My vision was turning darker at the edges, tilting and whirling as I managed to tilt my head to look at Kira's body. The blood that pooled around it...

So much blood...

Was there really that much blood in our bodies?

It was so red...

She was dead. I couldn't sense anything living about her. And I suddenly felt empty.

I just killed the woman that taught me magic. The woman who opened up a whole new world for me and treated me as her son, even if it was only meant to be a game. And I think that's what made my chest ache the most.

I suddenly felt the same way I did whenever I slept; falling into a dark pit of abyss and waiting for the nightmares to grab hold of me...