"Morgan, I can't believe you just ran off like that! You had me scared half to death! We were looking all over for you, and we still couldn't find you! If you were having issues, why didn't you come and talk to us about it? We could've at least tried to help you. Please don't do something so reckless ever again..."
Yuta was clutching my shoulders tightly as she spoke to me like a mother to her child, her head facing down as though she were trying to hide the tears that were building up in her eyes. It didn't even occur to me until then how much I must have worried them. I left the cabin in the middle of the night, then didn't show up until the afternoon of the following day, not to mention I had bandages wrapped around my head.
"Yuta, I'm sorry," I whispered, unable to think of much else to say. "I should have at least told you guys where I was going before I left. I'm sorry to have caused you all trouble."
"Ah, it wasn't trouble you caused us," Kyo assured me. "Personally, I knew you'd be alright. You're a very independent guy, Morgan. I trust you."
"I agree with Kyo," said Ushio. "However, I can't ignore the fact that you almost made my sister cry. Yuta cares a lot for you, Morgan, in case you didn't already know that. I'll have to ask you to be more careful in the future. For all of our sakes."
I placed my hands gently on Yuta's shoulders and waited until she lifted her head to look at me. "Yuta," I began, drawing in a deep breath. "I promise never to run away again. If I have a problem, I promise to consult you about it first. Okay? So please forgive me."
A sweet smile formed on Yuta's face as she began wiping away her misty eyes with the backs of her wrists. "Yeah, I guess I can forgive you," she said, laughing a bit. "On one condition."
Oh no. "What is it?"
"You have to-"
"Yuta."
Before she could finish her statement, Yuta was cut off by Kyo's urgent voice. I looked up and noticed that he was waving an envelope in the air...a rather familiar looking envelope.
"Yuta, have you forgotten about this?" he asked, causing Yuta to let out a heavy sigh. "Morgan, we found this by our doorstep earlier this morning. I think you should read it." Kyo then opened the envelope and handed the letter that was inside over to me. I immediately began to read the message:
Dear Acquaintences,
I regret to inform you that you are all currently being pursued a band of demons led by a very threatening man named Ryuu. Ryuu may not have been chosen to join the Midnight Legion, but that is no reason to underestimate him. The reason he was turned down by Satan to join the Legion is because he's quite the unpredictable type. He's a cheater, a liar, a crafty man, but also someone who doesn't take no for an answer. From what I know, the twins hired him a lot of money to capture someone that, by Karm's description, matched Kyo perfectly. They are also on the lookout for a man with hair that is a particular shade of orange. I assume they are referring to Morgan, so I thought it'd be wise to let you know. They don't know what your face looks like, but I still advise you to be extremely cautious, Morgan. I heard you guys made quite an appearance at the mansion...I wish I could have been there to see it, and to help you.
Anyway, I should probably get to the point. Ryuu and the demons working under him are headed your way. I know you may have thought this little vacation of yours would keep you safe for a while, but you actually are putting yourself in more danger. I suggest you get out of there and go back home as soon as possible to avoid encountering Ryuu. For the time being, I will...try to hold them off. However, in my current state I am not sure I'll be of much help. I still promise to do my best. I wish you all luck. Stay safe.
~Connie
"You have got to be kidding me..."
I could hardly believe what I was reading. It just seemed impossible...how could any of those demons have found out where we were?
"That's exactly what I said," sighed Ushio. "It looks like we'll have to leave this place before our vacation is over. It's a shame, really..."
"I don't see why we have to leave."
Ushio, Yuta and I stared at Kyo, who simply shrugged at us. "What? I want to enjoy the rest of my vacation. What's so wrong with that?"
"Kyo, you're being pursued by a bunch of demons," Yuta reminded him. "We can't just stay here and do nothing. We'll be sitting ducks! Who knows what they'll do with you and Morgan when they find us?"
"I'm just saying, I don't believe what's in that letter," said Kyo. "Connie's probably just playing a trick on us. I mean, she's lied to us before, hasn't she? And besides, I ain't afraid of anyone that's out to get me. If something does attack, I'll be ready."
"Kyo!" Ushio seized the brunette's collar and gave it a tug, then looked sternly into his eyes, while Kyo just kept a casual expression. "How about you think about us, too? We don't want you or Morgan to get taken away. And Yuta's right. Who knows what they'll do? You guys could get killed! Don't you care about yourself at all?!"
"Ushio, that's enough!" Yuta grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him away from Kyo, and she didn't let go until he calmed down. "You two are both being ridiculous!" She yelled. "How about we ask Morgan what he wants to do?"
"Ah, n-no, I'd rather not deci-..." Before I could finish my sentence, I found myself being stared down by three pairs of harsh eyes. I flinched. "G-guys, you're scaring me. Listen, I'd rather not go home right now either, but if staying here puts any of our lives in danger, then of course I think we should leave."
"There you have it." Ushio and Yuta returned their gaze to Kyo. "It's decided," said Ushio. "We're packing our bags and heading back to Aobasani."
"I'm not."
"Kyo!!"
Kyo turned his back to his snowy haired friend and crossed his arms like a stubborn child. "We agreed to stay here together for a week, didn't we? What happened to that? Are you all turning into sissies and backing out on our agreement? That's pretty sad."
"What has gotten into you, man?" said Ushio, his voice somewhat desperate. "It's three against one. Yuta, Morgan and I want to leave, and there's no way we're leaving you behind. Why can't you just cooperate for once in your life?"
"Go ahead and leave me," huffed Kyo. "I could always take the train back to Aobasani on my own."
Ushio looked hopelessly confused by Kyo's words and behavior. To be honest, I was confused, as well. This didn't seem like Kyo at all. Usually he would put us before himself. He would consider the fact that staying at this cabin could be a serious threat to all of our lives. He wouldn't be acting this way. He wouldn't be speaking like this to Ushio...his best friend. Something was seriously wrong, and I had a feeling I knew what it was.
"You aren't Kyo...are you...?"
"Eh?" Kyo titled his head and glanced at me over his shoulder, a smirk creeping up onto his face, and soon a quiet laugh escaped his mouth. Yuta and Ushio instantly became alarmed by this, and they took steps backward until they were standing beside me.
"Morgan, what's going on?" Yuta whispered, her voice shaking. "Do you know what's wrong with Kyo?"
I hesitated answering her question, fearing what her reaction might be. "I think...I think he's possessed."
"Possessed-?!"
I quickly slapped my hand over Yuta's mouth and glared at her, a frantic expression flooding my eyes in an instant. "I don't want to jump to conclusions!" I hissed. "That was just the first thing that came to mind. I could be wrong, so don't just go and-"
"No, I'm convinced you're right," said Ushio. "Kyo has been acting a little off ever since we split up to look for you. I wouldn't be surprised if something happened during that time."
"Do you think he could be possessed by that demon Connie warned us about in the letter?" said Yuta.
"Oh, I sure hope not," I breathed, shuddering at the thought of her assumption being correct. "How about we wait and find out for sure? Like...ask him something only Kyo would know?"
"But he already knows that we agreed to stay here for a week, remember?" said Ushio. "If that's the case then the demon must have access to Kyo's memories."
"Then how are we going to figure out if it's really him?" asked Yuta.
"Excuse me?"
The three of us lifted our heads and flinched at the sight of Kyo staring directly at us, seeming very irritated at us for ignoring him. "Yeeess?" said Yuta hesitantly. "Did you want something?"
"Now you guys are the ones acting strange," he scoffed. "What's the deal? Shouldn't you be packing?"
Ushio shot me a look and waited until I gave him the 'ok' before stepping out in front of us to speak with Kyo. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions, Kyo?"
Kyo raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"You know, just to confirm your identity."
Way to be subtle, Ushio...
"Whatever makes you happy," Kyo groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Alright..." Ushio took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as if to prepare himself for what was about to happen. "When did you and I first meet?"
Kyo was quick to reply. "First day of our second year of high school. You ended up getting crazy defensive when I tried to talk to your sister."
Ushio immediately thought up a second question. "What's my favorite color and why?"
"Red because it reminds you of rose petals, and roses were the flower your father gave your mother on their first date."
He seems to know the answers to the questions, but his voice still seems off to me...I just can't put my finger on it...
"Well how about-"
"Ushio." I placed my hand on his shoulder to stop him from speaking, and he shot me a curious look. I leaned in closer to him and whispered, "Don't you think his voice sounds strange?"
Ushio was quiet for a moment, but he soon nodded and replied, "Yeah, I did notice that. What should we do?"
"Do you think I could try asking him a question now?"
"But that wouldn't really make a difference, would it?" he said. "He knows all the answers to these questions. There's no way to find out for sure if he's Kyo or not."
"Just let me try."
Ushio exhaled deeply and nodded his head again. "Go ahead, if you think you can do it..."
"Thank you." I took a few steps out in front of Ushio and Yuta and locked my eyes on Kyo, who seemed rather uninterested in everything that was going on. "Kyo, it's my turn to quiz you."
"You guys really are something else..." He forced a laugh whilst gritting his teeth. "Whatever. Shoot."
"Could you tell me anything about a man named Ironmage?"
"Never heard of him."
"Seraph?"
"Don't know who that is."
"What about Ren?"
"That's my little brother."
"What did he say?" Ushio's eyes grew wide at Kyo's immediate response, and soon Yuta stood by her brother's side, looking equally curious. "That's not right," he said, shaking his head. "Kyo's an only child. He told us himself."
"Ah, you're a tricky one, Morgan..."
+++
The three of us stared at Kyo with alarmed expressions as the brunette's face became flooded with a deviously frightening look. He wasn't hiding his smirk anymore, and that made me feel even more scared. "What have you done with our friend?!" I shouted.
"He's still with me," Kyo replied simply, although now that I knew it wasn't Kyo, I didn't know what to call him. "He's tucked away inside while I'm controlling this body."
"Who are you?"
"You can call me Luca."
I felt a sudden, strange movement in my chest, almost as if the sound of that name had triggered something in me. "Luca...why does that sound familiar?"
"You mean you remember me just by hearing my name?"
I shot him a look. For some reason, he wasn't smirking anymore, but rather smiling. I can't believe this. "There's no way..."
"I'm going to pull my freakin' hair out. You two know each other. Of course you do." Ushio fell on his knees and gripped his hair tightly with his hands. He probably would have started yanking it out, too, if it hasn't been for Yuta.
"Calm down, brother, this may turn out to be a good thing..."
"Good thing or not, I'm gonna go insane. First it was Hanako, then Niall, then Levin, then Natalya and Ezekiel, and now this guy...who's next?"
I kinda feel bad for Ushio right now...
"Anyway, Luca, I have to ask, what are you doing here? What happened to that bar you used to run?"
"I gave it up," he replied simply. "You'll never believe it, actually. Ignis came to the bar and said he'd give me my job back if I was able to prove myself worthy. He asked me to work under Ryuu for a while, so here I am. I've been doing this for nine years, but I can feel my goal approaching...soon I'll be able to work for my old boss again."
"You possessed my friend...because you're trying to get your job back?"
"Well if you put it that way, I sound like a bad person."
"Please give Kyo back to us!" Yuta exclaimed.
"Can't do that just yet, little missy," said Luca. "As of now, the only orders I obey are the ones that come from my master Ryuu. And the order he last gave me was a very specific one."
"Does it involve killing Kyo and I?" I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him.
"No," he replied, smiling. "Just kidnapping."
"I can't let you do that."
Luca raised his eyebrows, seeming quite shocked by my bold statement. "Oh? And what on earth could you possibly do to prevent that from happening? Fight me?"
"If I have to."
"Morgan, don't be stupid," said Ushio. "He's a demon. You could never win in a fight against him."
"Maybe, but I would never surrender to a demon like him, either."
Luca released a great sigh as he averted my gaze. "Listen, Morgan...can I ask you a question?"
"Huh?" I shot him a confused glance. "What is it?"
"Just was is it you're trying to do?"
"I'm not sure I understand," I told him. "What do you mean by that?"
"You were at that party the twins hosted a few days ago," he reminded me. "I don't know how you managed to do it, but I suppose that's not really important. Why would you do something so reckless? That mansion was filled with hundreds of demons, and you waltzed right in like you were one of 'em. No one in their right mind would do something so idiotic."
"I guess I'm not in my right mind, then."
Luca stared at me with a look that expressed utter disbelief. It was like I was some sort of puzzle he just couldn't figure out. "You're something special, aren't ya?" He said, laughing quietly. "I guess the book didn't exaggerate you at all."
"The book?" I tilted my head. "What are you talking about?"
"Never mind," Luca sighed, shaking his head. "It's not important."
"So what now? Are you gonna fight me?"
Luca snorted and turned his head from me as if I had just cracked a joke. "Please, Morgan, I'd never actually fight someone like you..."
I scoffed. "Are you mocking me?"
"Not at all," he replied. "What I'm saying is that I plan on letting you go."
"Really?!" Yuta rushed forward and stood beside me, her face now lit up with immense relief. "Did ya hear that, Morgan? We can go!"
Despite what Luca had said, I still couldn't help but stare at him with a doubtful expression. "Is that so?"
Luca nodded. "Yup. Cross my heart and hope to die, I'll let you go with no strings attached."
"What's your reason for doing this?"
Luca's head fell, and he glanced to the side as if to avoid my stern gaze. "It has to do with that book I mentioned," he explained. "There was this guy I knew once...he was a human, and a very strange human at that. His name was Vitri. He wrote this book that was filled with all sorts of stuff that-"
"Wait, did you say Vitri?" I interrupted him, suddenly recalling hearing that name back at the mansion. "We met a man named Vitri at the twins' party...if he's a human, then did he sneak in, just like we did?"
"He must have," sighed Luca, looking slightly dazed at my mentioning it. "I said he was strange, didn't I? Vitri is very, very strange...but he's also a mad genius. That brain of his contains everything there is to know about the Shadow Keeper, as well as everything even remotely linked to the Shadow Keeper. He mentions you in the book, Morgan. He said that you have the power to calm the mighty beast within the Shadow Keeper using nothing but your words."
There it is again...that painful feeling of nostalgia. Yuta said something like this to me a while ago...back when she first discovered what my real name was.
"Your name is written down on the pages of a very important book my brother and I once had. It was called 'The Legend of the Midnight Legion.' Unfortunately, we lost the book years ago and haven't been able to recover it ever since. There was one line of text that I still remember from what I was able to read in the short time we possessed the book: 'He has the ability to tame the mighty beast himself with just his words.'"
"But I'm just Hanako's friend..." I whispered to myself. "And Hanako...Hanako isn't a beast...he's just...misunderstood..."
"Whatever makes you feel better," said Luca, rolling his eyes. "I'm simply acknowledging your significance in the boy's life. All thanks to what Jeremy did all those years ago, the lives of every demon in existence has changed. Especially those in the Midnight Legion. And according to what that book says, it's because of you that the Shadow Keeper even has the strength to take a step forward. That's why I'm letting you go. However, if we do meet again, I can't promise you that things will be the same. So I advise you take hold of this opportunity and get out of here before Ryuu comes."
"I still can't believe you're doing this..."
Luca walked up to me and slapped his hands down on my shoulders, snapping my train of thought immediately. "You're gonna make a huge difference in his life someday," he said in a low voice. "Even more than you have up till this point. I trust you, Morgan. Got that?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah...thanks, Luca."
"Now I have one more thing to ask of you."
"And what would that be?"
+++
"I can't believe that guy is making us retrieve his body from the forest JUST so we can get Kyo back."
"Yuta, you make it sound like getting Kyo back isn't a good thing."
Yuta sighed heavily. "It was a joke, Morgan. Relax."
Meanwhile, while we were trudging through the forest searching for an unconscious body, Luca was still sitting comfortably in the cabin, waiting for us to bring it back to him. We had been diligently searching for Luca's body for a little over five minutes when suddenly I spotted a head full of blonde hair poking out from behind a tree. "Guys, there!" I exclaimed, then began running towards it. Ushio soon followed me and assisted me in hoisting the body over my shoulders so that I could carry it easily. Well, I say easily, but Luca was apparently really...really heavy.
"Need help?" Ushio offered.
"Nah," I grunted. "I...I can handle it. Let's just go get our friend back, okay?"
Ushio covered his mouth as if to block his smile, but I still noticed his eyes light up with amusement. "Yeah, okay..." He said. "Let's go get Kyo."
And so we did. Just as he promised, Luca gave Kyo back to us and returned to his own body. Kyo was unstable and extremely confused at first, but after a brief explanation, he was insistent about leaving the lakeside cabin as soon as possible. I couldn't help but smile at the urgency in his voice. It wasn't hard to notice how different he sounded than when Luca had been using him. This was the Kyo we knew and loved. This was the Kyo that was more concerned about the lives of his friends. This was the real Kyo.
"Screw vacation, I never liked the outdoors anyway..."
Yeah...this was the real him alright...