The sun in the sky was blazing hot, the date must be somewhere in August summer. Luke sneaks through a shallow alley and cautiously looks around before reassuring himself.
Luke sighs softly, "That was a close call to get myself into trouble. Well, at least I get to eat a free meal today!"
He wipes out the sweat on his forehead and walks deeply into the alley. He was not sure where to go next after his escape plan from the tavern, leaving him clueless about what to do next.
It's quite a dilemma for him. Going back is admitting, and going away is escaping. Either way, he's done for.
After taking a few steps into the depths of the shallow alley, Luke noticed something else was watching him and deliberately looked around. But he couldn't find anything that was watching him.
"Something's staring at me... Oh well, let's move to the next place to loaf around." He mutters.
Upon taking a step forward, Luke stopped and sensed a presence behind him and glanced without moving his body around. The figure behind him was overlapped by the sunshine, and he couldn't see clearly.
"Finally, I have caught up with you!" It was the voice of a female around a young age.
Luke rolled out his eyes and sighed in dissatisfaction.
"I don't have time for this... What do you want from me? If it's about money, I definitely didn't do anything." He whines.
"It's nothing like that." The female figure replied in assurance.
"Oh, thank god. I thought I was about to ge-"
Suddenly, Luke's words came to a halt as a cross sign burned in his throat and he winced in pain. It was some sort of curse spell that was inbound within his vocabulary.
"It's always that word! I can't even say It!" Luke complained while rubbing his neck.
The female figure was a bit confused, but she maintained her composure as she cleared her throat.
"Just wanna ask you a question; are you Luke Dexter?" She asked intently.
Upon hearing his name, Luke stopped and turned around to see the female figure. But due to the bright luminance of the sunshine behind her, he couldn't see her face completely.
"How do you know my name?!" he gasped, eyes wide in panic. "Wait—did you follow me? Are you here to arrest me?! I swear, I'm not a criminal! That guy was trying to rob the place, and I just happened to stop him! I didn't do anything wrong, I swear!"
"W-What? I'm not here to arrest you." She replied.
"Really? Oh, thank me! I thought I was gonna spend another day in the darkness of my life again! Though I do prefer that lifestyle."
"Listen, I'm here because I wanted you to come with me. There's a really important business we need t-"
"Nah, not interested." Luke brushed his hand away.
"W-What?" The female figure was baffled at his response.
"I already told you, I'm not interested in your business. I'm neither an adventurer nor a mercenary. Whatever it is that's so important to you, it's not my concern. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my own path to figure out, and I'd like to enjoy this moment of searching for my purpose."
"You said your name was 'Luke' back in the tavern, right?" The female figure directly intervenes, trying to convince.
"...Yes, I did say that. Hold on—how do you know my full name?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
The female figure steps forward and lowers the hood of her cloak, revealing a blonde hair with green eyes beneath that hood. It was Lea Healen.
"My name is Lea Healen, and I'm a renowned mage under my family's faction 'Vitalis'. I came here to find you personally to fulfill my Grandmother's task."
She pulled a small card from her pocket and held it out to Luke—it was an old photograph. Luke stared at it for a moment before recognition flickered in his widened eyes. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, a bittersweet blend of joy and melancholy.
"She said that you were her old camaraderie and she wanted to meet you," Lea added.
"Old camaraderie?" Luke mused.
Lea nodded and replied, "I'd believe that you recognize that photo, and you also have an idea who wants to meet you."
Luke looked at the photo in his hand and furrowed his eyes, looking pensive.
"Oh, I know exactly who wants to meet me—and let me save you the trouble: I'm not interested."
"W-What?" Lea was baffled and confused about his response.
"The reason I came back is to live free!" Luke whined, throwing up his hands. "I don't care about meeting people or hanging around with anyone. That's not why I'm here!"
Lea blinked, confused. "What are you talking about? Why wouldn't you want to come with me?"
"Like I said, I don't have any interest in that."
Luke sighed and turned away from Lea, half closing his eyes and waving his hand as he was about to leave the alley. It was apparent that he was not going to cooperate.
"Now, I'm leaving. Goodbye!"
Luke took a few steps forward as he was leaving. But it wasn't that easy to let him off as Lea gave a stern look and pointed her finger towards Luke.
"I'm not letting you go! No way, not after searching for you for two months!"
After she said that, Luke stopped and glanced at her, seeing that she was trying to stop him with some kind of spell. He turned halfway and snickered like he didn't care.
"What are you trying to plan here?" He asked.
Lea, seeing that he didn't flinch from her stance, remained calm. Slowly, she gathered her mana, directing it toward her finger. A small violet magic circle appeared around her right arm as she prepared to strike.
"Not letting you get away," she murmured, her voice steady.
"Fulmina Astra!"
A blast of purple lighting came out from her finger and swiftly propelled into Luke's position.
Luke stood frozen, a confident smirk on his face, as if he could withstand the intensity of the lightning bolt. Or so he thought...
"Come on, a mere lightning bolt can't possibly—"
Before he could finish, the bolt struck, and in an instant, Luke was hit so hard that the purple lightning seemed to become his very aura. His body spasmed uncontrollably, the electric current coursing through him like a cartoon character.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Luke screeched, his hair standing on end as the electricity jolted through him.
After a few seconds, Luke collapsed to the ground, his body searing like a piece of toast left too long on the grill. Lea blinked twice, her face twisting in visible confusion.
"Huh?"
The tension that had felt so stern moments ago now shifted to an awkward silence. Luke slowly rose from the ground, his body trembling from the force of the lightning bolt. He shot a glance at Lea, his attempt at confidence faltering.
"W-Wow... I didn't know you were that strong! But, uh, that was just a fluke!" He pointed shakily at her, his voice betraying his unease.
"But that was just a regular lightning bolt spell..." Lea muttered under her breath.
"Doesn't matter! Now I'll show you the true power of my wrath—!" Luke shouted, gathering his mana in preparation for a counterattack.
Before he could finish, Lea casually raised a finger and unleashed another lightning bolt, this time without uttering a single word. The bolt struck Luke square in the chest, and his body seized with the shock.
"OWAAAAAAAA!!!" Luke screamed, his hair frizzing as he was sent tumbling backward, his confidence utterly shattered.
This time, Luke managed to stay on his feet, though the lingering smoke from his singed clothes and the exhaustion on his face were undeniable. His body shook from the intensity of the bolt, but he forced a weak grin.
"W-Wow, you're really good at this...!" Luke stammered, barely able to keep a smile.
Lea raised an eyebrow, blinking in confusion. She knew her lightning bolt spell wasn't just a typical one—her mastery as a renowned mage meant that even a basic spell from her could be far more potent than the average. She had intentionally powered it up, but it seemed Luke hadn't noticed.
"Um... Are you okay? You're looking a little... toasted there..." Lea said, her tone laced with genuine concern.
Suddenly, Luke yelped and pointed behind her.
"L-Look! A cat! Hah! You looked! Now it's my chance to—!" He attempted to distract her, turning around and trying to make a run for it.
"I'm not falling for that!" Lea snapped, unfazed.
Without missing a beat, she sent another bolt of lightning straight at his back. Luke's body jolted with the shock, and his high-pitched scream echoed through the air.
"GYAAAAA! ALRIGHT, FINE! I'M COMING WITH YOU!!!" Luke shrieked, his voice cracking as he collapsed to the ground, releasing smoke into his mouth with his blank white eyes.
Lea let out a deep sigh of disappointment, her eyes closing in frustration. She crossed her arms, shaking her head as she tried to make sense of Luke's stubbornness.
"This is getting annoying," she muttered under her breath. "Just like she described him—stubborn as a rock... and just as irritating."
As Lea muttered to herself, a realization hit her. She turned her gaze toward Luke, who was sprawled out on the ground, looking utterly fried. Her eyes widened as the full extent of what she'd done hit her: she had unintentionally knocked him out with her lightning bolt.
"I-I think I may have gone too far..." she admitted, her voice tinged with guilt.
To be honest, it had been a bit much—more like a prolonged taze that he couldn't withstand. She hadn't meant to go that far, but it was clear that the shock had overwhelmed him. She couldn't exactly deny it was partly her fault.
With a resigned sigh, she approached Luke and, with some effort, started dragging him by his arms, pulling him out of the alley. There was nothing else to be done now.
But, well, at least she had achieved what she came for. Luke would be coming with her—unconscious or not—toward a place where an old friend of his had been waiting for eighty years.
"S-So heavy!"