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There had only been four times when Luuk Herssen’s life had been tilted on its axis.
One, when his dear brother Rhein had succumb to the brutal effects of the Ichor. That same curse that both haunts and blesses me to this day.
Two, when he had discovered on that fateful night that his “father” was not his father, but instead a grotesque imitation gleefully parading around as such. A wolf in human skin. The very embodiment of a bastardization. And yet, they revel in the suffering it brings. To me, and to her.
Three, when the Rover gave him his final assignment, to settle down in Startorch Academy. To lay down his weapons and bloodlust in service of those who needed him. Because how else can a doctor save lives if he himself does not value his own? To that, dear Rover, I have no rebuttal too.
Four, when he decided to go against his oath and infiltrated the Fractsidus one last time. And there, amidst the depths of their tucked away laboratory, he stumbled upon a little girl. And as he frantically searched around her “room” drenched in that dreadful antiseptic smell, her experimental reports (experiments on a girl that young? It’s almost as if…), he realized just what the Grand Architect was planning to do to his now beloved Lahai-Roi. Much like how Rover left Solaris, right? I am merely doing the same but on a much smaller scale. At least that’s what quells his guilt somewhat.
It has been two fateful years since Luuk Herssen, Denia in tow, fled Lahai-Roi and settled down in the quiet border town of Jinzhou. It’s ever growing Huaxu Academy campus provided Luuk with the golden opportunity infiltrate utilize their technology to further treat Denia’s condition. While the land has had its fair share of TD outbreaks, it was mostly free of the Fracstidus’ ever-growing grip. For now, of course. It’s only a matter of time. . Luuk muses as he methodically stirs the batter-filled bowl. Still, I musn’t worry about that today. I have more important matters to attend to. For today was a special day after all, the second anniversary of Luuk and Denia’s arrival in Jinzhou. And an anniversary such as that deserves a special celebration, right? The recipe said five more minutes of stirring. Ah, that seems too long for such a simple dish. With a huff, Luuk picks up the pace, whisk hitting the sides of the metal bowl faster and faster. Denia will be home from school soon. Can’t let her see her surprise too early. Memories of hours spent scouring Denia’s stolen medical documents wash over Luuk’s thoughts. There was not a single document that didn’t have something insidious marked upon it. From “Experiment 112-submerge subject in voidmatter for 10 hours was a marked success” to “The effects of saline placebo on Denia’s mental state”. Even the “innocuous” documents, such as “Today, Denia was too much of a brat”. They left him feeling red with rage and awash with disgust and self loathing. His grip on the whisk dangerously tightens. I though Rhein and I were only one’s subjected to the hell that was that bastard’s torture. That we were the only one’s “raised” by them as well.
Who knows how many other children suffered through the same fates as his own family and Denia? How many other children he couldn’t save because-
The whisk snaps in two.
…Focus, Luuk. I have to finish this before…before Denia gets…home.
To Luuk’s great shock, the cake didn’t turn out too badly. Sure he nearly burnt it by setting the temperature too high (in a futile attempt to speed up the process) but it was mostly edible. And through his careful observations, Denia herself wasn’t a picky eater. In fact, she never revealed much about herself. Only that she considered her name to be Denia (like the medical records). On official Jinzhou records, her name was Alesya. And his, Aleks. It is only in the privacy of their home that they refer to each other as otherwise. A little secret between us. It seems she likes to keep those. He hums to himself as he places the final touches on the cake, dried mangosteen bits. Nothing escaped his keen gaze for too long. Denia, it seemed, loved sweets. Particularly sweet fruits. On multiple occasions, Luuk had found her munching away on the ripe mangosteens fallen from their tree in the backyard. In a small, hidden corner right next to the bushes, of course. He’d offered to wash them off for her and prepare them as a snack for school, but she fervently rejected his offer each time. She loves to keep to herself, it seems. I…I was the same way when I lost Rhein. A small, pained frown settles onto his face. Suddenly, the familiar sound of the front door unlocking startles him out of his thoughts. “Alright, let’s go. I only hope she doesn’t shut me out like usual.” The door slowly opens as the little Denia sticks curiously sticks her head in. Her wary eyes scour all that she can see, as if waiting for…something. A habit she has yet to break. Her blue bow, meticulously placed on the right side of her hair earlier that morning, was lopsided but thankfully still there. Unlike all the other times. Luuk plasters a smile on his face as he cheerfully gestures towards the decorated cake.
“Hey Ales- I mean, Denia! Welcome home! It’s quite the special day today. It’s the day that we moved here, away from…” Away from that hell you called a home. “Lahai-Roi! I even made a special treat for you. Why don’t you sit down and try it while you tell me about your day?” Denia impassively stares at the cake, her eyes never wavering. Luuk’s smile tightens ever so slightly. Please don’t tell me she’s going to go into shut down mode again. I’d spent so much time trying to- His ears perk up at the quiet of Denia’s feet as she shuffles towards the table and stills directly over the slice of cake. Her expression remains impassive, illuding even Luuk’s analytical mind as he tries to gauge her emotions. After a long moment, she slowly, almost hesitantly, grasps the slice and takes a small bite. A flicker of pleasant surprise flashes across Denia’s face before she locks back on into her usual impassivity. That rare, precious moment was all Luuk needed. With a small sigh, he sits down in his own chair. Don’t stare at her too much, she hates it when you do that. He mentally reminds himself. “Hm, well I’ll start with my day first. Believe it or not, I’ve never made a cake before, and it surprisingly took a lot of out me…” As Luuk monologues about his event, he subtly notices Denia actually paying attention to him. Her eyes lighting up his jokes, the slight furrow of his brow at his follies.
And that, to him, was more than enough.