"eh? By... Burning me? Why?" I look at them both, I take it back! I'd rather have my hands, legs, and body chopped off! Heck-! I'll even cut off my di-
Deon: "Father wants to test how fast you can heal"
Luke: "If you beheaded me, give me a couple of seconds and I will probably turn to normal..."
Leon: "Oh? Is that so? Then maybe beating you is not needed anymore, we can use a knife and see how deep we can cut your throat and how long it'll take for you to heal yourself"
Luke: "U-um... I don't think that is good, I probably died instantly,"
Leon: "No worries, I know how to make sure you get a couple of seconds before dying"
Before I can say anything back, he slices my throat-! "!?" I coughed up blood! Hurts. Fuck it hurts! It fucking hurts! Tears fall from my eyes, it feels as if I'm dying- cut that shit out! I'm fucking dying right now!!! I fall to the ground-! Coughing up more blood-
I am in a panic I can't think of anything! Fuck! Heal! I need to heal! The hand that I put on my throat immediately let out a light from it. A circle of light also appears below me. And just a second after that there's no blood anymore...
"5 seconds, not bad," Leon says as he gets down on one knee and looks at me. "I thought it would at least take you 12 or 14 seconds, but only in 5 seconds you had already healed yourself" he put his finger on my neck, and my body began to tremble... "it didn't even leave a scar..." Leon said as he brushed his finger against my neck gently... This is probably the gentlest Leon I have ever seen...
"that being said Luke, you said it'll probably take you a couple of seconds to heal back should you be beheaded right?"
My face turned pale... "it's just a statement! There's no actual proof that I can do that!" he stands up. "but that means, there is a chance no?" I closed my eyes! It's useless fuck! Fuck! This shit is worse than hell! Fuck Leon and his ugly ass pants! Fuck Deon too for being a bitch and just standing there like an NPC while looking at us! What the hell am I even thinking!? Dude, I'm going insane!!!
"open your eyes and stand up Luke"
I slowly stand up and open my eyes... Both of my hands are on my chest... I can feel it, my heart is beating so fast it might stop. I'd rather die thanks to a heart attack- "Just kidding" Leon laughed. "aww you're so scared~" Leon said as he put his hand on my neck. "ngh-!" he gripped my neck-! I can't breathe... "A-a-" I tried to get his hand away... Leon then grabs my wrist and smirks
"Leon, stop it"
Deon grabs Leon's hand and takes him away from me, finally... I sighed in relief, ow... There's some bruise... I heal it up.
Leon: "Well what are we waiting for? Deon, pour the gasoline on him"
Deon: "Okay"
I immediately ran to the door, opened, it, and ran away! Jesus, what the fuck? I can take some beating but being burned? Hell fucking no! That's the worst that could happen to me! I run as fast as I can but unfortunately, what can a mere weak-ass guy like me do you run away from those two? I immediately felt my arm being grabbed and turned around- it was Leon who grabbed my arm...
Leon: "... Don't try to resist, this is Father's order"
I tried to get him away from me but nothing worked... For a moment, it feels like he is sad... Ehhh probably just my imagination, to see me getting tortured, this is his paradise. The gasoline was poured on me, please, please, please... Anything but this. I'm going to die...
"...." I silently accept my fate, something that I noticed before this is that they avoid pouring it on my head, and my left arm. So aside from that, only a few parts of my body are safe from being poured with gasoline. Leon then took my left arm and tore the sleeves. He then put a... What is that? A cast? It's not made out of cotton? Huh, why do they put that on my left arm?
Oooh! It was made out of plaster and fiberglass! Good! Those two materials are not flammable! At least I know that one of my arms is gonna be safe!
Deon then lights up the match... I grip my hand. "..." After everything is done, Leon then steps back and looks at Deon "This will be quick, so stay still," he said. Deon then throws a match at me- **whoosh** "ahhh!!!" my legs, my body, and my right arm are burning-! "ah!!!" I scream in pain-! Shit!!! It hurts!!! Damnit...!
Leon then goes away and comes back with- a bucket!? "Master Leon you can't pour water on gasoline!!!" I yell! What the hell is he thinking!? "on shit" he then runs back. Before I knew it, Deon used his power and snapped his finger. To which the fire immediately goes out. "what...?" I look at him, "I'll tell you once Leon is here" I sigh of relief, haha... I don't cry... Just kidding, tears have already gone down from my eyes as I groan in pain, out of everything why the fuck does Duke use the burning method!?
He can just ask them to cut me or something, hell I'd rather have myself being beaten to half dead rather than to be burned ever again. Burning is one of the worst things that could have happened to a human. It can destroy your nervous system, I begin to check if I can still move my hand, and the fire burns my entire arms. But surprisingly, my legs were okay, maybe because the leg is the last place they pour the gasoline on, it was little compared to my right arm.
There's swelling, redness, and of course... I have a hard time trying to move my right arm. I don't have the right tools and I can't possibly do surgery, i'm a doctor, not a surgeon, I'm pretty sure there is no technology like that in this world. But I have a magic. Now... I think I just need to use it. But I can only heal the skin and the flesh, if I heal it just like usual the inside cannot be healed. I guess I just had to...
I'm not a surgeon, although I know where to cut, it's still a big risk, do I... Do I risk it? One wrong move and I might cut the wrong part. You know what? Whatever, I'll just risk it. This is the world of fantasy and I'm the second male lead. At least I have some plot armor to protect me right!?
I turn to Deon, "Master Deon, give me a dagger right now!" he gives me a dagger without question, good. At least he's not annoying. I bite my lips as I slice my hand. If I cut it big enough to fit a couple of my fingers then I can heal the inside. "m-mmh...!" after the wound is big enough I begin to put my finger inside.
... I began to activate the healing power, yes, I now can control the healing power better than before, all those weeks of self-training and reading lots of books have finally paid off. After a few seconds, I can feel my arm a lot better than before. The flesh is also slowly recovering. I don't feel so bad now, my arm feels a bit cold, after that I moved away by finger and began to heal the wound, Deon just watched me from behind. I also heal my legs.
Okay, everything is alright now! I test my arm by waving it and gripping it. Mmh... Yup, it's alright!"
"Hey, I bring this chemical you think it'll help?" Leon says as he runs to us. "I bring this pink glowing thing that I brought from Sebastian" I smile at him. " shut the fuck up-" *cut* I walked to him. "Master Leon... You are too late if master Deon hadn't put out the fire by now, I would have been a crisp corpse"
Leon: "Anyway, how long did it take for you to heal?"
Luke: "uh..."
Deon: "Burning time, 5 seconds, he took 3 seconds to let everything in, in the end, he cut his wrist and opened a bigger wound. Then he heals his inside so I guess around 5 seconds, oh he took 4 seconds to heal his legs. Conclusion, 9 seconds max"
Leon: "Oh, that was fast,"
Luke: "What was the purpose of putting a cast on my right hand?"
Leon: "You know? To make sure you have one hand that is not burned so that you can heal yourself?"
Luke: "... I see... (fuck you Mr. One pant leg)"
They continue to talk, cussing is something that I do to cope I guess... Their conversation goes on, and I just can't keep up... I hate it here, Deon seems to notice that I am uncomfortable. Perhaps he is feeling a little bit nicer today, he say that I can go.
I then immediately go away to my room, I go inside my room and go to bed, I hug the pillow. I was scared, so freaking scared... They just casually burn me like that, especially with that duke. He really says, "Burn your half-brother and see how fast he heals huh?" I hate this place, I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared... I wanna go back, I want to go back to my real life, even though it's boring, it's a million times better than this world. At least I don't need to be worried about getting tortured every second.
I cried silently in my sleep, I can't do shit, I don't have the strength to fight back, and even if I tried I can't do it. My body is too weak compared to them. The butterfly... Even if I use the butterfly they must have a way to deal with it, after all, it is the weakest beast right here. I'm not like all those cunning MCs in Manhwa, manga, or anime. Besides those being true fantasy, I'm in a real novel right now.
What is Jessica doing right now? I have savings, hopefully, she was able to get it and be able to support herself. I miss the food we both shared. She was annoying but I loved her nonetheless, it's not like I can just randomly pop out of a portal and go back, that's impossible. Is there even a way to just fight back without risking getting killed? If I speak back I'll risk being beaten to death, if I fight back, I'll risk being tortured to death. But if I don't do anything they'll still find a way to torture me.
"I'm tired," I say to myself, everything is making me lose faith in myself. I'll just go to sleep, maybe then... Maybe then I'll find a way to help myself. I'll just let tomorrow me deal with stuff.
...
"Brother! Ahhh!!!" I ran to Jessica's room! "what's wrong!?" I look at her! Is someone in the house!? She points at the TV "GHOST! AHHH!!!" she yells, I sigh and sit next to her. "here, gimme that" She gives me her controller... After a few times, I began to understand why she was screaming...
"URGH-!!!" the ghost groans as its body begins to tear and its mouth suddenly begins to open wide revealing another demon inside.
"AH!!!!" and Jessica both screamed at the jumpscare as we both hugged each other-! ... Then the story ended. I sighed in relief, "that was so cool!" Jessica says as she looks at me excitedly, "Let's play another one!" I chuckled. "no can do Jessi, I need to work tomorrow" she pouted "Please ~?" I shake my head "Maybe next time" she scoffs "You said that last time!" I smirk "But I did play with you right?" she pouted again, "That was like, a half year ago!" I laughed.
I pat her head once again, this... This is a dream. But it felt so real. I know that, and yet... I put my forehead against hers as I closed my eyes. "Jessica" ... "yes?"
I kiss her forehead.
"I love you,"
...
I open my eyes. I then get up from the bed and begin to walk to the mirror. "huh? Am I...crying?" I noticed the tears fall from my eyes. What...happened? Why am I crying? Did I have a nightmare? No... If that's the case I would have felt... Scared but I feel warm? Ah... I must have dreamt of Jessica. Yes, that would explain why I feel warm. I'll try my best today,
I started my day by bathing right away, the shower was very warm and comfy... If it wasn't because I had something else to do, I would have just stayed in the bathroom for at least 3 hours! After changing into my clothes, I begin to write in my diary. Occasionally, I would read the diary to see what previous Luke was doing and stuff about his late mother.
After that, I ring a bell, Charles goes in and gives me breakfast. This is one of the things that he does for me, The last time I tried to convince him that I could go and take my food he kept insisting that I should just stay in my room which I can see why, getting out is just another way of me saying "hey, I'm very weak so please bully me!" hah... Well it's not like I want to get out, I might not look like it, but yesterday took a toll on me. But I need to hold it in, I can't stay sad all the time I need to find a way to get to my world back.
But for that, I would need a lot of books on how to teleport magic and stuff, I might not be able to cast dangerous magic because of my weak body, but teleport and otherworldly magic stuff aren't dangerous technically. "Young master, is the food to your liking?" Charles asks, I nod, "Yes, it is very delicious. Thank you, Charles" he nods and begins to put the tea in my cup. I drink it. "Ah, that reminds me. Is Kyle's training going well? Also, what happened Ansel? I left him yesterday and I unfortunately didn't visit him,"
Charles: "Both of them are fine, Ansel is currently in his room, and the young master Kyle's training is going splendidly"
Luke: "Is that so? I was worried that I might have made those two sad by leaving them yesterday and not visiting"
Charles: "Even if that were to be the case, I'm sure both of them can understand why"
Luke: "Mmh, I know, I just can't help but feel guilty, that's all. After all, it's not hard to imagine both of them waiting for me yesterday but I didn't come"
Charles: "Are you planning to go out today young master?"
Luke: "... I'll just visit the library and the garden today if both of them are searching for me. Please inform them that I will be staying in my room longer than before today"
Charles: "Of course, as you wish young master"
I look at the outside. The sky is black, dark forest, and of course a sight of blood. I sighed
Charles: "What's wrong young master?"
Luke: "Usually people will drink and enjoy the beautiful scenery, but for me... Heh. There's only a scary sight and an ugly scenery for me to see..."
Charles's face darkened. I look at him, "Ah but it's fine-" he shakes his head. "no young master, you are right. There is no beautiful scenery here, only a disgusting pile of blood with ugly souls is here." I look down. "ah... Well... Why don't... I lighten up the mood?" I stand up, "Charles can you give me the plate of sweets?" he gives me the plate. I walked to the sight of the balcony and started to call for the guards. They hear me and go to me.
Charles: "Young master? What are you doing?"
The guards don't need help or stairs as they just climb. I smile a little.
Guard: "Young master Luke? Is something the matter?"
Luke: "I've seen all of you training down there and couldn't help but be amazed at how skillful all of you guys are. How about a sweet as a treat?"
Guard: "Ah! But-"
Luke: "I insist, all of you train so hard every day, I wish to make your guys' days a bit better"
Guard (2): "Well... Free food is a free food!"
Guard: "Thank you young master"
Luke: "Here, take it all, give some of them to your comrade as well!"
Guard (3): "Thank you!"
After that, the guards then jumped down. I waved bye to them.
Charles: "Young master, I thought you'd ask them to practice somewhere else"
Luke: "Why would I do that? There's a reason why they are practicing here, I can't just ask them to leave just because I want to enjoy the scenery. (The truth is, I'm getting too full...)"
Charles: "Of course, that's just like you, young master"
Luke: "Charles"
I sit down on the chair. "can you please bring me lots of books about magic? Anything is fine, I will be staying in this room for quite a long time, so I need to find a way to spend some time"
Charles: "As you wish young master"
Charles wasted no time and walked out of the door, after a few minutes he returned with at least 30 books!? Oh my gosh-! This old man got a good back! I stand up! "ah Charles! Here let me help you!" he shakes his head "It's fine, here you go young master." he puts down the books... Oh my... So many books, "T-thank you, Charles" I then get down and see which book will pique my interest first.
"The Art Of Flower Dancing."
I took the book, huh...they even have this? Eh, it looks good might as well read it... Huh-? Oh, wait! This is it! This is the book that OG Luke gives to the Heroine! How do I remember this? Well, it's because that scene is by far the most important in the entire whole book! How is it important?
Well, when Luke gave her the book, it was actually his love confession scene. This scene not only gives her the chance to explore both Luke and Deon's backstory, but it is also one of the reasons why she can survive the beast that Lady Anna summoned to kill her. I open the book and begin to search for this one page...!
There it is! The art of flowers! There's a specific dance that was performed to save oneself against evil. Lady Anna is evil as hell so it's not that hard for the magic to determine which side they should take on. As a matter of fact, in the novel OG Luke is so happy that he is the one who gives the heroine the book he invites her to his library to see if he can give her more books that can save her from his messed up siblings.
I grip the book, I guess OG Luke can only give survival tips but never be able to use them huh? Poor you, oh well... I began to read the books, and after that, I just take another one and read it. Charles would go in and refill my tea cup and give me a some sweets. I love it. Peace and quiet, hopefully today I can stay inside of my room peacefully.