Chapter 10: Wounds of the'Dark War' -1
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Kingdom of Holfort
Bartfort Barony
Bartfort Family Shed
Omni POV
The moment Balcus's footsteps faded completely outside the shed, the wooden door slowly closed shut behind him.
A brief silence followed.
Only the faint rustle of wind against the farm walls filled the space, carrying the smell of dry timber and distant soil.
Leon exhaled slowly, shoulders relaxing now that the "lesson presence" was gone. His gaze immediately shifted toward the floating figure beside him.
Luxion.
"…What was that about?" Leon asked, tilting his head slightly. His tone wasn't accusatory—just curious.
"You don't usually speak up like that when I'm with my family."
For a moment, Luxion didn't respond.
The floating orb just quietly hoovered there without a word.
"…I apologize, Sir," Luxion said at last.
But there was something different in his voice, not mechanical, something quieter, emotional even.
He paused as if choosing his words carefully.
"I simply… needed to know how the war ended."
Leon blinked.
The answer was too human for something that loved calling itself a machine.
For the first time, he noticed it—an odd weight behind Luxion's voice. Not sadness exactly… but something close to it. Like an echo that had nowhere to go.
Leon leaned back against the wooden table, arms loosely crossed.
To him, the Dark War had always been just background history—another line in the otome game's half-baked lore.
But Luxion wasn't talking about it like it was history, he was talking about it like someone who had lost it all to it.
'Sometimes I forget he's the last of his kind,' Leon thought before adding "…What exactly was the Dark War, Luxion?" Leon asked more seriously now, with his usual joking expression completely off.
A pause.
Luxion didn't answer immediately but curiously asked why now "Why are you asking now?" Luxion replied. "You have never shown interest in it before."
Leon scratched the side of his cheek, eyes narrowing slightly as he searched for the right words. "I just want to know who you were fighting."
A faint smile—if it could be called that—crossed his face. "…It would take an army of literal monsters to bring down a civilization capable of making something like you."
That line made Luxion go silent for a fraction longer than usual.
Then—
"It was an army of monsters," Luxion said.
Leon completely froze. "…Come again?"
A second later, Luxion corrected without hesitation.
"It was an army of monsters… and later on, other humans turned on us"
Leon straightened.
"…I'm going to need context, buddy."
Without warning Leon's lenses showed a loading bar before something started playing.
At first, it was abstract,then it formed a clear video.
The sky split open like torn fabric.
Massive creatures—shadows wrapped in distorted flesh and energy of different sizes—poured through rifts that hung in the air like wounds in reality.
Leon's expression changed instantly.
His eyes tracked the movement, narrowing as he focused.
"They emerged from unknown spatial fractures," Luxion explained, his tone steady again, now slipping back into analysis mode. "We were never able to determine their origin."
The creatures crashed downward across cities.
Entire landscapes disappeared beneath waves of destruction.
Leon didn't speak, shock having taken over his system.
Luxion continued.
"They annihilated every nation on record within a few months."
Silence.
Only the flickering glow of the projection moved across Leon's face.
Then—
"…Wait." Leon finally spoke. "If they wiped out everything… what country's military were you even operating under?"
The visuals shifted, from a video to a map.
The map expanded.
It was enormous—far larger than the world map Balcus had shown him.
Continents stretched further, nations layered in complexity that didn't match anything he had seen before, this one even had continents which were touching the water of the ocean.
The age of the data was visible—outdated borders—Country names lost to history—but the scale was undeniable.
Luxion highlighted the center.
Everything else dimmed.
"Camelot," Luxion said, highlighting the illuminated region.
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly as he read the name of the kingdom. "…Camelot?"
Luxion's projection changed again from a map to a picture of a city. The capital city stood structured, heavily fortified, almost unreal in its symmetry compared to the chaos surrounding it.
"It was founded by King Arthur," Luxion continued.
Leon blinked.
"…King Arthur?"
"Yes," Luxion confirmed. "And according to remaining records, he was the first known individual to utilize what you now call Graces."
Leon immediately leaned forward.
"That doesn't make sense," he muttered. "You said you didn't have records of Graces." Luxion paused.
A brief flicker crossed his interface again.
"I did not say I lacked knowledge," he corrected.
"I said I had no reference to the term 'Grace,'"
Luxion corrected calmly.
"During that era," he continued, "they were called… Blessings. Granted, they were rarer than they are now."
Leon leaned back slightly against the wooden table, arms loosely folded. His eyes narrowed as he processed that.
"…So this King Arthur," Leon began, tilting his head slightly, "was he the one who made you?"
A beat.
"No," Luxion replied immediately.
Leon's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Then who did?" he pressed. "Tech on your level doesn't come from a team. It would be the brain child of a single genius"
For the first time, Luxion didn't respond instantly.
The holographic projection flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"Access denied." A message appeared, covering Leon's whole field of vision.
The words hung in the air like something physical had dropped.
Leon straightened immediately.
"…What was that?" His tone shifted—less casual now. More alert.
"I…. Don't know, it's the first time something like this has ever happened"
Luxion's interface dimmed slightly, as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
"I attempted to retrieve information regarding my creator," he said. "However… I am locked out."
A brief pause.
"I only have access to a name."
The projection shifted.
A single name appeared.
MERLIN
Leon stared at it.
Then let out a short, humorless breath.
"…Yeah. That's not weird at all."
He rubbed his temple slightly, half-exasperated, half-amused.
Camelot. Arthur. Merlin.
'The writers of this otome game must've been throwing anything in at this point,' he thought.
'This world is a mess.'
He sighed, then glanced back at Luxion.
"Well I'm sorry buddy," he said more lightly, waving a hand dismissively, "I might not be able to replace your comrades… but I'll be here if you ever feel lonely."
Luxion paused.
"…I am an AI," he replied flatly. "I do not experience loneliness."
Leon smirked slightly.
"Sure you don't, you tsundere you."
Without warning, he reached out and began tapping on Luxion again and again.
"Stop it," Luxion said immediately.
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop—"
But Leon didn't stop.
A sharp electrical pulse snapped through the air and hit him next.
"Gah—!" Leon flinched backward, shaking his hand. "Hey! What was that for?!"
"I warned you," Luxion replied calmly. "You chose not to comply."
But before Leon could respond—
The shed door suddenly burst open.
BANG.
Nicks stood there, slightly out of breath, scanning the room.
Instantly, Luxion disappeared already under camouflage.
The air where he stood became empty.
Nicks blinked.
"…Huh?"
He shrugged it off almost immediately and looked at Leon.
"Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you."
Leon straightened casually, as if nothing had happened.
"Yeah? What's up?"
Nicks's expression shifted slightly.
"Mom's ship just arrived, it's earlier than expected."
A faint excitement returned to his tone.
"I was going to meet her at the docks. You coming?"
Leon paused only briefly.
Then nodded.
"Yeah. Let's go."
As they turned to leave, Leon glanced back at the empty space where Luxion had been.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…This isn't over."
Then he ran after Nicks.
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Bartfort Docks
Omni POV
A single flying ship rested against the pier—smaller than most trade vessels that usually landed there, but it had something they didn't have, the Bartfort family insignia.
Luce stepped down first. Her shoulders were slightly slumped, her usual energy subdued. Her eyes carried fatigue—heavy, layered fatigue that couldn't be hidden even by her usual composure.
The moment she saw Balcus waiting, her expression softened just a little.
"…You're back," Balcus said quietly.
But the tone wasn't relief, it was concern.
The moment their eyes met, something unspoken passed between them, Balcus straightened slightly and asked "…What happened?"
Luce hesitated.
Then exhaled.
"It's worse than we thought." Her hands tightened slightly at her sides.
"It's the blight. It spread through the entire village."
Balcus's expression darkened instantly. "…Are you certain?"
Luce nodded once. "All symptoms match previous outbreaks. Red rash… swollen blood vessels… sensory decay and mana leakage."
Silence.
The wind behind them kept blowing, indifferent to their torment.
"…Is there anything we can do?" she asked, her voice quieter now.
Balcus shook his head slowly.
"I'll send word to the capital," he said. "But by the time they respond… it will already be too late."
Luce's face lost all of its color.
She looked away briefly, jaw tightening.
Balcus stepped closer.
"…Are you alright?" he asked.
Luce blinked slightly.
"You know it's not contagious," she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Balcus shook his head gently.
"I'm not asking if you're sick."
A pause.
His voice lowered.
"I'm asking if you're okay."
That did it, Luce's expression cracked just slightly.
And then she leaned into him.
Not fully breaking—just… holding herself together with help.
"…That's not all," she said quietly.
Balcus went still.
He already knew the moment he had not seen him walk out of the ship.
But he still asked.
"…What is it?"
Luce's grip tightened faintly.
"Geralt… he had gone ahead of me."
Balcus's breath caught for a fraction of a second.
Then—
"…And?"
Luce's voice dropped.
"It got him too."
A pause so heavy it felt like the world stopped.
"He's dying."
Behind them—
A sound.
Two breaths held at once.
Balcus turned.
Nicks stood frozen.
Leon stood beside him.
Both of them had heard everything.
No words followed.
Leon didn't look at anyone.
He simply turned—
And walked away.
Fast.
Then faster.
"Leon!" Luce called out, alarm breaking through her grief. "Leon, wait!"
Balcus stepped forward.
"Leon!"
But he didn't stop.
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Back with Leon.
The wind tore past his face as he ran.
His steps hit the dirt hard, pain shot through them, but he didn't slow down.
His mind was anything but calm, it was a mess of emotions, as it replayed every interaction he had ever had with Geralt.
"…Where are you going, sir?" Luxion's voice asked quietly beside him
Leon didn't answer.
His eyes remained glossed over.
"Luxion," he said instead, voice low and sharp, "bring your main body down here."
A pause.
"…That would mean everyone here would see me, are you ready for that," Luxion replied.
Leon's steps didn't slow.
"Then take me to it."
Another pause.
"…What is it you intend to do?"
Leon's expression didn't change.
But his voice did.
It carried a coldness it had never done so before.
"Now, Luxion."
Silence.
Then— "…Understood."
A small carrier unit descended from above the clouds, small enough not to be seen but large enough to carry someone of his weight class, landing ahead of him.
Its propulsion system ignited softly, as it carried Leon away from his home.
For the first time in this life, he was about to see Luxion's true body.
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[Chapter Image]
I am writing my A Levels this year so I'm already stumped and if you add the time I use writing I think I'm entitled to POWER STONES sooooooo give them to me
P.S
Let it be known that the Story is undergoing a Rewrite, hence if you read the unedited chapters its on you, they are no longer part of the story.