I will □□□ . (2)

Lucas rarely got annoyed. Even when Ryosuke was nagging at him, being talkative about him, he didn't get annoyed. Even when his family, especially when his father tried to lock him up in the house for a few years and his brother and sister were being so overprotective to him that he had to sneak out when he wanted to go out, he didn't really get annoyed.

But he started to get irritated at the voice of the spirit who was whispering into his ear like a ghost who couldn't talk properly.

"Spirits don't lie."

The voice started to appear again.

"I can help you get home."

Lucas tried to control his desire to laugh out loud. He knew too well that it was not possible to cross over the world again. Even Lucian was incapable of this and spirits were not gods. It was true that the spirits possessed the power greater to most of the beings of this world but they were not gods.

'To hell with spirit don't lie.'

Lucas noted that he would not trust the spirits easily, especially the one beside him. Firstly, he said that he would not test him and secondly, he said that he could get him to where he belonged when it was too obvious that they were both lies.

But Lucas decided to play along. The spirit wanted him to choose between the two worlds just like what the spirit that Ryosuke had choses tested him. And if Lucas acted like he knew of the test of the spirit and chose what the spirit wanted too fast, he was concerned that the spirit would shift him to another test.

'At least I should be able to have some time to think, right?'

Lucas didn't have that much of the confidence in his acting before but after coming to this world and with many attempts to sneak outside or hide some facts from his family, his confidence level had gone up significantly.

"Don't you want to go back? Look there."

The couple. with their daughter holding their hands was walking down the street in Hledan* district with a tender smile on each of their faces. The family which was once Lucas was a part of, entered a bakery that he knew too well.

"You remembered them well, right? Don't you want to join them?"

The spirit, noting that Lucas's silence was because of his hesitation, continued to whisper and whisper to raise his desire to go back. If Lucas had chosen to go back, the contract was over. He was annoyed when Lucian sent a word to help this kid but he didn't want to do it easily. It was not like obeying a god's will was absolute.

If he could make this kid to wave his resolve, then he would be able to refuse Lucian with a good reason. That was why he made sure to show the place that this soul had come from, making an offer and sound to be as sweet as an offer from the god.

"Accept my help. I don't afraid to overthrow the balance of the world."

'I feel like I am making a deal with a demon.'

Lucas controlled his willingness to sigh and as he felt that the spirit sounded like he was on the winning point, he decided to tell his answer currently since he also didn't want to delay it any longer.

But then,

"If Arkar was here, he would have ordered a cup of espresso as well…"

Words of refusal to go back didn't appear from Lucas's mouth as he wanted. Hearing the voice of his mom, and the sad looks from his dad and sister made him hesitant.

'This is not real…'

Luca knew it was not real but simply just a test from the spirit. To be exact, everyone was the same as he had imagined to be.

The looks of his parents, the imagination of how his sister would look like when she grew up, and wondering of how his family would miss him when he died. Everything was exactly the same as he imagined, confirming the proof that it was all illusion.

But it was undeniable that he wanted to watch them a little bit longer.

Lucas started to feel suffocated.

'Is my physical body starting to wear out?'

He noted it as simply from mana exhausting since it was a while he came here. No matter how his mana capacity was a bit higher than normal people or how Lucian was helping him in one way or another, he also had his own limit.

'Let's get done with this.'

If he was going to watch them, it was never going to be enough.

"Are you going to acc-"

"No."

Lucas cut out the offer of the spirit, making the other being to be stunned from an unexpected response.

"Just come with me and help me cure the curse. I will not go back."

The spirit wasn't able to talk.

He thought that the kid in front of him might be missing the previous world. As far as he had seen right now, the world he had come from looked pretty peaceful and it was better than suffering from the destiny from god here.

"Do you not miss them?"

The spirit asked only to be answered straight forward from the boy beside him.

"It is not that I miss them. But they can move on."

'They also had a cute daughter beside them. And my best friend,...'

Lucas remembered a friend whom he was very close with. So close that even each of their families knew them respectively.

'Duwon will also take care of them from time to time.'

Lucas smiled. He trusted that his childhood friend would surely check on them as he was already like a son to them.

"But my family here needs me."

Lucas didn't have anything to worry about there. They would be fine. They would feel sad for a while but they would be able to move on.

But it was not the same with the world that he had currently at.

And people here were also his family.

"I want to have a strength to protect my family here."

'And I am the only variable.'

Lucas believed that he had neither of the quality of a strategist or that of a warrior. But as long as he was here, he would be able to make a change. At least it would not be worse than the world being destroyed.

"I will not go back no matter what."

Lucas looked at the shadow-like spirit.

"So please lend me your strength."

The surrounding scenery of Lucas shattered and they were back at the dimly lit place under the willow tree.

The spirit was no longer a shadow-like figure but instead, there stood a person in white long robes whose hair in green was long enough to reach the ground. And that person's sharp green eyes was focusing on Lucas as his expression which was once stunned became to change into that of amusement.

"I like you."

With a grin on his face, the spirit confessed.

'Huh?'

Lucas felt a chill run down his spine as he heard that deep voice from the spirit. It was not a murmuring or monotonous voice but to Lucas it was still creepy.

"I was testing you but who knows that you would be able to abandon that peaceful world."

The grin on the spirit became wider.

'I am not abandoning, though….'

Lucas just simply didn't want to interfere with what should have already happened in that world. And since it was a test and was already something that was impossible, he didn't give it into deep thought, either.

He just simply waited for what the spirit had to say.

"That's why I will give my support to you. Sticking with you for a human's lifespan will not be that bad. But be grateful to me."

Lucas cracked a smile in satisfaction. He didn't feel annoyed anymore. He felt kind of grateful that he was able to see his other family once again even if it was an illusion.

"Yes yes, I am very grateful."

"Alright then. Let's start the ritual."

'Is there a ritual?'

Lucas's eyes widened because he had never known what would have happened after the spirit had accepted to become a familiar. He didn't want to take a lot of time though because he didn't know how much longer his body could hold on.

"You just have to call my real name in your mind and ask me to become your partner. Make sure that you are focused and think like you are conveying your thoughts to me."

"Then, what is your real name?"

"You will know."

Lucas was dumbfounded at first but then he understood what the spirit had meant.

A name that he had never seen nor heard was appearing in his head like something that he had always known. Even how to pronounce the name was clearly pictured in his mind. As he tried to focus as the spirit had said, he innerly spoke.

'Let me be your partner. Do lend me your strength.'

'Alexios Iason Raphael'

Lucas saw the grin of the spirit become winder again as if he had already heard what Lucas had told.

"I shall accept."

The firm voice was heard as Lucas felt the spirit take up the right hand of his and slowly touched his forehead to Lucas's hand. He could see the magic circle which was pretty similar to the one which was similar to the one engraved in the cathedral.

Afterwards, Lucas felt that he fell down from a high as he closed his eyes from reflex.

'I could never get used to this….'

Lucas slowly got up, shaking off his dizziness which he got from crossing back the barrier. But as soon as he sat up, he could feel a sensation of something flowing from his nose. As he felt that the flow was not stopping, Lucas immediately wiped it and looked to see what it was.

"Blood....?"

The blow flow got slower but before Lucas could even sigh, he was bombarded with fearsome voices.

"Young Master, how is your body!?"

"Master Lucas, are you alright!?"

"Lucas, what's wrong!?"

"Please don't die!"

Even before Lucas digested the situation, he could hear shouts which he was too familiar with. He was afraid to look at the crowd as he knew what was coming next.

'Why the heck is Ryosuke even here!?'

He could understand that Tus and Carl could not be stopped from knowing if he took long but he didn't know the reason of Ryosuke being here.

"Be glad that I helped you go back. If not, you would suffer from more than a nosebleed."

Lucas was glad but at the same time he wasn't. It would have been much better if there wasn't even a nosebleed. The people around him hadn't seen him with this amount of blood before. And he instantly realized it was going to be haywire as he felt the chills again for the second time.

And the white hairy persian cat with bright green eyes was looking at Lucas's frightened face confused.

'Why is he making a face like he is going to die?'

Alexios didn't know the reason.

'There shouldn't be any pain, though?'

If he knew what Lucas was afraid of, he wouldn't be thinking like this.