FLORIOGRAPHS
Chapters 8. Red Ebony

*Sunlight creeps in through the dusty cabin outdoor window, giving a warm feel to the room.

His eyes slowly opened, with vision still blurred, Lucas looked at the situation in his room.

He stared at the envelope lying on the table, and found himself immersed in endless sadness. The feeling came back again and again, haunting him. Lucas began to ponder, thinking of the possibilities that would have occurred if he had decided to follow Howard back to the kingdom of Cait. He was convinced that if he had been there, he would have been there, helping him complete some unresolved tasks so that losing his teacher, Howard would never happen.

He hoped that this tragic event would never happen. Lucas feels that as long as he is with him, Lucas can find his true identity. He can find the peace and happiness he has been looking for. Like having a purpose, Howard taught and trained her like his own son. Lucas felt that he was still valuable.

Now Lucas is back as he was when he was a kid, with no parents. Losing Howard was a huge loss for him. Howard once told Lucas that he was his first and only student.

"That's it, stop forcing yourself" Gillbert said suddenly. Solving Lucas's daydreams. Gillbert who already understood the situation can only give advice not to dissolve in suffering for days

Lucas didn't say much, he just nodded.

Gillbert was one of Lucas' closest friends from childhood. He took her to Thera Kingdom and acted as a guide and companion to one of the places they currently stop at an old cabin owned by Howard at Gravelhead. Lucas has full rights to the ownership of the cabin, so no wonder he must often use it to conduct various experiments there.

The interior of the cabin has gone through a lot of time and tells a lot of stories. Worn-looking walls hold traces of time and memories of the past. Dusty wooden chairs and floors filled with scratches show traces of his previous life.

The two of them sat on a bench near the window that allowed the sunlight to enter gently.

"For me, Mr. Howard is a very loyal and generous person," Gilbert said, making Lucas

turning for a moment and staring at the window, a gentle breeze hit his face

"I know the kingdom is in big trouble... That you and he had to fight like this to save people"

Gillbert exhaled violently

"Trust me. It's not your fault for leaving him on a mission alone" Gillbert patted Lucas on the shoulder, then left him in the room, giving him room to himself.

                                -oOo

Carefully, Lucas stepped down to the ground floor, entering a room so dark, he lit a fire torch that was on the wall as lighting along the way. Chemical fluids as well as and various experimental devices greeted him as he re-explored the contents of the laboratory.

His gaze turned to the bookshelves located next to the old altar. Among those shelves, Lucas found many books explaining how to make potions from herbal plants as well as several books discussing the art of alchemy.

Inside the room, Lucas discovers a mysterious red book made of ebony. The book was very strange but it caught his attention

"A Potion of the Wise..." Lucas muttered

He tried to flip through the book and found a name that was familiar to him.

"Written by Howard"

In the confusion of the mysterious book he finds, many questions cross Lucas's mind. However, before he could open and read the book, a loud tremor echoed from upstairs. This disturbed his concentration and forced him to immediately exit the laboratory, wanting to find out what had just happened.

Suddenly, as Lucas exited the laboratory, his gaze was immediately fixed on a heartbreaking sight. Gillbert, his loyal friend, has been taken captive by the warriors of the Kingdom of Cait and held captive in the living room. Seen with his own eyes, his stammering friend tried to free himself but looked helpless.

Lucas' heart beats, and he decides to fight to save his friend. In an instant, he gathered his courage and prepared to fight against anyone who had hurt Gillbert.

With a quick step, Lucas approached a soldier holding Gillbert hostage, so that he could not be seen sneaking between the tables. When the soldier removed his focus from Gillbert, Lucas, who was right behind him, slammed into the man's back neck until he fell unconscious on the floor, unable to move.

In rapid acceleration, Lucas glided towards Gillbert who was still tied with a strong rope. Carefully, he released his friend.

"They're after you, Lucas! They're trying to track our whereabouts by taking over the job of the man who delivered Mr. Howard's mail!"

"Tell me later. We need to get out of here as soon as we can before the others realize"

Lucas said in a whispering tone, they immediately rushed to scatter to pick up their valuables, but when they were about to leave the cabin, one of them found them

"Buck fuckin' shit!!"

Gillbert took out his catapult and immobilized the man with a stone on his face.

"Basic clown iron!"

"Bad! Comehere!"

Suddenly the soldier ran after him with difficulty but the existence of two people was further in front of him.