Chapter 97 - Lucca Evilian

Benjin came up behind Leonardo and turned him against his chest. With his vision blocked, all the young master heard was a terrifying scream and an absurd feeling of dread and horror. It was something so sudden that Leonardo couldn't process it accurately.

His body instinctively trembled again. He had to grab onto the puppet's clothes to keep himself upright, and was also helped by the puppet, which hugged him tightly. 

What was going on?

Did he need to get involved?

Leonardo was afraid to find out.

He didn't want to look.

He shouldn't have.

— Now we can talk better.

He didn't want to talk to anyone.

He wanted to get out of there.

A stroke of his hair gave him a little courage. Leonardo raised his head to meet Benjin's smile, a sign that everything would be all right.

Leonardo broke free of the embrace to find only the hooded man. He was short, by the way. What's more, there was no sign of Diablo.

— If you're looking for Diablo, I'd say he's... Confined at the moment.

— Confined?

— Congratulations Leo, you've created your fifth attraction! — The chap applauded happily.

Was that a joke?

— Who the hell are you?

— Oh, that's right, I forgot I was wearing that hoodie.

The moment the guy lowered his hood, Leonardo's dark eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps this was some kind of illusion created by Diablo? Or was he just thinking about reliving that night?

He couldn't believe it.

There was no way.

No way.

— Lucca...

As if he had stopped in time. Dark hair and eyes, gentle and playful features, the way Leonardo remembered him. A version identical to his own, but with a unique joy.

— Hi, little brother!

— It can't be... 

Leonardo stepped out of Benjin's arms, reaching out to touch the person in front of him. However, his legs failed to support him and he couldn't take another step forwards. Falling to his knees, Leonardo simply couldn't believe his eyes.

— Lucca... Lucca, you...

The boy stopped in front of Leonardo and was able to touch him. A strange sensation that tickled his skin didn't help him discern whether it was real or not. He could only rely on his eyesight, which saw that boy right in front of him touching him.

— You've grown a lot. Your hair is long too.

Tears streamed down his face again.

— But... I saw you die...

— Haha, I'm not alive, unfortunately.

— So, what the fuck happened here? — Leonardo shouted, grabbing Lucca's arms — How can I hear you, see you and touch you when you're already dead!

— Well... it's a bit of a long story. I made a bet with Diablo that night. If you gave up Dreamland, he'd get the whole park and the contract would be cancelled.

Ah, he'd heard about the bet in that illusion.

Lucca had said about Leonardo inheriting Dreamland, but had never mentioned inheriting it himself. As if he'd never considered the idea of getting off that train alive.

— What did you bet?

Lucca held Leonardo's face with both hands, smiling as if it were some silly child's game.

— I knew you'd never leave Dreamland. There's no-one in this world, apart from our father, who loves this place as much as you do. 

— So you devoured Diablo's soul? — Benjin asked from behind.

— Oh... Part of it. Just the one that keeps this place going. Unfortunately, for Dreamland to exist, the Mirror World must also exist, so I stole Diablo's place. Anyway, everything's fine now, you can go back to reality.

— W-Wait! Just a little longer, I have a lot to ask you...

He wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Not when he could have him right in front of him again.

Would it be all right if Leonardo was selfish enough to keep his brother close? Then he wouldn't feel alone ever again.

But it seemed that Lucca knew exactly what was going on in his heart. Those eyes identical to his own sympathised with his pain. 

— Leo, we are one. You'll look after Dreamland from the outside, and I'll look after it from the inside. As it should be forever. Besides, you have a new family to look after, don't you?

— But...

Lucca hugged his brother tightly. He was as warm as if he were alive.

— I've always watched you, I'm grateful that you survived. I'm proud of you, Leo. — Pulling away, Lucca smiled happily — My little brother is so cool! 

Ah, Leonardo was crying.

He couldn't bear the sadness he'd harboured for all those years, where guilt had made him give up even living with his father. Leonardo had so many regrets in his life that it was hard just to survive each day. 

Living in Dreamland after what happened to Lucca before his eyes was an endless nightmare. Watching his father waste away even more, blaming himself, didn't help either. Leonardo fled because the beautiful Dreamland became a memory that killed him little by little.

He wanted everyone to be alive.

He wanted his family to still be there.

How would they be?

What kind of adult would Lucca be? Would his parents be proud of them?

Leonardo's heart squeezed so hard that his tears alone weren't enough to appease years of anguish. Even feeling Lucca's cosy touch and seeing him in front of him weren't enough.

Why did he have to be the only one to survive? Why did he have to be the one to live with so many sad memories?

Being hugged from behind, Leonardo was comforted by Benjin. The trapeze artist's touch was also somehow welcoming. 

— Leo, I'm here. It's all right.

— That's right, Leo. You were never alone — Lucca crouched down in front of Leonardo, wiping away his tears — You gave Benjin so much love that he ended up creating a life just to love you back. Isn't that incredible?

— What? What are you talking about? 

Lucca smiled. Looking over his shoulder, Leonardo saw Benjin's guilty countenance.

— Leo...

Ah, he remembered.

As a child, he used to dream that he was wandering around Dreamland, afraid to be alone. In his dreams he cried because he hated that loneliness. The circus, which looked like a forest covered in mist, frightened him. 

But in that dream, he always ended up meeting someone in a pirate costume who would take him in their arms and wipe away his tears. Someone who always found him and calmed him down until he stopped crying.

— It wasn't a dream... — Leonardo murmured.

Benjin's face reddened slightly and he smiled.

— You were able to enter the Mirror World so easily just to look for me, it was worrying.

The Mirror World? Turning quickly to Lucca, Leonardo searched for more answers.

— Little brother, keep shining. Now you'd better go, your friends shouldn't stay here too long. 

He felt like he was eleven again. There was nothing nice about him. Leonardo did nothing but be protected by the others. In addition to the main attractions, Lucca also asked him to stay in Dreamland.

That was all they wanted.

And they were even willing to protect him to the point of sacrificing their lives for it.

Leonardo had to admit that owning Dreamland was the least of it.

Wiping away tears with the back of his hand, Leonardo stroked Lucca's head and stood up.

— I'm the oldest now. So keep watching me from here. I'm going to make Dreamland even more fucked up than our father's dream.

— Haha, you really have become so nice. 

Leonardo couldn't bring himself to say goodbye when everything around him went dark. There were so many things to tell. So many questions to ask. But what would remain in his memory forever was Lucca's smile saying how proud he was of him.

Even if Leonardo didn't think he had achieved great things, he would be selfish to believe that sweet lie.

Because Lucca was right about one thing.

—— Leo, are you awake?

As soon as Leonardo opened his eyes, he found himself lying on Benjin's lap in the train carriage. Daylight streamed through the wooden floorboards, illuminating a carriage that no longer seemed frightening.

Reaching out to touch the puppet's face, Leonardo smiled.

— Let's go home, Ben.

Euphoria shone in those green eyes. 

How he loved him.

— Come on, Leo!

Lucca, you were right.

Now Leonardo had a family to look after.