The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]-Chapter 519: The Shadow

It’s been so long.

So incredibly long that Luca never thought he’d think about it ever again.

But as his father bolted upright on the bed, screaming his name like a man possessed, it all came rushing back.

The unrecognizable faces of those "parents" who took him in when he was younger. Their warm smiles when they first brought him home. Their gentle voices, their loving hands.

The first time it happened, he’d been really young, and at that time, no one knew just what was happening.

But even then, he could remember how they fell, just like this.

Then how that fainting spell, which they thought couldn’t possibly be that bad, one day resulted in something far worse.

They woke up screaming, eyes bloodshot, madness etched into their faces. And then the next thing they knew—bang!

Every time.

It always ended in a bang. Sometimes, bigger, sometimes with more flair, and many times with more blood.

And now, watching his father sitting there on the medical bed, chest heaving and eyes wild from the dream no one knew he’d woken from, the little boy from years ago, felt it.

That same sickening wave of déjà vu.

The way his vision narrowed.

The way his breath caught, his chest tightening so hard it hurt.

The way his hands trembled as tears streaked down his cheeks.

It was very much just like this.

However, unlike before, when he was young and barely knew the names of his new parents, Luca was now an adult.

And the person in question was his very own father, Duke Leander Kyros.

His papa.

And he definitely didn’t want this to be just like that.

No.

It cannot be.

Luca stood there, shivering, looking more broken than the man who had just woken up screaming his name.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, he was reliving it all. Again and again and again.

The boy who had once stood powerless, watching all those innocent people lose themselves because of him.

And now, it was as if the same boy was being forced to watch it happen to his father.

His trembling hands moved to cover his ears, but he knew deep inside that it wouldn’t stop the sound he’d been dreading.

That horrible sound his mind was bracing for.

The bang.

He prayed he wouldn’t hear it.

Not a bang.

Not now.

Not for his papa.

He wouldn’t be able to handle that.

Not when he loved his father so dearly.

And especially not now, when he’d thought they’d finally get the chance to be happy.

But if the guide, now reduced to a trembling little boy, had been in the right state of mind to notice the Duke’s subsequent reactions, perhaps he wouldn’t have completely given in to it.

Duke Leander panted, as if he’d run around when in reality, he’d been stuck there since earlier. Only this time, his mind had finally caught up with his body.

He didn’t quite understand where he was at first, his eyes fluttering, attempting to focus on what was actually before him.

But the Duke had always been focused, ultimately remembering that he’d been looking for his son.

"!!!"

The soft hum of medical instruments and the faint scent of antiseptic reminded him of the medical bay, and sure enough, he must be in there.

They must be in there.

It was just that in front of him was a version of his son that he had never seen before.

"...My son?"

There was no reply. Duke Leander, who was now up, was trying to reach the boy until he saw a familiar person tending to him.

"Lia?"

He blinked, enough to finally see his son and his wife clearly.

"???"

"You fainted. The doctors said you would be fine. But it seems like Luca doesn’t think so."

"He hasn’t been normal since you collapsed and refused to leave your side when the doctors were checking on you."

"!!!"

Leander froze.

Because the boy who had his ears covered was rocking as if in panic.

But more than that, Luca looked like a shadow of himself, one that was in such despair his eyes didn’t even look the same.

They looked hollow.

Just like back then, when he ended up an empty shell.

Leander’s heart clenched painfully, his earlier fear for himself completely forgotten now.

All he could think about was his son

What had happened to his boy?

It was a question they all had, and it was something that one husband was learning about.

Outside the room, the air was tense. A certain blonde kept pacing back and forth, unable to sit still as his brother faced judgment.

The others were similarly frazzled, and one adjutant was seriously thinking about the probability of involving the Imperial family.

But more than everyone else, there was a Prince who stood directly outside the door.

Xavier’s jaw was set, but his sharp eyes betrayed his agitation.

He’d been told, no, advised, to stay outside

Because the Duchess wasn’t sure about what would happen, and if he were killed by accident, that would affect Luca.

He understood, and he’d long expected this.

He’d expected that, someday, being married to someone like Luca would mean he’d have to crawl to stay alive.

And he was prepared to do just that.

What he didn’t expect...was for the Duke to end up in the medical bay before he did.

But that wasn’t what alarmed him now.

What alarmed him now were Sid’s striking words in his mind.

And D-29’s hysterical prompts

"Host’s vitals are dropping below acceptable range!"

"Master, Little Master’s sea of consciousness activity is dangerously abnormal."

And finally—

"Benefactor! The Host is no longer responding to system queries!!!"

That was all it took.

Xavier straightened, his hand tightening into a fist as he approached the door.

He didn’t knock gently.

The sharp rap echoed down the hall as he called through the door, his voice even but laced with quiet urgency.

"Your Grace, I’m coming in," he said.

"Sid and D-29 are sounding alarms about Luca. His vitals and his sea of consciousness are unstable. I don’t think it’s possible to wait anymore."

And thankfully, he didn’t for what he saw upon entering clearly required intervention.

"!!!"