Chapter Text
There's a new hunter in the manor. Luca wonders who the hunter is going to be. He heard that he is also an inventor based from others'gossip. When the new hunter just arrived, he was not interested in learning about them immediately because he would forget about them after. It was like that with other people as well, so a way for him to actually stop forgetting others is getting matched with or against them.
Right now though, he's getting matched with this new hunter. As he opened his eyes, he found himself inside the building of the Sacred Heart Hospital, exactly the second story.
He also found a cipher machine near him and was about to connect it with another cipher when he heard a strange electrical current popped up, connecting ciphers that were not dissimilar to his.
Weird.
Maybe because he and the hunter are inventors, they got the same trait even in a match? He doesn't know if meeting the hunter now face to face would be a good idea so he focused himself and connected the two ciphers and started decoding as well.
Currently the hunter is after the prospector, Norton. He's glad he wouldn't be the first guy to be kiting the new hunter and to be the one to actually decode as a decoder. As he finally finished the cipher he wondered how Norton was doing. He looks like he contained the hunter well. But Luca still wanted to sneak a peek, he's on the second story after all.
As he looks from a smashed hole on the wall of the building he gets himself dumbfounded, surprised, even bamboozled. He watched a scene where the prospector containing the hunter behind him. And as the hunter, right behind the prospector is none other than his former mentor, Alva Lorenz.
All kinds of emotions crashed into him at once. He's also upset but wonder how Alva is here, isn't he dead? Well, he looks like he was. But why is he here, in the manor? Luca's head hurts. Did Baron invite Alva like he invited Luca? What's his purpose to come here? Did he know Luca's whereabouts here in the manor? Did he misse-
'FOCUS ON DECODING!'
Someone pinged from the other side of the map. Right, he's still in a match, he has to keep going. He massaged his temple with how his head started hurting again as he searched for another cipher to decode.
The match is not going well as two survivors already get sent back to the manor via rocket chair. Currently Norton is chaired as well as Luca trying to rack his brain to plan a rescue. Of course his former mentor can also stun other survivors, fate must be laughing at him.
But lucky for him, Alva seems distracted for a while, wondering where the last survivor is as Luca immediately approaches the chair and releases Norton.
" Thanks, Luca."
Luca nodded as they ran together, towards the last machine that had been decoded for a while and finished them altogether. They almost had hope when Alva teleported to where the gate Luca is inserting the code with. They had to get away now.
Alva, who has just arrived finally noticed the last survivor that he hasn't met the entire match. Their eyes meet each other as they freeze. Luca's brain was slow-circuited as Alva opened his mouth.
"Luca? What are you doing here??"
He seems upset to notice Luca. Luca doesn't know if he can deal with the fact that Alva is staring down at him unhappy. At the heat of the moment he only replied.
"How do you know my name??!!"
Luca screamed as he ran to get away from the hunter. Alva seems dumbfounded with the comment as he also started chasing after Luca. He's enraged, calling out to Luca once again to explain himself as Luca immediately pinged Norton that the hunter is nearby, hoping that Norton immediately inserts the code to the gate now.
Luca kite for a while and it seems like Norton finished the code as the exit gate is finally opened. Luca pinged Norton to help him as Alva seems to finally catching up to him, stunning him, hitting him on the head as Luca falls down. It seems he accidentally hit his head again on the wall in front of him in the process and immediately sees white. If his head hurts before, it's only worsening now.
He whined as he clutched his head. It hurts so bad he failed to catch what his former mentor said in between static noises ringing on his ears. Norton who has just arrived winced as he just watched Luca get downed, approaching immediately.
"Oi, the game is down a survivor, not giving them a concussion." He called out Alva. "You're gonna worsen his memory problem, dude." He added helpfully.
"He's got memory problem..?" Alva asked, unconvinced but kinda guilty, he did hit Luca's head too hard. It was in the heat of the moment in his defence.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you're the new hunter, this is Luca Balsa. He's got a memory problem and it really fucks him on the head. Usually hunters go easy and target other parts of his body to down him." Norton began to introduce Luca while trying to heal him when he paused—
"Uh.. You're not gonna down me as well?" He asked realising that Alva hasn't moved to attack further. Alva scoffed.
"Already got the other two. We can get a tie, I would be generous as this is my first match as well." Norton immediately thinks this new hunter is an arrogant prick. But he's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth as he responded instead.
"Yeah, not as bad as the first match." He finished healing up Luca. Luca sits up and groaning, even if it's just inside the game, the hurt in his head will also follow him here. The almost concussion as the addition made him almost see the pearly gate, or maybe the hell entrance. But the ringing stopped as he noticed that Norton is having conversations with Alva.
Alva's eyes bored into him as he spoke again. "You really don't remember me?" He demanded.
"You guys know each other? Were you both acquaintances??" Norton asked instead, none of them answered. "Well, if Luca has told you he doesn't remember, he's not lying. He got into an accident where it as I said again, fuck his head and his memory." He added unhelpfully.
Luca finally opened his mouth. "Yeah, I don't remember my past life well before that." He technically didn't lie, because he actually forgot the main point of his life before he met Alva even after meeting, the only thing he remember is his shitty father leaving him and his mom. Leaving him, even his mom dying in bed.
"I see.." Alva hummed. "As you may know, my name is Alva Lorenz, I'm a well known inventor before I died and we used to know each other." He introduced himself, there's a bitter tone on his last sentences.
Luca scratched his head. "Well, that explains why you called out my name." This feels so awkward. Luca just wanted this all to end and maybe hide away, anywhere but here. He didn't think it would come to this, having to use his memory problem to run away from his problem with Alva.
Norton seems to have got the memo of the weird atmosphere as he coughed. "Well, it's a nice reunion and all, but we really should get back and get your head checked for just in case, Luca." Luca felt like crying in joy for this distraction as Alva added.
"You both should go back, I'll surrender."
"Ah, thank you Mr. Lorenz." Luca thanked him awkwardly as Alva winced and surrendered, ending the game.
Norton guided Luca to the doctor as he got checked by Doctor Emily. Luca is scared of the doctor because she got this aura that's somehow intimidating. All of her tools inside her room didn't help much as it kinda reminded Luca of the instrument of torture. He's glad that Norton at least stayed for a while before finally going back, he got called to another match.
"Well, it's nice to hear Ms. Emily confirmed you're okay at least. I'm coming back for another match, you should head back to your room." Luca mouthed a thank you to Norton as the prospector nodded and walked away.
Luca headed back to his room and locked himself inside.
Chapter Text
Luca rose from his bed groaning, despite the doctor telling him to rest and sleep the night away, he just can't. He was having a mental crisis and a little bit of breakdown the whole night. He would usually used this as advantage to continue with his invention when staying up late at night, but there's just too much in his head.
That's what he gets when he distracted himself with work, never sits down to have a moment for himself. Now, with the meer idea of working on his invention only reminds him with his encounter with Alva the day before. Now he's forced to lay down consumed with anything all at once. Luca Balsa is too emotionally constipated for this.
He forced himself to prepare for the day and gone to dining room after. Still feeling overwhelmed from his clashing emotions swirling inside him, he didn't talk the whole time he ate. The people on that dining table is too busy preparing their oncoming match as it is early morning where others with no schedule would have start their morning doing their own things before finally coming down for breakfast.
Tracy was busy tinkering with her doll and finally noticed Luca poking on his breakfast. "Geez, stayed up late again? You almost looked like the Undead". Luca glare at her hypocrisy as if she didn't do the same. 'You don't have the say if you did just the same' was what is in his mind, he decided to voice it out loud.
"At least I look more presentable than you, wait are you sick-?" As she finally realised and spontaneously bring her hand over Luca's forehead. It was burning. She gasped and Luca parroted the gasp for dramatic effect. "You should have gone to Dr. Dyer, you rat." She chadded him.
"I went to her just yesterday, there's no way I'm coming back, Tracy you have to understand." Luca sighed dramatically as Tracy rolled her eyes. "Yeah I'll bring you over to her now, my match is gonna start soon so come here." She dragged Luca out of the dining room.
On their way, they met Andrew Kreiss, watching them in concern. Tracy took advantage and immediately pushed Luca to Andrew who yelped when he just handed out a Luca Balsa.
"Andrew! Glad you're here, can you bring this sickly little rat over to Dr. Dyer? He's burning hot" Tracy helpfully explained. "I've gotta go for my match now, I'm running late, see ya!" As she ran away, giving an ok gesture and smiled cheekily over to Luca. Luca groans.
"...Is that, is that true, Luca? Are you sick?" Andrew asked as he took off his glove to put his hand over to Luca's forehead. Andrew's hand is cold, it's comforting compared to his burning forehead. Luca can't help leaning over to the touch.
"Oh you are burning... Let's go" Andrew immediately guided Luca to the doctor's office.