Only Time Will Tell (A Luberto Story)

Chapter 31- The Mastermind Revealed

(A.N- Slight swearing/violence in this chapter. Thank you for reading!)

Luca didn't feel anything when he hit the water. He didn't feel anything at all. One second he was wide awake, conscious as ever; the other second, he was out cold. The impact from hitting the water had made him go unconscious almost instantaneously. Luca knew this the moment he jumped off the cliff; he knew the risks involved. However, if that meant that he could maybe save Alberto and make sure he was okay; then it was all okay.

It was all worth it.
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Ercole froze in fear; it was like the whole world had crumbled around him. Everything that could've went wrong went wrong. It was a fever dream. Alberto and Luca had been pushed off the cliff by the extremely strong winds, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Even though he knew this, Ercole still felt so guilty. He wished he could have jumped in and saved them, but if he had, then he would've been pushed off the cliff too. It calmed Ercole down a bit realizing that because they were sea monsters, they definitely wouldn't die. Regardless, he was still petrified. Where are they now? Are they even conscious? Did they get lost? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?

Ercole kept repeating those words in his head. It felt like those words were falling on top of him and crumbling down on top of him. He felt weak. For once in his life; Ercole felt helpless. The last time he had felt helpless was when the town turned on him last year. It was when Guido and Cicco threw him into the fountain, turning him into a wet, sloppy mess. Now, he was feeling that same feeling; and it was horrible.

"Wait! What am I doing! I need to go get help! Stupido!"

Ercole clumsily ran down the hill, repeatedly tripping over small bumps in the grass. He was so shaken up that he couldn't walk properly. All he hoped was that Luca and Alberto were okay, and that they would remain okay until he managed to get help.
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Luca woke up, completely submerged in the water. His vision was blurry and his head ached slightly, feeling dizzy as he sat up. Holding a hand up to his head, Luca looked around in an attempt to understand where he was. He could catch a glimpse of the sun through the water, but he couldn't see the cliffside anymore; he must've drifted off far enough so that it wasn't visible anymore.

Aside from the uncomfortable headache, Luca didn't feel that bad. Being a sea monster had definitely helped with that. He started to look around and observe his surroundings, trying to figure out where in the world he had ended up. All he saw was the clear, blue ocean; there was nothing in his field of view that looked suspicious at all. He hated to admit it, but maybe Alberto was wrong. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Wait..

ALBERTO!

I NEED TO FIND HIM!

Luca, who was still a bit groggy from gaining consciousness again, started looking around in a confused and panic state, desperate to find him. Surely he couldn't be too far; after all, they jumped off the same spot of the cliff..

In a distressed state, Luca started to yell out Alberto's name in hopes that maybe he'd get an answer. He repeatedly shouted at the top of his lungs, and even after waiting, there was no answer. Now the fear really started to kick in. Alberto was either unconscious, or worse..

Luca felt sick to his stomach, refusing to even think about that being a possibility. It couldn't be! If I turned out okay, then Alberto would have to as well.

Luca sucked it up, his head still throbbing in pain. He tried to ignore the immense pain and started to swim as fast as he could, frantically eyeing the environment around him in hopes that he would see Alberto. He became even more desperate as he swam and swam, but still couldn't find. He was in the middle of the ocean, with absolutely nothing around him except water, fish, and the cold feeling of absolute panic. He couldn't take it anymore.