The Demon King's Paladin

Chapter 60.5 Laura's Nightmare

The world has been so gray as of late. Tell me, how do you live in a world without the sun? What's the point in waking up? When I know the person I want to see the most, isn't going to be here? The food of this world tastes worst to me than my home. It must be because he isn't by my side. The absence of him has made me lose most of my joy. I wake up from a light sleep only to repeat my training and hunting in dungeons. That has been my life since I was separated from him.

We have been traveling for around a week. Days just fade in and out anymore. The fool attempts to lead us but fails miserably. Perhaps if he spent more time training instead of celebrating, he may have been able to do something. It only took a few days until the group voted for Jaime to command us while fighting. After testing her, her results were satisfactory. It's been a few days since then, I'm currently sitting in my tent. While deciding if I should eat something, I sensed the familiar presence of my 3 friends. I called out to them.

" Lucy, Ashley, Jamie. You all can enter. What is it? Is my barrier weakening or something?"

They enter my tent while Jaime answers me.

" No, we're here for something else Laura."

" Well, what is it?"

I ask in a questioning tone. They've been trying to reach out to me these past few months to help me. But they're not him, so they just can't help me. They all sit, I wait for them to speak. Before long Lucy is the first to speak.

" Laura. We want to know what you know about him, about John."

His name draws a reaction from me. I almost expect him to walk into my tent. But as I look at the entrance no one comes. They call for my attention and I reply to their request.

" What do you want to know?"

To my question, Ashley is the first to respond.

" Is he really an orphan?"

A collection of memories flash before my eyes. From the tears he would cry for so long as a release for the pain, to the first smile I was able to wrestle out from him after the accident. To the words of thanks, he gave us when we welcomed him to my home. How I miss those days. How I wish I could go back and not let anything hold me back from telling him the truth of my feelings. Before things became so complicated and I started fighting for his attention from a disadvantage. They waited for my confirmation. I began to speak.

" Yes, he lost his family in a car crash when we were children. Why do you ask? Also how do you know of it?"

To my confirmation, they seemed to have accepted it. Seems I was just confirming information they knew to be true. To my question Lucy explained how she came to know of it. And also, the plans he had when graduating. It hurt to hear. I began to cry. this concerned them and they comforted me and waited for me to calm down. It's no use crying now. He felt that way because I chose wrong that day. If only I could kill my younger self and replace her. Or better yet that insignificant parasite. While I regretted, Lucy began to speak.

" Now that we know that I have another question, Laura. Who was his foster family?"

They look at me with questioning eyes, seems they've connected some dots.

" Yes, my mom and dad took him in. Our families were close before we were born. So, when his parents passed, I asked for my family to let him join us and they accepted... With conditions."

They all seemed a little upset at that. I guess they didn't think I would keep secrets. But who are they to be angry. I've been with him since we were in diapers, they just met him in comparison. I waited for them to calm down. And it seems that my words caught the attention of Jaime.

" What do you mean by "conditions" Laura?"

Her question alerted the others. I squinted and began to explain it.

" Well, since you've asked me a question, let me ask you all one instead. What would you do if John moved in with you? My parents knew what I wanted to do after we were sure he had healed. But I was forbidden from taking the next step for one reason or another. Looking back, I should've just gone for it considering where we ended up as a result."

" Laura!"

Lucy seemed surprised at how honest I'm being. For some reason, it annoyed me.

" Me what? Are you going to sit here and pretend during that night before we came here after hearing what he had to say, that you didn't regret how you spent these last 4 years? Especially me! After knowing what he thought, I would've much rather gone against what my parents wanted!"

Lucy was silenced by my outburst. Ashley began to speak to me.

" But would he have, Laura?"

" What do you mean! I know for a fact I had the opportunity to do it! I was just constantly interrupted at the last moment, but it was all gone that day. Because of that damned idiot!"

"Luara!"

Lucy was surprised by my language but there's no putting what I said back in the box, so I continue.

" Oh, come on Lucy, you think I don't see the way you all look at him? You may be his sister, but do you really not understand where I'm coming from? Do you really not resent him to some degree? The fact that he was a gigantic disadvantage to you whenever you tried to speak to John. Did you never truly fear that John felt some type of way because you were Luke's sister?"

" Laura that's enough!"

Ashley interrupted me. She continued to speak.

" We all messed up with him! Point blank! Attacking each other doesn't help anything at this point."

I took a deep breath and began to calm down. After a few moments I began to speak.

" I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to attack you. It's just... I'm so tired. It's been so long since I've seen him. I can't sleep for long. I have nightmares that there's a giant chasm between me and John. When I see him, I yell for him, but he just continues to walk into the purple horizon ignoring my cries. As his figure grows smaller until I almost can't see him, I wake up sweating. I just... l just want to go home and fix my mistakes."

" We all do, Laura. But we can't if you don't trust us and hide things from us. We're all in this together now."

Jaime hugs me as she speaks. Before long we were all in a group hug and we were all crying. The girls looked at each other and it seems they decided on something, I was too tired to care to be honest. I slept that night, but it was the same nightmare as I've been having for the past 3 months.