Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ Secrets And Lies ~~

Suddenly, a flash of bluish light pulsated out of nowhere, hitting L in the eyes and blinding her. She cried out in shock because surprisingly, there was no pain. She fell back off the podium and landed on the ground. She could hear Bryce trying to get to her, but she held a hand up in his direction.

"I'm fine! Stay there, I just need to find my feet... and get used to the gloominess again. Stay where you are!"

L used as much force in her voice as she could muster. She didn't want him to hurt himself more just to get to her when she didn't need help.

Her eyes were adjusting again, but now the room looked brighter, like the lights had been turned up, and she gazed around. Nothing else in the room had changed, nothing except her. She felt strange and different somehow. Whatever that light had been, it had done something to her.

She didn't know what, but when she turned to look at Bryce, something flickered inside her mind. He was watching her with concern while leaning over the seat in front of him. His wounds were dripping fast with blood. She could see it even with the distance between them.

L stood up quickly and ran to him. "You're bleeding exponentially now. You're exerting yourself too heavily. You need an infusion of Mella herbs and magic for the venom, we need to get you back today, or it may be too late."

L's eyes were wide, and she clapped a hand to her mouth. Bryce looked equally surprised, and he glanced to the podium as L slowly lowered her hand.

Her words came out as a whisper, "Where the hell did that come from?"

Bryce peered back to her, and he looked stunned. He was looking deeply into her eyes and L bit her lips together.

"You, that flash, this place... This is a Keeper's city, L... that feeling you have, it's the Keeper legacy combined with whatever magic and safeguards they've imbued into this place... This cavernous city would have probably been your home if Frallica hadn't started her vendetta."

L felt like the floor was moving under her, but this time, it wasn't literal. It was the shock taking over her mind and body. She stared around the room while she tried to digest the information. How did she not figure it out as soon as she had arrived? Shouldn't she have known the familiarity of her own people? She had so many questions at that moment, and there was no one to answer them.

Her mind wandered to the endless possibilities of this place and the life she could have had. She imagined growing up in this town with her parents and spending time in the living area upstairs while her parents went to meetings or work or whatever they did. She thought about all of the things she'd missed out on. 

She had to wipe away the tears when she came crashing back to reality. This wasn't the time or place to wallow. She could do that when they got Bryce to a hospital.

Bryce was still watching her in wonder, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

He shook his head a fraction, "I just, never noticed how blue your eyes were before... Remind me to get you a mirror when we get back."

L wondered if he was delirious from blood loss, but he kept speaking anyway.

"L, the magic here and the barrier outside, they were a bit of a test to a theory I had when I got here. I was right, of course. It did just what I thought it would. The city, or probably the podium, has awoken your inner abilities as a Keeper... that's why you were spouting those things out of nowhere just now. Every bit of Keeper knowledge you had stowed away is now open for you to access."

L looked at him in alarm. She was about to ask how that was possible when images began flashing in her mind. People standing in this room and deciding on something important, other people fleeing or fighting monstrous beings. Then she saw her parents, they were talking in this room with some other beings and L noticed her mum had a baby bump, about the same size as it was in the photo she had. L felt her whole body convulse, but she wasn't in that room anymore. She could understand everything in the memory and what had just happened.