The Missing Piece (Lewthur)

12- Witness

Arthur took a break after tinkering for some time. Vivi and Mystery were napping on the back, meanwhile, Arthur opened his laptop to check on his research on Lewis case. It was something he kept from his friends, his reason being that they wouldn't understand.

He pretended he was over him, and in a way he was, but he still was obsessed with the disappearance of the body and his whole erasure. Nothing made sense and he was desperate for an explanation that would stop all of this keeping him awake at night for once.

He picked the places they would go saying paranormal activity was reported there, in reality he tracked these places so he could find any clue of Lewis. He made many possible conclusions as to why Lewis's body disappeared that night and where it could be, but from all of them there wasn't the possibility of him being alive. There was just no way.

His search was based on finding his remains, asking for the whole body was too much though. All he wanted was a part of him, an evidence; something that would prove that Lewis really existed and he wasn't going insane over a persona everyone said he made up in his mind.

Arthur sighed and closed the map he'd been making for the past months. He decided to check some old photos and felt a wave of nostalgia rush over him.

Every picture he saw was incomplete. It was like a piece was torn off of each one, not literally, but in a subjective way.
They were exactly how Arthur remembered them the moment they were taken. The only difference being that there was an empty space where Lewis stood before.

One picture in particular caught his eye. It was at Pepper's Restaurant, Lewis's family restaurant owned by his parents. Arthur remembered it like it was yesterday when the table he was sitting at was moving and shacking and he got spooked. In the picture he was surrounded by his friends and Lewis's family checking what was wrong with him, who looked like a big baby.

Arthur chuckled, he stared at the photo picturing Lewis where he knows he was before. He had his little sister Paprika on his shoulder and was in the middle of Vivi and his parents, in front of the table Arthur sat. This version was exactly the same only that Lewis wasn't there and Paprika was in front of the table reaching to see the top. It was really weird to him knowing the distortion in the photo only he could see.

Or was he the only one?

Next to him, the curious dog took a glimpse of the picture on screen and clenched his teeth.

Arthur glanced at the dog for a second and his eyes widened in fear and shock. The beast that had torn off his arm that fateful night at the cave was right in front of him. Suddenly he lost control over his mechanical arm, sparking all over the place. In his terror he remembered the image of the huge seventh-tailed wolf standing menacingly over his body before tearing his arm off his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Mystery was very thoughtful. He wasn't paying attention whatsoever.

In his point of view, the distortion was plastered onto every photo too. His eyes darted off the screen and onto the floor thinking about the things he kept secret from Arthur and his friends.

He knew. Everything.

From the demon who possessed Arthur to Lewis's disappearance. He knew each episode and all of the Easter eggs hidden.

And he knew what happened that fateful night he tore Arthur's arm off.

The demon's name was Percy. Sometime in his 700 years of life he heard of the name, he also knew what the entity was known for: stealing bodies, often going for a limb first.

When mystery saw Arthur push Lewis off the cliff he was more than petrified, but when said blond turned around to stare right through his soul Mystery went pale as a ghost. Not because of his demonic grin, but the color of his skin and eyes were just like the descriptions he'd heard over the years, and when he saw the true Arthur crying on his right side he was even more triggered.

Mystery knew there was only one way to save Arthur, even if it was the sadistic way. After Arthur fell unconscious and Percy got out of his body, the demon casted a curse on both Arthur and him. No fragment of Lewis Pepper would be left. The only ones that had to carry his memory would be both Mystery and Arthur.

At least that's what they said.

Even after all the repercussions, he was glad he did the deed. If he hadn't torn Arthur's arm off he wouldn't be next to him right now.

Speaking of which, Mystery glanced at Arthur for a moment, surprised and confused. Arthur stared at him terrified, like he was seeing a demon. Mystery then realized he offhandedly turned to his original self bringing back those memories. Arthur screamed and fell backwards with his laptop earning a thud, waking up Vivi in the process. Mystery turned himself back to his dog form before she glared at both boys, giving the dog a questioning look. Mystery smiled awkwardly and shrugged, then Vivi laid back down onto the mattress going back to sleep.

All of a sudden a peculiar blood red petal flew up to the van and landed right next to Mystery, catching his attention.

He picked up the flower petal examining it briefly before he recognized where it came from.

"Oh no..."