Same Past and Present (10) - Alex's POV

I teleported to join Luke, studying the surroundings near the lake. Many lilies were pulled out, compiled into a bouquet. The neatly arranged flower field was tattered as others were turned into flower crowns and rings. Her screams for help were louder, choking on water in between. Luke pulled himself together to chant a spell to search for Rika inside the lake. He planned to lift her out, only entering when all else failed.

"I can't find Rika in the lake," Luke was filled with worry.

"I'll help you find her," I pulled my shoes off.

Luke abandoned his blazer, his shoes neatly placed on the flower field. He dived into the lake, swimming to physically search for Rika. Joining him, I opened my eyes once I was inside, manipulating the oxygen in the water to help me breathe. The lake wasn't big, allowing us to explore every inch within ten minutes. However, Rika was nowhere to be seen underneath the surface while her cries continued to fill our ears. It was like she wasn't in the same space as us, having no choice but to give up after an hour. What was happening here?

"Rika isn't in this lake," Luke returned to the surface.

It was strange, we could see her from above but not underneath. A few meters away, we watched Rika losing more of her strength, creating bubbles from her attempts to breath in more air. What were Jules and Yulee doing? I swam towards the flower field with Luke, deciding to ask them about the details. Once I reached a patch of land, Rika's screams had completely stopped, no signs of her present anymore. Meanwhile, both Jules and Yulee ran towards us from the commotion.

"How did you create these lakes?" Luke shouted at them.

"They should be normal bodies of water," Yulee was confused.

"We couldn't find Rika anywhere inside the lake," I was completely drenched.

"I'm going to check the other lakes," Jules quickly escaped from Luke.

While Luke demanded an explanation from Yulee, I continued to search for any signs of Rika. Scanning the area until a large ripple suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake, the clouds parting to carry the spotlight to a pale girl floating on the surface. Although we had dressed Rika in a pastel blue dress, Rika wore a silky white dress more suitable for a funeral. Her face was close to blue, arms crossed like she was inside a coffin.

She appeared to be unconscious, drifting wherever the wind took her. When I turned to Luke, he stared at Rika with great fear consuming his eyes. He began to uncontrollably tremble, staggering with every step. His eyes almost rolled back, struggling to breathe while his heartbeat sped by tenfold. My eyes widened as I realized he was having a panic attack, trying to support him, rubbing his back. However, he soon collapsed onto the ground, losing strength in the rest of his limbs, coughing for more air with his sweat beginning to pour onto his wet clothes.

Luke curled up into a circle, softly whimpering as he transitioned into a high fever. He wasn't in his right mind anymore, the sounds coming from him slowly fading. Meanwhile, Rika continued to float on the surface of the lake, slowly beginning to turn purple. The event was utterly ruined, finding both guests of the Roselia family unconscious and one close to death. The blame went to the main hosts, their carelessness allowing this incident to happen.

Luke wouldn't be able to live without Rika. I had to save her so he could recover. I dived into the lake again, desperately swimming towards her. This time, I could see her from underneath the surface, able to pull her inside my arms within a few minutes. Teleporting her with me to the flower field, finding her to be extremely cold. I placed her down on the ground, checking for her pulse and signs of breathing. But I couldn't find anything, making me use the remainder of my mana to use heal.

"I think the girl is dead," an observer mumbled.

"She's too pale and not responding to anything," a person whispered.

"The heir of the Roselia family tried to save his partner and now he resembles her," another person mumbled.

"The main hosts killed a member of the Roselia family," a guest started to gossip.

"Heal doesn't have any effect on her," another guest agreed.

"Rika is alive, isn't she?" Yulee's voice wobbled.

"I don't know," I focused on pouring more mana into her.

When Jules returned to join us, he shuddered from seeing both Luke and Rika. If one of them died, his family would likely disown him. I switched to press down into her chest, sending electric shocks to her heart after exhausting almost all my mana. I was stunned when I opened her mouth, finding it filled with lake water. Maybe it was the lake water preventing her from recovering, deciding to hit her back to get all the water out.

Although it was certain Luke would live, it was extremely ambiguous for Rika. A large puddle of water began to form as I continued to shake more water out of her. After getting most of the lake water out, I sighed in relief when I could feel her faint breaths on my palm. Holding Luke in one of my arms and Rika in another, I started to call for our hover car. This mansion was disgusting, something clearly going on that affected both Luke and Rika.

"Would you like to use the infirmary?" Jules offered.

"Are you serious? Your carelessness caused this entire mess and it's the second time. We're not attending your events anymore," I entered the hover car.