The urge to open his arms and hold her close, tell her that everything would be fine was overwhelming. But they both knew that Helen’s visits to the Underworld were their only option and pretending otherwise wouldn’t make anything better. He couldn’t take her pain away or bear the weight on her shoulders and this thought, the powerlessness it implied, hurted him the most. Seeing her smile despite the suffering and even offering comfort felt like a knife being plunged into his chest. “I suppose I’m not”, Lucas uttered eventually, his gaze dropping to a point on the floor, Yet I am alone, a voice inside him screamed. We all are. His family had their own struggles to deal with and he would never want to burden them with his. With the darkness slowly creeping in and new talents he had to master, once again on his own. A deep sigh escaped him and then he managed a smile, a broken, defeated one that surely wouldn’t convince her. “And I hope you know that I’m still here too. If there’s anything I can do, a way to assist you ...” Not that he hadn’t already bothered his head about it tirelessly, searching for such ways.