Tears of Themis – Luke Episode 1 & 2
Luke’s character story can be read through the Visit section of the game and they are fully voiced like the main stories. Each scene is unlocked as you increase your affection level with him either through daily visits and interactions or by reading his card stories. As you can imagine visits are probably the surest way to increase his affection while cards are dependent on the luck of the pull. The game launched with episodes 1 and 2 available and you can unlock all available scenes once you achieve affection level 18 with him.
Luke’s story has a total of 21 story scenes and 6 debate battles (recommended power 2639 – 14178). You can only use Luke’s cards for these debate battles so you do need to level his cards up to a certain level whether you like him or not in order to read his story and gain the corresponding rewards like S-chips.
In episode 1 and 2, you join Luke on an mission to retrieve an important personal artefact which been stolen by Sphynx. Luke will need to prove his wit and mettle by solving puzzles across the city with his ever trusty Watson (you) by his side. You end up revisiting many of your childhood memories which include solving Sherlock Holmes’ like puzzles, your violin playing days, old neighbours and even creating new memories like cooking together. Spoilers ahead!
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It is late at night and Luke is writing his diary in his workstation. He records the progression of his investigation and also about his medical check-up. The doctor diagnosed that he probably has about three years left.
One early morning you are awoken by a call from Luke. He sounds distressed and explains that an old box that he uses to store his prized possessions had been stolen from his apartment. He asked you to check your phone for strange messages and true enough you found a message from Sphynx. Luke tells you to lock your place and he hurries over to find you. Apparently Sphynx is a legend in Stellis’ detective circle and he had issued a challenge to Luke. As his message to Luke also mentioned you, you are determined to help Luke solve the riddles and get his box back.
Your first stop is a fountain with statue of Themis without her blindfold. Here Luke recalls how he once helped you to retrieve a hairclip that you had dropped into the fountain. He shares about how grateful he was to have been taken in by your parents after his parents passed away and had the fortune of growing up with you.
Following the gaze of Themis, you arrive at your second stop, Libra Books. Luke receives another message from Sphynx with the next riddle. Using the Fibonnacci sequence and your memory of the notes of a song you used to play on the violin, Luke manages to solve the next riddle which points to the ISBN of a recipe cookbook. As you arrange the numbers, Luke puts his arm around your shoulder to protect you as he is certain that Sphynx is spying on both of you.
With the help of the store assistant, you found the book and you received the next riddle. You decided to cook steamed tangerine crabs with the recipe found in the book. As your kitchen is not fitted for cooking, you and Luke had to buy new appliances and ingredients to make the dish. Luke shares that he has learnt to cook some simple dishes over the years but had never made this dish before. What ensued was a rather comical attempt by two novice cooks to chase after feisty crabs who refused to be steamed. By the time you got the crabs steaming, both of you were worn out and the kitchen in a mess.
Flopping onto the sofa to take a breather, you suddenly recalled the most unforgettable taste from your childhood which is Granny Jones’ tomato omelette which had helped you through your violin exams. Granny was your neighbour in your old place and she had often cooked for both of you while your parents were out working. Luke offers to cook tomato omelette for you as you reminiscence over your past.
By the time you came to, Luke had served up both the omelette and the steamed tangerine crab. You tucked into the meal and expressed surprise at how good Luke’s tomato omelette are, almost a replica of Granny Jones’. Though you wanted to ask him about it, his embarrassed looks made you hold your tongue. Since Sphynx had not sent the next clue, you suggested paying Granny Jones a visit to pass her some of the crabs.
Enroute to your old place, you bump into Dr Angelo who had just come off visiting Granny Jones. He shares with you about her health condition which has been deteriorating. This brings to mind how much has changed in such a short span of time. You felt a momentary melancholy as you recounted how lonely you felt when your parents moved away for research and now coupled with Granny Jones’ ailing health, you felt even more alone. Luke comforts you reminding you that he is back with you. You made him do a pinky promise with you to never leave you. After he did, you suddenly blushed thinking about the significance of the promise.
Luke receives the next message from Sphynx as you ring the doorbell to Granny’s house. Though you couldn’t stay for long, Granny was glad to see Luke again and spilled the beans on how he almost burned down her kitchen learning how to cook tomato omelette for you. Luke tries to shush her as he turned red from embarrassment. Granny tells you that she is telling you this because she wanted you to know that Luke is a good boy and will always be good to you. Nothing would make her more happy than to see you both together. Not wanting to distress her further, you and Luke put up an act.
As you left Granny’s apartment, Luke brings up Sphynx’s riddle to dispel the awkwardness. The riddle led you to the Cloudbreak Mountain campus of Stellis Junior High. Going with your gut feeling, you quickly flagged a taxi to bring you there before night falls. Luke encourages you to take a rest as the journey would be long. As you flitter between sleep and consciousness, you felt the warm embrace of someone familiar and the gentle stroking of your hair.
You arrive at the campus with time to spare. You find a luggage office and surmised that Luke’s box should be stashed away here. Using the order of the spirits of Solomon, you figure the combination code to unlock one of the cabinets. Within the cabinet you find Luke’s old notebook which he had used to keep his notes when he was learning how to cook. It appears Sphynx has no intention to return all of Luke’s belongings in one shot. Nonetheless you were glad that you finally learnt the secret behind the tomato omelette and agreed to bake something for Luke in return. Your final message from Sphynx is a sponsored dinner at a restaurant.
After dinner, you returned back to your apartment to clean up the place. You saw that Luke had carved an image of you on two tangerines and left them on your counter. As you debate whether to eat or preserve them, Luke messages you and tells you just eat it because he will always be able to make more for you. Meanwhile Luke is decrypting the CCTV camera footage from Libra Books with hopes of finding Sphynx. He also records in his diary about how he was so happy to be reunited with you, but chooses not to be selfish to scar with you just for momentary happiness. He will bid you farewell once this business with Sphynx is over.
A few days later Luke confronts Aaron, his partner in NSB and also a practising doctor when he is not undercover. Through the CCTV footages and other clues put together, Luke managed to identify Aaron as the mysterious Sphynx who had stolen his box. He asked Aaron to return the box to no avail. Aaron persuades Luke not to give up on his love for you just because of his shortened life expectancy. He promised Luke he will do his best to find a cure for Luke or even a way to extend his life span. Aaron then pulled out a ring that Luke had personally designed and made for you, reminding him of how he had pined for you all these eight years. Luke stubbornly insists on disappearing after the matter with Sphynx is resolved, as the more time he spent with you, the harder it will be to let go.
At that moment, Luke receives a call from you, informing him that Sphynx had just sent a riddle which marked the start of the second round of the challenge. Luke eyed Aaron who shrugged his shoulders and offered to give him a lift to your place as recompense. When Luke got to your apartment, Aaron tossed him a box of jigsaw puzzle which both of you will need to put together in order to get the next clue. As both of you got down to put together the puzzle, you were reminded of the times spent together playing jigsaw puzzles. The revealed picture is the Astronomical Clock in Prague which you and Luke had promised to visit together upon graduation. However the trip never took place before Luke had gone under the radar.
When Luke asked if you had visited Prague while he was away, you replied negatively as your parents forbade you from travelling alone. In any case, now that Luke is back, you can finally make good of that promise. Luke looks apologetic and says he won’t be able to leave Stellis anytime soon due to work. You told him it was alright since Prague will always be there, both of you just need to find time to go.
With the puzzle finally put together, you learnt that your next clue will be found at an escape room near the amusement park that both of you used to go together. Luke asked if you had recently tried out the escape rooms and you replied no as most of your colleagues were not interested in this genre of games. You remarked happily that even though it would be hard to find time to go to Prague, at least both of you would be able to go through each the escape rooms together now. Luke forces a smile but as he turns to buy the tickets, his smile drops, knowing that there would be no such future for him.
The theme of the escape room is sci-fi related. You are detectives who have been hired to restore the memory of an android which has suddenly lost large portions of his memory except for some document which serves as your only clues to the puzzle. After deciphering the first set of clues, you were directed to your next destination which is the Surf and Sand ball pit located nearby. As you gazed at the huge ball pit made up of more than 2 million balls and deep enough to cover up to your waist, your eyes lit up. Luke recalls how you were always the first one to jump into the ball pit when you were much younger. You resisted the urge to plunge in and turned your focus to hunting for clues in the pit.
You found the next clue stuck on the underside of a two-storey inflatable slide. Luke got you a trampoline so that you can jump on it to try and reach it but to no avail. Later, he decides to lift you up onto his shoulder much to your embarrassment but it did give you just the right height to reach the card. In your excitement of obtaining the second clue, you fidgeted about too much, causing Luke to lose his balance and both of you fell into the ocean of balls. Luke laughed heartily as he popped his head out of the balls, recalling how fun it was.
With the second clue in hand, you return to the escape room to continue solving the puzzle. Luke managed to solve the next puzzle related to a cuckoo clock. With it you unveiled the third part of the puzzle which led you crashing into an underground chamber as you tried to feel around for the pressure plate. You landed among cushions so was not hurt only slightly shocked. You could hear Luke’s concerned voice from above as he tried to make his way down. However you told him to stay above in case this wasn’t part of the puzzle. To allay his concerns for you, you suggested singing your childhood song while both of you searched for the next clue separately.
Before long, you found the remote to release a rope ladder allowing you to return back to the original room. Luke immediately jumps down to find you and quickly scans your body to make sure you’re not hurt. You told Luke not to fuss over you and that you have learnt to overcome various difficulties living alone. In your eagerness to prove yourself, you inadvertently let slip of an occasion when you have locked yourself out in the balcony in the middle of winter. You only finally managed to escape from the cold using a hammer to smash through the glass door and suffered some minor scratches. As you recounted your experience, Luke’s expression darkened visibly and finally apologises repeatedly that he wasn’t there for you. Though memories of living alone had triggered some emotions within you, you quickly brushed them aside so as not to burden Luke with them.
With the last available clue, you found the diary of the android and learnt the background to the mystery. The android and his owner were in love with one another. However his owner had contracted an illness giving her only three years of life span. She had ordered the android to erase all memories of her so that he wouldn’t be remorseful over her demise. As you pondered over the actions of the owner, you commented that though the intent was to ensure the happiness of the android after she died, it was selfish of her to deny the android of memories of their love. Luke added his own perspective that three years’ of happiness is not worth a lifetime of suffering. You countered that nobody knows what will happen in the future and thus it was better to live each moment as they come rather than regret. Love meant going through both the good times and bad times together. Luke eyes trembled as he listened to your words.
As the escape room came to an end, you found a note left behind by Sphynx. You hurriedly asked the shop owner for the guest registry hoping to finally identify the notorious riddler. However the CCTV gave you no further clues. Coincidentally one of the store clerk told you that Sphynx had dropped a pouch in the store and asked you to follow her to retrieve it from the women’s locker room. As it was not convenient for Luke to tag along, you went alone.
However, the lady leads you to a remote back alley where you found yourself surrounded by a group of men and women. You identified them as the parents of a group of delinquents that you had convicted to a juvenile detention center due to a case of severe school violence. They surround you menacingly demanding to know where the victim had been relocated to so they can exact revenge. You tried to use a pepper spray on one of the men blocking your way but he managed to swipe it away. In retaliation, he swings a punch at you.
You closed your eyes in anticipation of the hit that never came. With a whoosh of brisk air, you found yourself tucked into the warm embrace of Luke. Luke makes short work of the men who had tried to harm you. Before long they were all arrested and hauled to the police station.
As you recount the background of this case to Luke, he stares at you solemnly and surmises that this wasn’t the first time your safety was compromised. Though you tried to brush it away, Luke was inconsolable. He was angry that you hid such matters from him. You quickly added that now that he was back, you don’t need to afraid anymore because he would be around to protect you. It seemed like Luke could never be angry with you for long. He holds your hands and promises that he would always be around to protect you.
With this behind you, you returned your focus back on the note from Sphynx. The final riddle leads you to a locker in a church. Luke opens the locker and finds a ball from Ocean Ballpark inside. You immediately recognise the ball as it was a symbolism of a promise you made with Luke when you were younger to always tell him what was troubling you and not keep anything from him. Luke sighed dramatically that so much has changed over these last eight years and he wondered if you would still be willing to live up to the pact made then. You promised Luke that you will keep the promise and he also assures you that he will remain by your side.
After that Luke sneaks you back into the ballpark so that you can play to your heart’s content without being conscious of others or looking too childish. You let your adult self go and threw yourself into the ball pit together with Luke just like old times. Later, you told Luke that you didn’t want to take a cab back so he rode you back on a bicycle, reliving the past. By the time, Luke got back to his shop it was late at night. He found Aaron waiting for him with a smirk on his face. Aaron flung the handmade ring to Luke and encouraged him to propose to you at the right time. Luke told Aaron that he will not leave you anymore so requested to have his box back. Aaron replied that it was better for everyone that he hangs on to the box.
As Aaron gets up to leave, Luke thanks him. Aaron acknowledges and asked Luke to give him a vote of confidence and to work with him on the path to recovery. After Aaron leaves, Luke sits back on his counter and examines the ring in his hand. He recalls when he was struggling between life and death after inhaling large amounts of toxic gas on a mission, it was his desire to come back and tell you how much he loved you all these years that kept him alive. The ruby atop the ring was also found during this mission. Though he had originally planned to leave you, after hearing what you had been through alone all these years, Luke made up his mind to stay to keep his promise to be by your side for the rest of his life as a lover or your brother.
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This ends Luke’s character story to date. The crux of Luke’s story is his struggle over making his feelings for you made known or to quietly disappear from your life forever so that you will not be scarred by his premature death. Though Luke’s actions seemed like an act of sacrifice, I find it to be rather selfish and immature especially since Luke is like family to you. By wanting to play the hero, he is denying you the opportunity to share in both the good and bad times with him. In that sense, he has a rather superficial view about love. In addition, though both of you have great camaraderie and shared much of your growing up years together, it is not immediately obvious that you care for Luke more than just family, especially in the light of an otome game where you have three other suitors vying for your hand.
Luke is very fortunate to have Aaron as his colleague and doctor. I have to credit him for the ingenious way of helping Luke rediscover his motivation for living, to live without regret and embrace his feelings for you, rather than let Luke descend into a miserable wreck should he give up on the one thing that kept him living. I think it is important for us all to always have this kind of friend or support in our life to remind us of what’s important and steer us in the right direction even if it means using unorthodox means.