When I turned eleven, my brother decided to go fight, following in my father's footsteps. He had spent all that time training a group of surviving soldiers, planning to reclaim what was once ours and avenge our fallen. With determination, we returned to the place where our home once stood.
At first, it seemed like we might succeed. We managed to push the invaders back, but our hope was short-lived. Tejod returned, summoned by his general, and this time he showed no mercy. He summoned those beings we've already faced: the Spelectrums, relentless creatures that obliterated everything in their path. My mother fell before them with a heart-wrenching scream that still echoes in my memory. My brother continued to fight bravely, but it was clear we were losing. Everything was lost.
I wanted to keep fighting, to prove that I had learned enough to face them, but my brother stopped me once again. Before knocking me out, his last words resonated in my mind like an indelible echo: "Live, sister." At that moment, I thought I was strong enough… but I was wrong. Whispering the same words my father once told him: "Not all is lost. There is always a tomorrow. Value your life, because as long as you live, there will always be hope," before rendering me unconscious.
When I awoke, I saw my brother hanging like a trophy at the entrance of Tejod's great tent. His body had been turned into red jade, and a sign placed beside him read: "Here lies the last of the lucuma race."
My world completely collapsed. The place that was once called Lucumenios had its name changed to "The Crimson Dead," a cruel reminder imposed by Tejod after the massacre of my people. It was a name that burned like fire every time I heard it.
Seeing my brother like that filled me with a sense of helplessness. I wanted to run toward Tejod and kill him with my own hands, but an older man stopped me before I could do something reckless.
"It's not worth losing your life over something as foolish as revenge," he said firmly. "Live." His words were almost identical to my brother's before he knocked me out. But I couldn't accept it. My heart cried out for justice, and the thirst for vengeance was the only thing keeping me standing.
The man who stopped me was strong, even despite his age. He easily defeated me, despite all my years of training. Recognizing my potential, he decided to train me himself. He taught me advanced combat techniques, stealth, and concealment.
"I'm training you because I want you to survive what's coming," he told me one day while we practiced. "You're completely alone in this world. Your people have been annihilated, and if you don't prepare, your fate will be the same."
For a year, I trained tirelessly under his guidance. At the age of twelve, I told myself: "I am the last of my kind. I must have my revenge."
The man, knowing what I was planning, tried to dissuade me one last time before I left. "Don't do anything foolish, like confronting the Red Shadows army on your own," he warned. "Revenge won't bring your people back."
But I didn't listen. My heart was blinded by anger and pain. I decided to act alone and infiltrate the ranks of the Red Shadows to find a way to destroy Tejod and fulfill my vengeance.
Meanwhile, other tribes that had also been invaded by Tejod heard about me. They saw how I trained and decided to enlist me in their ranks, believing my strength and determination could be useful in their fight against the tyrant. I wasn't sure if I could trust them, but I accepted their offer. I knew I needed allies if I wanted any real chance of facing Tejod.
We infiltrated through abandoned sewers until we reached the Red Shadows' camp. There, we captured one of the guards. His name was Pax, a common soldier whose loyalty was dictated by circumstances. One of our group skillfully interrogated him and managed to extract valuable information. Pax revealed that the Red Army was composed of cherries and strawberries—people who had also been invaded by the shadows. However, Tejod had offered them a choice: serve him and join his army or be annihilated along with their families.
The group decided to take Pax's armor and hand it over to me. According to them, I was the perfect candidate to infiltrate the enemy ranks. The plan was simple but dangerous: pretend to be Pax using a voice-changing device that one of our technicians had specially created for me. My mission would be to climb the ranks of the army until I became Tejod's right hand, at which point I'd have the opportunity to kill him.
"And that's how I almost became Tejod's right hand," Lukeandria concluded after finishing her story. Her voice trembled slightly as she added, "With this journey I'm taking with you, Paltio, I suppose it will grant me the chance to get close enough to him off guard… so I can finally exact my revenge."
Ron, who always had something to say, stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "I thought the lucumas were part of the Red Shadows army."
"No!" Lukeandria replied firmly, her tone heavy with seriousness.
"That's where the name Pax comes from… I thought you made it up," Alita commented curiously, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the soldier.
Pax simply observed her for a moment, his expression serene but laced with irony. "Yes," he responded dryly, as if that single word encapsulated everything he had been through and who he was now.
Then, looking directly at Paltio, she continued: "That's why I need your help to restore the armor. I still need it. I couldn't say goodbye to my father as you did, Paltio… nor to my mother and brother." Tears began to well up in her eyes, rolling slowly down her cheeks as she struggled to maintain her composure.
Everyone present listened to her story in silence, sadness and sorrow etched on their faces. No one made comments or jokes; the gravity of Lukeandria's words filled the air.
Paltio was the first to react. He approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of support. "I'm with you, no matter what happens," he said with determination. Alita and Ron nodded silently, joining in the show of solidarity. Even Mok, always reserved and formal, offered words of encouragement: "Their sacrifice will not be in vain, Lukeandria. We'll find a way to honor their memory."
Golden, though more distant, also expressed his condolences. "Revenge is not the path," he said calmly, though his tone carried no reproach. "But now that I know you better, I'll support you in confronting Tejod. Together, we'll find a way to defeat him."
Lukeandria let out a weak laugh, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "You're all fools," she murmured, trying to mask her vulnerability behind a veil of sarcasm. "You won't be able to do anything against Tejod and his troops. I've already tried."
"That may be true," Paltio replied firmly, his voice resonating with conviction. "But back then, you didn't have us."
Lukeandria looked at him in surprise, but Paltio didn't stop there. "I also thought about seeking revenge on Tejod at some point, but I'd leave it to Avocios to judge him. What I do know is that I'll find a way to save people and free them from the dark evil. We will defeat the Dark King."
Lukeandria shook her head, incredulous. "If you can't even handle Tejod, how do you expect to face Urugas?" she retorted bitterly.
"Why are you so pessimistic?" Alita interjected gently but resolutely. "There's always a glimmer of hope as long as good remains alive."
Lukeandria stared at her, her eyes filled with pain and experience. "Girl, I'm fourteen years old, and I watched hope slip away day by day from my life," she responded seriously. "You won't defeat him. He's too powerful."
Despite her words, her voice trembled slightly, as if some part of her wanted to believe in what Alita had said, though her past denied her that possibility.
"There's always a choice," Mok interrupted calmly but firmly. His words echoed like a soothing refrain in the silence of the room. "Not all is lost. There's always a tomorrow. Value your life, because as long as you live, there will always be hope."
Lukeandria heard those words as an echo from the past, a reminder of something her brother and father used to tell her when they were still by her side. Mok's phrases struck a deep chord within her, awakening memories she thought were buried beneath years of pain and resentment. In her mind, she began to relive happy moments: her brother's laughter during training sessions, her father's serene wisdom as he led their people, and her mother's affection. For a moment, the weight of vengeance seemed to lighten, if only just a little.
Carefully, Lukeandria wiped away her tears once more, this time with a softer, less desperate gesture. She looked at the group, their faces filled with determination and support, and a small smile formed on her lips. "Fools," she murmured, but her tone was no longer bitter or sarcastic. It was a genuine smile, tinged with gratitude and, perhaps for the first time in years, a glimmer of hope.
"I'll have to place my hope in you all," she finally said, her voice lighter, almost as if she were accepting a truth she had denied for years.
It was the first time the others had seen Lukeandria truly smile in front of them. It wasn't a forced grin or a mask of indifference; it was a sincere expression that briefly illuminated her face, revealing the person who still struggled to rise above layers of pain and anger.
The atmosphere in the vehicle shifted subtly. The tension that had weighed heavily on everyone dissipated, making room for something new: a deeper connection, a shared promise to fight together, no matter what the future held.