The Luminous Isle
The alarm watch stuck out its tongue and began to ring. The sound was more than Lucy could endure. With force, Lucy struck its face with her hands. It flew off and fell to the floor.
Her heavy eyes struggled as she opened them. Slowly, she straightened herself and rose. The light of the crown was entering faintly through Lucy's windowpane. Her footsteps moved toward the washbasin.
She uttered the words: "Velra Thanor Arelion."
As the layers of the wall sank inward, a mirror emerged from within. Lucy washed her face and mouth with water. She looked into the mirror and realized she had grown.
Today was her eighteenth birthday. Lucy had stepped into adulthood. Now she could challenge the king.
Already, the island that once had more than a hundred people had dwindled to eighty eight. In the battles with the king, more lives had been lost.
The alarm watch, lying on the floor, used supernatural energy to return itself to the place where she had been sitting. Afterwards, she opened the door and went downstairs.
"Happy Birthday, Lucy" Her younger brother and mother greeted her the moment they saw her. Her mother had prepared a cake for her. It sat beautifully decorated on the table.
With joy, Lucy cut the cake and gave pieces to her mother and brother. Both of them knew that Lucy was the Angel, the one destined to defeat the king. Yet, not once had they spoken about it.
After finishing the cake, Lucy and Elrian came to the table for breakfast. Their mother served them porridge in wooden plates. Once they had eaten, the three of them stepped outside.
All the people of that place had already begun praising the Light. The three of them joined in with the others.
The siren blared across the palace.
All the slaves moved in unison, heading toward the palace to carry out their duties.
Only one figure did not join them.
Through the window, an old woman observed everything in silence.
Today marked the passing of one full week.
And in the hearts of everyone, the same dreadful question arose:
Who will be the one to die today?
They walked until they stood before the great Celestial Gate.
At the center of the gate, the eye of the Watcher appeared.
It scanned each of them once, and after confirming that there was no danger, the gate slowly opened.
They walked along the path that led to the palace.
On the days when the King did not appear, the palace always felt like a place of silence and false peace.
Lucy had been given the duty of cleaning the palace gardens.
The moment the alarm rang, all of them stopped whatever tasks they were doing.
During work, not a single slave was allowed to rest
that was the unbreakable law of the palace.
They had to keep working without pause until the alarm was heard.
After wiping away the beads of sweat, Lucy and the others gathered and stood facing the gates of the palace.
The sound of the King's footsteps reached all their ears.
With a heavy rumble, the great doors opened.
The King stepped forward, standing before them all.
From his body radiated a strange, overwhelming aura.
As always, he reached into the vessel and drew out a single name.
"Daisy."
The moment the name was spoken, a chill ran down the spines of both Lucy and Elrian.
For it was the name of their mother.
Before them, a great battle circle manifested out of thin air.
Elrian wanted to cry.
But out of fear of the King, he held it all inside.
Daisy embraced her two children tightly.
" It has been my fortune to live this long… and to raise two children like you. Lucy, from now on, you must protect him."
Tears began to flow from Daisy's eyes.
"I told you a lie. Your father did not die from an illness. He went into the sea to find a way to free us from here. But… he has never been able to return. You must never hold hatred in your heart for your father."
Lucy struggled to bury her grief deep within.
At that very moment, Daisy's time to enter the arena had come.
Another alarm rang out sharply.
Hearing it, she pulled herself away from her two children and stepped into the great circle.
From the crown resting atop the King, a blinding radiance spread across the circle.
The entire ground of the arena was built from stone, cold and unyielding.
Everyone else stood in silence, unable to utter even a single word.
What remained in their hearts was nothing but hope and fear.
With burning fury, Lucy's mother raised her voice against the King.
"King! Your dark powers will end here. My Fire Dragon will scorch them to ashes."
They raised their hands, and like a sudden flash, fire spread all around.
At the center of the circle, flames erupted, and from within emerged the blazing form of the Fire Dragon.
The Fire Dragon leapt forward.
Waves of fire engulfed the entire arena. The ground scorched, and the air grew intensely hot.
But when the ring of flames dissipated, all that remained was a layer of smoke.
As the smoke thinned, everyone could clearly see the King standing unmoved within it.
His mind was calm.
Then, the King let out a magnificent, overwhelming laugh.
"Is this the power of your fire?"
He raised just a finger.
From it, a black wave surged, striking the body of the Fire Dragon formed from flames.
In an instant, the Dragon was engulfed in darkness.
The King pressed his hands together, and the wave of darkness exploded.
The Fire Dragon vanished completely.
The fire in Daisy's eyes blazed even brighter.
She lowered her hands slowly to the ground.
From both sides of the circle, enormous Fire Dragons rose.
Both forms blazed as they leapt toward the King.
Yet he did not move an inch forward.
He lowered his head and opened only his eyes.
From his body, black supernatural energy erupted into the air,
swallowing both dragons entirely in darkness.
Their flames were extinguished.
Nothing remained there except the charred smoke.
Lucy's eyes were already in chaos.
The circle was covered with layers of dust.
From the opposite side, the King did not move an inch.
Those around him stared intently at the King.
They could not control their limbs; they began to tremble with fear.
Daisy let out a breath.
Once again, she pressed her hands onto the ground of the circle.
In the next moment, a Fire Dragon was formed.
But it was twice the size of the previous one.
The King immediately sent it backward and appeared in front of Daisy.
No one had expected such a move from the King.
With a wave of black energy, the King struck directly into their chests.
Daisy was thrown to the ground.
The King teleported again.
This time, he appeared above where Daisy lay.
Before she could even open her eyes, the next strike hit her body.
Blood flowed out from her mouth.
The great fire dragon they had created dissolved into the air. Tears flowed from Lucy's and Elrian's eyes. When Elrian was about to scream, Lucy covered his mouth. They could do nothing. If they dared to act, the others too would have to face the same fate. So, like the rest, they could only stand as mere spectators.
The king teleported back to where he had been standing. In his eyes, only death was burning. Daisy slowly rose to her feet. Blood was dripping from her face and body.
"I will no longer use power. From now on, let my body itself be the weapon against you." She spoke with a trembling voice, yet it carried a fierce tone. In an instant, Daisy's body was engulfed in flames. Lucy's mother became another reflection of fire itself. For the very first time, Lucy witnessed this side of her mother. Usually, she was calm and serene.
"So, you intend to use your own limbs against me? Do you truly believe that I could be defeated by this?" His laughter thundered through the royal palace, echoing endlessly. Even within that laughter, darkness spread. A black aura enveloped his entire body.
Daisy darted toward him with lightning speed. The moment she closed in, her flame wreathed fist shot straight for his face. The king blocked it with his hand. The sheer force cracked the entire ground beneath them. He shoved her strike aside, and in the next instant, her fist came swinging toward his chest. But that too was effortlessly blocked by the king.
She leapt back at once, channeling raging fire into her leg.
"Blast of fire!"
She said, swinging her leg toward the king. He dodged it effortlessly. Then, with a fist radiating waves of darkness, he struck her chest with immense force. She was thrown backward.
Once again, Daisy tried to land blows on his body, using both fists and kicks. But the king blocked them all with absolute ease.
The king began to feel as though his time was being wasted. He counterattacked, seizing both of Daisy's arms and twisting them violently. Bones snapped and tore outward. She screamed in agony.
Lucy and Elrian could not let out a sound. Their voices were trapped within them.
With one hand, the king hurled Daisy away. Her body crashed at the edge of the circle.
"My strength… I used only ten percent of it, and still you couldn't withstand it."
He teleported back into the palace and put on the robes he had cast aside.
Lucy rushed to her mother's side. Blood was flowing from her mother's body. Lucy held her tightly and began to cry. Her mother's broken arm hung limp against the ground.
The villagers did not allow Elrian to go near his mother. He had never witnessed such a sight before.
"Lucy… look at me. You must not cry. This is our fate. We cannot escape from it."
Then, turning her head, she added, "You must watch him carefully, Lucy."
She looked at her daughter with affection. Suppressing her pain, Daisy gave a faint smile. And with that smile, her body grew still.
Lucy gently closed her mother's eyes with her hands. Then, holding her mother tightly, she began to cry.
Elrian was already exhausted. A nameless rage rose within him toward the king. He looked at the palace with burning eyes.
The others could do nothing but stand with their heads lowered.
Only the king stood there with his head held high, his strands of hair rising and swaying in the air.
To be continued.....