"...Hmm." Lucy childishly groaned, sitting on the bench that was just outside of her mother's bakery. She had her arms crossed, tapping her foot relentlessly, staring directly at a brick wall on the other side of the street, very hostilely.
"...Hmph." She grunted louder, as if there was someone around to entertain her tantrum.
...
"UGH!!" She finally screamed, scratching the top of her head furiously. "That guy doesn't know what he's talking about! I could totally be his Discipulus!"
She threw herself against the wall behind the bench angrily, she huffed. "So what if I don't have a Light? He doesn't need to know that..." She crossed her arms again, blowing a piece of hair away from her face.
Suddenly, Lucy was interrupted by the loud growling of her stomach. She sighed, and slinked out of her seat on the bench dramatically.
Guess she should see what her mom is cooking today.
The loud chime bells rang, as Lucy swung open the front entrance. "Mom! Are you cooking tod-" She stopped in her tracks, the bakery was empty, her mother was nowhere to be found.
...Oh, right. Consequences of her actions, and all that.
Lucy begrudgingly took a seat at the left-most wooden table, she leaned back in her chair, sighing heavily.
Ok, yeah. She's stupid, she knows that. Dammit... Why can't there be a reset button on life? She didn't mean it! Her mom knows that... Right?
...
"Lukyan?" A voice spoke suddenly.
Lucy immediately sat up, and looked towards the direction of the counter, she couldn't believe it! It was her mother! Still in the same, flour-stained attire from earlier!
Lucy sprang out of her seat, she laughed joyously, running at her mother with her arms outstretched. "Haha!! Mom!-"
*BOOM!*
...
Black.
...What just happened? Why is everything...
Black?
Lucy's entire body felt heavy, with no idea how she fell to the ground. She instinctively began to crawl, wincing with each slight movement. It felt as if she was swimming through a sea of broken glass.
A small glint of sunlight broke through, hitting her face. Lucy climbed tirelessly towards it, and when she emerged from the dark abyss—she opened her eyes, and bore witness to an even worse sight.
Hell.
Smoke and sulfur permeated the air,
*BOOM!*
A second explosion, it felt farther. But, now her ears were ringing, she watched in horror as the town locals ran into the streets screaming, desperate cries for help pierced through the air, one man clutched his chest, crawling toward the curb before collapsing.
A mother screamed for her child, but the girl she cradled had already gone limp in her arms. Another local stumbled past, face soaked in blood, his eyes unfocused, before crumpling mere feet away from where Lucy was standing.
She watched that man fall motionless, like a deer in the headlights.
What... What was happening right now!?
Lucy held out her hands, she saw red. Blood fell from her cheek, and travelled down her right arm. She was bruised as well...
Wait! Her mom!
Despite the screams, and the chaos, Lucy made a mad dash back into the bakery, or what was left of it. She searched desperately for any sign of her mother, throwing stone, debris, even picking up shards of broken glass, and tossing it aside.
"Mom! MOM!!" She shouted, tears swelled in her eyes, her voice was heart-wrenching.
"L-Lucy! I'm over here!" Her mom cried, Lucy immediately ran over to the voice, and saw her wounded mother, trying hopelessly to push a large piece of rubble off of her trapped left leg.
"M-Mom!" Lucy's voice broke. "Hold on! I-I'll get this off of you... Hup!" She bent over, and tried her best to lift the stone off of her mom's leg, despite the strain she was putting on her lower back.
Lucy fell over in exhaustion, it was too heavy!
*WOOSH!*
The fire spread to the top of the bakery, they both watched as the flames raged, and licked at the sky. Damn it! They're running out of time, and she's getting nowhere like this!
Lucy searched for something, ANYTHING. That could help in this situation, but she was snapped out of it, as her mom grabbed her arm.
"Lukyan...!" She said, beseechingly. Lucy turned to her, distraught. "I... I'm gonna be fine, my love. Go. Please."
Lucy shook her head, eyes glossing under her tears. "No! Hell no! I'm not leaving you here!"
She broke her mom's hold on her arm, and ran out into the street. "Help! HELP! SOMEBODY!" Lucy shouted out into ruined marketplace, cupping her mouth with her hands.
Suddenly, the sound of rolling wheels slowly entered into earshot. Lucy frantically checked every direction for the source, when her gaze finally landed on a single—golden carriage, a man guided two horses in the front across the winding, destroyed concrete road.
Lucy thanked the Light, and ran into the street, waving her arms wildly in the air. "HEY! HEY! WE NEED HELP, PLEASE!" She shouted at the carriage and its driver.
The driver was forced to come to a grinding halt, Lucy placed her body in front of the horses, who have been trained to automatically stop when in front of any kind of roadblock.
The man snapped at Lucy. "Dammit, girl! Get the hell out of the way!"
Lucy ignored the man's wishes, nearly climbing onto the carriage herself to plead her case. "Sir! Please. M-My mom is trapped under that rubble, I just need some help to get her out!-"
"You can't see the whole kingdom is on fire right now!?" The man rebutted. "Seriously, get out of here right now before!-"
The golden carriage door swung wide open, catching Lucy, and the driver's attention. To Lucy's confusion, the man gritted his teeth, and began to sweat bullets.
When she turned her attention back to the carriage door, she took a big step back. She almost fell to her knees.
Because, the person who exited the carriage, his entire body wrapped in a luminous red robe, and his glorious golden eyes.
Was the last man she ever expected to see.
The Eternal King, Aetheron Lychinus.
When he stepped from his golden wagon, The King examined his surroundings thoroughly, as if he was dissecting every particle of smoke in the air, and broken piece of rubble on the ground, it was surreal.
And yet, his expression never fell into any kind of an emotion.
The King just glanced at Lucy, and that was all it took for her to drop her head down, and kneel before him.
Her breath didn't seem to come easily all of a sudden, she forced herself to speak. "M-My King! My... Mother is trapped under that rubble..."
Her head was hung so low, she didn't even notice The King's footsteps growing farther, and closer to where her mother lied. She just kept rambling. "I-I tried to pick it up, but I wasn't strong enough... Y-Your Highness, if you would be so kind to!-"
*SQUELCH!*
The disgusting sound instantly made Lucy look up from her curtsy, she turned around...
And her heart dropped into her stomach.
The King's royal boot came down on Lucy's mother's skull with a wet crunch. Her nose and jawbones immediately splintered inwards under his weight. She didn't even scream, didn't have a chance to make a sound.
As he lifted his boot from her face, Lucy watched as the cartilage tore from what was left of her mom's mouth, slippery, pulped flesh stuck to his shoe like a piece of gum, he emotionlessly dragged his foot across the concrete, in an attempt to wipe it off.
Lucy didn't blink. A weak, pathetic noise escaped her, she fell to her knees, her arms hit the floor.
The King walked in front of her fragile figure, not even turning to look her way.
"...Who do you think you are?"
"To impede my path?" Aetheron spoke solemnly, as if she was nothing more than an irritant.
With those words, he stepped back into his golden carriage, the driver shooting Lucy a dreary look, before finally, taking off into the direction of the castle.
...
Nothing. There was absolutely no thoughts in Lucy's brain. She sat there, motionless, for 30 minutes straight.
Maybe she knew subconsciously if she allowed herself to think about anything, it'd be the last thought she'd ever have before she threw herself into the fire.
Her mom was... the only one she had.
She can't...
"I... Can't..." Lucy whispered to no one.
...
"Kid? Kid!" A masculine voice called out from behind her.
She didn't even turn around, maybe she wasn't even really there.
The man ran towards the bakery, his Luni armor rattling as he approached her, it was Ruan. The blue and purple-eyed man from earlier.
"Kid? What are you?-" He stopped himself, bearing witness to the bloodied, ruined corpse, smashed viscera and brain matter where the face should be. Like someone had just popped a watermelon.
Ruan sighed deeply, he followed Aetheron's golden carriage to this district. For those who truly know that man, it didn't take a detective to figure out what had gone on here.
He approached Lucy, slowly stepping in front of her, so he isn't startling. He took one knee, trying to meet her at eye level,
Then, spoke to her gently. "...Hey. I'm... I'm sorry-"
Lucy fell into his arms, she gripped his armor tightly as she sobbed loudly into his chest. Ruan hesitated at first, but then, wrapped his arms around her, brushing the back of her hair with his hand.
"I'm really sorry. I really am. I don't believe much in 'good' people. But, that bastard... is the worst of them all." Ruan furrowed his eyebrows in anger, holding Lucy tightly.
Amidst her sobs, Ruan swore he could almost make out something Lucy was trying to say.
"...Make me." Lucy muttered, still leaning into his chest.
Ruan loosened his grip on her for a moment. "What do you mean?"
He rose, helping Lucy stand up straight, she wiped her tears, then looked Ruan straight in the eyes, her gaze didn't waver.
"Make me your Discipulus." Lucy said. "...I won't let him get away with this."
Ruan groaned, his first instinct was no. A thousand times, no.
...But when he looked this girl in her eyes, he saw something in them. A fire. More aggressive than the one that raged in the background.
...
"Kneel." Ruan commanded.
Lucy seemed confused at first, but quickly shook her head, and did what he said.
*SCHING!*
He unsheathed the slim, sword that rested on his left hip, and pointed it to the sky.
The sharp noise made Lucy wince, but still, she held her ground.
Ruan brought the sword down gently, placing it just over her right shoulder.
"For the ones I love, I will split the sun, and the moon. My body will be the shield to protect the innocent from those who would darken my kingdom. My Light will rend a path that will guide my wayward travelers back home. Can you say the same?" Ruan recited.
Lucy balled her fist, scraping it against the ground. "...Yes."
"To fight solely for my kingdom, is a lie. To wield my Light against certain death, for the promise of strangers, is a lie. Cast aside your manufactured ambitions, and tell no lies. Light be your witness. What is the true reason you fight?"
Lucy went silent, taking long, deep breaths, as she felt the heavy steel of Ruan's sword rest on her shoulder.
Suddenly, she raised her head, and spoke.
"...To kill Aetheron Lychinus."
...
"Hmph." Ruan swiftly sheathed his blade.
"...Then may the Light, guide you forward."