Chapter 13: Lumen
Panting as he came to a halt upon seeing Ethan and Luanne standing before a carriage, Theo asked curiously,
"Are you leaving already, Godmother?"
Looking at Theo—sweaty and worn out—Luanne crouched down and gently ruffled her godson's hair.
"Yes, yes, dear. Godmother has a few matters to settle along the coast, so I'll hurry back home afterward."
"Hm…" Theo replied, dissatisfied.
Trying to tidy the boy's dirty, dried hair, Luanne combed it with her fingers and looked into his amber-colored eyes. A pouting, sulky lip struggled desperately to hide itself.
Feeling troubled, Luanne clicked her tongue and looked at Ethan.
"Could you leave us alone for a moment?" she asked politely.
Ethan nodded.
"Ed… give me a report on what you found."
"O-Okay…" he replied suspiciously, being led away by Ethan.
Standing up, Luanne walked toward the fountain while holding Theo by the hand. Stopping before the statue of the serpent, the Moon Priestess rested her hand on her godson's blond hair.
"Tê, do you know who this serpent is?"
The boy shook his head.
But Luanne had already expected that answer.
"This is a representation of one of the first sea dragons, belonging to the mythical Leviathan species. His name is Aegiron, the Guardian of the Ancient Lands. You know Neptune's tale, right?"
"Yes. That is, if you mean the story where Neptune curses the world for forty days and forty nights after the gods annihilated his kingdom…"
"Exactly. After the sun rose on the forty-first day, Neptune exiled himself from all the gods into the depths of the sea, maintaining contact only with his elder brother, Hades. However, according to the ancients, Neptune's trident still exists—embedded in a cavern protected by Aegiron, reinforcing the world's curse…"
"The world's curse?" Theo asked curiously.
"Mhm. A curse that forms a storm cloud capable of dividing the world… No ship we have ever built is strong enough to survive the calamities beneath that black cloud… It's impossible to pass through."
Theo looked at Aegiron's statue and reflected… To him, it seemed silly, but he had to ask.
"Then how do you know there are things on the other side?"
"Because it's impossible for there not to be, dear. We know our world is spherical, yet we cannot circumnavigate it… Think of a ball; we can start at one point, go all the way around it, and return to the same spot, right? But we can't do that… Now imagine the ball torn in half, preventing your finger from completing the circle."
"Hm… Is that cloud like the Wall of Snegriya?"
"Correct! A wall of ice that surpasses the clouds. Not even Deviants capable of flight can reach its summit—only glimpse it. Causality itself always prevents us from accomplishing such feats… It's as if the gods wish to hide a drawer…"
Theo fell into thought. Of course, like any curious child, he wanted answers to everything—but if even Luanne didn't have them, then no one did.
He was fully aware of Luanne's experience.
"That's why I joined the Order of Vagus. There are so many things in this world… Maybe even other worlds we don't know. Humanity has never set foot on every corner of the planet, and that's what drives me. From what Ethan said, it's what's driving you too…"
Luanne gazed at the ethereal gleam shining in Theo's eyes—like amber exposed to sunlight, like tiny drops of honey briefly dripping.
'That glow…' Luanne marveled.
It was the glow of someone who would never change his mind.
"That's why… have you ever heard of the Son of the Moon, the Hero of Light?"
"Uh… Lu—"
"Lumen, the Lord of Salvation, Guardian of Causality, the Mantle of Humanity… the first of the Deviants…"
"Oh, I know! But what about him?"
"Agents of Vagus need a codename for their missions… And, as the High Priestess of the Celestial Lunar Alunne, I would like you, Theo, to adopt Lumen as your name in the consecrated Deviant baptism."
Luanne stepped forward, stopping right in front of Theo.
"It would be an honor—for me and for my goddess. Do you accept?"
A deafening silence followed. Obviously, bearing the name of a legendary figure carried immense responsibility, even if such practices were common in this world.
Adopting the name of an important individual—a hero or a prominent political figure—as one's war codename was not unusual. However, among the countless shelves that separated such men, there was the very top; the shelf where only the untouchables stood.
Lumen, the hero who gave his life so that the Lord of Destiny might preserve humanity's existence, was known as the Savior of All.
Among the untouchables, he occupied the highest place.
No one had ever dared to use his name—not only because of the burden it carried, but also because it was protected by the Priestesses of Alunne.
Yet now, the High Priestess of the Moon was proposing it herself…
An immense expectation, paired with an even greater responsibility… Even so, there was no reason to refuse.
"Of course!" Theo replied with a smile. "It will be an honor for me to bear the name of Lord Lumen and carve a glorious path to honor him beneath the sky!"
'Beneath the sky, Theo?' Luanne thought, letting out a fond smile. 'Children truly can't understand destiny…'
"Thank you for entrusting me with such an honor!"
"There's no need, dear! The honor is all ours…"
Once again fixing her godson's hair, Luanne smiled beneath the daylight.
After bidding everyone farewell, Luanne boarded the carriage toward the city of Loureto, intending to catch the return route and finally head to her destination. The road to the Lawrence Residence was private and single-purpose (Loureto to the Residence, and the Residence back to Loureto).
Along the way, Luanne gazed at the moon hidden behind the clouds—shy and pale. A white owl followed the carriage, its wings beating without making a single sound. At last, the bird entered the carriage, where only Luanne sat, and perched on the cushion before the Priestess.
'Do you really think our goddess agrees with this?'
"What are you talking about? Isn't it obvious? She's the one who asked me to do this."
'Hm… Then our goddess truly is connected to this boy's transmigration?'
"Yes… But at the same time, there isn't exactly a transmigration… It's closer to reincarnation. From his behavior, I'm certain Theo knows who he is—yet at the same time, he's pretending to be a new person… Or perhaps truly becoming one."
'This will cause trouble… Mortals who deny their own essence and believe in a lie until it becomes reality are far more troublesome than the gods.'
"I know. That's why I'll stay close when it happens—because it will happen… Trials exist to reveal what each man is capable of; spill blood, or have your blood spilled. I firmly believe our goddess removed him from the Judgment of Elysium so that he might face these trials."
'Once again… Are you absolutely certain of that, my sister?'
Luanne sighed and leaned against the carriage window, watching as the moon emerged from behind the clouds.
"As long as the light in his eyes does not fade, Lumen will exist."