Battle Against the Unkown (4)

**Lumi**

Adults say kids don’t remember much of their early age, but I do. I remember it all from the day I was abandoned and left to die in the snow.

It wasn’t my end though, a kind man found me on his doorstep and decided to take me in.

Let’s go back 2 years prior to that. I’m Lumine Stark. I was born into a poor family and I was their only child.

Back then it wasn’t really tough. Sure, It was tight but my dad “Alexander Stark” was managing things.

It all went downhill when taxes were increased. On my second birthday, my parents were discussing something. I could hear them whisper something and my mom crying. It was probably something like “We can’t afford to have that child anymore” or “She’s deadweight” not that I care to know.

I could crawl but a kid is a kid you can’t survive in the snow alone. So, I ended up staying in the cradle they left me in.

A man opened his door, Saw me on the freezing ground and took me in. He wore glasses and had a creepy smile but it was better than nothing, So I thought.

The man was a scientist testing different kinds of drugs and as his “Daughter” I was a perfect subject.

Something made it feel easier and made me able to live on though. A girl just older than me called Ignes was also abandoned and left here for experimenting. Fate is cruel sometimes you meet the best of people at the worst of times.

It was a living nightmare. Daily injections of weird drugs that weren’t lethal but they were cruel.

Later, I realized with the help of Ignes that the scientist was experimenting putting elements inside a human and how that could work out.

Something felt odd however. Ignes would come back with 2 marks on her arm 2 injection marks while I would only have 1.

On our 8th birthday however, We saw an opening to escape. The man kindly took us out of his basement to test out our “new found powers”. It was snowing and for our plan to work out we needed to wait for a blizzard.

Luckily, That’s exactly what happened. A blizzard came and threw the carriage in disarray. Me and Ignes kept running and running until we found a shack in the middle of nowhere. We collapsed out of exhaustion. After all, we were kids and it wasn’t a small distance either.

I woke up first. We were covered in a blanket on some weird bed. “What a weird place.. Ah someone’s coming!”

I hid as soon as I heard the noise of footsteps.

“Oh my, You woke up.”

That voice was so calming and it made me relieved, a little relieved.

“You don’t need to hide from me, Little dear. You’re safe here from the blizzard.”

I lifted my head from underneath the blanket and I saw a tall woman with short hair smiling down on me. I don’t know if it was her hair color or if it was old age but she had silver hair. She was tall too.

“Let me introduce myself to you, dear. My name is Victoria Arthur.”

Huh?! wasn’t I supposed to introduce myself first? This lady is wearing something royal aren’t us commoners supposed to introduce ourselves first?!

“mmnh” Ignes also woke up after the introduction. Perfect timing I guess?

“Ohoho! you’re both awake. Are you two hungry ? Oh I have the perfect thing for this cold!”

This lady was enthusiastic but she was motherly in a way.

“Miss Arthur, Do you have kids ?” I asked out of curiosity

She looked down and her face did get a little gloomy. Oh no! Did I say something bad !? is all I could think of at the time

She smiled back at me however. “Nope. I’m but a lonely woman” giggling a little

We had our food and we introduced ourselves properly.

We managed to live peacefully for 4 years straight. We decided that me and Ignes would share the same birthday and we’d call Victoria our mother. We also took her last name “Arthur” as our name.

Now that I think about it. Ignes never told me her full name.

One spring day, I went to grab some branches for the stove. Mom was going to make us our favorite stew! I also thought of asking Ignes about her last name so we’d have an even closer relationship.

“What’s.. this…” I muttered as I saw raging flames eating up the entire house.

“Mom.. Ignes.. IGNES!” I screamed “SOMEONE HELP US” I kept screaming but no one ever came.

Scared, I took off running to the forest. I ended up getting picked up by a traveling merchant who listened to my story in full detail and kept wiping away my tears.

He was someone from Aetherland. So, he offered to take me in with him for a while until I got up on my feet.

When we arrived there, It was my 11th birthday. The man was kind enough to enroll me into a knights’ academy. I realized why he did when I looked over to my side. A crystal popped up when was it though? I can’t remember when.

After a year I was out of the academy with top grades on everything. I went to the adventurers’ guild for some food to treat myself and I was stopped at the door by a grown-up.

“Are you Lumi Arthur ?”

“Yes, Sir”

“The king wants to talk to you”

Now I thought I was getting in trouble but to my surprise his daughter met me with a kind smile.

“I never expected the top of her academy could be such a young lady my my”

I stood still in attention without saying a thing or moving a muscle

“We’d like to have you as our personal guard, Lumi-chan”

I nodded in agreement. I was on the hunt for a job that seemed like the perfect one. Oh wait, what about the guy I’m staying with?

“Don’t worry about your guardian we already settled everything with him and we moved all your belongings into a room here too”

And thus, I started being their guard. I kept training and training. They weren’t facing any dangers, they probably wanted to adopt me because of my grades and my young age though.

I took that job seriously however. Also keeping in mind to look for any signs of my sister being alive.

I kept going at it until the day I arrived in Denki, My previous homeland. The current battle arena is where our little home was. It makes sense now….

Lumi’s plan was a successful one. She was able to strike Flamebringer straight on.

Lumi and Flamebringer started to fall from the sky and the reality distort domain began to collapse too.

They finally hit the ground.

**Crack**

Lumi, now on top of Flamebringer, was shocked at the sight she was witnessing. Her eyes widened in shock. She was unable to talk.

“Ah.. I finally.. found you..”

“No.. No.. it can’t be..”

Lumi was breathing frantically and her eyes were very wide. Lumi was having a panic attack.

“I was.. so.. worried..” Flamebringer’s voice was so weak

What Lumi saw was the face of her long lost sister, Ignes Arthur.

“Why did you.. How did this all..” Lumi was panicking badly she couldn’t even continue her questions

Ignes kept a small smile on her face “It’s been years.. you’ve grown up so much..”

What was currently going through Lumi's mind was a mixture of why did you join them, Where were you, is mother still alive too, is this the last time we'll ever get to talk

Lumi's face overwhelmed with emotion looked frantic; she looked mad, hesitant and depressed.

"Hey now... Don't give me that look.. It's ok.. I don't want the last thing I see to be my sister crying.. Smile bright while you finish what you need to do..."

It began to rain where the battle was taking place. Lumi's eyes began to flow with tears and she complied with what her adopted sister asked of her. She smiled as she started lifting her dagger in the air.

"Farewell, Ignes." before plunging her dagger into Ignes' heart.

Ignis closed her eyes with a warm smile on her face.. "Until we meet again, Lumi."