"...?" I awoke. But something didn't feel right. Why is everything dark? And, another thing, what is dark and why do I know what dark is?

"Welcome, Unborn Soul." A voice. A presence. From the dark came an eye with a strange pupil. It looked at me even though I had nothing to look at since I didn't have a body. What was a body, and why do I already know? "You seem rightfully confused, Unborn Soul. Please, be calm, and I will alleviate your concerns."

"Okay." Another voice. My voice. I sound strange. Why?

"I am Zulm, and I have momentarily stopped your birth to speak with you, Unborn Soul. You both have and don't have the knowledge you will come to learn in the world. I gave you this knowledge to make conversing easier, but will take it away once finished." The eye, Zulm, explained with mouths that hid in the darkness around me. "You see, I must trouble you, Unborn Soul. I must ask of you to save a lily."

"A flower?" Petals of white swaying in a warm breeze while the sun bathes it from on high. A beautiful sight for my unmade eyes that offered a reprieve from the dark.

"In a way. The lily is a Stolen Soul meant to save my Arlexia but some have voiced their rightful concerns on whether the Stolen Soul can do this task alone. So, I would ask of you to accompany the Stolen Soul, the lily, and be there for them no matter what."

"Is the lily mine?" It sounded like it.

"...Yes," the eye remained silent in thought before finally giving their answer. "The lily is yours, and you are the lily's. At least, they will be so long as you help them save my Arlexia."

"Save Arlexia?" An unknown. Why does the eye sound sad if saving something is a good thing?

"The future of my Arlexia is threatened by the usurpers and the incompetent." Anger. Disgust. The eye displayed it all and the darkness writhed in unison. "I've already borrowed much influence from another world to help me shape Arlexia. And, now I must even exhaust myself and draw a soul from that same other world to assist, or else all will be lost."

"How can I help?" They've told me the task but without detail. How can a soul like me be of help to such an eye?

"That is why you are here: to bear my blessing...and, hopefully, accept my deepest apologies." The eye closed and bowed before me.

"Why would you need to apologize?" For such an eye to bow!? A formless soul like me isn't worthy of such grace! "Are blessings not wonderful?"

"Because, unlike my children, my blessings come with a cost. Power begets weakness. Perfection demands flaws." The eye reopened and looked at me sadly. "To you, I shall give power unlike any other. From you, I shall take the innocence of your youth. To you, I shall give you the infinite honor of being my Harbinger to bear and create a flock forever loyal. From you, I shall take your honor among your peers making you an outcast to those around you."

"..." Power for innocence. Titles for friendship. All this for a single lily? But, if the lily is supposed to be mine... "Will the lily hate me, too?"

"No." Zulm was watching me carefully. "While they may initially fear you, they will come to understand you. In the end, they will stand beside you."

"Then, that's okay."

"...Unborn Soul," the eye seemed confused for the first time, "The weight of your words, do you understand them?"

"While I will lose my innocence, I will gain power letting me understand and make choices for myself. While I will lose the potential friendships I could have made, I will be guaranteed at least one with the lily. Not to mention, I will have power that will let me protect the lily, right?" Everything is give and take. "If so, I will pour all I have into the lily to live happily even without others."

"..." The eye closed and pondered my words. "I will accept your decision, and thank you, Unborn Soul."

"I should be the one thanking you!"

"Thanking me?"

"Even if you take from me, you give just as much. You also sought me out to tell me beforehand, even if I won't remember." Zulm could have not said anything and gone on with their plan, and me with my birth. But, they wished to speak with me and seek understanding. "You are kind, Zulm, and I thank you."

"...Unborn Soul... You are the one who is truly kind." They sounded humble and the eye seemed to smile even without lips. "I am filled with hope and joy knowing one such as you will be born into my Arlexia. So much so that I will make a vow with you, Unborn Soul." Something felt like it was coiling around me. Around my existence. "I shall allow a portion of the knowledge I've shared with you to remain, and even if you come to curse my name, and the name of my children for the trials and misfortunes you will face, know that we will forever give you our grace!" It looked like a vine with thorns. "Go now, Unborn Soul, and suffer well. May your briars grasp their desires. Go now-"

***

"Lucina..." An exhausted voice forced out the words that almost went unheard because there was so much noise as I came into the world that I could barely hear it. "Her name...will be Lucina..." My eyes wouldn't open as the world was too bright. I wanted to see the voice. I cried to see the voice.

"Madam, please don't push yourself!" A new voice, one full of concern for the first. "It's a healthy baby girl. You need rest. Karla, wipe the baby down so the Madam can hold them!"

"It's okay, Lady Lucina." A third voice, this one was the closest. Something wet started rubbing against me. It was cool, and so was the air, so I tried to push it away. "It's okay, we're almost done."

"Here, give them to me, this blanket was by the fire so it will be warm." The second voice took me from the third, and I was enveloped in warmth. But I still felt uncomfortable and continued to cry for the first voice. "The young Lady has such strong lungs. Here you are, Madam."

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"Ah...Lucina." It was the first voice, again, the one filled with love. Another warmth surrounded me as the first voice wrapped itself around me. Once again, I tried to open my eyes. The world was less bright now that I was with the first voice and they held me close. As my eyes opened and my cries died down, I saw my mother for the first time. Her long blonde hair ran down her shoulders and past me onto the bed. Her soft white skin glistened in the light that came from the windows, and her green eyes were tired but filled with love as they looked down at me. There were others in the room all dressed in what I would come to learn were maid uniforms. "My little girl," my mother's voice resounded around me. I was in heaven as her arms tightened in our hug.

"Elizabeth!" A fourth voice came from the door, and a man entered the room. He wore a clean suit and had short dark brown hair that looked almost black in the light. His hazel eyes were fixed on my mother, Elizabeth. He sounded nervous...too nervous.

"Look, Charles," my mother's voice still held its warmth. "Our baby girl."

"Yes..." Charles was hesitant to speak. His steps toward the bed seemed forced as he got closer to me. Our eyes met, and I watched what little warmth they had fade away as he brushed his hand over my head. In a low, controlled voice, my father spoke, "...Her hair...is the exact same light brown."

"...!" I felt my mother flinch. Her smile was on the verge of breaking despite how hard she tried to keep it. The maids all became rigid, and the ones outside the room started whispering amongst themselves. "Sh-...She's just-!" my mother tried to speak, but Charles abruptly turned and stormed out of the room. When the door slammed shut, my mother's smile finally broke. "I'm sorry, Lucina," she whispered to me through fresh tears that started to stain my blanket.

"M-Madam!" One of the maids ran to my mother's side as crying was the last thing my mother did before collapsing from exhaustion with me held in her arms. "Karla, take...the child to their room." Her voice no longer sounded as warm when addressing me.

"Yes," Karla responded and took me from my mother's arms. I started to cry as I wanted to stay with my mom. "Be quiet!" Karla reprimanded me in a harsh voice and moved the blanket to cover my mouth. She hurriedly walked through the halls of a mansion before entering a room filled with children's gifts, a few pieces of furniture, and a crib. Two other maids joined her as she walked across the room. "Honestly," she complained as she put me in the crib, "I was holding out hope that things would be different, but when the Lord mentioned her hair..."

"I know, it is rather light," one of the others spoke with contempt evident in their voice as they looked at me struggle in the crib. The blanket was suffocating. "Just like that bastard Baron's!"

"Eunice!" the last maid chastised before glancing at me.

"What? It's true! It's the exact same brown as that man's! Besides..." I stopped crying as it was getting hard to breathe otherwise. "The child's going to be hearing that word a lot more, from now on."

"Let's go," Karla sounded tired. "We can check on the kid after dinner and after the Lord gives his verdict." The three maids left the room and practically slammed the door shut. I was alone.

"..." There was a fireplace in the room, but the maids didn't light it before leaving. Windows were spaced along the far wall that were low enough for me to see out of. The windows looked out to a garden that was covered in freshly fallen snow. People were outside shoveling the snow to make paths and were conversing with each other to help pass the time. They were dressed in warm clothes, while I only had my blanket which was quickly getting colder. I cried. I cried and cried until my throat ran dry and I started coughing. But nobody came. "...M..." I missed the warmth of my mother. "...Maaaa..." A shiver ran down my spine as the cold made its way through the blanket. "Ma-!" As I tried to cry again, a warm breeze kissed my face to stop me. A fire was crackling in the fireplace, but no one else was in the room with me. The flames seemed to waft towards me and warmed the blanket. Once again, I was warm...but not with the warmth I wanted. "..." I wouldn't cry anymore since my throat hurt, but tears continued to fall down my face. As I drifted off to sleep with the fire giving me its warmth, I learned what it meant to be lonely on the day I was born.

***

"Do we have to move all of these into the store room?" The voice of Eunice woke me up, along with the shuffling of feet and creaking of wood. I opened my eyes to see the three maids from before along with some butlers taking the children's gifts and furniture out of the room. The fire was out, and the sun was going down painting the room in an orange light.

"That's what the Lord said," one of the butlers complained. "It wouldn't have been so bad if the kid wasn't a bastard. That damned Baron." He spat on the floor next to my crib in disgust. "It wasn't enough he defiled the Madam, but now he's left his spawn for us to clean up after?"

"You're not the one who was assigned to clean them, so don't complain so loudly," Karla criticized as she wiped some sweat from her brow. "Besides, you might wake them up, and they'll start crying again."

"I'm surprised they're not crying already," another butler said as he looked over to my crib. "It's cold, and you didn't even light a fire."

"I forgot," Karla uncaringly lied. She walked over to the crib and looked down at me. I met her gaze. "Still alive...unfortunately." She muttered that last part.

"What is?" A new voice spoke from the doorway causing all the servants to stand at attention. A five-year-old boy with dark brown hair, green eyes, and fancy clothes stood in the doorway of my room.

"Nothing, Lord Adam," Karla quickly covered for herself as she bowed before the child. "I was just checking on the young Lady and thought it was unfortunate that she would only be left with her blanket."

"..." Adam's gaze seemed uninterested in Karla as he slowly looked around the room. Our eyes briefly met. I didn't know what he was thinking as his expression was unreadable to me. "You," Adam spoke to one of the butlers, "Open that chest."

"Yes, young Lord," the butler seemed confused but complied with the order. The chest was filled with stuffed dolls. Silently, Adam rummaged through the box and took out a stuffed dog. "...Young Lord?" Adam didn't respond as he walked over to my crib. He looked at the stuffed dog for a moment before tossing the doll into my crib; he was too short to reach over the bars.

"Why did you-" Karla began to ask, but Adam cut her off.

"You're right; it is unfortunate that Dad only left her with a blanket." Adam still sounded uninterested, but his eyes were intently watching me. The cold was seeping through the blanket which had unwrapped itself due to my struggling, so I reached out and grabbed the stuffed dog to hug and keep warm. "This much should be allowed if I ask it to be, right?" His gaze shifted to Karla.

"...Yes, Lord Adam." Karla gave a bow without any resistance. Since Adam called Charles his father, that made him my older brother...assuming I was even a part of this family. As my arms tightened around the stuffed dog I could only think about how I missed my mother's warmth.

"..." Adam looked at me with his unreadable expression for a few more seconds before turning to leave. "Make sure you light a fire; it's rather cold in here."

"Right away, young Lord," one of the butlers responded and got to work lighting the fireplace. "What the-!?!" The butler fell on his butt as, with just a single strike of flint, the fireplace burst to life with unknown vigor. Flames consumed the logs of wood and happily began to dance in the hearth. Warm air spread unnaturally quickly through the room, to the surprise of everyone; even Adam's eyes widened in shock.

"...It seems my sister is loved by Lady Alm," Adam muttered to himself as his eyes once more became fixated on me.

"Lord Adam?" A sharply dressed man with gray hair appeared in the doorway. "It's time for your bath."

"...Okay." Adam seemed reluctant to leave but eventually turned and left with the sharply dressed man. The maids and butlers finished taking everything out of the room in silence. They seemed almost afraid to speak and kept glancing at the fireplace. The room seemed a lot bigger than before now that everything was gone with the only piece of furniture in the room left being the crib. Through great effort, I managed to turn over towards the fire while holding the stuffed animal in my arms: the first and only gift I would receive on my birthday. My stomach growled, but I didn't cry as even a newborn could figure out by now that it was futile to do so. All I could do was try to sleep the hunger away.

***

"...?" The room was dark when I next opened my eyes. There was darkness outside the windows, and the only light I could see was from the fire that still crackled from the fireplace. But I heard the sound of my room's door opening. Hurried footsteps approached my crib, and as I attempted to turn myself over to see who it was, I was lifted out of the crib and brought into a warm embrace.

"Lucina, I'm sorry." My mother held me in her arms as she fell to her knees. The fire was on the other side of the crib, which cast a shadow over my mother's face, but I could tell she was crying from the sound of her shaking voice and the quivers I felt from her arms. "I'm sorry... Lucina... I'm sorry!" She repeated those words while speaking my name. I wanted to be closer to her. As I tried to hug her, my stomach growled. "...You haven't eaten, have you?" She sounded defeated. Slowly, she stood up and walked over to the edge of the hearth before falling back down to her knees. "Here you go, Lucina," my mother said while letting her gown and underwear fall from her shoulders to expose her breasts. Instincts kicked in and told me how to latch on for milk. "..." My mother silently watched me feed with an odd smile on her face. It wasn't a happy smile, but it wasn't sad either.

"Lady Elizabeth." It was the maid who was in charge during my birth. I couldn't see her since my mother was holding me close while facing the fireplace, but it sounded like she was in the doorway to my room. "It's late, and you need rest after exerting yourself."

"Lucina's hungry." My mother's voice was calm, with a hint of coldness. She didn't move from her place in front of the hearth nor did she let me go. Her smile was gone.

"Then, I'll have someone prepare formula for her." The maid's words sounded indifferent towards me. "But, I must ask you to return to your chamb-"

"Will you?" My mother cut the maid off with words laced in ice. "It's past midnight, Chris. If you were going to feed her, you would have told one of the maids to do so hours ago."

"I have been negligent." More indifference.

"If you don't want me to sleep on the cold floor, then please bring some thick blankets, Chris. I will be sleeping here tonight with Lucina."

"...I will fetch some blankets, Lady Elizabeth." Chris didn't seem to put up much of a fight. I heard the sound of fading footsteps as she left to get blankets for my mother to sleep on.

"Not even 'Madam' anymore, Chris?" my mother whispered bitterly to herself. I looked up at her as I was no longer hungry. "Finished?" That awkward smile returned to her face. "Get some rest, Lucina." She wrapped the blanket around me and my stuffed doll, and hugged me tighter. "No matter what anyone says, you are a Felswore. Lucina Felswore. Never forget who you are." I wasn't sure if she was trying to convince me with those words or herself, but at least the night wasn't cold anymore.