This took place the same day Sariel appeared in the forest, the forest of hungers. When and close to where Neil, Natasha, and William had found him.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Sweat poured down Lumina's face.

“Come on, Nectar; move faster, please! They have to be alive!”

Lumina rode atop a massive creature resembling a stingray—an Elderback ray—gliding at full speed ahead. It sliced through trees, even the man-eating ones, its antennas swiping at supersonic speeds and obliterating everything in its path without mercy.

She scanned the surroundings, her expression darkening. Bodies lay scattered across the trees, the ground, and in the lakes… alongside the corpses of monsters.

Just what the hell took place?

That was a foolish question. She already knew who was responsible for this.

The cuts on the bodies were sharp and ‘clean’—not the work of monsters. Not those monsters, at least.

Nectar continued its flight until they reached a destination Lumina deemed suitable for descent.

She stood up and stared at the bloody ground below her.

What a disgusting sight…

With a deep breath, she stepped into the thin air and dropped from Nectar, falling like a missile.

Despite her lightweight frame, when Lumina's feet touched the ground, it caved in, creating a small crater.

“Oh. I must have applied more force than I intended.” She jumped from the crater, landing on one knee.

In front of her—judging by the loose soil—it was likely a burial site.

Her steps felt heavy. Her short white cloak and golden hair danced in the wind. She was 90% opaque, and had a V shape head appendage that originated from the middle of her eyebrow. She wasn't human, nor was she a reserio.

She focused on her right eye, which flared open, emitting a wave of red energy. Her vision pierced through the ground.

Surely the worst case couldn’t have happened? The enemies couldn’t be so vile as to kill a little girl, right? I mean, she’s just a young, sweet girl. The way she smiles… no one would harm such a beauty. Yeah, she’s alive… alive… They wouldn’t kill her. I bet even Mom is alive too. Knowing Mom, she’d probably rush to hug me, saying, “I haven’t seen you for so long!”

Then why the hell was she so scared? Why couldn’t she keep her heartbeat from pounding against her chest so harshly? Why was she scared? Why, why?!

Why was she so damn stupid? Why wouldn’t her body accept that they're alive?

Her mind spiraled into a hurricane of anxious thoughts.

Her right eye could see the unknown. Through the rocks, through the soil. It didn’t take long to confirm her worst fears. A dead woman and child came into view.

Her legs gave out.

Why… just why… Why did this have to happen?

Energy surged through every vein in her body, causing her skin to radiate heat waves and strong air pressure.

Why, why, why?! This shouldn’t be real!

She slammed her arms onto the ground furiously, repeatedly, and wildly, like a primal beast losing any sense of self.

Why? This isn’t fair! This isn’t right! What did they do to deserve this?!

Why couldn’t someone save them?!

Over and over, she unleashed her rage on the environment, creating vast craters and shockwaves that whipped the nearby trees away.

What do I have to live for anymore...? I know I swore to serve her. She said if I became her servant, she would grant me the capabilities to save my people. So she lied to me, didn’t she?!

"She said… I—She said that I would be able to! Then why couldn’t I?! Huh?! Why the hell couldn’t I?! Tell me!”

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

In the end, she just pushed the blame onto others. The one at fault may not be her, but rather those who killed them. The ones responsible for the slaughter. The North, West, and even the East nations were all complicit in this.

Nectar shifted into a smaller form and settled on her shoulder, caressing her face with its head, wiping away her tears.

“Nectar... You wouldn’t leave me too, right?”

She shook its head and pectoral fins in fury, as if the idea was outrageous.

"Ha, thank you, Nectar. You’ve always been there for me, after all."

Lumina embraced him tightly. “Right, I will never let the humans harm you. I won’t let anyone take you from me. I will not lose anything dear to me anymore. I will not show mercy. I will kill them... No, revenge never leads to true happiness, right? Yeah, yeah, alright. Of course, if you kill someone, then they can’t suffer. So we will be the bane of all the cardinal nations.”

Getting up, she commanded Nectar, “Dig up mom and Sariel. We’re burying them at our homeland.”

Nectar nodded, glowing and expanding into a form that dwarfed her in comparison.

Taking flight, they bolted toward their homeland, Purinban.

Lumina retrieved a device from her long, baggy black pants—a metal disk; a report disk. She contacted someone.

“The Deflen Slayers managed to retrieve one of the black boxes, apparently. When are we getting it back?” she asked.

“Soon. Sherin, Fugari, Wari-sin, Tar’son, and Red-cherry have been allowed to assist on this incoming mission. We should be able to raid and obtain the black boxes held by Deflen and other nations. And take revenge, if you’re interested.”

“Revenge. Honestly, Carion, I just want to rid this world of its corrupt nations... But that’s a naive goal. So I have one even greater that I believe I can achieve. It’s to save what remains of my people. The goal I’ve always had.”

“Right, that’s why I’m helping you, after all.”

“I know. Thanks for assisting me with this.”

“Sure.”

They ended the call.

***

She had fallen asleep during the journey. The sudden decrease in Nectar’s speed jolted her awake from the dream that had just begun—it was about her being a cloud.

Sigh.

Nectar had been traveling for over an hour now. He didn’t just stop for random reasons; something must have been amiss. Wiping her sleepy eyes, she looked down.

Something was different. In the distance below her, a faint glow of lights appeared—far more than she expected to see in an area that was supposed to be completely deserted.

Why was there a bustling town? Why were the streets brightly lit? Why was it bustling with activity?! This place had been destroyed a long time ago! Did her mother lie to her? No, that couldn’t be.

Sure, she had never been raised here, but her mother had told her a lot about it—that it was supposed to have been destroyed upon being attacked.

“Stop, Nectar.” She stood up to see everything her clearly. Instantly, Nectar came to a quick halt.

She enhanced her hearing to listen to the words of the nearby rodents. “Mom! Check this out!”

“Wow, you made this?”

These were humans. What were humans doing here? Had they taken over their land and rewarded it to their kind?

The land had been for her people and them alone.

She said she didn’t want revenge. What a filthy lie. She could envision her next actions: this place would be set on fire. They would scream. They would suffer. They would…

A deep, disgusting grin sprouted on her face. Then her expression settled. She was calm now.

She began massaging her shoulder and neck. Moving forward, she leaped off Nectar. “I will take back what belongs to us.”

She spread her arms wide, feeling the rush of air around her as she glided through the air. Emerging near the ground, she somersaulted and landed in the middle of the road, causing the surface to rise and break apart on impact.

Debris flew everywhere, and plumes of smoke rose instantly.

“What—what was that?!”

“Someone landed here!”

People shouted among each other.

A scared child asked his mother, “Mom! What’s that?!”

Lumina really wanted to kill them, but for some reason, she felt abnormally calm. Like a leaf flowing through the air. Was she so angry that she couldn’t express it?

She squeezed her hand. Her hand was shaking violently. She realized she was keeping her emotions in.

She moved out of the crater, everyone could see her clearly and she could see them clearer, too.

There were a lot of children… It made her think of her little sister, Sariel.

“Lumina, watch this!”

“I want to be cool like you!”

“Wow… You got these from Ishmanti? Thank you!”

Damn it! Why did I think of her?! Why, why…

She couldn’t bring herself to do what she planned.

She squatted to the ground, her head in her hands. “Leave this place in thirty seconds. If you don’t, I will kill you all right here and now.”

She would feel pain if she killed the kids. With the opportunity she gave them, the parents could flee with their children. She didn’t want to kill little kids…

They stared in fright, backing up slowly. Some quickly ran away, screaming. “Get the town slayers!”

Twenty-nine seconds.

Twenty-eight seconds.

Suddenly, a shadow was cast over her.

An old man with arrogance looked down on her. “This is my land, you worthless hog. You better get the hell out of here before I let my slayers kill you.”

His land… he says. Such disgusting creatures…

“This isn’t your land.”

“Yes, it is, you damn fool! The Hashiru clan rewarded it to me for my undying loyalty to them!” he screamed intensely. Then he pulled his arm back, aiming to bring his fist down on her head.

Her head remained stiff upon impact, not budging a bit. However, his wrist didn’t respond well to the collision—it had completely broken upon hitting her.

“Ugh… Uh!” His face was wrapped in horror as he backed away, terrified and in shock at the pain.

She stood up, releasing intense heat and soul pressure through her skin. “Oh? Tell me more… Tell me how foolish I am. Since you’re so damn confident about this being your land, do you even know a damn thing about it?”

He anxiously took out his report disk and began clicking buttons on it rapidly.

He still desperately responded to her statements, taking offense at her words. “Back up, and hell… do you know the history?!”

What did she know about this place? Everything. She knew all the history of her people. “More or less. Sure, I wasn’t raised here, but my mom told me a lot of stories.”

His eyes widened. “Wait, you almost sound… like you are one of those things.”

He didn't even have the respect to call her what she was.

"I'm a Spirai."