Luceniel and Elunara stood together as all four elemental robots knelt before them, their bodies glowing with vibrant energy. The fire elemental robot raised its head, voice humble and strong.
"My master, please… give us all a name."
The other three joined in unison."Give us names, Master."
Luceniel smiled. "Hmm… You all have great power and wisdom. So yes, I think it's time. Elunara, what do you think? What names should we give them?"
Elunara hesitated, her eyes shifting to Luceniel."But you created them. I don't think I have the right to name any of them…"
The air elemental robot gently spoke up.
"Ma'am, we respect both of you. We came into existence because of you, not only Master Luceniel. It's true that he made us and gave us wisdom and power. But without your help, it would have taken Master Luceniel five more years just to create the Energy Elemental Core. Without that, we would not exist. We consider both of you our masters. Please give us names."
The water robot added softly,"Yes… what Air says is true. While Master Luceniel is our creator, we all consider Ma'am Elunara our first guide. So we believe you have even more right to name us."
The earth robot followed with steady conviction."We possess emotion and understanding. We can feel your hesitation, Ma'am. But it's only fair that you give us our names—just like you named our big sister, Lily."
"Yeah!" Lily chimed in with a giggle. "I think Mom should name them. Dad is… not great with names."
"Hey!" Luceniel pouted. "I know your mom gave you your name, but it's not true that I'm bad at naming things. What about Neuronova, Aetherion, InfiniSys? Those are awesome names! Don't you think, honey?"
But the robots all turned toward Elunara and declared together:"Ma'am, only you have the right to give us names. Please."
Elunara couldn't help but laugh, her heart warmed."Haha… okay, okay. I'll name you."
She turned to the fire robot. "You… are Ember."
"Thank you, Ma'am!"
The world trembled—not in fear, but in awe. Fire had a name now: Ember.
"The water one… I name you Aquaryth."
Tides paused… the ocean held its breath. A name rippled through the deep—Aquaryth.
"For earth… Geomarx."
Forged in tectonic silence, awakened by pressure… my name rumbled beneath every step—Geomarx.
"And last, for wind… your name is Sky."
When silence turned into a whisper and that whisper became a storm… I answered as Sky.
All four bowed deeply before Elunara.
"Thank you, Ma'am Elunara, for giving us our names. We will always protect you and Master Luceniel!"
Luceniel grinned and gently patted Elunara's shoulder."Looks like they really love their names. Good job, honey."
He then turned to the robots. "Now that you're all awake, let me connect you to the system. Lily will be able to coordinate with you. Right now, I don't think you have full control over your elements. But if you can disperse into air or blend with matter, no one will be able to see you—that would give us a huge tactical advantage. Once I get the Ruby of Star, you can all ascend to your next level."
"But Dad," Lily said excitedly, "they can ascend right now! I checked their cores—they're ready to reach the second level of their elements! Let's try! If they manage, they'll all be able to fly. Right now, only Sky can fly."
"Elunara's right," Luceniel said calmly. "Lily, if they ascend now, their bodies won't handle the pressure. They need the Ruby of Star to properly balance their elemental flow."
"Ma'am," Sky said suddenly, "if you wish, I can try going into space and retrieve the Ruby of Star."
"No, Sky," Elunara replied. "Even if you can fly, there's a limit to how far you can go. Your current power isn't enough."
"But Master," Ember added, "why don't you try? I sense great power in both you and Ma'am Elunara. If she gave you even 10% of her energy, and you used it with your thunder and air element, I believe you could cross galaxies. You wouldn't even need the light or dark elements."
Luceniel frowned. "Wait, Ember… what do you mean you sense great power in both of us? I get your point about combining thunder and air, but Elunara is… just a normal human. She doesn't have any powers."
"Yeah," Elunara added, surprised. "I don't have powers. What are you saying?"
"My apologies," Ember said, bowing his head. "I may have misjudged. I need to better understand my power."
"Lily," Luceniel said, "take them outside to the yard. Let's see how well they can control their elements. And if anyone approaches that shouldn't be here, you know what to do."
"Yes, Dad!" Lily grinned. "Alright, everyone—come with me!"
"Yes, Big Sis Lily!" the robots echoed.
Lily's eyes sparkled. "Aww… it really feels good when someone calls me Big Sis!"
Outside in the yard, training began.
"Okay everyone, I'm your Big Sis now, so you have to listen to me!" Lily stood proudly. "You each have different powers, so I'll train you separately."
She pointed to Geomarx. "You, Earthy—make a target with your power. Ember, try to hit it with your fire."
Geomarx nodded and formed a sturdy rock target. Ember took a few steps back, raising his palm.
"With my wisdom and power… FIRE BALL!"
A blazing fireball launched forward, hitting the target and blowing it to pieces—but also setting the lawn on fire.
"Aww!! What are you doing, Ember?! You set the lawn on fire! If Mom sees this, we're DOOMED! Aquaryth, use your water power—hurry!"
Aquaryth stepped forward and summoned a gentle surge of water, extinguishing the fire.
But Lily remained frozen, a dark aura forming around her.
"Big Sis Lily? What are you thinking?" Aquaryth asked nervously.
Lily turned to them all, glaring.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE FIRE IS OUT?! Look around! The lawn is ruined! If Mom sees this before we fix it—we're dead! Geomarx, regrow the grass! Ember, reset anything you burned. Aquaryth, make it rain gently to help the soil! Sky, keep watch—let me know if Mom and Dad come back!"
"YES, BIG SIS!!" they all shouted and scrambled into action.
Inside the house, Elunara sat quietly on the couch, hugging a pillow. She thought of her father—the last time they met, that hug at the airport. A soft sigh escaped her lips.
"He should've told me… If I knew he was going to die just half a month later, I would've stayed with him longer… After I lost Mom, I never imagined I'd lose Dad too…"
Her mind drifted to that painful night years ago.
"MOMMM NOOO!!"Tears streamed down Elunara's face as she clutched her mother's hand.Kaelron stood beside her, also crying.
Her mother gave them one last smile before her eyes faded.
Back in the present…
"Hey, Elunara. Drink this—you'll feel better."Luceniel handed her a warm cup of hot chocolate and sat beside her.
"Thank you, honey…" she murmured and took a sip.
"If you keep thinking about your dad like this, how am I going to keep my promise to him? He wanted you to be happy, remember?" Luceniel stood and held out his hand. "Let's go for a walk."
"But… it's raining outside."
"Don't worry about that right now."
Luceniel gently covered her eyes and, using his air element, lifted them into the sky. Moments later, they stood on a quiet mountain under the stars, the clouds parted just enough to let them shine.
Five minutes earlier…
Sky, who had been watching Luceniel comforting Elunara, quickly turned and gave a signal to Lily.
"Oh no—Mom and Dad are coming out! I should message Dad before Mom sees the damage!"
Five minutes later…
"Hmm… I don't think Mom and Dad will return tonight," Sky said. "I better train them well before the upcoming ceremony."
Meanwhile, the robots talked among themselves.
"Hey Ember," Sky asked, "why did you shout your attack name before firing? Wouldn't it be faster just to shoot?"
"Heh… Sky, you still have much to learn," Ember smirked. "It looks cool! Say the name, then fire—dramatic effect!"
The others all nodded.
"Actually… Ember has a point. Maybe we should name our attacks too! That would make us look cool in front of Ma'am and Sir!"
Each of them began thinking deeply, using all their wisdom to create names for their powers.
Then Lily crossed her arms and glared."Oooor… how about you all learn to CONTROL your elements first before naming your flashy attacks?"
The robots straightened like soldiers."YES, BIG SIS!!"
Far away, on the other side of the galaxy…
Inside a cave filled with endless books, a massive titan-like creature with a goat's head sat writing in silence.
A shadow stepped inside.
"Why have you come here… Son of the Demon King?"Diabol smirked.