"Hey Lily, I'm going outside for a walk," Luceniel said, trying to sound as calm as possible.
"Okay, Dad. I'll wait for you here," Lily replied and resumed her work. But suddenly, something within her shifted. A strange sadness crept into her system.
(What's happening? Why am I feeling sad? Why does it feel like my world is falling apart?)
She sat still, trying to process the emotion she didn't fully understand. No tears came—after all, she wasn't human.
Outside the House
Luceniel stared up at the stars.
(Fool… I can't let my emotions take control again…)
He clenched his fists. "These damn emotions… I still can't control them. I need to calm down. I need to calm down…"
All the robots noticed Luceniel outside. One by one, they moved toward him—but stopped halfway.
"Wait... why do I feel scared to get near Master?" Geomarx asked nervously.
The others remained still. The fear was mutual. None of them approached Luceniel. They silently returned to their positions.
Inside the House – Hall
A strange, heavy silence filled the space. Lily could no longer concentrate.
"Why? Why do I feel like this…? Is it because I lied to Dad? Or…" Her memory flickered.
A flashback struck her.
She stood before people whose faces blurred in darkness. Only a single mouth moved.
"Huh, Luceniel… How can you trust this AI? She's not a real person. She doesn't even have a soul, and yet you call her your daughter?"
Everyone laughed at Luceniel—and at her.
"Hmm… Yeah, I'm not a real person. I was just made to follow orders…"
Her glowing eyes dulled. Lifeless now, she hugged herself and quietly disappeared into her room.
Outside – In the Yard
Luceniel finally calmed down.
"I should believe Elunara… just like she believes in me. She'll definitely tell me the truth about my father's death. But I need to find out what really happened."
He pulled out his phone. A hologram appeared.
"Wait… last night, in Country I—Rio wasn't home. He was with Kaelron."
Luceniel's expression changed. His eyes turned cold.
"…So she doesn't want to live anymore, huh? I forgave her so many times, but not this time."
His eyes flickered light red. Silently furious, he summoned all the robots and walked away from his house.
A Distant, Empty Island
"Master, why are we here? Did something happen?" Ember asked nervously. All the robots could feel it—Luceniel's red eyes terrified them.
"Sky, Ember, Geomarx, Aquaryth… I need a favor from all of you. Can you do it?" Luceniel's voice was heavy and menacing.
The robots fell to their knees and nodded, trembling. If they were human, they would've been crushed by the sheer pressure of his aura.
Luceniel pulled out his phone and showed them a photo.
"You must find my grandmother… and bring her to this island."
His eyes glowed deeper red. The robots couldn't even nod now. They remained kneeling.
"And one more thing. You have to do it silently. Here, take my elemental core. It will help you stay invisible."
He tossed a special watch to them. It contained six elemental cores:
Thunder
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Nature
Sky tried to speak. "B-But Master… you also need this. Please take the Thunder and Nature cores with you."
"Okay." Luceniel accepted the watch again, removed Fire, Earth, Air, and Water, and handed them over.
"Now go."
With their upgraded cores, the robots could now fly. In the blink of an eye, they vanished at Mach 2 speed.
Luceniel stood alone, gazing at the stars. The moonlight touched his face, reminding him of Elunara.
(Now I finally understand how Elunara felt… when her mother died… I should go home and stay calm.)
This time, he didn't fly. He walked—fast as thunder—toward home.
Outside the Main Gate
Luceniel took a deep breath and entered the house, trying to remain calm.
Inside, he looked around.
"Wait… where's Lily? I hope she doesn't know that I've figured out what she was hiding… I need to find her."
Worried, Luceniel rushed toward her room and opened the door.
He saw her curled up, hugging herself in guilt.
"Lily…" he approached her, a soft smile on his face. "What happened? Why are you sitting here like this?"
He gently lifted her chin and saw her lifeless eyes for the first time. Shocked, Luceniel's eyes widened. He pulled her into a comforting hug.
"Why… Why are you comforting me? I'm not even a real person, Dad…" Lily's voice was empty and robotic.
Luceniel looked heartbroken but replied calmly.
"No… You're more real to me than anyone, sweetheart. So don't cry. Please… just be happy."
He picked her up. She had taken the form of a five-year-old girl.
But as he held her, she passed through his arms like a hologram.
"See? I don't even have a real body. I can't feel your warmth. I'm not a real person…" she whispered, deeply hurt.
Luceniel said nothing. He quietly pulled out his phone… and powered Lily down.
Her image slowly disappeared.
Luceniel's red eyes remained, glowing in sorrow. He looked down, silently mourning.
"…I'm such an idiot. I should've turned Lily off the moment I learned about my father's death. Emotions—they're the only thing that makes us human. The thing that makes us weak… and strong."
He let out a small, broken laugh.
"…I'm a fool. A big fool…"
He walked through the hall, still wrapped in silence. He sat down on the couch. The laptop was still open.
"I should check what Kaelron said to Lily while I was gone…"
He accessed Lily's core—but found no recordings between Lily and Kaelron.
Luceniel smiled with pride.
"…That's why I'm proud of you, Lily. You even deleted the conversation so I wouldn't hear it. Good job."
Meanwhile, in Luceniel and Elunara's Room
Elunara still sat on the bed, looking troubled.
"How should I tell Luceniel…? He's always the one who calms me down. He always apologizes first, even when it's my mistake…" she whispered.
"He didn't have a great relationship with his father… and now his mother is missing too."
She took a deep breath.
Get up from the bed. Put the phone aside. Take a deep breath… again and again…
"I should tell him now. And try to comfort him."
She stepped out of the room, walked downstairs, and found Luceniel lying on the couch with his arm covering his eyes.
"Okay… I think he's asleep. But where's Lily?"
She walked quietly and sat beside him.
"Honey, are you sleeping?" she asked softly.
Luceniel didn't respond.
She gently moved his arm away from his face.
Luceniel opened his eyes but turned his face away from her.
"Hey… What's wrong? Why are you hiding your face from me?" she asked, feeling awkward.
"Ah… Honey, you're awake. Sorry, I didn't hear. Something got into my eyes, that's all."
"Then let me help." Her voice was full of concern.
Luceniel turned toward her, eyes still shut.
"Okay. Open your eyes slowly, let me remove it… and where's Lily?" she asked, still uneasy.
"I think Lily's in her room. Let me wash my face first, then we'll talk."
As Luceniel tried to walk away, Elunara sensed something off. She gently grabbed his arm, her face filled with worry.
Luceniel froze, eyes still closed.
"…Please open your eyes. Please…" Her voice cracked, on the verge of tears.
Luceniel slowly opened them.
The moment she saw his glowing red eyes, Elunara gasped—and hugged him tightly.
"…Sorry."