The Luminous Isle.
That day, when they went to the palace, Elrian did not speak a single word to Lucy. In his heart, there was resentment for the act Lucy had hidden from him. As usual, after finishing their work at the palace and collecting their wages, everyone returned home. For dinner, Lucy and Elrian ate only some fruits and porridge bought from the market. Without saying anything to Lucy, Elrian went to his room to sleep.
As Lucy placed her foot on the stairs to go up, a strange guilt pierced into her heart like a sharp pain. With something weighing on her mind, she turned and walked toward Elrian's room. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. Gently pushing it open, she stepped inside. He was lying on the bed, turned to the far side. Lucy came closer to his side. She knew very well that he was only pretending to sleep."I know you are not asleep, Elrian. There was a reason I kept things hidden from you. If, by any chance, the king of that palace were to learn of the things I am doing, I would surely be executed. I hid it from you only because I never wanted you to get caught up in it. If something were to happen to you because of me, I would never find peace, even in the moment of my death.
This time, forgive me. From now on, I will never hide anything from you again. I give you my word."
Saying this, she gently kissed Elrian on the head before leaving his room. In that kiss was a mother's warmth. Her words had already begun to soften Elrian's heart. By then, Lucy had climbed the stairs and entered her own room. She drank a little water from the wooden kettle before returning to her bed.
She slowly closed her eyes and began to meditate on her soul. Her breathing reached the most precise state. Other than the sound of the breath Lucy released, nothing else could be heard in her ears. She began to feel an intense headache. The headache grew stronger and stronger until it spread into her whole body. Even though there was so much pain, Lucy did not open her eyes. She clenched the pain and kept giving her full focus to the breath. It had now been almost half an hour since she started meditating. For the first time, she continued the training for so long while enduring the pain.
Suddenly, all the pain in her body vanished in an instant. Lucy's mind was filled with confusion, unable to understand what was happening. She stopped meditating and slowly opened her eyes. She began to feel as if something had changed within her body. But Lucy could not clearly figure out what exactly it was.
Lucy lifted the nearby wooden kettle using supernatural energy. A sudden glow appeared on her face. Not a single trace of supernatural energy could be seen in the air or in her hands. Her lips moved softly.
"I have finally attained The Mystic Power."
She wanted to shout out in joy, but since it was night, she suppressed it within herself. After washing her face and drinking some water, she lay down on the bed.
"When will that king finally utter my name?"
That lingering question circled in Lucy's mind again and again, until, at last, her thoughts faded into silence. Slowly, without realizing it, she surrendered to the pull of sleep.
.....
Six months later.
It was the day Lucy turned 19 years old. By this time, Elrian had already turned 16. Lucy's birthday was confined to just a "Happy Birthday" from Elrian. If their mother had been alive, they surely would have celebrated by cutting a cake. After eating their breakfast, they went outside. Everyone gathered together, praised the light, and began their journey to the palace.
By this time, 26 lives had disappeared from the island. In addition, 12 children had been born. Among them, eight children were born in the blessed place that lay beside the palace. Of the remaining four children, three were born in the west and one in the east. In slum, during these six months, not a single infant had survived. The two children born there had died on the very same day. Thus, the island's population had now decreased from 84 to 70.
Lucy could now use the Mystic Power both easily and with great strength. By this time, she had already mastered every aspect of that power. Today marked the completion of one week. On this day, the king would come out of the palace to fight against someone.
In her heart, Lucy prayed that she would be the one chosen to battle the king. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, passing the time away. Then, the siren to halt work echoed from the palace.
As soon as the siren was heard, everyone gathered in front of the palace. The sound of the king's footsteps awakened the feeling of fear in each person's heart. The palace gates slowly opened. But the sound that came out from within was terrifying.
The king stood facing everyone. His white strands of hair were rising in the air because of the wind. A special kind of aura surrounded the king. All the slaves stood with their heads bowed.
The king took out a piece of leather from a golden bowl. He read aloud the name written on it.
"Lucy."
The moment this was heard, everyone's attention turned toward her. They all looked at her with great distress. Elrian's body began to tremble. But in Lucy's body, not even the slightest movement appeared. There, the circle of death manifested. Lucy's footsteps moved toward it.
The king removed the outer garment he had been wearing on his body and in a single moment appeared inside the circle. There was no trace of fear on Lucy's face. He noticed it as well. The wind blew there in a terrifying manner. Inside the circle stood the king, possessed by darkness, and Lucy, standing with the vengeance of her mother.
Suddenly, while the others were watching, both of them disappeared at the speed of light and reappeared in the middle of the circle with extreme speed. Lucy brought forth in her hands the supernatural energy of her Anima Code the Butterfly. The king brought his black wave. Both powers tore through the air and collided.
Both of them pushed their hands forward, yet neither moved back. From the clash between Lucy and the king erupted a massive surge of supernatural energy. The energy of those two Anima Codes covered the entire circle. In the end, both of them were thrown apart, falling to the two opposite ends of the circle.
The faces of those outside were filled with wonder, unable to believe what was happening here. Both of them slowly rose to their feet. A slight smile appeared on the king's face.
"I like your power."
Even then, Lucy stood with the feeling of vengeance against the king. She rushed straight toward him, radiating supernatural energy in her hands. As soon as she reached him, Lucy struck strongly toward his face. The king blocked it effortlessly. Suddenly she pulled back her hand and gathered energy into both of her hands. Then she struck forcefully toward the king's chest.
At once, he brought the black wave in front of his body. It became like a barrier, blocking Lucy's attack. The supernatural energy flowing from her hands vanished because of the king's black wave.
Because of the black barrier, Lucy could not see the king who was behind it. From within the black barrier, the king's hands struck toward her face. From that attack, Lucy was thrown backward. Blood began to flow from her nose. She wiped the blood from her nose with her hands. The king was still looking at her, mocking her.
Inside Elrian, an unexplainable fear began to rise. Perhaps it was the thought that if something happened to his sister, he would be left alone that created such a fear within him.
Lucy slowly rose from where she had fallen. She lifted her head and looked at the king. Realizing that such useless blows would not cause even the slightest change to the king's body, Lucy decided to accept the full form of her Anima Code. She raised both her hands upward.
The butterfly symbol on her neck began to burn and blaze. From behind her, the wings of a butterfly burst forth and appeared. Lucy's entire form was transforming. But she did not change into the shape of a beautiful butterfly; instead, it was into a butterfly that inspired terror and dread. Even the air there began to tremble.
The king could not understand what kind of power Lucy had used. On the island, this was the first time something like this had happened. The king stared at her intently. Those outside the circle of death were also confused.
Suddenly, a spark flashed in the king's mind. He realized in a moment that she had transformed into the full form of her Anima Code. But another doubt entered his heart how could that be possible?
Lucy rose upward, using her wings. From each edge of her wings, the supernatural energy turned into a sharp form and struck toward the king. He quickly created a barrier using the black wave. But breaking through it all, Lucy's supernatural energy struck the king's body. The king had never expected that it would shatter his darkness. All her energies inflicted wounds upon his body.
Realizing that he could not block it with his wave, the king teleported from there and moved to a safe place.
He thought that it was for the first time in his body a human was making a wound.
For the rest who were watching that battle, it was not possible to believe this.
Lucy this time was flying straight towards the king.
She sharpened her wings and made them into swords.
Using that she attacked the king.
The king could not sense and understand her attack.
Because she had used The mystic power which she had obtained through training.
She tore and cut the king's body.
After that, with her legs also she delivered a blow.
The blow of the legs he was able to see, but he could not block it.
He was thrown away to the edge of the circle.
Suddenly Lucy felt like her strength was draining away.
Within a moment she became exhausted and was falling to the ground.
Lucy became into her old form, that is, into human form.
The king slowly rose up from the ground.
"Oh, I was waiting for your filthy wings to disappear." The king's voice was louder and angrier than before. All this time he had been fighting for amusement, but once Lucy wounded his body, he could no longer contain his rage. Shouting, he rushed toward Lucy, grabbed her with one hand, and flung her far away. Lucy landed near the palace gate. The king appeared before her from the circle where he had teleported at the speed of light. Elrian tried to run to her side, but the others restrained him. They imprisoned him with supernatural energy, leaving him unable to break free. The king seized Lucy by her hair and lifted her up.
"What a disgrace." The king laughed madly. "I will take you inside the palace. There your final judgment will be decided. I will grant you a death unlike the others more cruel than any of them."
Saying this, he gathered a black wave into his hands and struck it into her body. From that blow, she was hurled inside the palace. The king turned and cast a single look at the remaining slaves outside, then vanished instantly. At the same time, the palace gate, which bore both light and darkness, closed with a great resounding noise.
To be continued.....