"Lukyan! C'mon and help me move this!"
A woman shouted into the backroom of the bakery, wiping off her sugar-coated hands onto her flour-stained white apron.
*BANG!*
The backroom door flung wide open, and out walked a young, teen girl, wearing a just as dirty, stained black peasant's dress, her eyes were green as the lush leaves from a tree, and skin was gorgeous pale ivory. Two long, blonde braids ran down the back of her head.
She was struggling to carry a large wooden bucket full of water, it splashed from side-to-side, spilling over the edge and soaking portions of her dress.
With a loud thud, she placed the bucket behind the counter, being careful not to drench the solid hardwood floor.
Placing both hands on her knees, she leaned over, trying desperately to catch her breath.
"Ha... Ha... Mom. We've had this discussion since I was five. When we're in public, call me Lucy."
Lucy's mother threw a white towel around her shoulder, then placed both hands on her hips with a dour frown. "And what is wrong with the name you were given at birth? Your father and I were very proud of that name! It fits you very much."
Lucy scoffed, unlocking the glass display on the counter, and replacing the old pastries. "Yeah, it fits me about as well as a dress made of cactus spines."
Her mother's mouth fell open a bit, and she glared at her like an angry bear. "Excuse me?"
Lucy dropped her hands to her sides, and sighed defeatedly. "Nothing. M'am."
"Uh-huh." She replied skeptically. "Girl, come take this box outside." She gestured to a box full of empty, glass milk bottles.
Lucy decided to avoid any more trouble, and silently grabbed the box, walking through the front entrance that connected to the glass facade storefront.
She thoughtlessly tossed the box on the sidewalk, leaning up against the brick wall that separated the bakery from every other shop and building on the block. Catching a glance of large, painted sign at the forefront of the bakery, it read 'Lucky Lukyan's!'.
Lucy rolled her eyes, she hated that stupid sign. She's never thought of herself as a 'lucky' person, and this town has always been her reminder.
District 8, was its designation—the main trading capital of Lychinus. Or at least, it used to be. This district sits at the lowest point of the cloud Lychinus rests on, so when other districts at higher points decided to open up their own shops and marketplaces, no one really felt the need to travel all the way down here any more.
And that was decades ago, now, District 8 is a pure ghost town, most of the time, the only people you'll see in the area are the locals, or a bunch of old people searching for peace and quiet.
It doesn't exactly leave Lucy with a wide list of friends she could make.
Lucy pursed her lips, and crossed her arms. She began kicking the rocks and litter that blew by her feet, stalling for time so she didn't have to go back inside.
That's when she noticed something strange, a point object grazed across her boot. She looked down, a recognized its starry shape, and golden glare.
It was a Lychinus High pin!
She quickly picked it up, running her fingers along the solid material, she's never seen one of these so close before! Let alone hold one in her hand.
Like it was on cue, her mother walked outside, lugging another box of glass bottles to the sidewalk.
"Lucy, you're better off tossing that in the trash. I don't want you getting any ideas." Her mother commented, not sparing a glance.
Lucy's irritation rapidly rose to the surface, her expression contorted into an angry sneer. "Oh yeah? And what is that? The idea of having a choice? Because I don't! I never have!"
Her mother calmly walked back through the front door. "You don't know what you're saying."
She furiously followed her mother back into the bakery. "I am PERFECTLY aware, mom. Whats so bad about sending me to Lychinus High? I'm 14 and I've never made a single friend my age!"
Lucy angrily slammed her hands onto the countertop, but her eyes looked pleading.
"I want to use a Light! I want to be like all the other kids!" She shouted.
...The room went quiet, her mother couldn't quite look her in the eyes. She steeled herself with a deep breath, then finally, met her daughter's gaze.
"Lukyan. You are not like all of the other kids, you're a hard worker, and as your mother, I will not allow your mind to tainted by those conceited fools in District 1 who haven't had to work for a damn thing in their lives! Who think that Light brings anything other than discourse. Not my kid!"
"W-What!? But you've had Lucernarium performed on you! You HAVE a Light!" Lucy stammered.
"Yes, and it was a disgusting thing to subject a child to at that age. Shame on my Ma and Pa." She replied.
Lucy clenched her fist, letting out a cry of frustration, she fiercely threw off her dirty apron, tossing it at the window. "Ugh!! I hate this! I hate my life!" She shouted, kicking down a wooden table in their small dining area.
Her mother gasped. "Don't say something like that! Young lady, you!-"
"And I hate, YOU." Lucy growled.
...
The bakery fell silent. Her mother froze for a moment, then clutched the sides of her own white apron—biting her lip, and turning away.
Lucy immediately realized what she just said. "...Wait... Mom, I-I didn't mean-"
Without another word, her mother stormed off into the backroom, Lucy heard a second door slam close, which meant she had left out of the building's back door.
Lucy facepalmed, then groaned—slamming her face onto the burch countertop, repeatedly.
She left herself like that for a minute, hoping maybe mild brain damage would make her forget her own stupidity.
*DING!*
The front entrance's chime bells jingled, and footsteps followed.
Lucy shook her head, they barely break 5 customers a week, but somebody seriously wants to walk in NOW?
Without even raising her head, she gloomily made her way behind the counter, prepared to take their order.
She finally picked her head up. "Hello... What can I get you-"
Lucy locked eyes with the patron, something about his appearance... stopped her dead in her tracks.
Locking eyes with the man, she noticed something strange. Aside from them being very rare shades to see, both of his eyes were completely different colors—his left eye was blue, and right eye was purple.
Though, that wasn't the only strange thing about him.
His hair was normal enough, curly black locks, tapered at the sides. His skin was a nice olive beige. But the man's clothes were... imposing.
He donned a large white cape, that looked as if it could be used as a coat—with an almost regal coating of fur and hardened plates on the shoulders, and free flowing black linen pants and a dark, armored undershirt. He also carried a sword on his left hip, it seemed like an ordinary blade.
"Excuse me." The man's deep voice cut through the silence, snapping Lucy back into the moment.
"Y-Yes?" She replied, slightly frazzled.
"I have... a bit of an odd question to ask." He wrapped his cape around his body smoothly, covering him, almost like a cloak.
Lucy couldn't put her finger on it, but something about his attire seemed very familiar.
"Have you seen any creatures as of late?" He asked calmly.
She looked at him with an almost amused skepticism, what the hell was this guy on about? Creatures? In Lychinus? Guess he hasn't heard the news in the last 500 years.
Lucy cocked her eyebrow warily. "I don't mean to be rude but... Are you on something, mister?"
The man's mouth fell open slightly, he hastily cleared his throat, trying to hide his offense under the guise of professionalism. "Well, that's not very nice, young lady. That was actually very rude." He replied, trying his best to sound stern.
Lucy covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. "Pfft... Are you making your voice sound deeper? Don't worry, mister. I can already tell you're old."
The man flinched in disbelief, shocked by her insult. "W-What? Y-You know what? It sounds like you haven't seen anything, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." He inadvertently flipped his cape a bit sassily as he turned, the chime bells rang as he exited almost as quickly as he entered.
Lucy watched him leave with a triumphant smirk, but quickly changed her tune when she noticed what was on the back of his cape.
She had to squint hard, but... she recognized that symbol!
It was the same symbol etched into the pin she retrieved earlier, it was the Lychinus symbol! Only with a large slash down the middle, like someone tried to scratch it out...
Lucy began to connect the dots, the furred cape, his armored clothing, even his weird-looking face!
She had no doubt in her mind,
He was a Luni!
"W-Wait!" She shouted as she hastily burst through the entrance, becoming increasingly out of breath as she chased the man all the way down the street, bystanders casting curious glances her way.
The man searched for the odd noise, glancing in each direction, until he slowly turned around, and instinctively jumped back with a yelp, "GAH!" As he saw the little girl from the bakery, aggressively pointing her finger in his face.
"YOU'RE A LUNI!!" She yelled loudly, disregarding any kind of tact she should've had.
The man frantically whipped his head around, searching for any passerby that may have heard her, only to notice a dozen onlookers, all whispering to each other with worried glances.
He panicked. "Uh! Haha! So sorry, everybody! This is just my unruly daughter! She has such a wild imagination, haha!"
Lucy looked flabbergasted. "What? No I'm not. We don't even look the same- AH!"
Suddenly, the man grabs Lucy, smacking a hand over her mouth, despite her protests. "Shut. Up." He said coldly, there was a real weight behind his words.
*CHOMP!*
"AH!" The man screamed in pain, jumping back as he pulled his hand from her mouth, it reddened immediately. "What the heck is wrong with you!? You just bit me!"
Lucy smiled toothily, a mischievous giggle escaping her. "Stranger danger. For all I know, you're just some crazy man rambling about creatures in the city." She snapped back to what she was saying. "But hey! You're a Luni! I read all about you guys! I'd recognize those weird clothes anywhere!"
The man just grumbled, still gripping his hand tightly in pain. "I am NOT a Luni, and my clothes are NOT weird."
Lucy just stifled back a laugh. "Yeah, whatever you say..." She grabbed the end of his cape, reading a strange marking on the inside, "...Commander Ruan Caeruleum?"
Ruan's eyes went wide, he snatched his cape back quickly and took a step back, "Grk! G-Get away from me! Y-You... little... person!"
Lucy giggled snidely. "What kind of first name is 'Commander'?"
"It's NOT! In fact, you've never even met me! And I'm not a Luni! Actually, I'm not even sure what a Luni is! I don't know a whole lot of anything, I'm afraid. I have amnesia." Ruan continued. "What am I even looking at right now? You could be a boar for all I know! Goodbye."
Ruan began to power-walk into the opposite direction, not sparing a glance back.
"H-Hold on! We're not done yet!" Lucy aggressively gave chase.
Ruan snapped back around angrily in response. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know BOARS could talk!"
She ignored his remark, and stepped in front of his path so he couldn't move. "You're all-powerful and whatever, right? Train me! Train me right now!"
He seemed utterly taken aback by her misplaced enthusiasm. "Train you!? You barely look like you can hold a sword!"
Lucy groaned. "Come ooon! You guys look so cool! I'm totally strong enough to become your Discipulus! Plus, you seem like a good enough person!"
Ruan snarled, side-stepping Lucy's attempt, his tone suddenly becoming humorless. "Well, see. That's your first mistake a Discipulus of mine would never make."
Lucy expression soured, she tilted her head, puzzled, as she watched Ruan walk off dispassionately.
"...There are no 'good' people."