Author's Note:
This is just an extra for those who wish to better understand the events that happened to Lucy.
------------
On a sunny day, a few months before the island appeared, a family was planning a trip.
With the appearance of a man around forty, still boasting a physique envied by many, his light green hair and brown eyes stood out. With a deep voice, he spoke:
"Dear, are you sure you want to visit the Duchy of Lantches?"
"Darling, I already told you yes. There are many beautiful natural landscapes I want to show little Lucy~."
A beautiful woman with black hair and violet eyes replied.
She paused briefly, then asked in a teasing tone:
"Do you have something against the Lantches, dear~?"
"N-No, it's not that… I just heard the roads there have been dangerous lately."
"Hmm~ So you're going to distrust old friends over rumors?"
The man looked visibly uncomfortable and didn't respond.
The door opened, and a child ran in, throwing her arms around her mother.
Caught by surprise, the mother looked at the child with tenderness and said,
"Looks like our little Lucy is back from school."
"Yes!" Lucy replied cheerfully. "I invited Tania to play. Can I bring her in?"
Sighing, the father spoke,
"Sweetie… Didn't I tell you it's not right to invite someone and then ask?"
Clearly the one who spoiled her more, Lucy's mother replied,
"Don't mind Daddy. He's just grumpy today. Of course you can bring your friend in, go ahead~."
"Thanks Mom! I'm going now!" Lucy ran out as quickly as she had come in.
"You know you spoil her too much, right?" Father said seriously.
"Ah~, but how can you stay mad at something that cute?"
"Yeah, yeah… Let's just drop it," he said, changing the subject knowing his wife's weakness for cute things. "Anyway, did you tell Lucy about the trip?"
"Hmm~," she paused to recall. "Yes, I told her last night before bed."
Lucy, who had left the room's door open, soon walked by the hallway with Tania.
Tania greeted the couple, "Good afternoon, Uncle Solis, Aunt Luna."
Luna waved with a smile. Solis gave a brief nod — the classic man's greeting.
The girls went off, leaving the couple behind.
"Another little cutie~," Luna remarked.
"You never change, do you? Always melting around children," Solis teased.
"And you're still as overprotective as ever~," Luna shot back.
...
Their teasing eventually ended with a few kisses shared between them.
The day went on routinely. Solis spent the afternoon buried in paperwork. Luna stayed with Lucy once Tania left, reading or playing with her.
The next morning, the day of the trip arrived.
"Dear! Have you seen my backup tie?!" Solis shouted.
From the bathroom, while applying makeup, Luna yelled back, "Isn't it in the drawer beside the bed? You left it there so you wouldn't forget!"
Opening the second drawer, Solis found the tie. "Found it! Thanks, dear!"
With that energy, they finished packing two simple bags.
As they came down the stairs, a well-dressed little girl waited on the couch.
Seeing her parents descending, Lucy's eyes lit up.
"Can we go now?" she asked, trying to rush them.
Solis answered with a raised eyebrow, "Don't you think you're a bit too excited, little lady?"
"Darling~, didn't know she so eager to see the Lantches' youngest son?~," Luna teased.
Solis, visibly more tense now, muttered,
"Oh? I didn't know that. I'll have a man-to-man talk with that boy."
Lucy, now blushing furiously, yelled back, "T-THAT'S A LIE!" then quickly continued, "I-I just want to see the landscapes the Lantches' lands offer! That's all. Just that."
"I see~, our little Lucy has the soul of an old lady~," Luna teased again.
With the morning chaos subsiding, the family boarded their carriage.
Leaving behind only the servants, they set off toward the Duchy of Lantches.
Escorted by a small group of guards — reinforcements from the Lantches would join further ahead.
Hours passed. As they neared the borders of Fermes — Solis' own duchy — they crossed into Lantches' territory.
In the distance, knights awaited. One rode ahead to confirm identities, then returned, stating they were allies wearing the family's crest.
Solis ordered, "Let's proceed."
They joined up and greeted the knights, exchanging stories along the road.
Later, they stopped to eat.
Solis dismounted first, helping Luna down, then Lucy.
"What's for lunch, Dad?" Lucy asked.
"Hmm… Maybe rainbow deer skewers. Ever tried them?"
"No, but it sounds tasty," Lucy replied, remembering the flavor from other dishes.
"It is delicious," Luna added. "Especially when it's fresh rainbow deer. It reminds me of when your father and I used to travel the world~."
Solis replied mockingly, "You know you sound like an old woman, right?"
"Oh~ Says the one with wrinkles and thinning hair~."
Lucy, used to their banter, paid no mind and walked toward the fire.
Nearby, familiar knights were preparing food.
"Well, if it isn't little Lady Lucy," an older knight greeted.
"Feeling hungry, Lady?"
"A little! And I wanted to try a grilled skewer."
"Haha! Lucky you! I'm a professional griller, and we have fresh rainbow deer meat. I'll start right away!"
"Okay!~ I can't wait!" Lucy beamed.
The old knight gave her a strong pat on the head. She winced, fixing her hair just as her father arrived.
"Oh, if it isn't old Huter. Keep that up and you'll make Lucy go bald," Solis joked.
Lucy backed away, holding her head as she returned to her mother.
"Still the same brat as always," Huter replied warmly. "Seems like our training did nothing."
"Don't remind me of that hell… Still don't know why my father picked you as my mentor."
"Haha! It wasn't that bad. Admit it."
They kept chatting as the rainbow deer meat sizzled.
Once fed, the journey resumed.
The afternoon sun shone brightly — until screams shattered the peace.
"TRAITORS!" someone roared.
Solis jumped up, panic flooding his face. He channeled Qi into his leg and kicked the door off the carriage.
"GET OUT! RUN!"
Lucy, confused, was pulled by her mother.
A knight — bearing the Lantches' crest — ran toward them.
Solis, realizing they wouldn't make it in time, channeled Qi and smashed through the carriage wall, colliding with the knight.
The impact disarmed and downed the attacker. Solis showed no mercy. Grabbing the sword, he drove it into the man's throat.
"GO!" he shouted again.
Luna resumed running, dragging Lucy by the hand. Lucy was trembling, unable to comprehend.
Solis gritted his teeth. "Tarkus, you bastard… If I survive this, I swear I'll kill you!"
Charging toward the sound of battle, he saw Huter and others locked in brutal combat. More enemies emerged from the trees.
"Did I make the wrong choice sending them to the forest?" he questioned.
No time for regret — an enemy charged him.
"Arhk!"
He barely blocked in time, his injuries making it worse. But countering with Qi, he kicked the man's chest, caving in the armor and making him vomit blood.
Without time to finish him off, he rushed to help Huter, stabbing another knight through the back.
"Pfft... Not handling it like the old days, huh?" he quipped.
Huter chuckled, "HAH! No one stays young forever, brat."
Back to back, they fought on.
A knight raised his sword — only to have his wrists severed. Solis broke his leg with a Qi-infused kick, then turned to block another blade. No room to dodge — Huter was behind him.
With one hand blocking, he grabbed a small dagger hidden behind Huter, plunging it into his attacker's arm.
The knight dropped his sword.
As Solis moved to finish him off — a blade pierced through his back.
It wasn't imbued with Qi. Solis locked it in his body using Qi and roared,
"SPIN!"
Huter understood. He grabbed the enemy in front of him, yanked him forward, and ducked.
Solis spun violently, decapitating the knight in front and slicing the attacker behind in half.
Panting, Solis muttered, "Heh… To think I'd die beside an old man."
Huter grinned, "At least this old man is pretty."
They laughed, then fought on, Solis clearly weakening.
Eventually, Huter fell to his knees, blood pouring from his chest. Still gripping his sword, he leaned his forehead on the hilt — refusing to fall completely.
Solis murmured, "Not even in death he hits the ground… Guess I can't embarrass him now."
...
Finally, only one enemy remained.
The knight charged. Solis, too slow to block properly, was slashed in the leg.
Using full-body Qi again, he trapped the sword, countering with a fatal blow to the heart.
As the enemy collapsed, Solis staggered.
Three blades pierced his torso — one through the lung, one in the stomach, one in the kidney. Another stabbed into his thigh.
He fell to his knees, gripping his sword.
"I-I have to go… they n-need me… MOVE, DAMN BODY!"
He stumbled forward two steps before collapsing again.
Looking up at the orange sky of dusk, he whispered,
"I… hope they're safe..."
----
Before Solis died, Luna ran through the forest.
Behind her, the sounds of clanking armor grew louder.
Lucy tripped over a root and cried out.
Luna knelt, ripped her dress, quickly wrapped Lucy's twisted ankle, and lifted her into her arms.
Unlike Solis, Luna didn't use Qi — she had a unique trait: Swift Steps, granting moderate speed.
But not enough.
She saw a hollow fallen log and ran toward it.
"Get in. Stay here until I come back."
Ripping more of her dress and stuffing it with leaves, she made a decoy.
She ran off in a different direction.
Two knights split off to follow.
One searched nearby. The other checked the log.
Inside, he found a terrified little girl, trembling and crying in silence.
He stared… then turned.
"Nothing here," he lied. "She probably just adjusted the kid. Let's move!"
They ran off.
Lucy remained in the log, paralyzed.
Eventually, she cried herself to sleep.
When she woke from the cold, the sun had risen — no one had come back.
She wandered, starving, hoping to find someone.
But she wandered too far.
Goblins appeared.
She ran — but her injury slowed her down.
One goblin struck her down.
"NO, PLEASE!" she cried.
"Kekekeke," they laughed.
One grabbed her hair and dragged her into the forest.
"NO, SOMEBODY HELP ME!"