They found themself on a small piece of land, floating in a dark abyss. They were tired, so tired. Their long golden locks losing their glow. Eyes that shone bright mere minutes ago had become dull and their robes were tattered and dirty.
While breathing heavily, they forced their eyes shut and hugged themself tightly as the darkness started to close in on them.
Tears fell.
Their fault. Their fault. Their fault. They shouldn't have...
"Ray?" The sound of a familiar voice gave them enough courage to open their eyes again, but their vision was met with only darkness. The voice called again: "Ray, what did you do?"
"I could not... I... " They croaked out, unable to find the words. They calmed down slightly as they felt a soft hand folded over theirs.
What should have been reassuring followed with despair.
Yes, despair. Hope-shattering despair.
That was the last thing they felt before giving in.
They floated in an indistinct place of neither light nor darkness. There was just... nothing. They felt nothing. They were starting to become nothing.
"Radiant Lumiere!"
Somebody called their name, again. No, this was somebody else.
"Radiant Lumiere!"
It was louder this time, but they didn't have enough strength to open their eyes. They didn't want to see... they didn't want to see what they had done...
"Don't give up! Don't let your ray of hope be dimmed!"
They smiled an empty smile as sleep took them far away.
The boy stumbled in the dark hallway. With every step he took, dark stains appeared on the ground, spreading like a droplet on a clean carpet.
As the place shook violently and the boy fell over, a seed of fear planted in his heart and the boy's form flickered for a split second. He sped up his pace and soon was running through the seemingly endless hallway.
Was the world dying? But Radiant Lumiere stopped the Titans on their path of destruction... it should be okay. It should be okay!
Reaching a huge door, he used what was left of his strength to push it open.
"Father... ! I... " He spoke, having trouble finding the right words but his face fell as he was met with an empty, barren room.
A single throne stood in the middle. Empty.
Then he remembered. His father… wasn't here anymore. He didn't want to believe it... memories flew back in his mind like a storm, messing up his thoughts into a tornado and making him dizzy.
He used the throne to support himself, clenching his teeth and desperately trying to fight the tears.
He couldn't. He just couldn't. Everything he did was for nothing... there was nothing left anymore.
An empty castle and an empty victory.
Was the same happening on Lumo right now? What about the rest of Primo? Was there still a world outside of the castle? Or was everything gone already?
Just after that thought flew through his mind, the quakes seized.
He didn't know how long he stood hunched over the throne, slowly letting tears drip from his eyes. The reality of the situation began to really sink in and feelings of despair found its way into his pitch black heart.
With shaking legs, he sat down on the throne, staring at the black ceiling as his arms hang idly by his sides. There was no point in doing anything anymore. Absentmindedly, he just sat there and let seconds, minutes, hours, or maybe days pass by.
A smile crossed his lips, though it was without any happiness, or any emotion.
He just felt... empty.
The bed was soft, not as soft as the one they were used to, but soft enough to be comfortable. Slowly, they opened one eye, then the other. Waiting a moment to take in their surroundings. The room was unfamiliar, unlike something they've ever seen before. The only thing in it were the bed, a desk, and a couple of unidentifiable objects on said desk.
They lay on their back for a long time, staring at the ceiling and trying to recollect their memories.
They felt a sharp pain in their chest.
The pain, the memories. It all came back so vividly.
Flashes of gigantic titans looming over them. The unforgettable pain and fear they had felt. The destructive quakes, the scorching flames, the harsh winds, the literal breathtaking seas, and finally giving into the hopeless darkness...
Everything was gone.
And it was their fault.
They hugged themself tightly and started weeping in silence.
After what could either be minutes or hours, the door slowly creaked open and a figure stepped inside.
"Lady Ra... Radiant... Radiant Lumiere?" The man in the door opening was speechless and stared at them with huge eyes. "You... you're awake!?"
He clamped a hand over his mouth in shock.
"Excuse me... I'm so... " He stopped to regulate his breathing and wiped his eyes with his hands. "I didn't expect you to... ever wake up... "
They blinked and tried to force a smile on their lips, but they just couldn't. They tried to speak, but couldn't either. Their mind was too hazy to think, to form words, and it prevented them from doing anything.
The man managed to pick himself up again and smiled gently at them, bowing a little. "How are you feeling?"
They still couldn't answer. They opened their mouth but no words came out.
"It's okay. Don't force it!" He reassured them, keeping a polite distance. "I'll go get you something to drink. I'll be right back."
They stared at the palms of their hands, then back to the man.
"Sir Brightly... " The man stopped at the sound of his name and turned to them with a worried look. "Wh-Where is... my mother... ?"
The worried look morphed into one of grief.
"Your mother... ? She... She's... " He fell silent. "I'll get you something to drink, then I'll tell you everything. A lot happened, Lady Radiant Lumiere. It's going to take a while... "
In less than a minute Bright returned with a glass of water, setting it down on the desk. They took a glance at the glass and took a huge gulp from it, only now just realising how dry their throat was. Funny, since one of the last memories they had was desperately gasping for air as their lungs were filled with water.
Somewhat meekly, Bright motioned to the side of the bed. "Can I?"
"Yes. Go ahead."
He sat down on the side of the bed and folded his hands together on his lap.
"Lady Radiant Lumiere, you were asleep for... " Once again he stopped and averted his eyes from them for a moment. "For fifteen years."
Their world started spinning.
Fifteen years. Fifteen years.
They were asleep for fifteen years.
No matter how many times they said it in their head, they just couldn't comprehend it. It just didn't click. They couldn't have been in a dreamless sleep for fifteen years.
Their hands flew to their face.
This couldn't be real. It couldn't be.
"I know it's hard to believe."
No... this couldn't be.
"Where are we!? Where is mother!?" They cried out.
Bright stared back at them.
There it was again. That look. That look filled with grief.
"Answer me!" They demanded, their voice breaking.
Bright swallowed his hesitation. "Ignis, Terre, Aeris, Unda. The Primal Titans of Disaster. One by one, they fell-"
"I remember that." They interrupted him. "I am the one who... " A pause. "Stopped them. There is no way I will ever forget... "
"It all was so sudden." Bright continued softly. "It was like the world suddenly started falling apart. Lady Lumina was nowhere to be found, you were nowhere to be found... "
They twitched at the memory and instinctively shot a look at their right hand.
"Before I knew it... everything was gone, and I was floating into some sort of... space... but you were there! I called out to you and then... " Bright pulled something from his pocket to show them a golden brooch. "This started glowing and brought us here."
"Where is 'here'?"
"For some odd reason, people call this entire world 'Earth'. Just 'Earth'."
They lowered their gaze. "And mother?"
"Look, Lady Radiant Lumiere. It's highly possible Lady Lumina is... not here anymore. I've been looking, but I couldn't find anyone." He fidgeted with his hands, desperately searching for words.
"Where is she, then? Should you not go get her?"
Bright gasped. "N-No... you misunderstand! I mean as in she... " A pause. "Passed away."
And then, their world started spinning again. Taking a deep, though shaky, breath, they managed to croak out: "She... dimmed!?"
That couldn't be.
Mother was powerful. Mother was all-knowing. There was no way she would just...
"I suspect we are the only survivors." Bright spoke. "I've been living here for around fifteen years, watching over you, and trying to become part of this world. The people of Earth are friendly, though we shouldn't tell them about Primo. Nobody believed me when I did."
Bright continued talking but they couldn't hear it. They weren't paying attention and clutched their chest. But, why didn't it hurt as much as before? They were shocked, obviously. But why didn't their chest hurt with that awful, aching feeling like before?
"Mother... " They felt like... a weight was lifted from their shoulders, and they weren't sure how to feel about that.
They took another glance around the room, before getting out of the bed. Or trying to. Their legs felt so stiff, it was a miracle they were actually able to keep standing.
Bright carefully offered them a hand but they refused. Holding up one of their hands, wearing an unreadable expression.
"Mother said to never physically touch anyone, aside from her. You know this." They looked at their hands, trying to remember their mother's voice. She would always go on and on about how she feared they would get 'tainted' if anyone merely touched them, or vice-versa. So, they weren't allowed to touch anyone, nor was anyone allowed to touch them. Even though… after what they did, they were probably already tainted beyond the darkest black.
Bright retreated his hand. "I know, I know. But she's not here to tell you what you can and can't do. You have that power now."
They looked up at him, unblinking.
"Listen, Lady Radiant Lumiere I won't force you to do anything you don't want. I won't keep you here, though I'd prefer you at least stay here until you're better."
"N-No... I want to stay with you, the last knight of Primo."
A soft, yet solemn, smile found its way on Bright's face.
Sitting by the swaying tide, a dark-haired girl gazed out at the horizon. She gently swirled her hand in the water as she hummed a serene little tune.
A redhead was sitting on a tree branch in a forest, a bag of fruit next to her. She was absentmindedly munching down on an apple as she fiddled with the flowers in her hair.
In a room lit by a handful of candles, a brunette was engrossed in a particular adventurous book, as evident by the amused smile on her face.
Sitting on a couch in a dark room was another girl. She had a sketchbook on her lap and a small pencil in her hand. The pencil hovered over the empty page for an awfully long time.
It has started now.
A new story will be spun.
But will destiny have the final say, after all?
Who knows, because this truly is a legend in the making.
[Prime Pretty Cure]