"Lilith, you must find the next one chosen by the Titan. They must be found. My plans will not die with me. Look for the symbol on their right hand. That is how you will find them."

Those were the last words Belos spoke to her before his passing. Apparently, He died from a strange curse of some kind that came seemingly out of nowhere. There were no culprits that could have possibly gotten close enough to the Emperor to even cast it. It was all a mystery.

It was ironic really. Lilith always thought the emperor was capable of so much. She followed him endlessly for the chance to right her wrong. Then the emperor just up and dies of the very thing she wanted to get rid of. How was she supposed to get Eda healed now?

She did think of the healing relic but quickly remembered the relic's power has faded substantially over time. There was nothing to be done. All that was left was her task. Maybe. Just maybe, whoever this person she was looking for would be able to help her. So with a heavy heart, she took off from the castle to fulfill the last order by the late emperor.

The world is a cruel place. Isn't it?

The loud ringing of a school bell reverberated through the halls of school alerting all the students of the end of school. Luz strode through the halls of her school with a pep in her step and earbuds on. She had been listening to one of her favorite songs on loop for quite a while. It was a song from an anime she liked that she hummed along with.

That joy, however, was dashed quite abruptly when she saw a familiar face come out from the corner, and she stopped humming all together. It was Adalyn the captain of the cheer team. Her golden blonde hair and the pink streak in the middle was always a dead giveaway.

Almost immediately upon spotting her Luz lowered her gaze to the floor. She tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible even making the effort to quicken her pace. She just wanted to get this over with. Luz only interacted with her one time. Not that long ago Adalyn sarcastically asked if Luz wanted to hang out, then Adalyn egged on her friends to basically make fun of Luz. Calling her a freak, clown, and other things around those lines. The name-calling was one thing, but the fact Adalyn led her into a false hope. Leading her to believe she was going to make her first friend in high school. That was what hurt her the most. Luz didn't want Adalyn to hurt her again.

Quickly squeaking past the blonde through the hall, Luz made a nervous look back to see if she's been seen. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Adalyn was looking at her phone the entire time. Though something occurred to Luz she didn't think of beforehand. Why was Adalyn even walking down this hall? Luz usually took the long way around to exit the school. She barely saw anyone come this way if any at all. The stranger thing she noticed was that Adalyn was all alone. She was usually always with her friends. It was strange of course, but honestly, Luz didn't really care that much. So she just turned away and made her way to the exit so she could just walk home like she wanted to, and continue reading the latest Azura book.

The door to Luz's home opened with a dull creak. With a relieved sigh Luz dropped her backpack down in the hallway haphazardly. Stretching her muscles to relieve the pressure that built up over the day. It felt good to be back home. She was done with school for the next two days. A whole weekend of Azura, anime, and fanfiction awaited her, and she couldn't wait to dive in.

Her home was something she treasured. She could do whatever she wanted without fear. It wasn't exactly all that special inside. It was a pretty average house. The only things that really stood out were the tiny Hispanic trinkets and decorations that dotted the house.

"Alright, Azura time!" She exclaimed excitedly. She bolted straight to her room until she passed the kitchen. She slid to a dead stop and turned towards the kitchen to make a quick detour and grab a snack. She headed straight to the cabinets and pulled out a can of potato chips that was nearly half empty. Then rushed back over to her room.

The door was left open like it always was when she returned from school. She could see the Azura and anime posters she had scrawled over her wall and the desk that held her laptop. Her sanctuary was right there, and she entered with giddy anticipation.

Looking to her left Luz saw the bookcase that lay directly to the left of the door. Books and figures of all kinds lined the shelves. Luz scanned through the bookshelf looking for the right book. After laying her eye's on just what she was looking for. She pulled it out of the shelf feeling just as she always did when she got more Azura in her life. Elated and joyous.

With a happy little hop, she plopped herself on her bed. Laying on her back she held the book firmly in the air and began to immerse herself in a fantasy world she could only ever dream of.

She left off just before Azura entered a new location with her allies. Luz began shoveling the chips into her mouth as she read. A couple of chapters later Azura was all alone against an enemy who just seemed to catch and throw everything thrown at him right back at Azura. Throughout the whole fight, It was a battle of wits and action. Each one of them trying to outdo the other. Luz just couldn't help but feel pumped through the whole thing. She changed her position on the bed multiple times during the action as it went on. She could feel the action like she was there on the sidelines. Rooting for Azura the whole way through. She was so engrossed she never noticed a slight tingling sensation on her right hand.

As she reached the end of the chapter Azura was not faring well. The bad guy just kept implementing their unique magic in so many different ways. Azura couldn't keep up. Who knew magic that had the properties of both rubber and gum could be so versatile? Luz was at a loss of words. Azura was actually losing! Then just as it seemed the bad guy was about to land the final blow the chapter ended.

"What?" Luz couldn't believe what she read. No chapter before this ended like that. Especially against someone, she assumed to be just a minor antagonist. As she thought about it she began to drift into her own imagination. Jumping down from her bed leaving the book face down on the bed.

"Don't worry Azura! I'll save you!" She exclaimed as she acted out her own version of events on the spot. She threw a kick into the air followed by a punch. "Can't reflect my martial arts huh? Haha! That works for me!" She let loose a series of swings and kicks acting as if she knew some sort of fighting style when in reality she didn't. Doing things she just thought was cool. "Final attack! Fire Fist!" Luz imagined her fist engulfing in flames as she winded up her fist from behind her. A mixture of martial arts and magic. The flames in her mind glowed brightly and furiously as the fire swirled around her fist Then with a mighty roar she slung her fist forward as straight as she could blasting fire right into the bad guy's torso as the punch landed.

A large amount of heat suddenly washed over her face snapping her out of her mind. That was very odd to Luz. It felt like she had actually blasted out flames from her fist. She was going to chalk it up to just getting really into her role, but she noticed something that made her jaw drop in pure shock and awe. The poster she had next to the Azura one has burnt away leaving only tabs of paper still attached to the tape. A pitch-black scorch mark was plastered on the wall where the poster used to be.

"Wha- What?" Confused and awestruck Luz just stood there staring at the still smoking spot. How did that happen? Why was there a smoldering mark on her wall? It couldn't have been her right? That was preposterous! Though the more she thought about it, the more apparent the coincidence came to her.

Only moments ago she was pretending to blast out sweltering fire from her fists. Now there was this blackened stain on her wall.

"Am I... a firebender?" The notion she did that was really the only reason that made any sense. There was literally no other way she could have seen something like this. She tried to do some gentle jabs in an attempt to mimic what she just did, in a smaller more manageable burst. She tried again and again, but she just couldn't repeat what she had just done. The only evidence she had was the burn on the wall.

Her curiosity was starting to become overwhelming. So she moved closer to the mark to inspect it. She definitely could feel some heat coming from it. A smell of smoke emanated from it. She even saw ash slowly drifting to the floor. Assumingly from incinerated bits that remained stuck on the wall. It was real alright, no doubt about it.

She went to reach out to touch the blackened wall, but she halted her hand upon hearing the front door open. Yet again she couldn't feel the tingling of her right hand with her mind so busy.

"Mija! I'm home!"

Luz suddenly found herself filled with silent fear. Her Mother just came home making things even more complicated. How the heck was she supposed to explain the obvious scorch mark on the wall. There's no way her mother would ever believe that she accidentally shot fire from her hand like some magician. She almost didn't believe it herself.

"Mija?"

Luz needed to hide it. She had to find something she could use to conceal the mark, and it had to be quick. After a quick look around she took one look at her Azura poster and decided that was just what she needed. She scrambled over to the poster and took it down as quickly and carefully as she could. Transferring it over the warm black spot right next to it. She hastily taped each corner of the poster to the wall trying to keep it as straight as she could. Then just as she was about to place the last corner down she noticed something that made everything worse. Right on top of her hand was what looked like a large circle with a complicated array of symbols occupying the inside.

Not only did she somehow burn the wall with a fireblast but now she found herself with a mark on her hand she never asked for. It didn't make sense. What was happening to her? Why was it happening? Why now? She couldn't possibly come up with a believable excuse if she was found out.

The noticeable sound of knocking reverberated through her room. Followed by the click of a turning doorknob.

"Mija. I'm home."

Luz's mother, Camilia, began to open her door. With barely enough time Luz tore herself away from the poster and pulled her arms behind her. Covering her right hand with the other in an attempt to hide the mark. She stood in the middle of her room acting as neutral as she could despite the mass amount of nervousness she felt.

"H-hey Mama." Luz stammered. She tried to remain as calm as she possibly could as to not elicit any suspicion. The wide nervous grin she wore, however, managed to betray her intentions.

"Luz, What did you do?" Camilia said with palpable suspicion in her voice.

"Uh, n-nothing Mama." Luz was panicking internally. She's been found out already. She really didn't want to have this conversation. So she tried to desperately change the subject. "Hey so, uh, what's for dinner? I'm starving. Hehehe." Luz mentally slapped herself. The nervous chuckle wasn't exactly helping her case.

"Mija, I know that face. You're trying to hide something from me aren't you?" Camilia spoke with an almost terrifying calmness.

It was no use. No matter how much she tried, her face just wouldn't stay quiet. Her expression then fell into a guilty frown. She tried her best to avoid eye contact with her mother by looking down at the ground. She felt so bad trying to hide it from her mom, but what else was she supposed to do in this unbelievable situation?

"Luz? Why does it smell like smoke in here?" Camilia asked. Her tone grew stoic and serious.

Luz's eyes grew wide in shock. She could smell it? How was Luz supposed to explain it without sounding crazy? Luz wanted to tell her mom the truth. She really did, but it was just impossible. A truth like that was impossible to believe.

"I...I." Luz stuttered. Struggling to say anything, Her mind went racing for potential answers she could give. Yet she never found anything. She was simply too stressed to think properly.

"Let me see your hands, Luz."

No. How could she tell? Was this what was called a mother's intuition? Was it something else? That mark on Luz's hand looked very much like a tattoo. What was she supposed to say to begin explaining everything? She was paralyzed with the fear of so many possibilities that swirled in her head.

"Luz!" Camilia raised her voice assertively. startling Luz with the unexpected volume. " Show me your hands." Camilia's voice shifted rather abruptly to a more quiet reserved tone. Listening closely Luz heard small cracks in her mom's voice. Something she wasn't expecting at all.

Luz slowly began to raise her gaze from the ground to see her mother's outreached hand. It was like She was expecting Luz to give her something. So with no choice but to concede, Luz pulled out her hands from behind her and placed them into her mother's. It was deathly silent for a few moments before she finally heard her mother speak.

"What is this?"

Luz wanted to say she didn't know. However, She knew very well that wouldn't be an acceptable answer to her mother. She wanted to drop all her guilt away and confess, but she had no way to prove any of it. Her fear of what might happen kept her from confessing at all.

She used to think one day waking up with powers of some sort would be an amazing event in her life. Now she wished it never happened to begin with.

"Luz? Is this a tattoo?"

Luz stayed quiet. Unable to provide an answer.

"What about the smoke? Why does it smell like smoke in here Luz?"

Luz stayed quiet.

"Luz?"

Yet again Luz gave no response. For a while, there was nothing but silence that permeated the air. An oppressive and uncomfortable silence that only made Luz drown in her own guilt, more and more.

"Are you hanging out with the wrong crowd?"

Luz was caught off guard by that question. It was so sudden, and she didn't exactly understand what her mom meant by it. She raised her gaze just a bit more to line up with her mother's chin. Only to flinch at her mother's next words

"Why aren't you answering me!?" The whole time Camilia was speaking so reserved It was like she was trying to keep her cool. This time her voice came out shaky and confused. A great deal of emotion exploding forth like a tidal wave. She almost sounded like she was going to cry.

All of a sudden Luz was pelted with immense guilt she never experienced before. Like she was lost in A dark ocean of regret that battered her from every angle. Why would her mother sound so distraught? The hurt in Camilia's voice was more than she ever heard before.

"Please tell me you haven't been smoking?!" Camilia let out in a raw blast of emotion. Tears trailing down her face.

Immediately Luz fell into great turmoil and distress. shooting her gaze up to see her mother's tear ridden face. That was the most painful thing she ever saw. All the guilt she held in suddenly exploded. Drowning out any fear she had about telling the truth. After all what else was there but the truth.

"What? No! I-I'd never... It was..." Luz struggled to keep her emotions under control. Only managing to stutter out her words as she desperately tried to find the right words. "I know it's hard to believe but, I shot fire from my hands and burned a wall! That's why there's...!"

"So... you're just going to blatantly lie to me?" Camilia interrupted Luz. Camilia's tone and expression were just barely composed. It was like a sad calmness washed over the air.

"What?! No! It's true I swear! I can show you the...!"

"Stop! just...just stop." Camilia placed a hand over her eyes as if trying to hide her tears. Camilia couldn't take any more of this. She turned away from Luz nearly about to lose herself right then and there. "We're going to have a talk about this later...and when I get back. I want the truth." With that Camilia left. Leaving a distraught Luz behind.

"But that was the truth..." Luz whispered.

Luz was devastated. How could she have seen this happening? It was worse than anything she ever thought of. It hurt. It hurt so much. She couldn't stand it. That face her mother made was so unbearable. The worst thing was, just as Her mother left, Luz could hear Camilia softly whimpering. Luz, unable to cope any longer, began to cry.

-A few minutes later-

Luz sat in silence on the edge of her bed. The feelings she felt still lingering in her mind like a vivid dream. She felt so empty and defeated. For a few minutes, she was throwing punch after punch, kick after kick. All to try and replicate what she did before. She wanted to prove she did it so badly, but she never came close to even producing a single spark. In the end, she just gave up, resigning herself to whatever fate awaited her.

She lamented the unfair nature of it all. Something she always dreamed of having ended up blowing up in her face so harshly. It wasn't right. It was cruel. perhaps the saying really was true. The world is a cruel place. uncaring, and indifferent. That was how it was. Wasn't it? If that was the case she didn't want to be in this world anymore. She wanted to be in a fair world. Or at least A different world. One where she could make it fair.

Suddenly, Luz was met with a brilliant glow that interrupted her train of thought. It was coming from below her. She looked down and was surprised to see the symbol on her right hand was the source of the glowing. Before she could even ponder on why it was glowing, she noticed the entirety of her hand soon began to glow as well.

"What?"

Luz was confused, to say the least. It stretched even more across her body. To her elbow. to her shoulder. It kept stretching onwards until it enveloped a panicking Luz entirely. Then with a bright flash, Luz let out a silent yell. When the flash died away, Luz was gone.