Chapter II

A New Hope

And now, I am no longer the guardian of light but as a mere person who is trying to find a meaning in this second life that I have been given. Perhaps this is fate. Is this a new beginning for me without the Black Mage? I guess I am reborn with a new purpose that I have yet to discover.

I had no memory. I had no family that I remember of. I did not even know my own name. I did not know where I have come from although I can still clearly remember the time as I opened my eyes and lied with my thin robe in the depths of a snowy field. Across the blizzard that blurred everything in sight, a silhouette slowly approached to me and a brunette old man with a beard came to my vision.

You and this young girl have told me the similar words that have given me a spark of new hope.

"You're going to be alright. Take my hand and I shall give you a new home." You said that to me with such a gentle voice. It was as if a father has spoken to me. It was as if I've finally experienced having a family in my lifetime. I held your hand without hesitation. I suppose it was your charm to people that I have never gotten from you as your apprentice.

Insecurities took over my humanity and my belief had nearly disappeared. Yet in one faithful day, you found me. And in that very moment, you called me by the name "Luminous".

It's such a shame that I was not able to thank you enough, old man...

I slowly opened my eyes and the sun has finally risen. I blankly stared at the ceiling for a while realizing that it was just a dream. Strange. It was so vivid that it felt so real. It felt as if I was watching my own past.

It's time to get up. Lania and I still have fishes to catch in the river. Penny might nag again. I wonder when we are going to eat some pork or beef... it's been a while since we have eaten one. Later I might start crafting arrows again to hunt some pigs. I'm really starting to crave...

I rose from my bed and went down stairs to see Lania. It has been years since she found me in the deep woods. Crazy as it may seem, it only feels like yesterday. She and Penny have grown so much and I have become fonder of such a very simple life. I still cannot believe that I have a new family.

"Good morning! Looks like someone had a good night sleep." A female voice has greeted me. As always, I am greeted with such cheerful tone.

"Good morning. And yes, given the comfortable wooden bed and the knitted blanket, who wouldn't?" I complimented her with her efforts of making Penny and I comfortable. It feels good to be sometimes treated as a child. Maybe it's because I did not have my own childhood.

"You still use big words, don't you, my lord?" She replied and even bowed to me in a jokingly manner.

"Hah. And when did you address me as such? Clearly I am just a simple man, young lady!" And I replied with a manner of how a noble man speaks. Conversations like these would go for hours and eventually her mood changes and I know how to make her feel better. Her mother died of severe illness when she was about 4 years old. I guess she was able to remember that event. One day, her father decided to go to the town of Ellinia.

"Wait here for me, alright? Father will come back with a feast of fruits and meat. I will also have another surprise for you so you should behave while I am gone. I love you, Lania and I will always do. Take care of yourself while I'm away." Her father told her as her father patted her head with a smile and bent knee. Days, weeks, and even moths have gone and her father never came back. No one knew why. No one knew them. Was he killed? But there were a lot of possibilities. And all I could think of is on how I can make her feel better because that's all I can do for now.

Should I give her a surprise? And for Penny, of course. Imagine how that cat would keep whining again. Should I give her a tour in this Ellinia town that she speaks of? I've only been to Elluel but she does not know that place... yes, soon I'll give her a tour. But I should visit that town first and be familiar with it.

"Lania, have you been to Ellinia?" I asked her while we were trying to catch fishes in the river.

"Nope. But daddy always talked about it so many times! Daddy said the town wasn't like any other. The buildings are in the huge branches of the trees and the people there are fairies and he kept telling me there was this really old man called Grendel the Really Old. He said that Grendel the Really Old was like the chief or the town or something! And he said that all the magician explorers came from there! He called it the "Tree Town" but I wish he let me go with him..." at first, she was really enthusiastic but then, sadness had hit her again. I wrapped my arms around her and held her closer against me. I can feel her pain but I'll never understand the love of a parent. It must've been a very warm feeling inside.

"Soon I'll show you the world." I murmured.

"Say again? Didn't understand what you're saying..." she asked.

"Nothing. We've been here for hours and I think we caught enough. Penny must be hungry now. Shall we go?"

"Okay!"

We went home along with our basket of fishes. We held the basket together, to keep our balance due to its heaviness. This is our usual routine. But this time, I took away the basket from her hands and held hers instead. Slightly startled by my actions, it eventually felt natural to her and locked my fingers into hers. I never held her like this. Her hand is really soft... and warm. I watched her as her eyes watched the green road and her silver hair danced gracefully as she walked. Only then I realized she is actually pretty.

"What?" she asked me and looked at me with a curious look.

I immediately turned my eyes on the road, keeping my cool so she wouldn't be suspicious.

"Nothing. I just saw a bug in your hair and was supposed to remove it but I couldn't because of this basket I am holding."

"Oh, I see... I just thought you were trying to observe my lovely face." She teased me.

"How absurd. Who would dare to?" I told her with a rebuttal.

"I'm just kidding! Can't you take a joke?" she started to laugh.

"I don't see why this is funny." I replied.

"You'll never get it anyway, dummy!" she suddenly ran through the door and stick her tongue out at me... as always.

Her occasional childish acts always made me smile a little at the end. No matter how annoying it is sometimes. But I guess that's Lania. Tomorrow, I will go out and finally visit Ellinia. Maybe I can also ask this Grendel the Old about Elluel and start finding Mercedes. I have this feeling that our seal on Black Mage has already weakened that has caused my awakening. Were Mercedes and the others also unconscious for centuries also? It's time to make a move and I have to find out.

"Luminous! What are you doing there just spacing out? We still have to cook dinner, you know!" Lania shouted through the window.

"Yes, coming."

It's been a while since I actually wrote this. I made some revisions here to avoid a cliché story and I think I did well and I suppose it's not too predictable? I hope so. Still gonna keep Lumi's past as a dark matter. And some hints of shabby scene. Oh, damn me, a hopeless romantic bastard. Kidding. I just thought it'd be boring without some romance with Lania. Lol. But overall I'll make this an adventure type based on some quests at maple, just adding additional perspective of Lumi. A review would be very much appreciated! It'd give me ideas about my composition, you know... if it's terrible or so-so because I'm still having trouble painting my imaginations with words. It's still difficult, to be honest... But thanks for reading!