The three of us gazed down in horror at what we saw before us. My village had been completely destroyed, except for my house, which was the only one still standing. Not only houses were taken down, I saw the dead bodies of many people who were once my friends. Tears of horror welled up in my eyes, but they refused to fall.

"Serena," Suzaku said, "your village really was attacked by the Black Demons. They've destroyed everything except your house, and many of your…" He silenced himself when I held up my hand in order to get him to stop speaking.

"I am aware, Suzaku," I said. "Let's get down here and see if there is anybody still alive." The boys nodded in agreement and we started down the hill to check anything. The first thing we saw was the motionless body of someone who looked familiar. I moved the body slightly but it fell in front of me, making me jump back and yell in terror.

"What is that?" Suzaku yelled. "Is he okay?"

I got up and turned away. "He's dead," I said sadly, noticing that the dead boy was a good friend of my brother, Solaris.

"Do you know who he is?" Lelouch stuttered, his violet eyes wide with horror. It seemed to me he was reliving a nightmare of the past.

I nodded. "It's Dylan, an old friend of my brother," I said, turning back to Dylan's dead body. I then looked over to Suzaku and Lelouch (who was still carrying Nunnally). "We need to split up. I'll go this way; you three look elsewhere for survivors."

The two boys nodded and we four went into different directions. I began to search the outbuildings as Suzaku and Lelouch searched the crumpled woodpiles.

About five minutes later, I heard Suzaku yell, "Serena, come here, and quick! I found your mother, Lady Charlene! She's still alive, but she's badly hurt! Come fast!" I didn't hesitate to run to his side, and Lelouch, still carrying Nunnally, came over as well.

Mother was lying underneath a shrub, badly bleeding, but still breathing. There was a deep wound on the side of her neck, and her abdomen was practically torn open. "Mother…!" I exclaimed breathlessly. I fell to my knees, and touched Mother's stomach wound, which was bleeding horrendously.

Mother gasped in pain, and I retracted my hand as she looked up and saw me. "Serena, I see you have survived last night's terrible invasion," Mother said quietly. She then saw Suzaku. "Suzaku Kururugi, was it you who saved my daughter?"

Suzaku nodded, and the sun was now completely below the Earth as Mother spoke again, "I thank you, Suzaku, but now, I ask that you take care of her. I will not survive."

I gasped in horror and said, "No, Mother, you can't die! You must live!" My hot tears suddenly spilled over my eyes as Mother reached up and I grabbed her hand. "Mother, please tell me, who did this to you? I must know!" I begged.

Mother's bloody hand began to slip from my own as she said, "…it was Romulus Sanders, who did this to me, Serena." She looked at Suzaku once more and told him, "Please, Suzaku, protect my daughter. She is everything to our people, and she will live if she remains with you."

I looked back at Suzaku; he was crying too. "As you wish, Lady Charlene," he said, doing a small, but solemn bow.

Mother smiled, but then she groaned softly in pain, and before her head fell to the side, she said to me, "Live on, Serena." Her hand then dropped from my own, into a pool of her own blood.

Eyes widened in horror and shock, I pushed at Mother's side, desperate to wake her. "Mother! Mother! MOTHER, OPEN YOUR EYES! MOTHER! MOTHER!" I screamed loudly, my scream echoing across Mt. Onyx. I then collapsed over Mother's body, sobbing incredulously hard. I couldn't believe that my mother was actually… dead.

It took the three of us several hours to bury the bodies of those who had been murdered, even Mother's. By the times all the bodies were buried, I cried endlessly over Mother's grave. "Mother…" I sobbed hard.

Suzaku, who was standing nearby with Lelouch and Nunnally, came over to my side, and gently touched my shoulder. "Serena, you must stop crying already. No matter how much you cry, Lady Charlene won't come back. And you're the daughter of Dachi, of course! Be a little tougher."

I stood up, nodded, and wiped my tears away with my shirt sleeve. "You're right, Suzaku. I should not cry. I am the daughter of Dachi, and a child of a legendary leader mustn't cry." I then looked past Suzaku and saw the sun rise over the hills. I widened my eyes as I looked. "Suzaku, I think I know what my name means now. My name, Serena, means 'daughter of the sun'."

Suzaku looked at the rising sun for a minute and then nodded in understanding. "Yes. Yes, of course, Serena, that makes sense!" he said. "Your father once told me that the day when you were born; the sun has since shone brighter than ever before. It's because you were put on this Earth that the sun has such great brightness and strength."

Now really excited, I said out loud, "Then the path of the sun is my very destiny!" I jumped past Suzaku and added, "Let's go, you three!"

"What? But you were just crying your eyes out!" Lelouch shouted in shock, but he was also laughing.

I ran to the exit of my now former home, and the boys ran to my side (Lelouch was still carrying Nunnally). I didn't know then that everyone else was still alive, but I did know that I was not alone any longer. I had Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally at my side, and my adventure would begin now.