Five Years Ago

The moon hung high in the sky, glowing like a white chandelier that poured its gentle light across the world. Its reflection flickered on the ripples of a still pond, where a lonely face stared back at itself in a sorrowful expression.

White hair framed her pale cheeks, her crimson eyes glinting faintly against the night.

A white sword rested against her thin waist.

Lumina was standing by the water's edge; with her white gown, she looked beautiful in a way that the moon itself might envy.

She tilted her head upward, trying to capture their glow before it disappeared forever.

"Haaah…"

Her breath left in a slow sigh, and her father's words pressed against her mind.

Our dukedom will fall when the war ends, Lumina dear… After what happened to all of your five sisters, you must take responsibility…

It had been his wish, the single thing he begged of her.

Please marry the prince. It's… It's the only way to save the bloodline.

The Duke of House Balator, Lumina's father, once believed daughters were nothing but failures.

Yet the same man had fallen to his knees before her.

"Heh." Lumina sneered, remembering the scene.

House Sinner was famed across the continent for its unmatched sword arts; no noble house in the whole world could match their techniques.

But fame could not hide Lumina's father's desperation.

No matter how many wives he took, every child born was a girl.

He had three wives and five daughters, Lumina included.

And now most of them were gone.

The war drove them away, or more precisely, each sister ran in fear that their father would marry them off to nearby kingdoms to gain allies.

Only Lumina remained. Not because of loyalty. Because there was someone she could not leave.

A deep voice broke the stillness from behind her.

"Lovely moon tonight, Lumina."

A faint smile appeared on her face, and for a moment her mind relaxed.

"You ran away again, huh…"

The man's calm voice reached her as he stepped closer. He stopped beside her and looked at her profile.

His silver eyes met hers, catching the moonlight. The breeze lifted a few strands of Lumina's long white hair, making them sway gently.

Lumina's eyes widened in surprise. Her heart gave a small, traitorous jump.

"Shin? What are you doing here?"

Shin tilted his head, the corners of his mouth curving slightly. "What, I can't check on someone who keeps sneaking off to stare at ponds?"

"I don't sneak off," she said quickly, though her voice came out softer than she intended.

He smirked. "Right. You just happen to disappear whenever the moon is pretty."

Lumina tried to glare at him, but the warmth in his eyes made it hard to keep a straight face.

They had always danced around each other like this. Both of them felt something, but neither was brave enough to name it. Each smile, each small tease, carried a question neither dared to ask.

Shin leaned a little closer, lowering his voice. "You look troubled. Want to tell me what's on your mind?"

The playful air faded. Lumina hesitated, then told him everything… her father's plea, the marriage proposal, and the fear of losing the only life she knew.

She spoke until the words ran out and the night grew quiet again.

Shin let the silence linger, his gaze steady on hers. Then he said, almost too casually, "Should I take you with me?"

"?!" Lumina almost choked on her breath. "What—what are you saying all of a sudden?"She coughed, jutted a strand of her hair, and said, "Stop joking around, idiot."

He gave a small shrug, a faint blush colouring his cheeks. "Just asking. Maybe I don't like seeing you forced into something you don't want."

"Haha…" He let out a soft laugh and raised his hand as if to apologise. Then his smile faded. He looked straight at her and said, "I will be going to the frontline tomorrow."

"Huh?"

The Great Calamity War was already swallowing nations whole. Every kingdom struggled to survive, and some began attacking their neighbours to steal land while chaos spread. It was reckless, but many called it a clever move.

Lumina's brows pulled together. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what you heard. The war has reached a point where we no longer have enough soldiers. They are calling for the younger ones to join the royal army."

Her eyes widened. "You're telling me… you're going to war?"

Shin nodded once.

"Are you out of your mind?!" she snapped, turning fully toward him.

Shin knew this was not the right moment to tell her, but time was running out. The sun would rise in three hours, and he had to report to the city gate before then. He had come here only to say goodbye.

They had grown up together. She was the girl he admired, the friend he envied, and the person he quietly began to love. He never found the courage to tell her. Tonight was his last chance.

"I will go with you," Lumina said, her voice sharp with resolve.

Shin froze for a heartbeat before shaking his head. "You will not be allowed. The duke made sure of it, remember."

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue and looked away.

Shin gave a small smile. "Don't worry about me. I will be back in a week, and then…"

He stopped, the words catching in his throat.

"Then?" Lumina pressed, her eyes narrowing.

Shin rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks faintly red. "I… I'll ask the duke for your hand when I return."

"…"

Lumina blinked, heat crawling up her ears. "Eh—w-what are you—"

A strangled noise escaped her throat.

Shin chuckled softly. "That was adorable."

"Shut up," she muttered, hiding her face with both hands.

— — —

Present Time. (Inside the book)

Leon noticed Lumina smiling, but a sad look followed right after.

"Miss Lumina?" he called.

"Hm?"

She blinked and turned to him.

Leon stood with a silver double-edged sword, ready to strike the air.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Aren't you in the middle of teaching?" Leon said.

"Ah." She cleared her throat. "Keep your hands a bit straighter."

"Like this?" Leon lowered his stance, shifting his weight below his waist.

"Straighter."

She picked up a wooden stick and smacked his leg.

Whack.-!

"Ouch," Leon said flatly. "That hurts, you know."

"My methods are always like this."

She kept her eyes on his sword. Leon sighed and followed her order again. Today's lesson was only a vertical slash, but he had been swinging since morning. The sun was already high.

"How long do I have to keep this up?" he asked.

"Until I feel like stopping."

"…tsk"

Leon pressed his lips together. Maybe he had dug his own grave today.

Hours passed. The sound of his sword cutting air stayed the same. Each time he thought his form was right, the stick struck again.

"Straight!"

Whack.-!

"Ouch…"

His shoulders burned. His arms felt heavy.

"Still crooked," Lumina said without emotion.

Leon bit back a groan and swung again.

Whack.-!

Four more hours crawled by. Sweat dripped from his chin.

His grip almost slipped.

At last, Lumina lowered the stick.

"Alright. That's enough."

Leon let the sword drop to his side.

"Haah… haaan…" His chest heaved with every breath.

"You lasted longer than I thought," she said.

Leon gave a tired smile. "Glad to know I survived your training."

Lumina nodded. "How do you feel? Any difference from before?"

"Yeah," Leon said. "My head is throbbing, my chest is about to burst, and my hands feel like they'll fall apart. Other than that, nothing feels different."

"Great," she said without a pause. "Now let's move to the next training."

"Wha–!" Leon's eyes widened.

With that, Lumina taught him nothing but told him to do thousands of vertical and horizontal slashes after that.

— — —

It was night already, the fire inside the cave flickering against the damp walls.

Two girls sat near the flames.

Alice and Lumina.

Alice glanced at Lumina, then at the figure lying beside them.

Leon twitched and let out a weak groan.

"Miss Lumina, what did you do to Leon to make him like this?" Alice asked.

Lumina stirred the fire with a small stick, her face calm. "Training."

"That's all?"

"That's all," Lumina said, a faint smile touching her lips. "If he can move tomorrow, we start again."

Leon groaned louder, but neither of them moved to help.

"Shit." Leon cursed under his breath. He never thought training would turn out this harsh.

Alice leaned on her knees, watching him with a small grin.

"Pity, I missed a lot of the fun."

"Haha… someone's having fun," Leon said weakly, his voice faint.

Alice smirked.

"Enough talk. Go to sleep. You have training tomorrow."

Lumina only nodded, her eyes on the fire.

She had never taken a student before.

And after inheriting her family's sword techniques, she refined them with her own style and created arts that only she knew.

Leon pushed himself up with the support of a stone, ignoring Alice's warning.

He looked at Lumina.

"I've been meaning to ask," he said, his tone steady despite the pain. "What do you want me to do for you, in exchange for teaching me?"

Lumina shook her head. "It's alright. But answer one question for me first."

"What's that?"

"Do you truly wish to learn my technique? And what will you do with it once you have it?"

The question made Leon pause. He stared at the fire, thinking. After a long breath, he answered, his voice steady.

"I want strength that belongs only to me," Leon said.

"What are you, a kid?" Alice scoffed.

Leon ignored her. "What I do with it… I'll figure that out when the time comes."

Lumina gave a small nod.

"You need to do serious work on yourself. After I saw you swinging, I felt like I was watching a person who never once held a blade."

.

.

[A/N]: Another chapter in a few hours!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.