…It just seemed so surreal, The Rainbow Road.
A prismatic bridge that leads all the way down to the rest of the planet of Gaia, supported by seemingly nothing, floating in the sky.
The Light that encapsulated the Kingdom of Lychinus—somehow found a way to peek through the clouds,
And shone upon the road itself, giving the starry sky around the road a magical, pinkish hue.
That you just couldn't find yourself looking away from.
This place was supposed to be a myth! Just thinking about the thousands of mighty Luni that rode their righteous steeds into battle on this very surface!
Any hot-blooded Lychinor would be exhilarated just from the thought of it!
…
But the excitement wears off pretty quickly when you realize you actually have to…
Walk.
Lucy hunched over and groaned, dragging her slightly oversized, snowy white cape across the road's colorful, glasslike surface. Her face looked dead, along with her posture, lackadaisically swinging her arms from side to side, beginning to dramatically wobble.
"Ugh!! We've been walking on this stupid road for 6 HOURS!" She exclaimed loudly, scratching both sides of her head in irritation.
Ruan drew his right arm from his furred white cape, revealing a small flask containing water, taking a quick swig with his off-hand. "7, actually." He said indifferently, keeping his eyes towards the road ahead of them.
Lucy slowly turned to stare at him in response, her expression blank—but behind her eyes was a ticking time bomb.
"My FEET hurt, Ruan." She remarked, grumbling through her teeth. "You're a Luni, right!? I mean, where the heck is your winged-royal steed that you ride into battle on? Aren't you supposed to be bonded with one as a Discipulus?"
Ruan just glanced down at Lucy with a bemused raise of his eyebrow. "I've never ridden a horse in my life."
You could see Lucy's brain immediately malfunction. "What!? B-But that's what the lux-papers said! They were like the only thing I ever got to read…! I-"
"Lucy." Ruan cut in. "…There's so much that you don't know about the Luni. That no one knows. But, I can assure you that a 'winged-royal steed' is the last thing they'd ride down to Tenebris."
Lucy fell silent for a beat, her gaze wandering off, losing herself in thought. "Tenebris… Is that where we're going?" She asked Ruan.
He noticed a hitch in her voice when she spoke and took a mental note of that. "Yes. The Rainbow Road doesn't lead to many other places, none that aren't highly dangerous, anyway."
"…Why? What's the matter?" He asked as gently as he could, but failed to mask the rising suspicion in his voice.
Lucy fell silent again, unsure of how she should answer.
Tenebris, the homeland of every single non-human on the planet—creatures. From elves, orcs, goblins, to even Dragonborns—any race you could think of lived there.
It was said to be a utopia. A place with the kind of grass you could lie in for hours, where creatures gather to share meals and stories under the Light. A self-sustaining land that grows its own food in shared gardens, energy powered solely by the phenomenon that is 'Light.'
It's a place untouched by greed. All thanks to the wish that the Eternal King, Aetheron Lychinus, made to end the war.
A place that's sheer beauty rivals even the ethereal, grand presence of the Kingdom of Lychinus.
Of course, Lucy had never seen Tenebris with her own eyes. No Lychinor ever has, not since The Rainbow Road was destroyed at the end of the war, 500 years ago.
Though, despite everything, Lucy still found herself a bit… anxious?
"…What were you doing in Lychinus?" She asked.
Ruan was surprised by the sudden question; he stopped walking. "What?" He replied, finally turning to give her his full attention.
"You asked me if I saw creatures around in my bakery, even though creatures have been banned from the kingdom for 500 years, I don't even know what one looks like. Then, not even an hour later, they launch an attack that destroys major parts of the capital." Lucy replied.
Ruan's gaze trailed off, his arms falling back into his cape as he listened.
"You're not really a Luni, are you?" She looked up to meet his gaze. "…Or at least, not one that takes orders from Aetheron. I've seen the way your eyes scrunch up when you talk about him. Still, you were the only Luni I actually even saw during the attack,
None of this makes any sense anymore… Aren't the Luni supposed to protect us? Isn't…
The King supposed to protect us?"
Lucy quavered, trying to quell the rising emotion in her voice.
Ruan noticed a tight tug on his long cape. He glanced down and saw Lucy gripping a piece of the fabric. She hid her face from him, but her body language gave her away.
He looked as if he wanted to instinctively dodge the question, but he just couldn't break his gaze from Lucy. Something about seeing her upset twisted his stomach.
"…10 years ago, I left the Luni Order. I've been living in Tenebris ever since." He said, finally.
Lucy slowly raised her head, and she looked at him with such surprise.
"And I've been keeping tabs on a creature rebellion organization, called Bellator Luminus—I returned to Lychinus using The Rainbow Road, because I knew what they sought to do, to bring. The end of Lychinus.
…I got there as fast as I possibly could, I just… Urgh. Those damn idiots, they have no clue what they're doing,
…And their actions are going to start another war."
Lucy released his cape and took a step back. "Rebellion…? War…!? But… Why? What's their problem with us!? They all live like kings down there!"
Ruan bit down on his lip and narrowed his eyebrows—then got on a knee to meet Lucy at eye level. "My Discipulus, listen. There will be many things you'll come to learn about the world around you. Some you thought you knew, others you could never have guessed.
But you must not let anyone ever dictate your path, you understand? You fight for yourself, always. Do not trust, easily. For that is the key to falling for the lies of someone you thought you knew. You will never see someone for who they truly are, until they've wrung you for every last drop you're worth."
Lucy's expression hardened; she listened to his words and read through them thoroughly. "…Is that why you left the Luni? Because you saw the man that Aetheron truly was?" She replied sternly.
Ruan paused for a moment, then rose to his feet. Turning back to the road ahead, his eyes were glued to the rising moon that was slowly taking the place of the setting sun.
"No. Because I looked in the mirror, and saw the man that I truly was." He responded, unable to look Lucy in the eyes.
…
Just like that, nighttime fell. The moon seemed clearer than ever, since no cloudy skies were blocking its shine. The 'Light' that bounced off the Rainbow Road deepened into rich shades of sapphire, violet, crimson, emerald, and pearl.
The stars burned brighter now on the glassy surface; they were both above and below Lucy and Ruan, turning the road into something of a dreamscape.
Like they were walking across the night itself.
Ruan scratched his chin, studying the now dark expanse of the sky around them. Until finally, he settled on a random spot on the road.
"Yeah, this'll do just fine."
*STOMP!*
Ruan slammed his foot down on the leftmost edge of the road, and suddenly, the road rapidly morphed into a secondary set of stairs,
One that led right down to a camp that sat quietly on a bend of The Rainbow Road, Ruan's camp.
A few metal utensils and a dented kettle sat near a glowing campfire. Nearby, an empty mug rested on its side, a ring of dried tea staining the ground beneath it. A small blade and a whetstone were neatly arranged on a folded cloth, multiple bed rolls folded neatly against a corner of the large, green tent that rose above the entire camp.
Lucy was at a loss for words. She stood there stunned until her hands began twitching, and her left eye followed suit.
"Wha… WHAT!?! YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU COULD'VE DONE THAT THE ENTIRE TIME!?" She shouted. Her entire body teeming with rage—face turning red.
Ruan glanced back, befuddled. "Huh? Oh, yeah. It was actually right below us this whole time." He said as he proceeded to make his way down the steps.
"I just wanted to see how well you pay attention to your surroundings. Which… You don't, so. We have a lot of work to do on that front.
Lucy watched him proudly stride down the staircase while her mouth hung open in disbelief. She successfully suppressed the urge to push her new master down this very staircase and followed him forward onto the expansive road that held Ruan's warm camp.
She scanned the many objects and tools in her surroundings, most of them pushed back into the corners of the green tent to make space.
Ruan unbuckled his furred cape from his shoulders, revealing his wide shoulders and black-armored undershirt that accentuated his defined back. It wasn't hard to tell he was a warrior.
With a relieved sigh, he took a seat on a nearby rock, stretching his body as he fell into a more relaxed position. Then, he turned his attention to Lucy—she was still taking in the sights of the camp.
"So, you ready?" Ruan asked, a cheekish grin plastered across his face, as the illuminating moonlight bounced from his heterochromatic eyes.
Lucy cocked her eyebrow. "Huh?"
Ruan chuckled at her reaction. "…To find your Light?" He asked.
…
"WHAAAAT?" Lucy shouted so loud, her voice could almost part the clouds around them. "R-Really? L-Like right now!? Are you serious!?"
She slammed her hands onto both of Ruan's shoulders and gripped tightly with a crazed look in her eye. "RUAN, ARE YOU SERIOUS!?-"
"Just lie down on that mat before I change my mind." Ruan cut her off before Lucy could become any more hyper.
Without a second thought, Lucy rushed over to the thin, smooth rubber mat laid out just right next to the bedrolls. She plopped herself down without any sort of caution, practically vibrating where she lay.
Ruan massaged his hands in preparation, shifting the tent a bit, making sure the Light is shining on the camp, then making his way over to the ecstatic Lucy.
"Hey, hey! I'm ready!" She shouted from the mat.
He stood over her, shifting his black gloves. "Patience, I'm just getting everything in order. Usually, a priest from the Church of Light would be doing this."
"Uh… But it's something that you've mastered anyway, right?" Lucy said with a fretful smile.
"Nope," Ruan replied bluntly. "And this is only really meant to be done on babies."
Lucy gulped.
"But, you're fine. Trust me." Ruan took a deep breath and stretched his palm over Lucy's body.
Suddenly, both of his blue and purple eyes begin to glow bright, shades of sapphire and violet.
"…I have two very special people guiding my path."
*VROOM!*
A multi-colored beam of Light suddenly shoots down from the sky! Enveloping Lucy's entire body.
Ruan fell silent, closing his eyes as he began to focus on something deeper. Then, he chanted.
"O Lux, quam pulcher dies! Filii tui fideles hodie ante te genua flectunt, ut alterum fidelem tibi consecrent.
Virtute Dominae Rubrae, benignitate Dominae Caeruleae, fortitudine Dominae Viridis, audacia Dominae Purpureae, et potentia Dominae Albae,
Eos custodi et in via eorum dirige!"
With those final words, the Light burned even brighter, lifting Lucy high into the sky!
And with a final buzz, it ceased. Dropping Lucy to the mat below, she seemed to be out of breath, as did Ruan, who dropped to his knees in a huff.
They both sat there catching their breath for a minute, until Ruan finally found the strength to lift his neck.
"Ha… Ha… You okay?" He asked calmly.
Lucy slowly rose to her feet. She wobbled a bit but ultimately regained her balance. She inspected each part of her body, and she seemed to be fine.
"Yeah. Actually, I feel great "
*VROOM!*
A burning blaze of Light enveloped Lucy once again! This time it wasn't multi-colored, it was one singular hue, one shade.
White.
The Light had made their choice.
Lucy would forever be guided by the White Light.
As fast as the Light came, it went. Lucy and Ruan both stared at each other in shock,
Lucy stared at her hands for a moment, the cogs turning in her brain. Her breathing quickened as she processed what had just happened.
…This is real, right…? Is this actually reality?
A Light! She actually has a Light!
She smiled quietly to herself, bouncing up and down frantically as she failed to contain her excitement.
It stayed silent for a while as she celebrated.
Until…
…
"…Pfft. Haha…. Hahahaha!!" Ruan burst into intoxicating, hysterical laughter.
Lucy tilted her head, flabbergasted by his sudden fit of laughter. After a while, it began to actually make her a bit mad. "W-What!? What's so funny!?"
Ruan struggled to speak, clutching his stomach as he rolled around on the floor hysterically. "You got!- You got!- You got the White Light! Hahahaha!!"
"H-Huh!? Ok, yeah so!?" She replied, embarrassed.
"That is like, the WORST one." Ruan continued, howling in laughter.
"W-W-Wha- says who!?" She replied furiously. "I've actually read about a TON of powerful White Lighters-"
*DINK!*
While Lucy was talking, she subconsciously pointed her finger at Ruan, causing some sort of circular object to be thrown, bouncing right off of Ruan's forehead.
They both were stunned for a second. Lucy rushed over and picked up the strange object, then held it up to the moonlight for a clearer look.
It looked like a tiny, round metal wheel with evenly spaced ridges along its outer edge that looked like teeth. In its center was a single large hole.
It was…
"Snrk." Ruan smacked his hand over his mouth. "A gear. You… You throw gears?"
…
"PFFT. Hahahahaha!!"
"URGH!" Unable to handle his mocking laughter any longer, Lucy groaned, spiking the gear to the ground and storming off, stomping her feet all the way up the staircase.
Ruan did his best to fight the roaring beast inside that was his laughter. But it refused to be slain. "Wait! Lucy! Lucy! I'll stop- I'll stop laughing, I swear!"
He finally managed to pick himself up off the ground, trying his hardest to make it to the staircase in between chuckles.
Suddenly, he stepped on something that caught his attention. It felt… familiar.
As he glanced down, it took his mind a second to process what he was looking at, and he picked it up.
It was a general-issued Luni cape. He did a once-over of his camp, searching to see where exactly he had left his own cape. Looking back at the rock he previously sat at, there it was, just it he left it.
There was no way this could be Lucy's cape; she never took hers off, and she just stormed off with it.
…He didn't like the idea of what this implied, not at all.
There was a Luni on this road.