It was just an ordinary day. Luciel sat cross-legged on the sofa, flipping through a brand-new cookbook Elina had left on the coffee table. His fingers hovered over the pages, pausing at certain dishes. He didn't just stare but actually studying. He instinctively understood ingredient pairings and imagined flavors blending in his head.
The book didn't teach him; it simply made sense.
When Luciel cooked for the first time, Elina was stunned how stark the difference of skill between the two of them. He had a natural affinity for cooking that could be compared to a prestigious chef.
Months of delicious meals flew by in an instant. It had nearly been six months since Elina brought Luciel home. She was busier than ever, but it didn't stop her from spending quality time with him. Despite the workload of a superior officer, she'd spent those months quietly, obsessively, trying to uncover the truth about his past.
"Luciel," Elina called from the kitchen, eating a bowl of spicy noodles Luciel had made the day before. "Do you know when your birthday is?"
"I don't know," he replied, eyes still glued to the cookbook.
"What about your age?"
"I don't know that either."
Elina sighed heavily. She walked over and plopped down on the sofa, dragging Luciel gently into her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I shouldn't have asked."
That night, the guilt weighed on her. The kid didn't know anything about himself. The next morning, she resumed her search with new urgency.
Elina scoured every hospital near Giga, hoping to find a birth certificate or record of Luciel's existence, but she came home empty-handed every time.
Weeks passed. Even after expanding the time frame and search radius, she failed to find a single clue. There was no child named Luciel born in any nearby facility—not ten years ago, not twelve, not even fifteen.
It left her uneasy and anxious.
Is his name really Luciel? Or did he make it up?
Her mind wandered to a far-off place again, making her dizzy. But more than that, she couldn't risk asking her superiors for help.
Word cannot get out that he has an Echoing Stigma.
The world was on the verge of dying under the threat of the Hollow. The world was desperate for a savior. A hero. A messiah.
If the military, especially those freak scientists, learned about Luciel, they would never see him as a child—they'd see a supreme weapon. They'd take him away and conduct all sorts of experiments. After all, there has never been a case of someone younger than sixteen having the Stigma.
In any case, Elina couldn't allow anyone to know about him.
She trusted only one person in the entire military hierarchy: the Grand Marshal. But even he didn't know of his existence. At least, not yet.
I'm sorry, Grand Marshal. I'll raise this kid on my own for his safety and happiness. Please understand my selfishness.
Elina wanted a normal life for Luciel first. A life where he could daydream and worry about what shows to watch tomorrow—not hardship and blood. She wanted to heal his wounds.
Elina desperately continued her search for months. The image of Luciel's face lit by birthday candles; just once seeing him smile, warm, and safe, kept her going. She'd even imagined throwing a surprise birthday party for him.
Then, in early December, a silver of hope appeared.
She boldly changed her approach and began asking about the Stigma itself—not Luciel.
"Excuse me," she approached the head nurse of a small local hospital. "Have you ever heard of a child born with a strange mark of their wrist?"
"A child with a strange mark...?" The head nurse paused, squinting her eyes thoughtfully before giving an unexpected answer, much different from what Elina was used to hear.
"Actually, yes. I used to work at Tartarus National Hospital for a while. About ten years ago, there was a lot of noise about a child born with an Echoing Stigma. People said he was the first to be born a Resonator—but I never believed it.
"R-Really?" Elina stuttered, her breath caught. "Did you say Tartarus National Hospital? Are you sure?"
Her body trembled heavily. She couldn't remember shaking this much when facing a Stratum-IV Hollow Creature as a rookie alone.
"I'm certain. But I heard the child vanished not long after birth. Records didn't show any information either. The Security Bureau labeled it a missing person case, but everyone assumed him dead."
Vanished? What happened to his parents?
Wicked scenarios swirled in Elina's mind. She'd hoped none of them was true.
Elina thanked the nurse and ran to her sports car. She threw herself into the driver's seat and sped toward Tartarus, capital of the Noxio Federation.
Tartarus was a vast military city, divided into twenty-one districts. The deeper the district, the higher the clearance, and District 1 sat at the heart of it all.
It was home to the main operational base of the military and its most important installations, including the Tartarus National Hospital—the largest and most prestigious hospital in the federation.
Because of the ironclad security, Elina didn't even think of looking into the hospital. The idea that a mysterious person sneaking out a baby from District 1 without leaving any record? Impossible. Every entry and exit was recorded. Even a dog could be interrogated.
Besides, if a child was born with an Echoing Stigma in the heart of the federation, how have I never heard about it?
Arriving at the main gate, the system prompted her.
[Identification Required.]
To enter District 1, a level 2 security clearance is needed, or if you were a normal citizen, a special permit was required.
A moment passes as the scanner processed her credentials.
[Level 4 Security Clearance Activated. Authorizing...]
[....Elina Gulova, Commander-in-Chief of Flame Strike.]
[Authorized. Greetings, Sky Empress.]
'That embarrassing nickname...'
Elina felt that she was going to have wrinkles soon because her face cringed whenever she went to work and saw that message. However, she had no time to ponder changing her codename today. She had an urgent issue to take care of.
Elina drove to the hospital as fast as she could. Once she arrived, she ran to the director's office. The director was someone she could trust because Elina had been personally treated by her a thousand times whenever she was injured on the battlefield.
"Luna! I need you badly!"
A blonde woman turned around from the city view. Emerald eyes, sharp nose, and slender body. It wasn't wrong to say that she could be a model as her second profession. Such a woman must be refined, right?
"Oh? Have you finally considered changing your gender preference? Do you need me that badly in your life?"
"What the fuck are you saying?" Elina was shocked and slipped out a swear word. No. This happened too many times already. It was just because Elina had an important matter on her mind. Luna chuckled sensually as she found Elina's reaction funny.
"Luna! Now's not the time for jokes. I need your help on something urgent." Elina trembled as she spoke.
Seeing her junior acting abnormally, Luna approached Elina and sat her down on the couch. "Calm down, Elina. Tell me what happened." Luna completely changed her tone and air as if she had become another person. She was an incredible woman.
"I... can't tell you the whole story."
Elina didn't want to reveal Luciel yet. She decided to do so until Luciel could defend himself properly. She wanted to wait until Luciel turned sixteen.
"It's fine. Tell me what you want to say. I'll help you the best I can." Luna held Elina's small and delicate hand.
"I heard a story about a baby being born with the Echoing Stigma here. I need the files."
"H-How do you know about this?" Luna stuttered.
"The fact that I know doesn't matter. I just need your help on this. I promise I'll repay this favor someday."
"Elina, it's not that I don't want to help. That information is classified. I couldn't access it even if I wanted to."
"Please. I really need it! Or... or just tell me anything about the case." Elina cried.
"Why... are you acting like this? Elina, you are close to the Grand Marshal. He would definitely help you with this."
"I can't go to the Grand Marshal. Absolutely not. Why did you think I came to you?"
"Don't tell me..." Luna froze as she looked at the weeping Elina.
She had never seen the commander-in-chief of the best division of the Noxian Air Force crying like this. Luna didn't know the entire story, but she could deduce what might've happened from this conversation and Elina's emotions.
"Alright, I'll help you. I'll tell you everything, okay? Stop crying now." Luna reached in to hug the crying Elina. Elina felt like she had removed a huge burden and cried even more.