Luceniel and Elunara stood in awe as the four elemental robots knelt before them. Each of their bodies glowed with the distinct aura of their elemental cores.
The fire-element robot raised its head and spoke in a deep, respectful tone,
"My master, please… give us names."
The other three chimed in with unified voices,
"Please give us names, Master."
Luceniel smiled, placing a thoughtful hand on his chin.
"Hmm… You all hold great power and wisdom. Yes, I should give you names. Elunara, what do you think? What names should we give them?"
Elunara hesitated, surprised.
"But… you made them. I don't think I should be the one to name them."
The air-element robot gently replied,
"Ma'am, we respect both of you. We came into existence because of you—not just Master Luceniel. It's true he built us and granted us wisdom and power, but without your help, Master Luceniel would've needed five more years just to create the energy-element core. And without that core… we would not exist. We accept you both as our creators. Please, give us names."
The water-element robot added,
"Yes, Air speaks the truth. Though Master Luceniel crafted us, we recognize Ma'am Elunara as our first origin. Therefore, we believe she has the greater right to name us."
The earth-element robot nodded.
"We possess emotion and wisdom, Ma'am. We understand your hesitation… but it is only fair for you to name us alongside Master Luceniel—just as you named Big Sister Lily."
Lily giggled.
"Yeah, I think Mom should name them. Dad's not very good with names anyway!"
Luceniel turned to her, feigning offense.
"Hey! I know your mom named you, but it's not true that I'm bad at naming! I've come up with some pretty awesome names like… Neuronova, Aetherion, Infinisys! Aren't those great names, honey?"
The robots all chanted together,
"Ma'am, only you have the right to give us names! Please!"
Elunara laughed, her eyes softening as she looked at them all.
"Hahaha… okay, okay. I'll name you all, but only this once. Let's start. Fire one—your name is Ember."
"THANK YOU, MA'AM!"
The world seemed to tremble—not in fear, but in awe. Fire had a name now: Ember.
"Next, the water one… Aquaryth."
The tides paused. The ocean held its breath. A name rippled through the deep—Aquaryth.
"Earth—Geomarx."
Forged in tectonic silence, awakened by pressure… the name rumbled beneath every step—Geomarx.
"And lastly, wind—Sky."
When silence turned into a whisper and that whisper became a storm… it answered as Sky.
All four bowed their heads.
"THANK YOU, MA'AM ELUNARA, FOR GIVING US NAMES. WE WILL ALWAYS PROTECT YOU AND MASTER LUCENIEL."
Luceniel patted Elunara's shoulder.
"Looks like they really like their names. Good job, honey."
He turned to the robots.
"Now that you're all awakened, let me connect you to the system. Lily will be able to help control you. I don't think you have full command over your elements yet, but try to disperse into air and substance. If you can do that, no one will be able to see you—giving us a serious advantage. After I acquire the Ruby of Star, all of you can ascend to your next level."
Lily tilted her head.
"Dad, but they can ascend now, can't they? I checked their cores. They're ready to reach the second level of their elemental affinity. If they manage to ascend, they'll be able to fly without issue—right now, only Sky can fly."
Elunara shook her head.
"Lily, if they try to ascend now, their bodies won't handle the pressure. Your dad's right—they need the Ruby of Star to control their power properly."
Sky stepped forward.
"Ma'am, if you wish, I can try to go into space and retrieve the Ruby of Star."
Luceniel frowned.
"Sky, even if you can fly, there's still a limit to how far you can go. Space is too far for any of you right now."
Ember spoke up,
"But Master… why don't you try? I sense great power in both you and Ma'am Elunara. If she gives you just 10% of her energy, and you combine that with your thunder and air elemental power, I believe you could even cross galaxies. You might not even need the power of light and dark."
Luceniel blinked.
"Wait, Ember. What do you mean you sense great power in both of us? I get your point about thunder and air, but… Elunara is just a normal human. She doesn't have any power."
Elunara nodded, puzzled.
"Yeah… I don't have any powers. What are you saying, Ember?"
"Forgive me," Ember lowered his head. "Perhaps I misjudged… I still have much to learn about understanding my own senses."
Luceniel sighed.
"Alright, Lily—take them outside to the yard. Let's see how well they can control their powers. And if anyone shows up who shouldn't be here…"
Lily smiled.
"Yeah, Dad. I know what to do. Okay, you four—come with me!"
"Yes, Big Sis Lily!" they all replied eagerly.
Lily beamed.
"It feels really nice when someone calls me Big Sis!"
The robots followed her outside to begin their elemental training.
In the yard...
Lily stood tall before them, arms crossed.
"Alright everyone, I'm your big sis now, so you have to listen. You all have different powers, so I'll train you differently. Geomarx, make a target with your earth power. Ember, you try to hit it using fire."
Geomarx summoned a large stone target, and Ember stepped back, charging up a fireball.
"With my wisdom and power… FIREBALL!"
He launched the attack. The fireball blasted the target to pieces—but it also set the lawn ablaze.
"Ahhh! What are you doing, Ember?! You set the lawn on fire! If Mom sees this, we're all doomed! Aquaryth, put it out!"
Aquaryth responded quickly, dousing the fire with a gush of water. Lily still frowned, deep in thought.
"Big Sis Lily? The fire's out…" Aquaryth said nervously.
She turned to them with a terrifyingly serious face.
"The fire's out? Look around you! The lawn's ruined! If Mom sees this before we fix it, we're dead! Geomarx, regrow the grass! Ember, restore everything back with your fire shaping. Aquaryth, make it rain! Sky—keep watch and let us know if Mom or Dad comes out!"
"Yes, Big Sis!" they all chorused, rushing to work.
Inside the house...
Elunara sat quietly on the couch, hugging a pillow. Her thoughts drifted to the moment at the airport when she hugged her father for the last time.
"He should've told me…" she whispered. "I would've spent more time with him. After losing Mom… I never imagined I'd lose Dad too."
She remembered the night her mother passed.
—Past—
"MOM!! NOOOO!!"
Elunara's eyes were filled with tears. Kaelron's too.
Her mother looked at them one final time… and smiled.
—Present—
Luceniel approached, holding a cup of hot chocolate.
"Here… drink this. You'll feel better."
He sat beside her on the couch.
"Thank you, honey," she said softly, sipping.
Luceniel took her hand.
"If you keep thinking about your father, how am I supposed to keep my promise to him? I know you're sad… but he wanted you to be happy. I've got an idea. Let's go for a walk."
"Wait… it's raining outside."
"Don't worry about that."
Luceniel smiled, gently covering her eyes. With a flick of his air-element power, they disappeared from the house—rising high to the nearby mountains, where the rain cleared and stars lit the sky.
Five minutes earlier…
Sky had seen Luceniel hug Elunara in comfort. He quickly turned away and signaled to Lily.
"Oh no, Mom and Dad are coming outside!" Lily whispered.
"I should warn Dad before Mom sees the lawn…"
Back in the yard, Lily stood tall.
"Okay! Mom and Dad won't be back tonight, so it's full training time. The company ceremony is coming—so let's get serious!"
The robots gathered around. Ember crossed his arms smugly.
"Hey, Ember… why do you shout the attack name before launching it? Can't you just fire it?" Sky asked.
Ember huffed.
"Hmph… Sky, you still have a lot to learn. It looks way cooler when you say the name first! Hahaha!"
The others nodded.
"He's got a point… we should come up with cool names for our attacks too. It'll impress Ma'am and Sir!"
They all went deep in thought, using their knowledge to name their techniques.
Lily sighed and tapped her foot.
"Why don't you learn to control your elements first before naming your attacks? Don't you think that's smarter?"
"Yes, Big Sis!" they all said in unison, terrified.
Meanwhile, in a distant galaxy…
A figure sat alone in a dark cave, surrounded by glowing books.
A deep voice echoed from the shadows.
"Why have you come here, son of the Demon King?"
The one called Diabol smirked.