When I look back on my life as Luna Flockhart and ask myself, "Was I happy?" I can answer without a moment’s hesitation.
—I was happy.
However, that is an answer I can only give now.
To the me of those days, the world was terribly narrow, cold, and—lonely.
By the time I was old enough to form memories, my parents had already passed away, and I was living in a certain orphanage.
It was a wretched environment where cracks lined the walls and drafts whistled through the rooms.
The director was always busy, constantly struggling to make ends meet.
Perhaps the only saving grace was that the children in the orphanage got along well.
However, there were no nights filled with endless laughter; the days simply bled into one another.
That is why I still remember That Day so vividly.
Just as the setting sun was staining the horizon a deep madder red, something like particles of light suddenly appeared before me.
Small, yet certain—I felt a distinct will within that light.
"…Who are you?"
Thinking back now, I suppose that was the moment I manifested my ability, [Seirei Command].
"…Huh? You’re there, right? Can’t you talk?"
The light did not respond to my question.
Just as I was about to give up, thinking that my words, spoken in search of a clear connection, would reach no one after all—
『…………I can hear you.』
A woman's voice echoed inside my head.
It was clear and somewhat mature, yet it possessed a mysteriously warm resonance.
I remember my chest growing hot the moment that voice replied.
Someone had responded to me—that simple fact felt like a miracle to me back then.
"Oh, thank goodness! Um, um, I’m Luna! Who are you?"
When I introduced myself, the voice came back from within the light once more.
『……Titania.』
"Ti-Ti-tania?"
As I repeated the name haltingly, my tongue unable to move quite right, Titania laughed playfully.
『Hahaha, I guess my name is a bit difficult for a human child.』
I suppose I have always been a sore loser.
"Hmph…! I’ll definitely learn how to say it!"
At my declaration, Titania let out another soft laugh.
That sound reached the depths of my heart like a warm breeze, so different from the cold wind that blew through the cracks in the walls.
—On That Day, light shone into my world for the first time.
From then on, I began to talk with Titania almost every day.
At first, our exchanges were nothing more than clumsy words, but she always listened to what I had to say until the very end.
Whether it was trifles I couldn't share with anyone else or nights when I felt like crying, I remember my heart felt mysteriously lighter just by confiding in her.
Titania taught me many things.
Some of it included things like the stars and flowers—knowledge that served no practical purpose in daily life—but every bit of it felt like a treasure to me.
When I listened to her voice, the world seemed just a little bit kinder.
One such day, I asked Titania a question.
"Titania, why do you call me 'Ruu-ko'?"
『……There’s no deep meaning to it. Do you hate it?』
"No, I don't hate it. I just wondered if there was a reason."
『……I see. If the time comes to talk about it, I’ll tell you then.』
After a short pause, Titania laughed.
For her, who was usually so elusive, I felt like her voice at that moment was tinged with a faint resonance of sadness.
"……It’s a promise, okay?"
『All right, it’s a promise.』
In the end, I still do not know the meaning of that nickname even now.
However, every time I was called "Ruu-ko," I felt the depths of my chest grow just a little bit warmer.
—And then, my life at the orphanage came to an end.
A member of the Flockhart family visited the orphanage to adopt a child.
Out of several children listed as candidates, I was chosen.
There is no doubt that this result was the product of meeting Titania and learning so much from her.
I remember feeling so happy, as if all my hard work had finally been rewarded.
I had gained a new family.
A warm home like the ones I had read about in picture books was waiting for me—or so I thought.
But life in my Adoptive Home was completely different from what I had imagined.
A grand mansion, fine meals, and the education I was provided.
All of it was cold, filled with a suffocating silence.
I spent my days being scolded and punished if I failed.
From around the time I was adopted, the frequency of Titania's visits also decreased.
Even so, I did not break.
One day, while I was gritting my teeth and continuing to clear the tasks given to me, another turning point arrived.
I was around nine years old when I was ordered to become an explorer.
"From now on, you will become an explorer. You will form an explorer party with the children who are coming to this city. Their names are—Oliver Cardiff. And another, Orun Doura. You are to support those two."
Those were my Adoptive Father's words.
There was no right of refusal.
I followed the order and completed my explorer registration.
It wasn't because I yearned for adventure, nor because I wanted fame.
It was simply—because this was my role.
For someone like me who had no place to belong, following orders was the only way to protect myself.
One day, I met the two of them.
Upon our first meeting, I knew they were people who harbored "something" different from myself.
When I stepped into a labyrinth for the first time with them, I remember something in the depths of my chest trembling faintly.
On the night after returning from the labyrinth.
In my private room at the Flockhart mansion, a faint particle of light fluttered in and landed on my palm.
"……Titania?"
As I murmured the name, the light blinked slightly, and a thin voice replied.
『……No. ……I am Pixie.』
On my palm, the light shone as if vibrating tiny wings.
That presence felt as though it held a trace of Titania.
『……I heard there was a human who could speak with fairies, so I came. ……Is it okay…… if I stay near you……?』
The voice was hoarse and so weak it seemed it might vanish into the wind, but there was a certain "will" there.
I nodded slowly and gently cupped my palm.
"Of course it's okay. ……Please stay as long as you like."
Then, Pixie blinked her light happily and flew around my fingers.
『……Thank you, Luna.』
"Eh, my name…… how do you know it?"
『……The Queen—Titania—told me about you, Luna.』
From then on, Pixie's presence became a part of my daily life.
She was a child who rarely spoke of her own accord, but I knew she was always close by.
It gave me a mysterious sense of security—as if Titania were with me once again.
The days that followed passed like a storm.
Diving into a labyrinth as an explorer, fighting magic beasts, days smeared with blood, sweat, and pain.
I experienced many battles where I staked my life, and it wasn't always enjoyable.
There were times when I was injured, when I nearly lost my companions, and when I was crushed by my own helplessness.
Even so—I had comrades who walked beside me.
Orun-san, who was always calm and attentive.
Oliver-san, who was clumsy but more straightforward than anyone.
And the little fairy who stayed close to me—Pixie.
The time I spent with them eventually became my "place to belong."
Sometimes Titania would show herself, and there were nights when other fairies would descend as a swarm of faint light.
That sight was like the very happiness I had finally grasped at the end of a long journey.
As time passed, new companions like Derrick and Anneri joined us.
Before we knew it, we had become explorers prominent enough to be called the Hero Party.
There is no need to speak of the events that followed in detail.
Orun-san was kicked out of the party, and the Hero Party collapsed due to the reckless behavior of Oliver and the others.
Around the same time, my Adoptive Home, the Flockhart Trading Company, was disbanded after being charged with human trafficking, eventually being absorbed by the Downing Trading Company.
Afterward, I found a place in the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky and spent my days challenging the depths of the labyrinths with my companions from the Twilight Moonbow.
Eventually, when Orun-san regained his memories and resolved to walk his own path once more—I followed after him without hesitation.
And then, at the land of Kyokutou where we arrived at the end of our journey, I was forced to confront a painful truth.
—The fact that I had forgotten about Titania.
Even though she was such a precious existence who had changed my life.
Even though it was a memory I never wanted to lose.
However, by touching the "Outside" now, I am able to remember the events from before the world's time was wound back.
Now, I can recall my interactions with her along with the rest of my past.
But the fact that I forgot her once will never disappear.
That is why I feel I must apologize.
To Titania, who gave light to my lonely self that day.
I want to sincerely apologize for forgetting you, even if only for a time.
And I want to tell you once more.
—My life was happy because you were there.