When I, Luna Flockhart, look back on my life so far and am asked if I was happy, I can answer without hesitation.
I was happy.
But that is an answer I can give only now. To the me of those days, the world felt terribly narrow, cold, and lonely.
By the time I became aware of my surroundings, my parents had already passed away. I lived in an orphanage with cracked walls and drafts blowing through the gaps. The living conditions were terrible.
The director was always busy and constantly worried about funding. The only saving grace was that the children got along well. Yet there were no nights filled with laughter. The days simply passed by.
That is why I still remember that day so clearly.
The setting sun dyed the surroundings a deep crimson. In front of me, small particles of light suddenly appeared. They were tiny but definite, and I could sense will within that light.
"…Who are you?"
Looking back now, that was probably the moment I awakened my special ability, Spirit Domination.
"…Huh? You are there, right? Can you not talk?"
The light did not answer my question.
I had spoken those words seeking a clear connection with someone. The moment I started to give up, thinking my voice would never reach anyone,
'I can hear you.'
A woman's voice echoed inside my head.
It was clear, somewhat mature, yet strangely warm.
I still remember how my chest grew warm the instant I heard her reply. The simple fact that someone had answered me felt like a miracle to the me of that time.
"Ah, good. Um, um, I am Luna! Who are you?"
When I introduced myself, the light replied again from within its glow.
'…Titania.'
"Ti… Titania?"
My tongue stumbled over the name as I repeated it awkwardly. The light, Titania, laughed happily.
'Hahaha. My name must be a little difficult for a human child.'
I must have already been quite competitive back then.
"Muu…! I will definitely learn to say it properly!"
At my declaration, Titania let out another gentle laugh. That sound reached deep into my chest like a warm wind, completely different from the cold drafts blowing through the cracked walls.
That day, light finally entered my world for the first time.
After that, I spoke with Titania almost every day. At first our conversations were clumsy, but she always listened to me until the very end. I remember how sharing even the smallest worries I could not tell anyone else, or the nights when I wanted to cry, would strangely lighten my heart.
Titania taught me many things. Some of them, like stories about stars or flowers, had no practical use in daily life. Yet every single one felt like a treasure to me.
Just hearing her voice made the world seem a little kinder.
One day, I asked her a question.
"Titania, why do you call me Luuko?"
'…There is no deep meaning. Do you dislike it?'
"No, I do not dislike it. I just wondered if there was a reason."
'…I see. When the time comes to tell you, I will.'
After a short pause, Titania laughed softly. For someone who was usually so carefree, her voice carried a faint trace of sadness.
"…It is a promise, okay?"
'Understood. It is a promise.'
I still do not know the meaning behind that nickname. But every time she called me Luuko, I felt a small warmth bloom in my chest.
And then my life at the orphanage came to an end.
Someone from the Flockhart family visited the orphanage looking to adopt a child.
Out of several candidates, I was the one chosen. There is no doubt that meeting Titania and learning so much from her played a part in that result.
I remember feeling very happy, as if all my hard work had finally been rewarded.
I would have a new family. I thought a warm household like the ones in picture books was waiting for me.
But life in the Flockhart house was nothing like I had imagined.
The luxurious mansion, the proper meals, the education I received. Everything felt cold and filled with a suffocating silence.
Days of being scolded and punished for any failure.
After I was adopted, Titania's visits also became less frequent.
Even so, I did not break. I clenched my teeth and kept completing every task I was given. Then one day, another turning point came.
I was ordered to become an explorer when I turned nine.
"You will become an explorer from now on. You will form a party with the children who come to this city. Their names are Oliver Cardiff and Orun Dura. It will be your job to support those two."
Those were my adoptive father's words. There was never any option to refuse.
I followed the order and completed my explorer registration. It was not because I longed for adventure or wanted fame. It was simply my assigned role. For someone without a place to belong, obeying orders was the only way I knew to protect myself.
One day, I met the two of them. From our first meeting, I could tell they carried something different from me.
I still remember the faint trembling I felt in my chest when we first stepped into a labyrinth together.
That night, after returning from the labyrinth, a faint particle of light floated into my room in the Flockhart house and settled in my palm.
"…Titania?"
The light blinked softly at my murmur and replied in a thin voice.
'…No. …I am Pixie.'
A small light glowing on my palm, as if fluttering tiny wings. Its presence somehow reminded me of Titania.
'I heard there was a human who could talk to fairies… Is it all right if I stay near you?'
The voice was faint and fragile, as if it might vanish in the wind. Yet it clearly carried will.
I nodded slowly and gently cupped my hands around it.
"Of course it is all right. Please stay as long as you like."
Pixie happily flickered her light and flew around, brushing my fingertips.
'…Thank you, Luna.'
"Eh? How do you know my name?"
'I heard about you from the Queen… Titania.'
Before I knew it, Pixie being by my side had become part of my daily life. She rarely spoke on her own, but I could tell she was staying close to me. It gave me a strange sense of security, almost as if Titania was with me again.
The days after that passed like a storm. I dived into labyrinths as an explorer, fought monsters, and lived every day covered in blood, sweat, and pain. There were many battles where I risked my life. It was not all fun. I was injured, nearly lost comrades, and was crushed by my own powerlessness many times.
Even so, I had companions who walked with me.
Orun, always calm and aware of those around him.
Oliver, clumsy but straighter than anyone.
And Pixie, the small fairy who stayed by my side.
The time I spent with them eventually became a place where I belonged.
Sometimes Titania would appear too, and there were nights when other fairies descended in swarms of faint light. Those sights felt like the very happiness I had finally grasped after a long journey.
As time passed, new companions joined us: Derrick and Aneli.
Before I knew it, we had become explorers known as the Hero Party.
There is no need to go into detail about what happened after that.
Orun was expelled from the party. Oliver and the others ran out of control, and the Hero Party fell apart. Around the same time, the Flockhart trading company, my adoptive family's business, was dismantled after being charged with human trafficking and absorbed by the Downing Company.
After that, I joined the Night Sky Silver Rabbit and spent my days challenging the deeper parts of the labyrinth with my new companions from the Twilight Moonbow.
Then, when Orun regained his memories and decided to walk his own path again, I followed his back without hesitation.
And at the end of that journey, in the land of Kyokuto, I finally realized the truth.
I had forgotten Titania.
She was someone so precious, someone who had changed my life. She was a memory I never wanted to forget.
But now that I have touched the outside, I can remember what happened before the world's time was rewound.
I can now recall my past and my conversations with her.
Even so, the fact that I once forgot her will never disappear.
That is why I believe I must apologize.
To Titania, who gave light to the lonely me on that day.
I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for forgetting you even once.
And I want to tell you once more.
My life was happy because you were there.