News

[TRIGGER WARNING FOR THE FIRST BIT IN ITALICS. SKIP IT IF YOU ARE SENSITIVE.]

"Shall we implant a seed?" A monotonous voice called out.

"Hmm… is it still too early? Has she developed a womb?"

"Yes, she has. Her menses began last month."

"Then let's test it. She has quite the potential, and if we can make her pass down her lineage to rear soldiers, that would be an achievement for the demonic sect."

A dark shadow passed over her as Lily was restrained tightly on the bench, her struggles futile, and then…

****

"Haaa… haaa," Lily woke up with a fright, her pupils shaking, her back drenched with sweat, her face pale as her hands searched around the darkness, panting.

"Lily, dear?" A soft soothing voice called out beside her, and a gentle loving hand stroked her hair.

Lily gradually calmed down, edging her way closer to that wonderful fragrance, ending up in her mother's warm embrace.

"Hush, hush, everything's okay. Don't worry dear, Mommy's here." Rose continued to caress Lily's hair, granting her all of her comfort and love.

"Hmm…" Lily softly hummed as she wrapped her arms around her mother in a tight hug.

Rose heard the faintest sniffle and felt a small patch of wetness on her nightgown, her heart breaking.

Two years had passed, and Lily was now five. Her sleep had become more restful over the years, but occasionally nights like these still occurred.

And every time they did, Rose made sure to stay by her daughter's side.

After a while, Rose heard the soft and even breathing beneath her chest, and continued to stroke Lily's hair.

To the world, Lily was a strong-willed girl, not the least bit hesitant to voice her thoughts, or walk onward with determined steps.

But Rose knew that beneath all that, her daughter was fragile. She didn't know, and didn't want to know what would happen if something pushed her over the edge.

———————————————————

Lily sat cross-legged in her room with closed eyes, breathing evenly, focusing on her internal energy, guiding it through pathways in an effort to purify them.

Exhale…

Her eyes shot open, and she jumped up, feeling her body become lighter.

She opened and closed her fists, feeling the control she had over her body and the ease with which she could move.

She was close to perfecting a Purified Body, and felt that she would achieve perfection well before the end of the month.

Then, it would be time for her to start physical exercise to train her body along with practicing the first step of [Celestial Steps].

Thankfully, Michael, her father, had purchased a new residence a year ago just a few groves away.

So she had her own room, and the furnishings of the house were a lot nicer.

Most importantly, a lot of the land of this Grove was also purchased by Michael, meaning Lily could use it all for her practice.

Outsiders rarely passed by their family's residence, and only those who lived on the same grove would meet each other in passing, making it rather safe compared to the rest of the archipelago.

Lily stretched a few times to get comfortable with her improved mobility and then made her way downstairs, finding the sound of sizzling, and the smell of cooking eggs.

"Sweetie, mind setting the table?" Rose's soothing voice reached her, and Lily nodded with a smile.

"Mhmm!" She ran to the kitchen, giving her mother a quick hug before gathering the plates and mugs from the cupboard.

Flick.

The sound of shuffling paper made its way from the dining room. Lily made her way there, and began setting the plates she carried onto the table where her father was already sitting.

"What are you reading, dad?" She asked as she tiptoed behind his shoulder, trying to peer at what Michael was reading.

"Today's paper. The News Coos have been dropping them willy-nilly today," Michael responded, reaching a hand behind him and ruffling Lily's hair.

"Hmm…?" Lily escaped her father's attack and quickly grabbed the newspaper before sitting down on the table.

She read the front headline and saw the close-up image of a man she was sure she had seen somewhere before.

'THE PIRATE KING: ROGER HAS CONQUERED THE SEA'

Her eyes continued to read the article.

'The man who achieved wealth, fame, and power. The pirate king, Gold Roger…'

Lily tilted her head at the familiar name, then recalled the two friends she had made two years ago. 

'Shanks, Buggy…'

And then she remembered the man with the curly mustache with the boisterous laugh, and the words of his ship's red sails.

'GOL. D. ROGER.'

"Ah!" Lily exclaimed.

Michael turned to her as Rose entered the dining room with a large tray.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked as she set down the items on the table.

"Dad! You did the ship coating for this man two years ago, don't you remember?" Lily said as she turned the paper to show off the large image on the front page to her parents.

Michael observed the picture as he scratched his chin. Then his eyes lit up.

"Ah, Oro Jackson! The ship built from the Adam tree!" Michael said as his eyes widened. To this day, he hadn't come across a finer vessel.

Lily glanced at her father sideways. Did he perhaps… not remember the man, and only remembered the ship?

"What's this about…?" Rose asked as she took the newspaper, reading it carefully.

She set it down gently, and with a smile, turned to her husband, "Dear… What's this about?"

She maintained her smile, and her eyes closed into slits.

Gulp.

Michael began sweating, shifting his eyes everywhere, before silently sending signals to his daughter, pleading.

At that moment, Lily realized her mistake and found herself particularly interested in a certain corner of the dining room. She remembered striking a deal with her father for snacks to keep the fact he dealt with pirates a secret.

Pat.

Rose gently placed her palm on Michael's shoulder, and repeated herself with her scary fake 'gentle' smile, "Dear…?"

"W-w-ell… Uhh… He had such a nice ship that I… Lily made friends with their crew… Uhh," Michael stammered as he attempted to think up multiple excuses, his brain malfunctioning as he felt danger inching closer to him.

"Dear, you knew they were pirates - criminals, right ~ ?" Rose said, her eyes hardened, and her knuckles cracked.

"B-but the ship was…" Before Michael could say anything further, Lily shut her eyes tight and turned her head away.

'Goodbye, Father. I'll always remember you.'

"Aaaah! I give, I give! S-stop! Nnnoo!" Terrifying wails of agony spread across the dining table and through the walls of their house, making their way across the bubbles of their grove and sailing away with the wind.