Six months went by. Elina was extremely busy because of her work, but she still tried to spend as much time with Luciel as possible. During those six months, Elina also tried to find Luciel's birth certificate and the circumstances of his childhood. The reason was...
"Luciel, when's your birthday?"
"Don't know."
"Manners..." Elina sighed before speaking again. "What about your age?"
"I don't know that either," Luciel said while watching TV.
"What's your first memory then?"
"I got beat up by some old man. That's when I gained consciousness."
"Right... I shouldn't have asked you these questions." Elina dragged the reluctant Luciel onto her lap and hugged him tightly because she felt guilty digging up his painful past.
The day after that incident, Elina tried to uncover information about Luciel but to no avail. She went to every hospital near Giga and came home empty-handed every time. There was no record of a newborn named Luciel being born around 7 to 12 years ago. Elina tried to expand the time frame and the search area but still failed to find a single clue.
'Is his name really Luciel? Or did he make it up?'
Elina didn't know what she would do if his biological name wasn't Luciel. She couldn't ask for her superiors' help either. She didn't want to take such a risk.
'They would steal him away from me if they heard that a boy has the Echoing Stigma.'
The world was collapsing every day because of the Hollow. The world needed a savior. A hero. A messiah. If the scientists and military leaders knew of Luciel, they would torture him and experiment on him to turn him into a supreme battle machine. Luciel's talent was that great. No one younger than 16 had ever obtained the Stigma.
However, Elina didn't develop Luciel's talent right away because she wanted him to live a normal life first. Elina didn't want to force him into the most dangerous job in the world just yet. She wanted him to be mentally and physically stable.
She only had absolute trust in the Grand Marshal among her superiors, but even he didn't know of Luciel. 'I'm sorry, Grand Marshal. I'll raise this kid on my own for his safety and happiness. Please understand my selfishness.'
Elina desperately continued her search for months. It was September when she started this endeavor, and now December had come around. Elina was saddened that she couldn't do this small thing for him. Children loved birthdays, and Elina wanted to throw a big surprise party for Luciel.
Motivated by the image of Luciel smiling in front of a birthday cake, Elina went on with her search for even the slightest of clues. Fortunately, her efforts were paid off ten days later. Elina boldly changed her tactic and asked about the Stigma itself.
"Excuse me. I was wondering if you've ever heard a story about a child having a mark on his wrist right after they were born?"
"A child with a mark...?" The head nurse of a small local hospital contemplated briefly before giving a surprising answer. "I heard about it. I used to work at Tartarus National Hospital. There was a fuss around ten years ago about a child having a weird mark on his wrist. They said he was born a Resonator, but I didn't believe it."
"R-Really? Did you say Tartarus National Hospital?" Elina was flustered. Her body trembled heavily. It shook more than when she faced a Stratum Four Hollow Creature alone. She finally found a trace of Luciel's biological background!
"Why are you asking this? I heard he disappeared from that hospital not long after he was born. The Security Bureau officials assigned to the missing person case assumed him dead."
'Disappeared not long after...? What happened to his parents?'
All sorts of wicked scenarios were playing in Elina's mind. She'd hoped that none of them was true. Elina secretly hoped that nothing had happened to his biological parents.
"Thank you!" Elina ran out of the hospital as fast as she could, leaving the head nurse baffled. She jumped into her sports car and drove as fast as she could to Tartarus, the capital of Noxio.
Tartarus was a big military city comprising 21 districts. Its districts were named in numbers for easier military use. The Tartarus National Hospital, the biggest hospital in all of Noxio, was located in the innermost part of Tartarus. District 1, as the people called it, was the most important operational base of the Noxian Army.
Because of this, Elina didn't look into this hospital too deeply. The security measures here could be called top-notch. Even a dog was recorded thoroughly when going in and out of the main gate of District 1. Elina didn't expect that Luciel could get out of Tartarus without leaving any records.
'Besides, the superior officers must have known about his mark if he was born here, so why is there no record of him?'
[Identification Required.]
Elina stopped at the tightly secured main gate. If you were a normal citizen, you needed a special permit. If not, a Level 1 security clearance or above was needed. That was why not everyone could afford to go to the national hospital. It was more of a military hospital. As a citizen, you were better off going to other health institutions if you were in labor.
[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 16.
"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.