Joy

The “Miracle Child” returned to the Leonins after years of wandering. Agile and cunning, known as Lumina City's most infamous "little thief", Joy had longed to have her stomach filled and her heart warmed. In a fortunate turn of events, Joy returned to the land of the Leonines, her wandering heart healed by the simple, unconditional love of her loved ones. She was no longer afraid of losing love again and swore to protect those around her, to transform into a golden lightning resonating with the house... === Me, Joy === Who am I?

The moment the lightning struck her chest, the Leonine girl couldn't help but think about this question.

She had been looking for an answer all this time.

“You are Grandma’s favorite love bunny.” This was the response she received from her adoptive grandmother. For as long as she could remember, they had lived in the slums of Lumina City. Even though grandmother was poor, she always found a way to feed the girl and put her to sleep. Meanwhile, the magic necklace on the girl's chest was still beating lightly to the rhythm of the lullaby. According to her grandmother, she was already wearing the necklace when she was discovered. One, two, three, four! It was like the beats of love.

One day, grandmother never woke up again... The girl stood by the frozen body for days, but could not find a way to wake her grandmother. The beating of the necklace on the girl's chest became slower and lighter.

One... Two... Three... Four...

It was as if her heart was being gripped tightly by a pair of large hands, and she would never be able to hear the lullaby again. It was on that day that the young girl learned about death, the impermanence of love. No matter how hard he tried, it would always disappear eventually. For no reason!

As she wiped away her tears, she thought about where she would find warm bread.

The girl began to wander. Although life had always been sad, it had also taught him many things. She learned to sneak into stores to steal food, evade city guards, and even fight off stray cats for food. His leonine magic was strong enough to protect the girl, turning the bitterness of her life into a sweet cake.

At that time, the answer she heard most often was "a thief who brings shame to the Leonin clan."

She remembered these words from Harith, a henchman of the Imperial army. He was upset that the girl would tarnish the clan's reputation for honesty and kindness. Despite all attempts at reprimands and punishments, the girl never changed. Harith's anger grew greater and greater, until one day he discovered that the girl had never returned to the Leonin clan... never knew who she was.

Lumina City was large enough that wanderers often lost sight of each other. Young Leonine didn't know she had any choice but to wander. After several battles, Harith finally managed to bring the girl back to her homeland, Bright Marsh.

Located in the central forests of Azrya, the Glittering Swamp has been home to generations of Leonins. Years of wandering had put the young girl on her guard. Always vigilant, she was like a stray cat forcefully adopted. All she wanted was to escape from her new home.

The patriarch of the Leonins gave the young girl his third answer: “a miracle child, the one who will fulfill the prophecy of the Leonin clan”.

Years ago, on a stormy night, a girl was born in the swamp, holding the "Leonine Crystal". In the clan's ancient prophecies, she was known as the "miracle child" who would save their people. But when the little girl was only three years old, she accidentally fell into a river...

The patriarch took the girl to the Leonine temple, where the Leonine crystal was enshrined... The shape was the same as that of the necklace on the girl's chest. They began to resonate.

One, two, three, four!

It was like Grandma's song was being sung again.

But even the prophecy could not change the girl's habits. She continued to play tricks on those around her and lie to get her hands on delicious food. She even organized a barbecue party in the Leonin temple! Even the other kids who didn't like the girl had no way to deal with her. Whenever the kind and simple Leonin villagers showed concern or kindness towards her, they always reminded the girl of that moment when she felt her heart beating slowly... Of the tingling sensation that she never wanted to feel again.

“I don’t need to worry about who I am here…I hope things can stay this way forever.”

But thunder in the middle of the night shattered the girl's dreams.

This abysmal storm seemed to want to erase everything. The girl was terrified... She was the "miracle child", the one who had been given so much drink and food for free... They were definitely going to ask her to save them!

But the patriarch's request was that she flee to a safe place. The Leonins had no intention of sacrificing a child in the name of prophecy. They didn't care about her because they wanted something... but rather because they felt sorry for an orphan. The Leonins released the young girl, as if she were a child who had left home.

Looking up, the girl saw that the temple was about to collapse under the pressure of the storm. The shivering Leonins had surrounded the temple, doing their best to keep it propped up by magic. Closing their eyes and praying, they thought of their families for peace of mind.

The collar on his chest began to beat again, slowly and lightly. Was she going to lose her new home the same way she lost her grandmother?

As another bright bolt of lightning came from the sky, the temple began to collapse. Suddenly... this girl managed to resist the lightning! Running back and forth through the storm, she absorbed the lightning into her body, preventing it from further damaging the temple. She continued to run and roll at high speed, until a bolt of lightning struck her in the chest.

“Who am I?”

That's when she found her answer.

The Leonine crystal in the temple vibrated with the necklace. One, two, three, four!

“I was an orphan.”

The Leonins and the Crystal emerged with magical energy oozing from the girl, as if it were a blessing from the house. The light spread to his ears and legs...illuminating his entire body.

"I stole food and did a lot of bad things..."

The girl continued to run, getting faster and faster, to the point where nothing could stop her.

“But right now, I am a child loved by everyone... The miracle child of the Leonins!”

She was no longer afraid of losing love...Instead, she would use her life to protect those she loved. The light on the girl's body became brighter and brighter. Like golden lightning, it shot towards the dark clouds overhead.

"I! AM! JOY!"

=== Character arc ===

=== The sweetness of home ===

=== Glow in the middle of the freezing night ===