Royal Princess of Blood

It was a magnificent place, full of mystique beyond the comprehension of mortals. There were mountains where white clouds were low, wrapping around them. These mountains stood like pillars reaching out to the sky, partly translucent as though they were spirits or ghosts, or perhaps mirages. On these mountains were countless trees, not of green, but reminiscent of the celestial heaven above.

The blades of grass were ethereal, they were of various colors, and the whole body was translucent. They had countless dots of light slowly drifting within them. They sway in the gentle wind present in this land of mystery. The trunks of the trees were of a similar nature, dark with drifting twinkling dots reflecting the appearance of stars. The state of the branches varied; some had only bare branches with celestial-like energy ascending into the air, flowing upward like rivers before fading away at the edge. Some had ethereal and illusory leaves, long and short. Around these mountains and ethereal nature, rainbows stretched all over the place, going far into the horizon.

The sun constantly shone in the sky with gentle light — not too much, and not too dim. Despite the sun being constant, the temperature did not shift in the slightest, all creatures that walked this land would be comfortable. Along with the sun, one could also clearly see the countless stars in the sky, as if they disregarded the light that would normally hide them from sight. Along with the stars were the endless, slow-moving shooting stars, shining in different colors. Looming above in the sky, away from the sun, was the full moon in all its glory.

It was a beautiful sight to behold, indeed. An environment that went against common sense.

In the middle of these mountains, one that remained stationary in the air, was an open palace — no walls. It had massive and towering ivory pillars with an ancient architectural design. An arch went all on top of the pillars, linking each other. But there was no roof in any form that blocked out the light. The overall size of the palace was colossal; the ivory floor reached all the way to the edges of the palace.

In the middle of this palace were individual staircases going upward, the steps numbering in the dozens. There were ten of these high staircases that altogether formed an arc. On the top of these were ivory thrones with slight variations in their forms — lines and cracks shining with different hues.

These were the thrones of the Rulers. And this place was a part of the realm of the divine — the most central part, in fact. As this was where the gods lingered. But for now, the thrones were all empty.

A man walked across the white spiritual bridge that connected the land in front of the palace. He headed for the palace that contained only the thrones. He was a man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties. He had long, untied hair of blue and white mixed with the glimmering of stars while faintly pulsing; his short beard was also in the same color and state. His complexion was fair, and he was tall and fit, standing about seven feet.

The blue irises on both his eyes had galaxies swirling around, the countless glimmering stars along with it. Each of his pupils was a single, swirling galaxy. He wore a classic white robe, and he was adorned with golden rings and silver hand braces.

With his classical sandals, he stepped onto the ivory floor and headed for the staircase at the center of all staircases, towards the central throne. He groaned in annoyance as he had scratches and shallow wounds on his limbs and neck; red blood was apparent. A deep frown was on his face, a hint of his displeasure.

“That accursed rebel.” His voice was deep and fierce, like the sound of thunder after a flash of lightning.

In the far distance, there were loud sounds of crumbling and booms that echoed throughout the realm. As if there were a mighty battle ensuing out there. In fact, there was. The gods were in battle against a single god, the rebellious god. One who was foolish enough to attempt the annihilation of the Rulers. And considering the abilities that the rebel god possessed, despite their great number, the Rulers found it difficult to end Him.

The old man stopped before the steps that led up to his throne, and he started floating. He was wounded, but it was nothing serious, and he should recover soon. He had returned first, as he was the most important one among the gods. He stood with dignity before his throne, which had pulsing lines of blue and white, emanating magical power.

He was the leader of all the gods, the Ruling Deity of Mystic. All things magic were his domain — the magic that flowed in the air of the world, even the spells used by all beings, all were under his power as a god.

“I’ve grown tired of this nonsense…” That rebellious god had done immense damage to the divine realm, which the old man had to fix. Worse, one of the ruling deities had actually fallen. That would incur unpredictable damage if not handled well.

He was about to sit down on his throne to rest when he sensed a ripple in the air. Then, in a moment, his eyes widened.

“This is…!”

He jolted in alarm. He knew very well what that feeling was, this ripple. This proclamation. It was instinctual. He then turned his gaze to the right side of the arc of thrones. Among the thrones, there was one that had crimson lines engraved on it, and it was glowing a crimson hue. As if it were calling out to its righteous owner.

The Deity of Mystic clenched his fists tightly. In his heart blazed fury. “To think she ascended, that misbegotten child.” His voice rang like violent thunder, filled with negative emotion. With a deep breath, he slowly regained his calm. “Still, she is without a Ruler’s authority… She is not a threat.”

***

It was a room with nothing but pure whiteness, a vast, empty room. Except for a single figure at the center — a black-haired man. He was kneeling, his arms ‌wrapped in chains as they extended to the ends of the white room. He wore simple dark clothing. He appeared to be in his early thirties, but his appearance did not reflect his true age, as he was among the gods.

It was then that he sensed a ripple in the air. He gradually opened his eyes, violet pupils swept across the empty prison. It took a moment before he came to the realization of what that was. A smile lifted on his lips.

“My daughter… you have finally attained your inheritance…” His voice echoed, but no one could ever hear it. Even so, he spoke with deep and sincere tenderness. “I’m proud… Congratulations.”

***

It was nighttime, and a good looking man with long bronze hair casually walked around the forest. He was whistling as he ventured deep into the woods in ‌search of something. It was not certain whether he would find precisely what he was looking for. But considering how magically rich this island was, he suspected there should be somewhere here, even a few of them.

As for what it was, it was one thing he had run out of. It was something that was hard to find here in the world above. But on this island that had bathed in a dead goddess’s grave for so long, there was a high chance that those materials had grown in a hidden crevice. From what he had seen, even the villagers here didn’t possess them, so they didn’t know how to utilize them.

At any rate, it was nice for him to have those as a wanderer. It wouldn’t be easy to find it, he knew that. It might take hours, but he didn’t mind. He traversed deep into the woods. This island wasn’t that big anyway, so it shouldn’t take a lot of time to search the entire island if he couldn’t find it early on.

He had to rely on the moon’s light to navigate the forest. The darker it was, the easier he would find it. Before this, he asked a girl by the name of Fleta if she found some glowing minerals or rocks sprouting on the ground — she was not specific about it and only gave a rough direction. Considering that she hadn’t memorized the location, it meant the villagers didn’t give importance to these minerals — if those were indeed the rocks he was looking for. If he could find it quickly, then he wouldn’t need to search around for hours. For the villagers, those rocks certainly didn’t have significance as they didn’t know the use for them.

After venturing through the woods for about an hour, he found some glowing objects in the distance between the trees and bushes. He quickly rushed over there and, upon seeing it up close, he smiled widely.

“Found you. Lucky me.”

On the ground were crystal-like minerals, they were blue and slightly letting out a gentle glow of the same hue. They sprouted from the ground, with the tallest crystal only reaching around seven inches.

Beside him appeared a dark hole. As he casually hummed, he drove his hand into the hole as if searching for something. “Found it.” He pulled out a pickaxe. “Time to do some mining.”

While casually whistling, he swung the pickaxe down at the crystals on the ground, breaking them to pieces. He was careful not to fling away even the small parts that broke. All of a sudden, he sensed something from behind him — no, to the side. No, it was everywhere.

He let out a brief sigh upon guessing what, or rather, who it could be.

“Finally showing yourself again after some time.” He turned around as he laid the pickaxe on his shoulder.

It was then that there was a distortion in space, followed by an immense pressure and presence that could make a normal man tremble and collapse. It was a presence higher than any being that walked the earth. And within this distortion, a grotesque eyeball made of bare flesh appeared. It faintly glowed at the edges. The pupil shrank for a moment as it focused on Taneva.

“I see that you succeeded,” from the eyes spoke a powerful voice that shook the air.

“You’d know that I will.”

The eye’s pupil constricted slightly for a second. “The future is a tricky thing,” said the eye. “Paths could diverge with but a single interference, or sheer luck.”

“But she is fated to destroy the Mystic Race, is she not? So it should all be guaranteed.”

“If you refer to the prophecy from the Mystic Race, that is only the outcome, not the process.”

“What does that mean?” Taneva raised an eyebrow.

“There could be more than one path to reach the end that fate demands. She could spill the blood of mystics, but without ascending to divinity.”

“That’s possible?” He was astonished to hear that, unbelievable. She was already weakening due to her divine nature, so he found it hard to imagine that she could even succeed on such a path.

“Possible, but it would have been difficult for her. Which would still end in her demise.”

So she’d still die, huh? She wouldn’t like that ending.

Taneva narrowed his eyes. “There’s something up with that girl, I can’t point my finger at it. Lots of her actions are… you could say, unnatural. What are you not telling me?”

The eye chuckled. “It does not matter. In the end, she is the daughter of the long-dead goddess. There is bound to be something special about her.”

“She seeks to fight and evade fate, but from how things are, she’s going head straight into it.” She appeared to be determined to have her revenge. That potentially meant her actually going on a bloodbath. She insisted it was of her own will and not fate, but that was foolishness and stubbornness on her part.

“Ironic, isn’t it? Fate is part of the natural order. One could be fated to become a general, or a craftsman, or die in the middle of nowhere. But in the end, fate is natural. None is to dictate it.”

“I really don’t understand all this divine stuff.” Taneva casually shrugged.

“It is not divinity, it is part of the world.”

“Isn’t the prophecy part of a divine revelation, made by the deities? So I don’t get what you’re saying.” It was known that the gods could dictate fate, control fate itself.

“Taneva, the gods are fated to fall. If they could control fate, should they not avert it?”

Taneva was surprised to hear the certainty within the eye’s voice. “Are you saying they’re not really in control?”

“What they have done has always been interfering with the natural order.”

Taneva’s gaze turned stern. “Is my fate part of the natural order? My fate to endlessly wander?”

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not. The natural order is not one that the gods should completely comprehend.”

“You say the future is tricky, what makes you so sure that the gods are fated to fall?”

“Because I designed it to be,” the voice turned grim and heavy. “I see the future, hundreds of years, thousands, millions of years ahead. I see the present, no secrets are hidden from me. The past I have studied, and have laid the foundations.”

Gods sure like to talk highly about themselves proudly. Even the princess started talking like it the moment she ascended.

“I see your thoughts, Taneva.”

“Hehehe…” he averted his gaze with a wry smile.

“Gods are vain, often tyrannical. I am no different, but those above are worse. And they shall fall.”

“Is the princess part of your plan?”

“Part of it.”

“What exactly?”

“Time will tell.”

Taneva sighed. “Why are you here?”

“To congratulate you.”

“Yeah, well, thanks.”

Surely that’s not all there is to it. He wouldn’t just spend his time giving congratulations…

“Furthermore, we will meet soon.”

Taneva’s eyes widened in surprise. “Do you mean in person? Like personally? Where?”

“We will meet on the path you take. You shall see a shooting star falling from the sky, that will be me. Retrieve and meet me when it comes.”

Taneva nodded. “Got it… Before you go… how is she…?” he asked in a low, weak, and vulnerable voice. His eyes were full of anticipation, yet there was a hint of longing.

“She still awaits ‌you at the threshold.”

Taneva slowly inhaled. “How much longer will I suffer this?”

“When I’m done.” With that, the eye vanished.

Taneva slowly stared up at the sky.

***

In Wisteria, knights and soldiers were gathered in front of the palace, lined up and ready to move out. The carriages and horses were waiting. The king, Leodoule, stood by the entrance of the palace in his full armor. Estevan and Eleden, the two princes, were in their formal attire, looking at their father with worried expressions.

“Father, you must not go,” Eleden said, feeling apprehensive.

“They need me out there. The empire’s army is encroaching closer to the capital. I must prevent that from happening.”

A legion of the empire had indeed breached through the defensive lines, destroying villages and taking over cities. Wisteria managed to slow them down due to their preparations, but the empire’s numbers were just too great. And the king was among the most powerful in the kingdom, and could greatly help in turning the tide.

“You don’t have to go,” Estevan said, placing a hand on his chest. “There’s still time, send me instead.”

Leodoule directed a firm face at the two of them. “I will not send my son there in my place. You two are the future. I will not hide in safety while one of my sons risks his life.”

“But, Father!”

Leodoule placed a hand on Estevan’s shoulder. “We’ve talked about this already. And I will not be bringing you with me. If things turn for the worst, I don’t want to lose you along with me.”

Estevan lowered his gaze, clenching his fists tightly.

Leodoule turned his gaze to Eleden. “If I fail to return—”

“Don’t say that,” Eleden cut him off.

But Leodoule disregarded it, “If I fail to return, if I fall, I leave the kingdom in your hands.”

Eleden pursed his lips before giving a nod. “I will… Father.”

Leodoule stared at his sons for a long moment before widening his smile. “I want you two to be here to greet Estelia upon her return.” He turned around, facing the exit. “I’ll be off then.”

The two sons could do nothing but stare at their father’s back as he went.