When Arys opened her eyes she hadn't known exactly what to expect. Death was never something she had previously considered up until the very moment bright headlights were aimed straight at her.
She didn't believe in concepts like heaven or hell. To her death was simply the end with no rewards or punishments for the life lived. Reincarnation wasn't even up for consideration.
Yet Arys found herself staring up in shock at the large red face of a complete stranger. In an instant she realized the woman's face was only large because she herself was so small. She lay cradled in the woman's arms, hardly able to move her own limbs.
Wails filled the air that she suddenly realized came from her opened mouth that she could not control. In fact she found herself unable to do anything as the nurse holding her rubbed something on her lips that tasted slightly sweet and had the effect of calming her down.
Suddenly she was moved onto something soft, the woman's face still hovering above her as the warm sensation of a wet towel brushed gently but firmly across her skin. The ministrations were soothing and Arys found herself relaxing and cooing contentedly.
Who could've known receiving a bath was so delightful? Arys surely hadn't; her showers were usually quick and methodical with little enjoyment to be had.
Once she was washed from head to toe Arys was wrapped in a warm soft blanket. Lethargy washed over her and she yawned widely.
However before she could fall asleep she was suddenly jostled into another woman's arms and she blinked her eyes up to see the face of a tired but beautiful woman. Somehow she instinctively knew this was her mother, whether through the feeling she felt in her chest or the indescribably decadent scent wafting from the woman.
Arys tried her best to follow the scent that was making her belly rumble loudly, huffing in frustration when she was unable to locate it. The woman holding her laughed, the sound a musical symphony to Arys' ears, and moved around a bit. Arys suddenly found her mouth full of something soft and fleshy.
Trying hard not to think about the fact that she had the nipple of another woman in her mouth, which was easy considering her baby instincts immediately began to suck on the teat, Arys closed her eyes and enjoyed the unfamiliar feeling of true contentment. The liquid filling her mouth was even better than the scent and Arys found herself leisurely drinking her fill.
The two women began speaking over her head but, finding the words to be no better than gibberish, Arys continued suckling away.
"My lady Seras…" The midwife spoke hesitantly as she gazed down at the child. More specifically, the mark on the child's chest above her heart.
Seras sighed heavily, seeing the same mark. "I know, Reia."
The Mark on her daughter's chest was a slighter darker shade than her skin. It could've easily been mistaken as a birthmark if it weren't for the intricate geometric pattern of an upward flower, it's petals closed off hiding its beauty from the world. The design marked her daughter as a child of the Void.
"She is beautiful, my lady." Reia changed the subject, putting excitement in her voice. "She takes well after you."
"You think so? I think she takes more after her father." Seras brushed Arys' cheek with a gentle finger. "She has his eyes."
"His eyes but your likeness, my lady…What will you name her?"
"Hmm."
Seras took a long moment to contemplate, wanting the perfect name for her daughter. She smiled as she recalled the curiosity and alertness present in her daughter's golden eyes.
"Aerys, I think. The name of one of the greatest female cultivators in history. A name of wisdom and intelligence. Yes, I quite like that. Aerys Deus."
"High Priestess Aerys Deus. Hopefully." The midwife chimed in with a smile.
Seras laughed quietly as she gazed down at her now sleeping child. Then a thought passed and her smile dropped into a frown.
"Do you think he will come see her?"
Reia hesitated. She was an older woman, well versed in her craft who had birthed many priestesses of Nexxus. Rarely did the royals come down from their castle to Nexxus when a female baby is born. Even the males who were sent off to be raised within the citadel received little more than a cursory visit from the father until they were weaned.
"Nevermind." Seras muttered. She of course knew the answer already.
But as she gazed down at her daughter she couldn't understand how one wouldn't want to be there to witness the blessing of life being born. Especially considering the special circumstance under which Arys' lineage came to be.
Nexxus was considered a sacred place located on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Zyra. It was a tall and nearly impenetrable fortress where only females were raised and trained to become cultivators. Known as priestesses by the common folk, the daughters of Nexxus had one main job: protect the outer wall separating Zyra from the beasts of the Bloodlands.
The Bloodlands were a large stretch of desert south of Nexxus, separating the kingdom of Zyra from the faraway kingdom of Mythrine. A great battle took place there a long time ago; the blood from the divine beings soaked into the sandy earth and empowered it so not even the average cultivator could step on the land without risking the loss of his foot.
Because of the nature of these lands, only certain beasts could live and cultivate within. And due to the lack of prey-like animals, often these beasts fought and killed each other merely to survive.
Suffice to say, these beasts were all at peak level.
And because women could naturally cultivate under the power of the goddess Mani, the Void laws in the energy they cultivated carried the ability to nullify poison and gave them an advantage against the beasts. This gave the daughters of Nexxus a special role as the first line of defense protecting their kingdom.
Their secondary job was not so heroic or violent. As part of the treaty established between the Quinwinn family and the previous King of Zyra, the priestesses remained unmarried and pure to mate with the dark elf nobility and birth heirs to replace the valuable losses the Quinwinn family had sustained from the war. Every woman was well aware of this as they trained, and were mentally prepared for the possibility of being chosen.
Most considered it an honor.
They maintained the peace of Zyra and its people not only by protecting the wall but also keeping the treaty with the dark elves, who were known to be incredibly dangerous when crossed. It also created more priestesses to continue protecting the wall.
The strongest female cultivator of the bunch, however, was chosen to be the next High Priestess and had a special role.
Unlike the others, the High Priestesses mated only with the current King of Zyra to produce strong heirs.
The High Priestess was also responsible for keeping Grigidak at bay. Grigidak was the large active volcano located north of Nexxus and east of the rest of the kingdom, forcing the people to stay close to the coast line in order to avoid the possible eruption that could happen any day.
Because of the Void energy, the priestesses had an innate coldness that conflicted with the heat of Grigidak. As the strongest cultivator, the High Priestess had greater amounts than her cohorts and could handle the heat of the volcano. She was responsible for traversing to the base of Grigidak and maintaining the inscriptions set in place there to try and control the volcano's power.
Seras, as the current High Priestess, had this job and was also once promised to mate with King Aeson. Their union would increase the chances of birthing a strong heir; the combination of semi-dark elf blood and royal blood giving advantage over royal blood with noble, but still Zyrian, blood.
It also helped maintain balance, as now both the Kingdom of Zyra and the Quinwinn family had access to one another's bloodline. The sons of the dark elves who mated to a priestess were sent to their fathers and the daughters remained within Zyrian territory, producing royal heirs for the throne.
However the King rejected Seras. It was known how much King Aeson loved his Queen dearly, but Queen Ilaria was cursed with low fertility. If the more likely chance of Seras birthing a male heir before Queen Ilaria occured, that heir would have the right to the throne.
It was possible, as King Aeson himself was the product of the previous High Priestess and his father, the late King Aegis.
But the King couldn't stand the thought and passed the responsibility to his younger brother, who was indeed the child of King Aegis and his Queen who was of Zyrian nobility. Prince Vomir stood in likeness to his brother but had only half the strength, and any son born to him could not be heir to the throne.
Arys was Prince Vomir's third daughter. Her eldest sister, Seras' first child, trained within Nexxus. Her second sister was the child of Prince Vomir's wife, living the life of nobility within the citadel.
But these are things Arys has yet to learn about. For now, she enjoyed her life as an innocent baby.