The days rolled by, quickly becoming weeks and building up to months, the numerous festivals were held and before long the month of Thine (The final month of the calendar) arrived.
On the 18th day of Thine, the 10th empress gave birth, on the day the doctors declared the baby girl to have a special core, and thus something that had not happened since the birth of the first generation of the current Mercurion heirs occurred.
The 10th empress gave her new-born daughter a name, Melissa Mercurion Aydal, the first Ancestral royal to possess the blood of Mercurion in almost 80 000 years.
Naturally, it caused quite a stir, especially when considering the timing of the revelation, it was clear that the 10th empress had plans for this child, plans to make her excel and stand as peers or above all her elder siblings, to carve out a spot for the Ancestral royals.
The palace was already seeing some chaos as the various empresses began calling upon their youngest children, giving them instructions to pick on and demoralise this latest addition to the court.
Lucian was no exception to this summons, it was the strangest order he had ever been given because it was the first order that didn't pit him against the other eight empresses and actively told him to cooperate with their children.
It was likely a first since the reign of the current emperor set in, but like usual Lucian ignored it entirely, Melissa was still too young to be actively picked on, nor he didn't care to obey any order given to him by his mother and most importantly it was a colossal waste of his time, that he could better spend doing nothing.
The Final Night of Thine soon came, and many people began paying homage to Nyx in the Great Cathedral, while bards and folk-tellers went around the city telling scary stories of the beasts that lurk within the dark.
But before long the darkness faded and the sun was born anew in the northern reaches of the east, the celebration for 'The Day of Beginnings' left the city bursting with liveliness, and as the final parties started to settle down for the night, the realm of Mercurion started to shake.
It was just a slow tremor at first coming from the royal palace at the heart of the Royal Capital, but soon the districts of the city began to shake, and the skyscrapers swayed across the skies writing words that would remain forever unseen.
Then the tremors spread further, the snow-capped mountains of Eldrith slowly shed layers of snow that sent the wildlife scurrying in an adrenaline induced frenzy, and the tremors spread further to the portal town of Strever and beyond until all of the realm of Mercurion was engulfed.
Mortals raced to the Great Cathedral of the gods to pray for their lives, while many a cultivator looked to the sky and earth in search of the phenomena.
Then one of the celestial bodies in the sky lit up covering the realm in its protective glow, the quaking stilled, and the panicked mortals looked to the skies to see an Arbiter's wings blocking their view of the celestial bodies beyond.
"Seize your worries, and let your fears wash away, oh children of thee," the mighty voice of the Arbiter of the Icarus (God of Cultivation) soothed the lands and the hearts of man.
"Fear not for it is a joyous day, a new child of heaven was born on this day, a child shrouded in the violet lights of creation,"
"Now speak thou name, to be recorded in the histories of realms," the Arbiter pronounced its voice reaching every corner of Mercurion.
It was then that a new voice was heard a soft and gentle voice that fluttered along the winds into the ears of all in the realm.
"I am Alphea Mercurion Goldore, 1st of my name, daughter of Bathzul Mercurion and Phiona Goldore Mercurion, heir to the imperial throne of Mercurion, and first of my peers to reach the violet lights of creation."
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Alphea slowly opened her eyes, a radiant violet light radiating from the back of her grey eyes, as she slowly stood the doors to the great chamber of cultivation creaked open.
She took a step forward and felt the shedding of her old self, with the next step she breathed in her life anew as wisps of violet seeped into her being, her body felt lighter and stronger than ever before, and with her next step her feet curled on the air pushing her forward.
And with her next step, she remained on the ground no more her steps carrying her through the door and into the skies beyond.
Alphea breathed in with wonder at the new sensations, when she turned to see the emperor walking towards her, a bright smile on his face, the likes of which she hadn't seen since she was just a child.
"Father," Alphea called out as she moved towards him, he welcomed her with open arms and embrace her with a warm hug.
"You used to be so small," the emperor spoke his voice firm and strong, "You used to wrap your palm around my finger," he said holding his hand out to her.
Alphea smiled at the miracle and reached out with her hand wrapping it around his pinkie, "Like this?" she asked as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes.
But the emperors gaze quickly turned confused, "How has your hand grown so big?" he asked looking her in the eye.
"How much… did I miss?" his voice broke and he began to weep, the emperor's feet moved, and faster than Alphea could follow he was gone.
"Wait Father!" she pleaded but he was gone, and she was still adapting to her new self, she could not follow.
It was then that the Arbiter appeared before her.
"Oh, child of thee, you have taken the final step, only accumulation remains,"
"Now ask your question and it shall be answered," the Arbiter spoke.
Alphea had no need to think of her question, she had long since known the question she would ask should she ever reach the violet lights of creation.
"How do I heal my father's mind?"
The Arbiter smiled down upon her, "A child so gentle, a child so kind, so few learn of mercy unto thou parents,"
"It is no poison that ails Bathzul's mind, but a venom foul, birthed in him heart,"
"There is no remedy of alchemical means known to cure this ailment,"
Alphea's eyes sank, "Are you saying he shall be like this till he dies!" she shouted.
"Calm thou heart, oh child of thee, this one spoke no such thing,"
"Find the source of the ailment, and the remedy shall be revealed,"
"A question asked, an answer given, fare thee well, oh Alphea Mercurion Goldore child of thee," the Arbiter of the Icarus spoke its final words before vanishing and the lands and skies returned as they used to be.
Alphea looked on with a heavy gaze, she had believed that on this day she would have all the answers she sought, but no this was no ending to her pursuit but the beginning of a road that had had finally been made clear, or at least that is how it appeared.
She clenched her fist, feeling her new power flooding her being, she had finally done it, she had finally reached the peak of power and she planned to use it to get her answers and cure her father.
As Alphea looked down she could see the gathering storm of her people, approaching the gates of the palace, "It seems I have work to attend to," she whispered as she glided down to the surface.
"You have grown splendidly princess," Eros her guard and oldest friend bowed before her with a look of pride.
"Eros, there shall be time for such things later, but now I must ask you to gather some intel on my behalf," Alphea spoke offering him her hand.
"Speak and it shall be done," he answered without hesitation.
"The Goldore, Umbar, and Lawvellius ancient lineages were responsible for my ascent, as well as my father's most recent humiliation," she said her eyes seething with anger.
"Gather me a list of all the people that are known to have had altercations with them in the past, and let the lineages know that I shall be delivering them gifts for their gracious acts," her grey eyes turned resolute with resolve as the violet lights danced beneath.