Celeste gazed at the small glade in front of her, taking note of multiple rare herbs.
Her eyes shined, itching to study them in greater depth.
Unfortunately…
The young lady's enthusiasm dimmed slightly, sensing the two figures garbed in red robes standing a few steps behind her.
'Annoying.'
She internally clicked her tongue.
The "protective detail" as Drakon liked to call it was gifted to her by the Ember heir after he learned of Alden's disappearance. Celeste knew they were there to monitor her movements instead of actually guarding her.
She would have been a fool to believe Drakon's words so easily. Especially after she had heard rumours that he had burnt down an abandoned house in his rage. The others in the Sanctuary were curious to know what had provoked the Ember heir so much, but Celeste knew.
She knew…
That the cause was her childhood friend.
And love.
A forlorn ache pricked her heart. One that she quickly placed a seal on.
She was here to increase her knowledge of herbs and medicine, not think about Alden.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Celeste ignored the guards sent by Drakon and quickly entered a focused state, ready to analyse every flower that caught her eye. Currently, they were near the special fields of the Zephyr Clan, so her party wasn't that far outside the Sanctuary.
Which was a good thing as it gave her more time to study the herbs and collect them.
Sparing a glance to her left, she sent a small smile and nod to her father, who had insisted to come with her in case a strong Defiled suddenly appeared. Celeste didn't mind Alistair's presence and even welcomed it. His sharp intellect and impressive ability to analyse things would help her if she ever got stuck - she could bounce ideas off him and then he could assess their feasibility.
That aside, the Guildmaster could also protect her from Drakon's lackeys.
Celeste was very happy to have her father go on this expedition with her.
From a purely logical standpoint it made sense.
And from a purely emotional standpoint as well, it also made sense.
His presence comforted her.
And why wouldn't it?
With Alden gone, Alistair had returned to being her rock. And while he had always acted in that manner, he had to do so a lot more now.
Her father had wholeheartedly accepted that extra burden without a second's hesitation.
Her heart warmed.
Celeste was grateful to have such a great father in Alistair.
If not for his efforts, and that of her mother's as well, she would not be here, standing on her own two feet, trying to improve herself. If not for their gentle care and warmth, Celeste inwardly knew she would have still stayed in bed, mourning Alden's absence and acting as a hollow shell of her former self.
'I'm truly blessed.'
With her parent's support…
She felt like she could conquer the world.
Suppressing a smile, Celeste approached the first flower that caught her eye.
It had a slender stem, a mixture of silver and green snaking across the stalk. Tiny clusters of white crowned the edges of the flower, blending with the curative aura that the herb gave off - a sign that it would work very well inside a potion, which was Celeste's ultimate aim.
She strived to one day be able to create an untold number of magical concoctions. Coupled with her powers as a healer, they would serve to do a lot of good. That was another thing she wanted to do a lot of. Celeste wished to see the expressions of relief and joy on her patients whenever they were healed.
After all, what use was having such a strong magic power if she didn't use it for good?
Celeste would rather serve as a beacon of light and hope than a herald of doom.
Wasn't that what it meant to be a Chosen of the Divine Sovereign?
At first, it had been quite a shock when she found one of the strongest Asterons wishing to make a contract with her. Celeste thought, or rather hoped, that she would catch the eye of a decently strong being. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to become a Chosen of the Divine Sovereign.
After she had awakened, she was secretly afraid of the responsibility that came with such a lofty position. However, now, she began to see the usefulness of such a status, especially if she could use it to better help the people in the Sanctuary.
It also helped shield her precious love from Drakon.
Every so often, she would wonder why her Sponsor specifically chose her out of everyone in the Sanctuary.
Surely she wasn't that much more talented than all the others.
Or was she?
Celeste didn't really know.
It was hard to think of herself as extremely gifted, and not just because doing so was a potential pitfall that could cause her to become arrogant and cocky and overestimate her abilities. She shook her head, recalling the time she had asked her mysterious Sponsor why they chose her.
The Asteron's response was typical.
Silence.
Already accustomed to transactional nature of their relationship - that was all that contracts amounted to, right? - she didn't bother pressing the issue. There was a chance she could one day find out that information on her own. There was also chance she couldn't, but it wasn't such a big deal that Celeste would spend every waking minute pondering over it.
She had better things to do.
Like study more herbs.
Inwardly berating herself, Celeste pressed on with her work.
She perused through a few more common herbs before an interesting one caught her eye. It had vibrant petals, with an inner flame that seemed to spark to life whenever touched by the sun. Numerous thorns guarded its precious stem.
As she gazed at the mystical flower, Celeste's eyebrows rose.
'A Red Thorn?'
Interesting.
These type of herbs excelled at treating ice-related injuries. It could either be crushed into a fine powder or boiled in a cauldron to retrieve its essence without wasting its stalk. What fascinated her, though, was that it was quite rare to find one so close to the Sanctuary.
Usually, one had to travel a fair bit into the Wilderness to spot one.
'Oh well, guess my luck's pretty good today.'
Allowing a small smile to grace her face, Celeste was just about to move on, when she caught a glint from the corner of her eyes. She frowned and furtively looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed anything amiss.
Against her better judgement, Celeste inched towards where the strange gleam had come from. Upon closer inspection, she realised it hailed from a bush situated at the very edge of the glade, right where the treeline began. Suddenly very curious, she reached out into the shrub.
As she did, Celeste instinctively found herself blocking her Sponsor's view. She didn't know why she did such a thing, but something deep inside her told her to. Frowning, she made contact with something and internally flinched.
Celeste composed herself and slowly pulled out the thing.
It was a pale flower, wreathed with stunning petals. It shone gently like a moon.
That was not all.
Celeste suddenly sensed a tremendous amount of life energy stored within the bloom.
Her eyes widened.
Just as Celeste was about to question what it was that she was holding, she noticed another item in the bush.
It was a slab of pale, immaculately polished jade.
Her frown deepened.
Picking it up, she found a few words scribbled hastily on the pristine jade.
It read:
"Overflow with Life."
Underneath, there was also a name:
[Augur of Judgement].
'What?'
Celeste blinked.
She did that multiple times to make sure she hadn't seen wrong. Her mind buzzed, trying to make sense of what she had just read.
A quiet rustling behind her caused her to flinch.
She cast a furtive glance around her and discovered nothing out of the ordinary.
Her heart began to beat faster.
The young lady took a deep breath to calm herself.
Then, a determined expression appeared on her face as she made a split-second decision.
She had no time to think about her reckless actions, nor if she would ever come to regret it.
Something deep inside Celeste compelled her to move.
She stepped into the treeline…
And consumed the flower.