At this moment, at the top of a mountain, a young man wore an expression of extreme exhaustion, his clothes completely soaked in sweat.
The strangest thing, however, was the piece of paper he held in his right hand. It was surprisingly dry, as if the sweat dripping from his body couldn't touch it.
After a few minutes, the young man finally caught his breath. He sat cross-legged and raised the paper before his eyes, examining it with an intensity that suggested he was waiting for something to change at any moment.
"Six months have passed... Immortal Lord, please, appear this time!" he shouted, looking at the sky.
His name was Ryh, a sixteen-year-old boy. The piece of paper he held was a gift given by an immortal to his mother.
Curious about immortals, Ryh had been trying to activate the talisman for six months. The reason for his failed attempts was simple: whenever he tried to use the talisman, the weather became unpredictable, shifting in strange ways.
"This time, I won't back down! It will work. I will meet the immortal!" He took a deep breath, determination shining in his eyes.
Raising the talisman, he firmly pronounced the words inscribed on it:
"Lunar Palace!"
The moment the words left his lips, the clear sky began to transform. Black clouds appeared out of nowhere, swirling into a vortex that obscured the sun. Lightning streaked through the heavens, and thunder shook the ground beneath the mountain.
Ryh swallowed hard. A part of his mind screamed at him to stop and give up, but he clenched his fists.
"No! I will succeed this time! I want to meet the immortal, ask them to accept me as a disciple. I want to soar through the skies, destroy mountains with a single wave of my hand!"
With this determination, he stood firm, holding the talisman and watching the sky as the vortex of clouds seemed to grow larger with each passing second.
---
Lunar Palace
While chaos unfolded on the mountain, in a distant place, three imposing figures were gathered in a majestic room within a palace bearing the symbol of the moon.
The first was a woman with white hair cascading to the floor like waterfalls. Her blue eyes shone with a frosty calm. She was known as the Moon Empress.
The second figure was her antithesis in almost every aspect: a woman with hair as black as night, purple eyes, and horns atop her head. She smiled disdainfully, revealing sharp fangs. The Demon Empress.
The last figure was a gentle-looking woman with golden hair and eyes. She was known as the Saint of the Human Sanctuary.
"Demon Empress, what are you doing here?" The Saint broke the silence with a sharp voice. "Why have you come to human territory?"
The Demon Empress replied with a provocative smile.
"Can't I visit old acquaintances?" Her voice was like honey laced with venom.
"We are not friends," the Saint retorted with disdain. "And you know very well that you are in enemy territory."
The Demon Empress chuckled softly.
"So what? Do you think I fear you humans?" She rested her chin on her hand, looking at the Saint as if provoking a caged animal.
CRACK!
The crystal table between them shattered under the Saint's blow.
"Saint, don't break my things," murmured the Moon Empress, her voice calm yet laden with authority.
"She is the Demon Empress!" the Saint shouted, her fury unconcealed.
"She hasn't done anything," the Moon Empress replied, her unshakable calm further irritating the Saint.
Furious, the Saint paused for a moment and, with a sigh, declared:
"I'm leaving." And in the blink of an eye, she vanished, leaving the two Empresses alone in the room.
"So hypocritical," commented the Demon Empress, with an ironic smile.
But before the conversation could continue, the Moon Empress felt something. Her eyes glimmered, and she abruptly stood up.
"Again?" she thought. She recognized that energy—the talisman she had given to a friend twenty years ago. After six months of failed attempts, there finally seemed to be a stable connection.
"Moon Empress?" The Demon Empress raised an eyebrow, surprised to see her rival's usual composure falter.
"We'll talk another day," the Moon Empress replied. "I have something important to attend to." In an instant, she disappeared, leaving the other alone in the hall.
"How rude, leaving a guest alone," mused the Demon Empress, though a growing curiosity spread across her face. What could have made that icy beauty act like this?
---
On the Mountain
Ryh stared at the sky as a figure broke through the clouds. He froze.
"It's real... Immortals exist!"
The figure landed gracefully on the ground before him, her gaze seeming to pierce through his soul.
"A young boy?" She was slightly surprised that it was a boy and not her friend.
"What's going on?" she murmured, waving her hand to dissipate the clouds and restore the sky to normal.
Ryh watched in silence, awestruck. "Amazing..." he thought, his mind still struggling to process what he was seeing.
The Moon Empress disappeared and reappeared before him in the blink of an eye.
"What is your name?" she asked, her voice calm but full of authority.
"Ryh Andow," he instinctively replied.
"Andow?" The Empress frowned. "What is your relation to Elen Andow?"
"She's my mother," he answered honestly. As he looked at the immortal, Ryh was stunned. "She's so beautiful..." It was the first time he had seen such a stunning woman.
For a moment, the Empress's face softened. "So, after twenty years... She has a family."
"What are you staring at?" she asked, noticing his fixed gaze.
Ryh blushed furiously and averted his eyes. "I'm sorry... It's the first time I've seen such a beautiful woman."
"Why did you use the talisman? Did something happen to your mother?" Her voice turned cold, snapping Ryh back to reality.
"My mother is fine!" he quickly replied.
"Then why did you activate it?"
Ryh hesitated. He took a deep breath, trying to find the words. Finally, he gathered his courage and said:
"Please, accept me as your disciple, Fairy!"