Once upon a time, a lowly flower demon fell in love with a mighty Divine Dragon, but the heavens forbade their union. To prevent them from eloping, the lowly flower demon was executed, her soul scattered through time and space forever to be reborn in complete. The Divine Dragon forsook his divinity and gathered as much of his paramour's soul as possible until only two halves were left.
Now, the two halves had found each other; thus, they were complete, having found themselves in a tragedy. Due to heaven's intervention, the little flower demon had lived in constant turmoil, but all that would soon change.
They travel day and night until reaching the Kingdom of Nocturn. The Kingdom of Nocturn worshiped the Deities of Night and was believed to be the only Kingdom in the Cardena Empire that did not worship a single Light Deity. For the last decade, they had attempted to gain freedom from the Cardena Empire but had so far been futile.
That is until the High Mage appeared. All he required was secrecy. The people of Nocturn revered the High Mage as if he were one of their Deities who came to give them salvation. Rose sat atop the watch tower, awaiting news from the High Mage. It had already been a month since his last letter.
Rose was the daughter of the old King of Nocturn and blood sister to the current King. She had always wanted to help her people but was not allowed to rule. The old King was against female regents, fearing they could not handle the Imperial family.
When the new King of Nocturn ascended the throne, he appointed Rose as his heir, stating he would neither take a bride nor have any children. In all truth, Rose was the actual Regent. Every night, she sorted through edicts and gave counsel to the King everyone believed to rule. Rose welcomed the High Mage and ruled the Kingdom of Nocturn through the shadows.
From afar, a small caravan moved toward the gates. The archers readied their bows, but it was not necessary. A protective shield surrounded the caravan that only Rose could see. The High Mage had returned. Once the caravan was close enough, Rose commanded to open the gates.
The High Mage and his entourage rushed in, sealing the gates in their wake. The citizens seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw the High Mage had returned.
The group looked similar to the High Mage, except for the silver-haired female who bore the appearance of her own people. The High Mage had mentioned he was looking for someone Rose had always assumed it was someone from his Kingdom, not from the Empire of Cardena.
"We need to talk," Rose said in the form of a greeting.
The High Mage did not have time to listen to the problems of the Nocturn people "later." He needed to get to the High Priestess of Nocturn. From what San Wol had explained, there seemed to be a turmoil in Gardenia's mind that could only be fixed with the help of another High Priestess. His priority would always be her safety, even if she hated him or could not remember anything about their past.
Rose did not like the High Mage's response, but she could not follow after him as his aids blocked the way. The High Mage headed straight for the Temple of Noct, the patron Deity of Nocturn. The High Priestess of Noct held a ritual for the recently departed when the High Mage found her. As much as he wanted to interrupt, the High Mage understood the consequence of disrupting a ritual as sacred as one meant for the departed.
The High Priestess of Noct was a brittle-looking thing with skin dryer than raisins; she was mortal. San Wol wondered why a mortal would so willingly serve the gods when the gods had forsaken them all.
Exiled from her Kingdom to Crescent Mountain, San Wol did not have a choice when it came to becoming a High Priestess. Her father had been framed for betraying the Empire, and as a result, the Emperor had shown her mercy by sending her to the Crescent Mountain Temple.
"To help this child," the High Priestess of Noct placed a hand over Gardenia's head. She needs to be submerged within the depths of a chasm under the blessing of her birth, Deity. The problem is that she seems to have more than one."
"We already know this," San Wol hated repetition, and the old High Priestess stating what she already knew simply aggravated her. "That is why we are here. In two days, the cosmos will align, allowing for a cleansing ritual. We need one of your priestesses to help with the conduction of the ritual, as the Lady is ruled by more than one Deity."
The old High Priestess tapped her chin, "You are wise for someone so young."
San Wol smiled sweetly, "That you may look like a crone does not make you older." Before the old High Priestess could retort a response, San Wol walked away.
The old High Priestess was a child in contrast to San Wol, who had lived for over three millennia.
The High Mage found the interaction amusing. He'd never known a woman who hated being seen as young. San Wol, of course, was from a time when age equated knowledge. When they first met, Imperial Guards hunted San Wol down for bearing the symbol of the old Empire. She had lived up the mountain far too long, unaware of the changes in the world. Had the Imperial Crown Prince not stepped in, San Wol would have been flogged and then beheaded for all to see.
While Jia er never held it against her, San Wol felt she owed an unrepayable debt. Perhaps this was her way of making up for past mistakes serving the Prince she betrayed in another life. San Wol would use her own heart's blood if it meant she could correct her mistake.