"Beneath the boundless heavens of space, hope is the brightest star—yet it may fade at any moment. Aelyzabeth von Thors is the heir born amidst legend and prophecy, in an age when Earth and New Hope stand upon the brink of war."
The Birth of the One Destined to Become a Goddess of the Cosmos
On the 25th day of December, in the year A.D. 2159—Space Era(S.E.) 78—the skies above the grand metropolis of Berlyn upon the star of New Hope lay heavy with snow. Yet within the ancestral mansion of House Thors, an ancient line ennobled by the blood of soldiers, light and hymn resounded, banishing the wintry gloom.
There, amid the sacred night, a newborn's cry pierced the silence. To the mother, Aeria von Thors, it was the sweetest music her heart had ever known. Cradled gently in her arms was her daughter—skin pale as driven snow, hair of argent sheen kissed by candlelight, and eyes emerald-bright as if wrought of living crystal. She seemed fashioned as the mirror of both innocence and enigma.
Whispers spread through the night: some swore that a "Golden Lotus" had sprung forth to blossom beneath the first steps of the infant, one-and-twenty blossoms for one-and-twenty steps, as though the universe itself heralded her destiny. Others dismissed it as a mere fable, void of proof. Yet legends, as ever, require no proof—only faith in the hearts of those who choose to believe.
With tears of joy, Aeria bestowed her child's name:"From this moment forth, thou art Aelyzabeth von Thors, my beloved daughter."
Thus was she known—the youngest daughter of General Victor von Thors, and heir to the august bloodline of Escheinsen.
The following evening, on December 26th, the mansion of Thors became a hall of celebration. A birthday feast was held in splendour, two hundred guests from the six great houses gathering in honour. The marble halls glimmered with chandeliers of crystal-cut glass; music of strings filled the air; long tables bore aged wines, noble dishes, and confections of delight.
Amid this festivity, the infant Aelyzabeth rested in her mother's arms, her mere presence drawing every gaze with an inexplicable radiance.
Among the guests was one most dear to Aeria—her younger sister, Elina Vilozyver, wife to Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Vilozyver, and mother to a son, Vito Vilozyver. The boy, born not long before, bore the same pale skin, argent hair, and green eyes—a reflection of Aelyzabeth herself. Aeria wondered if fate played some cosmic jest or whispered an omen yet to be revealed.
Then, silence fell as the man whom all revered entered the hall: Field Marshal Otto von Escheinsen, father of Aeria and grandsire of Aelyzabeth. At sixty-one years, he bore the weight of both glory and guilt of war upon his shoulders. With rare tenderness, he lifted his granddaughter high, his gaze deep as the void of space, and smiled—a sight few had ever known.
"Marvelous… wondrous beyond words," spoke Otto.
Yet not all hearts shared such warmth. By his side, Lieutenant Rudolf von Escheinsen, a youth of twenty, watched with resentment. Groomed to inherit the family's honour, he now beheld his grandsire's affection lavished upon a helpless babe.
"Grandfather," Rudolf said coldly, "you place undue importance upon this child, whilst I stand ready to bring glory to our name."
Otto regarded him but briefly and replied with quiet thunder:"Rudolf, mark well these words… The day shall come when, in thy quest for power, thou shalt seek Alisu above all else."
The utterance of that name—Alisu, the child's destined epithet—cast the hall into hushed bewilderment. None knew its meaning save Otto himself, though many whispered it was drawn from his Japanese heritage as much as his German.
Rudolf scoffed inwardly, dismissing it as the rambling of an old man clouded by smoke and years. He turned away, never dreaming that those words, spoken in seeming folly, would one day overturn the fate of the cosmos entire.
From another corner, Margaret von Thors, the eldest daughter of twelve years, gazed upon her newborn sister with eyes afire with envy. Since the moment of Aelyzabeth's birth, all eyes that once shone upon her now turned to the babe.
Though the laughter and music yet rang, though the hall yet brimmed with joy, a shadow had already stirred within hearts—a shadow that would, in days to come, devour not only House Thors, but the very Empire of the Stars.
Thus ends Chapter I.