[The Divine Realm The Astral Void]
Far above the mortal world, beyond the sky and the stars, lay the domain of the Primordial Gods.
It was an endless, breathtaking void filled with swirling galaxies and towering, empty thrones made of pure, crystallized cosmic energy.
Right now, Grand Duke Yash the Primordial God of Time and Space was on his knees.
Standing before him were the other Primordial Gods.
To his left hovered the Sovereign of the Frozen Skies, a terrifying entity of absolute cold.
To his right coiled the Lord of the Deep Seas, a colossal, majestic Dragon who held the heavens and the earth together.
And standing directly in front of him was the blazing spirit form of the Sovereign of Scorched Earth (Aethelgard, whose physical body was currently resting on Prince Elian's chest down on Earth).
"You have broken the highest ancient laws, God of Time and Space," the Sovereign of the Frozen Skies spoke, her voice ringing like shattering glass across the cosmos.
"You descended into the mortal realm far too early, locking your own divine powers, and you have returned to Godhood late. Explain yourself."
Yash kept his head bowed, dropping his usual carefree smile.
"I know I broke the rules. And I ask for your forgiveness. But I stayed because I was trying to find a trace of the Sovereign of Restoration. I failed. I couldn't find her soul anywhere on Earth."
"Do not apologize, Yash," the Sovereign of Scorched Earth's deep, rumbling voice echoed through the void.
"Because I have already found her."
Yash's head snapped up. His silver eyes widened in absolute shock.
"What? Where?"
"I am not entirely certain yet, but the traces of her divine aura are unmistakable," the King of Lava declared.
"It is Lyra Kaelen. The Second Prince's wife."
The entire cosmic void fell dead silent. Even the Sovereign of the Frozen Skies stopped glowing for a fraction of a second.
The colossal Dragon lowered its massive, ancient head toward Yash.
"Tell me, Time and Space... Do you even know the truth of what happened during that ancient war?"
Yash shook his head respectfully.
"No, Lord of the Deep. I was born from the cosmos after the war ended. I only know the Sovereign of Restoration sacrificed herself."
The Sovereign of the Frozen Skies let out a chilling, echoing laugh.
"To think there is a secret in this universe that the God of Time himself does not know! First time for everything, Yash."
The Dragon silenced her with a heavy, atmospheric gaze and turned back to Yash.
"Listen well," the Dragon rumbled.
"The ancient war began because of the King of Shadows. He rebelled against the Original God. The Shadow King lost the war, but in his moment of weakness, the Demon King corrupted him. The King of Shadows became a vessel of pure Darkness, unleashing terrifying plagues and diseases upon the human world to wipe them out."
Yash listened intently, his fists clenching.
"To protect the humans from his corruption," the Dragon continued.
"The Sovereign of Restoration burned her own soul away. She sacrificed herself to cure the world. But what the mortals do not know... is that the King of Shadows loved her more than anything in existence."
The Sovereign of Scorched Earth nodded solemnly.
"When the Shadow King realized that the person he loved most had died because of his own plagues, his mind shattered.
Overwhelmed by absolute guilt, he used the very last drop of his divine power to summon the Original God. He fell to his knees and begged the Original God to reincarnate her."
"Did the Original God accept?" Yash asked.
"At first, he denied the request," the Dragon said.
"But the King of Shadows refused to lose her. For one hundred years, he sat in the exact same spot. He didn't move, didn't speak. He sat there until his divine energy completely faded away, leaving only his empty physical body. When the Original God saw that level of absolute devotion and penance, he finally descended and accepted the request. He allowed the Sovereign of Restoration to enter the mortal cycle of reincarnation."
"But the Original God did not stop there," the Sovereign of the Frozen Skies whispered.
"He also threw the King of Shadows' soul into the reincarnation cycle. They were both reborn as humans."
Yash's mind raced. "Then where is the King of Shadows now? After the war..."
"After the war, his physical body fell into a deep sleep," the Dragon explained.
"During that time, the Demon King attacked and destroyed his sleeping vessel. But his soul is already in the human world. We simply do not know when he was born, or whose body he inhabits."
"This is a disaster," Yash muttered.
"If the Demon Realm finds out the Shadow King is human, they will hunt him. Is the seal on the Demon Realm holding?"
"Barely," the Dragon sighed, a heavy cosmic wind blowing from its massive jaws.
"Because there are only three of us left to maintain it, the seal is weakening. But we have already sent reinforcements to the mortal realm. The Angels. The Angel of the Holy Spirit, the Angel of the Sun, and the Angel of the Moon. All three are female mortals who have ascended."
Yash frowned in confusion.
"Wait. How does a human even become an Angel? I've seen the mortal who became the Angel of Fate. He was a pure Weapon User. And the mortal who became the Angel of the Sun only uses Water type spells. How does a water-user become the Angel of the Sun?"
"It is simple," the Lord of the Deep Sea answered.
"Becoming an Angel has absolutely nothing to do with elemental matching. It is about two things: Overcoming Guilt, and achieving 'Uniqueness' to fill an 'Empty Seat'."
The Dragon's eyes glowed like twin, burning suns.
"To ascend, a mortal must face their deepest, darkest guilt and conquer it. But the final key is Uniqueness. The 'Seat of the Sun' does not require fire magic. The Sun represents absolute truth and illumination. If a mortal possesses a soul so uniquely honest that they embody the concept of 'Truth,' they can claim the Sun's empty seat, even if they only cast water spells. The soul dictates the ascension, not the magic."
Yash slowly stood up, the weight of the universe settling heavily on his shoulders. The board was infinitely more complicated than he had ever realized.
[The Imperial Capital The Main Palace]
While the Gods debated the fate of the world, Emperor Aldric sat at his massive obsidian desk, staring down at an elegant, silversealed envelope.
It was an invitation from Duke Kael Vane of the North.
Little Leo and Mia were sitting on the thick Persian carpet, playing happily with a set of carved wooden blocks.
"Leo. Mia," Emperor Aldric called out gently.
The five year old twins scrambled up and ran over to the desk.
"Yes, Grandpa?"
Aldric held up the invitation.
"The Duke of the North is hosting a massive children's festival at his estate. There will be snow beasts, games, and mountains of sweets. He has formally invited both of you. Do you want to go?"
Leo's eyes instantly lit up like fireworks.
"A snow festival?! Yes! Can we go, Grandpa?!"
Mia tugged on Aldric's heavy sleeve, looking up at him with big, hopeful eyes.
"But... is Grandpa going to come with us?"
Aldric's icy, terrifying face melted. He smiled softly, reaching down to pat Mia's head.
"Of course. I will not let you go to the North alone. Your grandfather will go with you."
[The Eastern Territory The CommerceDistrict]
The snowy streets of the Eastern Commerce District were bustling with commoner merchants, completely separated from the high class, elitist noble academies.
Inside a warm, cozy little tea shop, Kaelia sat near the frosted window.
She had fierce, striking eyes and wore practical, mid tier combat gear. She wasn't a noble, but she had a Mid to High Tier Weapon attribute that made most men terrified of her.
The bell above the door chimed.
Arthur walked in, shaking the snow off his messy blue hair.
He was wearing plain, cheap clothes and a deliberate, careful disguise.
To Kaelia, Arthur wasn't the incredibly wealthy Heir of the Orion Ducal Family.
He was just "Arthur," a clumsy, sweet commoner boy she had met in the city.
"You're late, idiot," Kaelia smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Sorry, sorry!" Arthur laughed, sitting down across from her. He rubbed his hands together for warmth.
"I... uh... I actually have something for you."
Arthur reached into his coat and pulled out a beautiful, thick paper invitation. He slid it across the table.
Kaelia raised an eyebrow, picking it up.
"An invitation to a tea party? Since when do you go to tea parties?"
"Well," Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, his face turning slightly red.
"My mother really wants to meet you. She told me to invite you for tomorrow evening."
Kaelia looked closely at the invitation.
It was completely blank on the outside.
There was no royal crest, no Ducal wax seal, and no family name.
Arthur had specifically begged his mother to create an unmarked invitation so Kaelia wouldn't find out he was a Duke's son.
"Your mother wants to meet me?" Kaelia smiled, a soft, genuine look crossing her fierce face.
"Alright. I'll go. But you better not leave my side."
"I promise!" Arthur beamed, completely unaware of the absolute chaos that was going to unfold tomorrow.