Lisdia's Trial

Bright moonlight filtered through the window, draping Diya in a luminous veil, while deep shadows submerged the young girl on the bed. The Witch approached cautiously, as if afraid of disturbing the princess's sweet dreams. When Diya reached the bedside, the girl's face was clearly reflected in the Witch's eyes. Placid, serene, and exquisitely beautiful, the girl was a breathtaking sight even in sleep; merely gazing upon her sleeping countenance made one feel a sense of divinity that would leave any mortal humbled. She was Sleeping Beauty—the "Lisi" of "Lisdia," Diya's other persona, the true Princess of Yisu recognized by the Gospel God. The Princess had left the high tower; the White Queen, the Black Butler, and the Red Apostle had left the high tower as well. Only Sleeping Beauty remained trapped within the high tower. Diya sat on the edge of the bed and grasped Sleeping Beauty's hand. An overwhelming dread slowly crept into her heart, and things she had never stopped to consider detonated in her mind like thunderclaps. Sleeping Beauty was not her sister; Sleeping Beauty was Lisdia. Only one of them—Sleeping Beauty or the Secret Princess—could exist at any given time. When Sleeping Beauty was awake, the Secret Princess slumbered, and vice versa. That was why Diya's awakening and rebellious schemes had gone unnoticed for over a decade. The imperial palace had not even known she had become a sorcerer, because from the night she learned the truth, the terrified Secret Princess had hidden away, leaving only the blissfully oblivious Sleeping Beauty to appear before the world. Diya remembered now. That night, after overhearing the truth, she truly had fled. With nowhere to run from the high tower, she had fled inward—at that moment, Lisdia fractured into the Secret Princess and Sleeping Beauty. Reality was too overwhelming, too cruel, so the Secret Princess hid in the shadows, leaving Sleeping Beauty to face reality alone. Sleeping Beauty did not know the truth; she did not even know the Secret Princess existed. Embodying all of Lisdia's finest virtues, she was the ideal candidate for Armored Sanctification, which was why the previous Empress had never suspected a thing. For generations, the princesses had all been pure, innocent vessels for the god; a rebel like Diya was an aberration. With Sleeping Beauty serving as a shield, Diya had gradually created the sisters: the White Queen, the Black Butler, and the Red Apostle. Over the course of a dozen years, they absorbed knowledge bit by bit, resonated with the Void Realm, and made use of only the body's eight hours of sleep to think—not to act, as the physical body could not move while asleep, though they could draw upon all its mental faculties. Even so, she had grown into a true sorcerer, eventually breaking through to the Gold rank and setting foot upon the Time Continent. Only after receiving the Bronze Dragon's blessing and gaining the confidence to flee the high tower did Diya take back control of the body. Since the Secret Princess had found the courage to step out from the shadows, Sleeping Beauty was meant to fall into an eternal slumber. Diya had never thought there was anything wrong with that. Sleeping Beauty played the part while the Secret Princess built up strength—wasn't that the perfect plan? Yet only now, after passing those dozens of doors and looking into the eyes of the little princesses inside, did she belatedly realize the truth— She had run away, which meant Sleeping Beauty was the only one left to suffer. Diya had her sisters to keep her company, but Sleeping Beauty had no one. In Sleeping Beauty's world, she had been alone from start to finish, living a solitary life in the high tower, gazing at the distant scenery, accompanied only by dolls and books. Diya had not even dared to communicate with her. Sleeping Beauty had to remain the flawless princess to conceal her escape plan. If Sleeping Beauty learned anything and her mind was tainted, the strength they had painstakingly accumulated would be stripped away; a vessel for a god had no need for wings to fly from its cage. And when the time finally came to escape the high tower, Diya could not wait to wake up, greedily embracing the world. Sleeping Beauty had never breathed the air of freedom for a single second. To her, she had never left the high tower; her life had come to an abrupt halt that night, leaving only slumber for the rest of her days. No, she had awakened once... When Yaxiu was on the verge of becoming the vessel for the Gospel God, Diya had awakened Sleeping Beauty, pleading with her to complete Armored Sanctification, become the Gospel vessel, and save Yaxiu, who was about to lose himself. Thinking back on it, she truly had been selfish. Whenever suffering was required, she woke Sleeping Beauty and hid away to escape reality; whenever it was time to enjoy life, she could not wait to jump out. Even though she had sat on the throne for a year now, she had not let Sleeping Beauty out for even a single day to take a proper look at this world. She had not dared to. Before, it had been for survival and freedom, so Diya could let Sleeping Beauty bear the suffering without any guilt. Now that she could control her own destiny, she had no idea how to face Sleeping Beauty... They were supposed to be two sides of the same coin, sharing both joy and sorrow. Yet Sleeping Beauty had swallowed all the bitterness, while Diya was unwilling to share the sweetness. Split real-world time evenly? Give up a third, or a quarter? No matter how much, Diya was unwilling. She usually appeared wealthy and generous, but only so long as it did not touch what she truly cared about. When it came to interests she could not surrender, she would rather be a selfish, wicked child. She was willing to share everything with her sisters, but she was utterly unwilling to divide her own life. "Mm?" The girl on the bed let out a cute hum. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Diya sitting by the bedside. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed herself up against the mattress. Her long, beautiful hair tumbled down without a trace of disarray, and her dainty, lovely figure radiated an undeniable nobility. "Diya?" She looked down at herself, seemingly understanding something, and smiled. "Did you manage to say everything you regretted leaving unsaid to Yaxiu?" "I did, Sister Lisi." "That's good." Sleeping Beauty opened her arms to Diya, and Diya reached out to embrace her. Sleeping Beauty narrowed her eyes, a look of utter contentment spreading across her face. "I've always wanted to hug you like this. After living all these years, to suddenly find out I have a younger sister... you have no idea how happy I was." Diya sniffled, bursting into tears. "I'm sorry." "I'm the one who should apologize," Sleeping Beauty said. "In the end, I became a burden to you. "But I know you'll be just fine. Because from now on, you are the one and only... "Lisdia." The Sleeping Beauty in her arms vanished without a trace. Diya sat on the bed, feeling the world recede from her as an overwhelming darkness submerged her senses, frost seeming to freeze the blood in her veins... From this moment on, there was no Secret Princess and no Sleeping Beauty—only Lisdia, made whole again. She was gradually becoming whole, but the price was enduring the very pain she had sought to escape. She was thrust back into the little princess's shell, reliving her childhood and youth through Sleeping Beauty's eyes... Day after day in the high tower's chamber, reading and writing, studying etiquette, and gazing into the distance. She had no friends except for dolls; on nights of thunder and lightning, she could only huddle beneath the blanket. No matter how far she stretched her hands, she could never reach the world, and the world had never welcomed her. In a daze, a memory that the Secret Princess had never paid attention to—yet was of paramount importance to Sleeping Beauty—rushed into her mind: a white dove had wandered into the princess's bedchamber in the high tower, likely from the flock nesting around Yalan Lake below. The dove showed no fear of humans at all, or perhaps it simply was not afraid of her. It became the princess's sole playmate, affectionately rubbing against her little hands. Time seemed to stand still as the princess and the white dove played, chased each other, and giggled in the high tower... Until a maid came to deliver a meal. Startled by the sound at the door, the white dove flew out at once. The princess tried to chase after it, but the dove flew out the window, escaping the cage. The princess could only watch it fly farther and farther away, with nothing she could do... absolutely nothing. She had no home. She had no love. She had nothing. The girl's consciousness continued to sink into the dark deep sea, brushing past bubbles of happiness, until the world was reduced to a freezing abyss. A sensation hovering between pain and exhaustion spread through her soul, leaving her unable to twitch even a finger, powerless to escape this prolonged torment... When it came to staking her life, she could do so without hesitation; momentary impulses were always so cheap. But when faced with a destiny that demanded enduring struggle, she felt utterly helpless. Deep down, she was still just an overgrown child. From the day she chose to run away, she had been doomed to remain a little girl who could never grow up. The popping of bubbles sounded in her ears, gradually coalescing into a familiar voice: "Lisdia, look." Diya opened her eyes. Before her was a sight both familiar and strange. Gazing out from the high tower's window at Nabistin by night, the brightly lit city looked like a reflection of the starry sky. But what caught Diya's attention most was a colossal Ferris wheel in the distance. Dazzling colors spun into halos of light along its circular light strips, as though threatening to set the entire night ablaze. "Once you're feeling a bit better, how about we go play at that new amusement park?" Yaxiu asked. Only then did Diya realize she was being held in Yaxiu's arms, half perched on the edge of the windowsill. Dazed, she murmured, "Am I not dreaming?" "You're definitely not dreaming. That's the amusement park you wanted built—it was finished during the six months you were away," Annan said. "Even though you can fly, I figured you'd like a Ferris wheel, so I specifically had them build the biggest one possible within the limits of alchemy." Diya turned her head and saw Annan standing on her other side. Annan poked her forehead and grumbled, "You little rascal, slipping away without a word and dumping the country on me for more than half a year... "Don't you ever do that again." She wrapped her arms around Diya, affectionately nuzzling the little Empress's cheek. "Welcome back, Your Majesty." "You said you wanted to come home. While I don't think this is the home you fondly remember, it's still where you lived for over a decade, and the view here really is nice..." Yaxiu asked, "Are you feeling any better?" Held between Yaxiu and Annan on either side, Diya turned to look at the giant Ferris wheel in the distance. Though she could conjure flames and radiance far more brilliant and magnificent, for some reason, the wheel of light spinning beneath the night warmed her heart more than any brilliance ever could. This truly was not her home, and yet it was. Diya threw her arms around Yaxiu's neck with all her might and seized Annan's hand. "Yaxiu!" "Mm?" "Stay in Gospel from now on, okay? And let's live together, okay?" Diya pleaded through misty, tearful eyes, her voice trembling with sobs. "And no matter what happens, you're not allowed to hate me, okay?" "No," Yaxiu answered with absolute decisiveness. Annan was taken aback, and even Diya was stunned. "If you deserve to be hated, I'll still hate you," Yaxiu said, gently patting her back. "But no matter how much I hate you, I'll always love you. "As for the rest, didn't I make a promise with you long ago? Once the Weaving Ceremony was over, we'd be a family. "We'll live together, play video games together, and go to the amusement park together," Yaxiu said. "And we'll do many, many more things we've never done before." Diya nodded vigorously. Just then, the light bulb in the room suddenly went out, perhaps having malfunctioned after long disuse. Yet the room did not plunge into darkness; the glow of the giant Ferris wheel shone from afar into the high tower, casting vibrant, colorful shadows around Yaxiu, Diya, and Annan.