Sleeping Beauty

Boom! The doors to the royal banquet hall burst open with a deafening crash as a dripping-wet, battered motorcycle soared inside. Guests scrambled out of the way, watching the battle-damaged Crowflight skid all the way to the foot of the dais, where it slammed into the steps and shattered into scrap. Through the curtain of rain walked a blood-drenched servant wielding a longsword. His uniform had been tailored in the style of a tailcoat, and now, drenched in crimson, it looked abruptly like a dark red trench coat—though none could tell whose blood it bore. A mask covered his face, leaving only his eyes exposed, concealing whatever expression he might have worn. Yayin. A single name echoed in the hearts of everyone present. The saint of fifty years. The guardian of Nabistin. The sovereign of Gospel. The savior who sheltered all living beings, the emperor of supreme benevolence and virtue. Yet not everyone was content to simply stand by and watch. Evalyn, Anfiel, and Qinna each wished to speak, but at that moment, the Empress gently raised a hand. As if their right to speak had been revoked, the onlookers could only watch in silence as the era turned and a new monarch was born. And tomorrow, the sun would rise as usual. Yet his footsteps quickened, faster and faster, as if he could not wait to reclaim his crown, until at last he unfurled his gold and silver wings and flew forward. He raised his longsword—like a white rainbow piercing the sun, like a falling star striking the moon! Clang! The blade pierced her veil and came to a halt right before her neck. The tip pricked through her skin, drawing a single bead of glistening blood. "My blood is red too," the Empress explained, as though reading the doubt in his mind. The two Secret Guards stood silently flanking the throne, seemingly indifferent to what transpired upon it, or to whoever sat there. He gazed at the Empress, a complex swirl of emotions in his eyes. "Why haven't you struck?" the Empress asked. "Rage, resentment, fear, despair... when a black tsunami surges within your heart, why not pour it all out? I stand before you. Why not use my death to fill the void inside you?" "Do you hate me? Yes." "Do you want to kill me? Yes." "Are you afraid? No." "Then why?" The Empress seemed to smile. "Because you pity me." He remained silent. "You know the process by which every empress is born: to live into adulthood as the purest, most innocent, kindest, and loveliest young maiden, and then take up Gospel to care for this land for fifty years until the next empress takes her place," the Empress said. "You know Ruiyin did no wrong; Ruiyin merely sought to prolong the nation's future. You know those pursuers did no wrong; they sought only to purge the noise that would disrupt the happiness of countless people. You know Gospel did no wrong; it merely weaves the best of all possible futures from countless possibilities." "Even the two sentenced to death did no wrong, for they have yet to commit any fault." "Yet Gospel will grant them no chance to err." Yaxiu finally spoke. "A story shouldn't go like this." "Reality is not a fairy tale," the Empress said. "It can only be like this." "Still, it's wonderful to see you with my own eyes." "Hm?" "You truly are the candidate who fulfills Gospel's design," the Empress said. "You will become the purest, truest, kindest, and most beautiful Yisu." With that, the Empress took a step forward. With effortless grace, she pressed her neck into Yaxiu's longsword. Meeting Yaxiu's horrified gaze, the Empress playfully winked. In the final moments of her life, she seemed to have reclaimed the innocence of fifty years ago. "The first sight of all life blooming must always be greeted by the lowering of the curtain." "Thank you, Yaxiu. And I am sorry, Yayin." Yaxiu watched as the Empress's body dissolved like wind-blown sand, falling into a momentary daze. Unlike him, no one even knew this Empress's true name. Yet there was no time for sorrow. With the death of the previous host, ownership of the god shifted entirely. Thump. Yaxiu swayed slightly, as if chilled from being in the rain for too long. He took two steps forward, gripped the armrests, and slowly sat upon the throne. Everyone knelt by instinct, including the Secret Guards flanking the throne. Outside, the wind and rain calmed at that very instant, as though the world itself was welcoming the sovereign to his throne. Yayin slowly opened his eyes. ...... ... On the bridge outside the parking lot lay scores of critically wounded Sanctuary Sorcerers. Below the bridge flowed a river. The rain poured relentlessly, the current surged, and fish darted through the water. As waves beat against the shore, the fish, shrimp, and crabs pushed half of an invasive creature that did not belong to this river onto the splash terrace. The little girl lay upon the wet stone paving, her hair sleek and lustrously black. It hurts, Diya thought. So this was her turn to take the stage—the pain of her sisters could only be borne by her. Soon, however, the pain faded. Rapid hypothermia stole away her sensation, and an overwhelming drowsiness numbed her nerves. She could think of nothing at all, wanting only to close her eyes once and for all, never to wake again. Unless Yaxiu kissed her awake. Yaxiu. Diya opened her eyes. A colossal figure intruded abruptly into her field of view. It had four splendid horns, shimmering bronze scales all over, and a ferocious yet neatly aligned set of fangs. Its eyes were as large as vanity mirrors; Diya could even see her own reflection in its pupils... It was the Bronze Dragon. It watched Diya quietly. Drawing strength from some unknown reserve, Diya asked, "Is the trial over?" It nodded. The Bronze Dragon's trial was very simple, consisting of only a single curse and a single condition. The curse was that she would lose her past identity, be transported elsewhere, have her body reduced to that of a child, and have her sorcery power sealed. The condition was to survive until the death of this generation's Yisu Empress. The trial was without doubt custom-made for Diya. The Bronze Dragon had helped her escape the high tower, concealed her identity, and even altered her appearance. Yet as long as the Yisu Empress lived, she was in danger of being dragged back to undergo Armored Sanctification. The end of the trial meant Diya could reclaim her original body and begin a wonderful new life. Yet right now, she could not feel the slightest joy. Because the death of the Yisu Empress meant the birth of the new emperor, Yayin. The Bronze Dragon tapped toward her gently. As raindrops pattered crisply against her, Diya found that her body had returned to its adult state—though it was still only half. No matter. Her sorcery power could finally be used in reality. Reverse Day. Diya cast the Reverse Day sorcery spirit upon herself, and her body reverted entirely to its state from a day ago—that of the young girl Lisi, down to the exact dress she wore. Wait, huh? The Reverse Day sorcery spirit is an instantaneous reversion; there's no such thing as dispelling it. Doesn't that mean I have to stay a little girl forever? Well, it doesn't matter anymore. This works too. Diya looked up at the Bronze Dragon. "I never expected much from your blessing, but malicious as you are, you'll surely give me a well-timed scoff, won't you?" To her surprise, it actually nodded. As its four horns glowed softly, Diya felt her soul grow denser and firmer. [Blessing of the Bronze Dragon: Mental resistance increased by 13%. Soul adaptability to gods of all factions increased by 13%.] By the time Diya analyzed the blessing's effects, the Bronze Dragon was gone. She suddenly felt like laughing. She had undertaken the Bronze Dragon's trial to escape fate, yet now that she had passed it, she had to embrace fate of her own accord. It felt as if nothing had changed, yet everything had. When she died fifty years from now, her sorcerer manual would surely contain the line: Bronze Dragons are the worst kinds of bastards! She crouched on the terrace, gazing at her hazy reflection in the river. "Sister Lisi," Diya whispered softly. "I need you now." Little Witch: [Huh?] White Queen: [She's not calling you.] Little Witch: [But I am Lisi.] Black Butler: [You are the second-generation Lisi. Diya is calling the first.] Little Witch: [There are two generations of Lisi?!] White Queen: [Have you forgotten? 'Lisi' specifically refers to whichever sister handles affairs in reality. So before you were born, there was naturally another Lisi.] Little Witch was taken aback, only now recalling that she was a sister born after Lisi Diya had escaped the high tower. Which meant that back when Lisi Diya was still inside the high tower, there must have been another "Lisi." So who was that "Lisi"? Secret Princess was dedicated to Void Realm activities, and while White Queen, Black Butler, and Red Apostle could all become "Lisi," Little Witch now realized that back in the high tower, the "Lisi" handling reality had to be the princess who fit the description of "the purest, most innocent, kindest, and loveliest young maiden." Much as Little Witch loved everyone, she had to admit none of them fit those criteria completely. Compared to them, Papa might honestly fit the bill better. Little Witch: [So we actually have another sister? Why hasn't she ever appeared?] Red Apostle: [Because she is the complete opposite of Diya.] Little Witch: [I don't understand.] White Queen: [She is truly the purest, most innocent, kindest, and loveliest existence. That means even if Diya told her the entire truth, she would never resist this fate, but choose to sacrifice herself to shelter all living beings. What's more, we didn't dare tell her. She was our protective umbrella; if anything went wrong with her, the Empress would discover our existence.] White Queen: [And as long as she existed, Armored Sanctification would proceed. She was our enemy. To survive, she had to disappear.] Little Witch: [D-disappear?! Did... did you—] Black Butler: [We once urged Diya to kill her, but Diya didn't do it. Instead, she sealed her away.] Little Witch: [Sealed away? How?] Red Apostle: [She is different from us. She isn't a sorcery spirit. She and Diya are genuinely multiple personalities, unlike us who can manifest simultaneously. So when she controlled the body, Diya could only stay hidden—that was where the name 'Secret Princess' came from.] [Once Diya took over the body, that personality fell into a deep slumber in the depths of the soul. Unless Diya willingly relinquishes control, she will never wake up.] [And so, we also call her—] ["Sleeping Beauty."] Diya watched as her reflection on the water rippled outward and reformed into a young princess who resembled her true self yet possessed an entirely different aura—as though she had stepped right out of a fairy tale. The princess opened her eyes, covering her mouth with a yawn, and regarded her with a gaze full of wonder and curiosity. "Sister Lisi," Diya bit her lower lip, "please... please save him."