I was once the childhood companion of Aurelius, Crown Prince of the Celestial Realm. For three millennia, I loved him in secret. To win his hand, I knelt before the Celestial Emperor countless times, finally begging a decree for our betrothal. Yet, he treated me with an icy disdain. Because my sister claimed I meant her harm, Aurelius forced me to leap from the Sky-Piercer Spire, condemning me to ten mortal lifetimes as a lesson. A thousand years later, I dragged my scarred, broken celestial body back to the heavens. The lofty Aurelius looked down upon me. "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?" Humbly, I knelt. "I have, Your Highness. I swear on my very soul, I will never again harbor improper thoughts for you." He nodded, satisfied. But when he saw the marks and scars that covered my body, when he learned that for the last millennium, I had been a courtesan in the Abyss of Lost Souls, his eyes turned blood-red, and he went mad with rage. 1 It was my one-thousand-and-fiftieth year working in the Abyss of Lost Souls. Aurelius finally sent someone for me. "By my calculations, Lady Rhea's ten mortal lifetimes should be concluded. Go and bring her back. She can attend the wedding feast for myself and her sister, Lady Lyra." Aurelius's lieutenant had searched the Three Realms for an eternity before finally tracking me to this infernal brothel. When he arrived to collect me, two hulking demons were just leaving my bedchamber. The lieutenant's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "Lady Rhea, what a clever scheme. Hiding in the filthiest corner of the Abyss to evade the Prince's sentence." "You are a Celestial, a princess of the Phoenix Conclave. How could you fall so low?" he spat. "Look at yourself. The sight of you makes me want to vomit." Once, if a mere lieutenant had dared speak to me so, his head would have parted from his shoulders. But I was no longer the Rhea I once was. I lowered my head. "You are right, Lieutenant. I have debased myself. I am unworthy of being a Celestial. Please, take me back to the heavens." I pulled on my robes, but my legs were weak, my body drained of all strength. Impatient, the lieutenant bound me with a Celestial Chain and simply dragged me skyward. The chain was lined with countless tiny barbs. The moment he pulled, a piercing scream tore from my throat. He barked, "What are you screaming for? You have your celestial energy to protect you. As if this chain could truly harm you! If you hadn't been feigning weakness and wasting time, I wouldn't have had to use this at all." When we reached Aurelius's Citadel of Eternal Light, he yanked the chain back. The barbs tore my flesh anew. Blood soaked through my thin robes. I clutched the fabric to myself and knelt on the cold, unforgiving marble. Soon, Aurelius appeared. He sat upon the high throne of his Citadel, his gaze a mixture of coldness and contempt. Everyone in the heavens knew the story: Lady Rhea, the young princess of the Phoenix Conclave, had been infatuated with Crown Prince Aurelius for three thousand years. Trading on their shared childhood, she had openly declared she would marry no other. A millennium ago, to secure a betrothal, I had prostrated myself before the Celestial Emperor countless times, finally earning a royal decree. But Aurelius had rejected it, never showing me an ounce of affection. I had once believed he was simply incapable of love. Then I saw him tenderly tracing my sister Lyra's brow, adjusting her cloak. And I knew. The ice-cold Prince could love. He just didn't love me. A thousand years had only amplified his commanding presence. I kept my head bowed, not daring to meet his eyes. Seeing me, Aurelius's lips tightened in a familiar, downward curve. "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?" he asked. As the words left his mouth, the crushing weight of his royal authority washed over me. My already fragile body couldn't withstand the impact, and I collapsed. Aurelius snorted. "Look at this pathetic display. How pitiful." "Rhea, I am warning you. If you ever dare to think of harming your sister again, I will make you pay a thousand times over." Before he could finish, I scrambled back to my knees, bowing my head to the floor. "I was wrong! I was wrong, Your Highness! I will never dare again!" And I wouldn't. Once, I had believed our shared past made me special in his eyes. But all it took was a single tear from my sister Lyra for him to believe her lies, to condemn me for a crime I never committed. The Prince's sentence of ten mortal lifetimes was nearly impossible to evade, unless one fled to the Abyss. When I refused to go, he drew his sword and forced me to the edge of the Sky-Piercer Spire. "Your heart is black with poison," he'd snarled. "You tried to poison Lyra. A few lifetimes of mortal suffering is a light punishment. What right do you have to refuse?" As I fell, ten thousand bolts of celestial lightning shattered my powers, nearly cleaving my phoenix form in two. Remembering this, I pressed my forehead lower, prostrating myself in supplication. What courage did I have left to resist? How many lives did I have to spare? The celestial handmaidens in the hall began to whisper. "Look at her. A princess of the Conclave, brought to such a miserable end." "It's her own fault for being so greedy, for daring to think she could marry the Prince." "His Highness and Lady Lyra are a perfect match, destined by the heavens. What does she have to do with it?" Celestials have keen senses. Aurelius heard them, but said nothing. I remained bowed, not daring to lift my head. My body trembled as I swore an oath, word by painful word. "Your Highness, it was my foolishness, my delusion. I am awake now. I will never again presume to covet you." "I, Rhea, swear to the heavens, I will never again harbor improper thoughts for the Crown Prince!" "And I sincerely wish you and my sister a blessed union, an eternity of love." I peeked up, offering a placating smile, praying he would finally let me go. Aurelius sneered. "If it weren't for Lyra's kindness, for her begging on your behalf, do you think you would have ever been allowed back?" "You two are sisters, born of the same mother. Lyra is as benevolent as a saint, while your heart is as black as a demon's." "You've returned after your punishment, but a few mortal lifetimes was a pittance. You still need to suffer a little more, to truly learn your lesson." At the word "suffer," I began to shake uncontrollably. The matron of the Abyss brothel used to say the same thing when I was disobedient. Fear paralyzed me. I crumpled to the floor, my face as white as paper. "No, no, I beg you! Please don't punish me again!" "I can leave the Celestial Realm forever! I'll become a mortal! Just please, no more punishment!" But Aurelius saw only another pathetic performance. "Is this a place for you to speak?" he commanded coldly. "Guards! The Lady Rhea has shown disrespect to the Crown. Three hundred lashes!" These were not ordinary lashes. A single strike from his enchanted whip could shatter my phoenix bones. The lieutenant carrying out the sentence, clearly acting on another's orders, aimed every blow at my old wounds, carefully avoiding any fatal injury, leaving me in a state of living death. When it was over, I was alone in the great hall. My body was a bloody ruin, one leg broken. I began to crawl, inch by painful inch, toward my own palace. Behind me, a stark, crimson trail stained the pristine marble of the Citadel of Eternal Light. 2 The Citadel of Eternal Light and my Palace of Moonlight were directly across from each other. As a child, I used to flit between them in the blink of an eye. Now, I crawled from dawn until dusk and still had not reached home. The journey was so long, so agonizing, it brought back a millennium of torment. At the end of the first century, Aurelius had sent a phantom projection of himself to me. He had asked, his voice cold and remote, "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?" At the time, I was fighting for my life every day, battling various demons to protect my virtue, my body covered in wounds. Outrage and grief churned within me. "I did nothing wrong!" I had shouted. And it was true. I had never intended to harm Lyra. It was all a charade she had orchestrated. Aurelius had sneered. "It seems your life is still too comfortable." "I suppose you are of phoenix blood. Even with your powers stripped by the Spire, you still have your phoenix bones to protect you. You must be living as you please among the mortals, knowing nothing of hardship." He had pointed a finger, and a bolt of lightning shattered my phoenix bones. I screamed in agony as the last of my defenses crumbled. After his projection vanished, the demons lurking in the shadows emerged. They took advantage of my grievous injuries, my utter helplessness, and defiled me. They laughed, their voices grating. "A Celestial, as expected. The taste is truly... exquisite." "A delicacy delivered by the Crown Prince himself. How could we not partake?" I cried until I had no tears left, but I was powerless to stop them. At the end of the third century, Aurelius's phantom appeared again. He saw me adorned in fine silks and jeweled hairpins and was incandescent with rage. "I sentenced you to self-reflection, and instead you've made a fine life for yourself!" He didn't know that I had been captured by the brothel matron, dressed in finery, and forced to entertain clients every day. Another bolt of lightning struck. With my bones already broken, I had no defense. This time, one of my celestial tail feathers—the core of my being—shattered. I was the last Rainbow Phoenix in existence. With each lost feather, I moved closer to oblivion. When all seven were gone, I would simply cease to be. At the end of the fifth century, the moment Aurelius appeared, I fell to my knees and confessed. I lied, admitting to everything, begging him to stop punishing me, to let me return. But he only laughed coldly. "A little late for regrets, isn't it? It is Lyra's misfortune to have a sister like you." He shattered another of my feathers, for my "own good." My heart died then. The light in my eyes went out. After that, I learned. When his phantom appeared again, I pretended not to see him. Aurelius, thinking something was amiss, never came back. And so he never knew. I had not been living out ten mortal lifetimes. I had spent a thousand years in the Abyss of Lost Souls. 3 The Palace of Moonlight had been empty for a millennium, draped in dust and decay. But still, a flicker of excitement rose in me. A thousand years, and I was finally home. But just as I reached the threshold, the world went black, and I passed out. When I awoke, I was in a clean, pristine chamber. My wounds had been treated and bandaged. Hearing someone approach, a wave of terrifying memories washed over me, and I shrank back into the bed. "Don't! Stay away!" My sister Lyra entered, carrying a bowl of medicinal broth. Her gaze was soft and full of pity. "Little sister, don't be afraid. It's me." Seeing her, my fear intensified. She offered me the bowl. "I found you collapsed outside your palace. I couldn't bear to leave you there, so I brought you here." "You seem to be covered in wounds," she murmured. "Were your mortal lives so unpleasant? How strange. The Prince placed a powerful ward of protection on you. How could you have sustained so many injuries?" I stared at her, trying to parse the truth from the lies. After Aurelius forced me from the Spire, I should have been reborn a mortal. But as my power faded, a shadowy figure had abducted me and thrown me into the Abyss. Though the figure had concealed its aura, I had seen a flash of blue feathers. And my sister, Lyra, her true form was that of a Blue Phoenix. Who else in the universe could hate me so much? She held a spoonful of the scalding broth to my lips. "Drink, little sister," she cooed, but her eyes were cold, pressuring me. I didn't want it. I shook my head, shrinking away. Suddenly, Lyra cried out. Her hand "slipped," and the bowl shattered on the floor. She shook her head, sighing with theatrical sadness. "Rhea, I know you resent me, but you can't trifle with your own health. If you don't take your medicine, how will your wounds heal?" The words were barely out of her mouth when Aurelius strode into the room. He saw the red, scalded skin on Lyra's hand and his face filled with concern. He immediately lifted her fingers to his lips. Lyra blushed. "Your Highness, Rhea is watching." Aurelius paid me no mind. Only when Lyra's hand was healed did he look up, his eyes blazing with anger at me. "You claimed you had learned your lesson in my Citadel. I see now you haven't learned a thing." "Lyra tries to help you, and you throw hot broth on her. If you want to die, then get out! I will gladly grant your wish. But do not trample on Lyra's kindness here!" Lyra quickly interjected, "Your Highness, don't be angry. My sister is truly, grievously injured…" Aurelius scoffed. "My lieutenant told me everything. He gave her three light taps with the whip, and she was screaming for her life. Three hundred lashes became three. It was a tickle. What injuries could she possibly have?!" My eyes went wide. The lieutenant had lied? He hadn't spared a single lash. Whose orders was he following, to slander me like this? Lyra tried to speak again, but Aurelius marched over and seized my wrist to check my celestial pulse. I flinched, terrified he would discover the truth of my condition. But a second later, he threw my hand down in disgust and wiped his own fingers with a silk handkerchief. "Your celestial energy is abundant, your phoenix bones are strong. You are perfectly fine!" My mouth fell open in disbelief. My very essence was damaged, my powers were gone, shattered a millennium ago at the Spire. How could he say this? Lyra feigned a look of dawning comprehension. "Oh, is that so? Then it seems I was the fool, deceived by Rhea once again." "Sister," she said, turning to me, "why do you always torment me so?" She gave me a small, tight smile, and in it, I saw an ocean of enmity. It was her. It had to be. She had woven some new illusion, some fresh treachery. 4 My father, the Phoenix King, heard I had returned and came to Lyra's palace to see me. At the sight of his familiar face, tears streamed down my cheeks. When I was a child, I was his favorite. If I'd asked for a star from the sky, he would have had the Star-Lord pluck one for me. But after Lyra's endless, subtle manipulations, a chasm had grown between us. Like Aurelius, he believed I had tried to poison my own sister. And so, at our reunion, his eyes held only stern coldness. He was no longer the doting father of my childhood. There would be no indulgence for me. He asked the same question as Aurelius. "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?" I nodded frantically. "I have. I will never dare again." My father's brow furrowed. "What is this... illusion upon you?" Beside him, Lyra's face paled. With a wave of his hand, the spell was broken. The skin of my arms and neck, now exposed, was a tapestry of old and new scars. "Someone has placed an illusion on you to hide your wounds?" he demanded. "Who? Who did this?!" He looked around the room, his gaze falling on my trembling sister. Aurelius, too, sensed something was wrong. "An illusion? Was the pulse I read a lie?" He strode toward me, intending to check my celestial veins again. "It was me!" I cried out, my voice tight with panic. "I cast the spell on myself!" My father stared at me, confused. Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. Aurelius's hand froze in mid-air. He stared at my face, a cold sneer forming on his lips. "It seems Lady Rhea's celestial foundation is quite profound indeed. After ten mortal lifetimes, you still have the power to cast illusions on yourself." Lyra added smoothly, "Aurelius, don't be angry with her. A young girl, sent to the mortal realm... it's only natural she'd feel wronged and want to conjure some fake injuries to get your attention." "When I discovered it and spoke to her, she saw the error of her ways and used another illusion to hide them. It was all just a misunderstanding. Rhea is still young. Don't hold it against her." Her explanation only deepened the disgust in Aurelius's eyes. Even my father, who had shown a flicker of concern, now frowned deeply. "I had hoped your time in the mortal realm would temper you, build your character. But you are the same as you were a thousand years ago—scheming and manipulative!" "Rhea, I am so disappointed in you!" My father's anger was a thunderstorm. I dragged my weak body from the bed and fell to my knees, bowing my head to the ground again and again. "I was wrong! Please, Father, calm your anger!" I bowed until my forehead bled, staining the marble, but no one cared. They saw it as just another small lesson for me. My father swept from the room, Aurelius following him. After seeing them off, Lyra returned and kicked me to the ground. "Well done, Rhea. It seems your millennium in the Abyss has taught you a thing or two. You even know how to cover for me now." She giggled, covering her mouth. The implication of her words hit me, and I shot my head up, glaring at her. "It was you! You're the one who sent me to the Abyss!" Lyra sat gracefully, a perfect celestial being compared to the wretched creature I was on the floor. In the face of my accusation, she just smiled. "Yes. And what of it? Just like today, you knew I cast the illusion, but you only dared to tell Father and Aurelius that you did it yourself." "You did the right thing, you know. If you had exposed me, I have a thousand ways to defend myself. It would only have deepened their disgust for you. In their eyes, I am the moon in the sky, and you are the mud on their boots. You see the difference, don't you?" Her words were daggers, each one piercing my heart. It was true. In their eyes, I was nothing but filth. There was another reason I had lied. I was terrified that if Aurelius discovered the true extent of my injuries, he would demand to know how I got them. And then, he would uncover the unspeakable memories of the last millennium. I had been ruined, tainted beyond repair. I couldn't bear to have my shame exposed before him and my father. It would be worse than death. So I had to hide it all—the scars, and the thousand years in the Abyss. Lyra grabbed my throat, forcing me to meet her eyes. The horrific memories flooded back, and I began to tremble uncontrollably, terror spilling from my eyes. "What are you afraid of, little sister? Let me tell you the truth. Aurelius's lieutenant is my man, too. I knew where you were all along. I just told him to take his time finding you. So he made a little detour through the Three Realms before coming to get you." "Another fifty years in the Abyss for you. You don't blame me, do you, sister?" "And the three hundred lashes that he told Aurelius was only three? That was my idea, too. Even if the truth came out, Aurelius wouldn't blame him. He'd just assume you were up to your old manipulative tricks." "So, you see, you have to swallow all this bitterness. Just like when that matron forced you to take clients, broke your teeth, and you had to swallow them down and keep working through the night." Every word she spoke was a fresh agony. Tears streamed down my face. I was choking, trembling, unable to form a single word, only a silent, desperate scream. She knew. She knew everything. She was the architect of my ruin. And I was drowning in a grief I could share with no one.
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