“The Mother of Monsters is the origin of many of the creatures that haunt the Mainland and beyond. Many, but not all. We should always be aware of what is lurking in the dark...and in the light.” ~ Methas Oceangazer, Traveler of Arsa Lenora

Serena gazed at the library that for millennia had been the sacred duty of preserving knowledge. While many would balk at the simple task of records keeping, she had always loved the quiet power of words. To be able to shape reality through deeds was fair enough, but there was always a rush to control the narrative. To access knowledge and training, and to use them were a far greater draw than the duties that awaited her right then. With a heavy gaze, Serena turned from her heart’s desire to the intimidating gates that led to the Heir Courtyards.

Beyond the gates, she found herself in the elaborate courtyard where the potential heirs had their own smaller palaces. The Kanki clan prided themselves for their very long lives and youth, even for celestials. Such blessings came at the reduced birth rate, causing them to develop a merit-focused way of handling the arduous task of selecting the top four. Only those who could rise above the rest could live in the protected grounds and receive the greatest benefits.

Serena could count herself as lucky to live in one of the largest and well-taken care of abodes, but it was a fancier gilded cage. Her affinity for words and languages, along with diplomacy, forced her to all but remain active in court manners. With her fascination and aptitude for alchemy and artificing, she preferred staying in her palace. Her only solace was that she could not be used to produce another lineage or for more conventional political marriages. There were more benefits to being a Corpseborn than even she imagined.

Wandering down the pathways and passing through the various flower and material gardens, Serena ended up at the doors leading to the main palace. Through them, and down several passageways, then up a flight of stairs, would be the grand ballroom. It was a rather whimsical place of playing to the nobles and wealthy and was away from the throne room. With her grandfather being bedridden as of late, she had been nominated to act in his stead for the glory of the empire. This was the best option to try and maintain stability as she did her best to remain neutral. Other members of her kin and kind disliked her attempt to prevent the rebellion from spreading. A few fools even went full turncoat to join the side that would destroy them, only to be killed once their use was run out by their allies.

Better death by them than if Loras caught them.

Entering the palace, Serena headed to the guest section, already seeing the hallways bustling with the oblivious wealthy. Their world was on verge of falling apart, but they drank their time away. Each person was dressed in a more fashionable and extravagant manner than the last, putting her modest black dress and trouser combination to shame. Even wearing something as mild as this stunned a few people, but Serena didn’t care about their approval.

The wheels of history were turning, and tonight would be the beginning of the end. Serena was sure of that. She would do all she could to remain one of the survivors.

Before she could linger on that train of thought, as the Earthfolk say, the messenger at the door announced her presence and she had to enter the great hall.

A hush fell over the ballroom, and the gathered members of the high-ranking celestials watched her. The silence was a mixture of predatory and prey, and Serena raised her head up in defiance. She has never broken down before them, nor will she let them see how they affect her. She was raised better than to show weakness before those who would use it to their advantage.

In the back of the room were the tiered tables where her clan was seated. As they were based on merits, of worth, those who sat beside the Ruler’s throne, were the potential heirs. It did not matter if they were generations away from the ruler, even if only the first four generations had a traditional right to them. Below them were the next three generations from the current ruler, along with outliers.

Her own father, and half-sister, were among the lower seats. As Serena passed by them to the right-hand seat of the throne that was her due, she nodded in greeting. Her sire grimaced as he returned the gesture, his mouth twisted in a pained distortion of a smile. Theodora was all too happy to greet her, even to the point of forgetting her station and hugging her.

“I’m so glad to see you again. It’s been some time since we last saw each other,” the bubbly girl said, oblivious to how she stiffened.

It took a few moments for Serena to respond, and when she did, it was little more than a rough pat on the head. The gesture was more akin to how one would treat a pet than a human, but Theodora beamed and let her go.

Serena considered her elder sister with warinesss, doing her best to not show displeasure at the attempt at fondness. Born of their father’s countless indiscretions, Theodora was only acknowledged as a Kanki due to her insight abilities. Even then, it was far past the point of conventional noble upbringing so her personality never changed.

Her naivety and innocence did capture the hearts of the more worthless nobles. As did her deciding to befriend all beings had affected the normal citizens. Such actions lacked forethought since her life was always endangered. Many of their warriors lost their lives to save her. With hair as dark as night and eyes the color of malachite, the young woman gave off a sickening purity that rubbed Serena the wrong way.

Everyone loved someone who was clueless, or as Serena considered it, played the angle. They could protect her and see themselves as greater for their deed. It was better than to serve someone like her who had been trained to provide rewards and punishments based on the situation.

“It has been a while, dear sister,” Serena mused. Over six months had passed since they last had to be at a major function together. She had little taste for the pageantry, preferring meetings to socialize about nonsense. Theodora was her opposite, failing at anything about duties and diplomacy or tactics. To make up for it, she always knew the latest gossip, though it was more often worthless information. “You look well.”

She did look healthy, with a dark green dress that was rather modest. The bottom half was in tiers of ruffles, and the short sleeves gave her a playful sensation to the outfit. The woman took after her mother more, aging far faster than other members of the clan. No, she was in her forties in appearance but a teen in mentality, and being around her challenged Serena’s mental strength.

Serena often wondered what her father thought when he looked at the child he supposedly doted on. She was older than him in appearance by a decade or more, so it was quite hilarious, at least to her. Indulging oneself with other beings was expected for those who could live for millennia even without training in energy. To accept a half-human who might only live only to five hundred or so could be seen as dishonorable. Theodora was already pushing three hundred and was only five years older than her and Loras. It put the idea of the quality of the bloodlines into play.

“I am! Thank you for noticing.” Theodora renewed the grip on Serena’s hands as she had long let go of the hug. There was a strange intensity to her as she lowered her voice. “I know that we have had our disagreements, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciate you. You will get everything you deserve and more than that in the future. The love of the masses, your various desires of the heart, everything you wanted and aimed to get will be yours.”

Some part of her wanted to comment that, yes that is how goals work, or that she didn’t want the love of the sheep, but Serena stopped herself. Theodora’s insights were as dubious and ever-changing as they were stable, and one never knew if it would have any truth to them until it happened. Still, there was no reason to push such things away.

“Thank you, sister. I appreciate it,” Serena said, her voice softer than it usually was toward her. The fact Theodora saw her at all made her feel wanted. Most of her visions centered on those she had connections or emotional investment in. It’s why so many people tried to court her favor.

Only then did Theodora let go of her, and Serena continued to join the others. There were five chairs at the dining table, each one more immaculate than the others. The one in the center was the ruler’s throne, made of alchemically enhanced wood and stone. Carved with countless symbols and words of foreign languages that drifted around and shifted in the light. To either side were chairs made from the same material and design, though smaller and grander in scale. The ones on the right and left were the second largest, with the right one being the bigger of the two. All this was a way to see who would be the next leader of the empire.

Serena came to a halt at seeing her grandfather present for the gathering. Crowned in a golden circlet and half-hidden in the pale white hair and beard, the man’s sharp maroon gaze pierced her. Without skipping a beat, she initiated a formal bow at the waist.

“I greet you, Your Majesty. May your endeavors echo throughout history and all worlds.” Serena might have been a bit too formal for an heir, but her grandfather always preferred one to show respect to history.

The old emperor motioned for her to rise, and she did so with a single smooth motion. “I thank you for your kind words, granddaughter. Please, sit down.”

Serena lowered her head once more before heading to the man’s right where her spot was. The other members had long settled into their seats, and she smiled at her twin beside her. Loras grinned back, the generally morose man’s expression had spread from ear to pointed ear. It had been some time since she last saw her other half. His presence brought more comfort than Serena had expected.

Serena had inherited their grandfather’s appearance, mixed with her mother’s mind, while her twin was their mother’s child. Her skin was the color of a bleached skull while his flesh was the color of platinum. Both of them had very long, thick, and wavy hair of bone-white yet their eyes differed. His was the color of a winter sky and hers was the color of dried blood. Both of them were beautiful in their own way, even if she appeared to be a bit more androgynous than she would like.

Her beloved Loras was third in line for the throne, while the second was a very distant second cousin. So removed from grandfather was the man, that there were only the barest traces of links to the line. It was enough to warrant the emperor’s interest and investment. Especially after all the achievements, he accomplished.

Serena glanced at the red-haired man on the other side of the emperor. He had been watching her it seems, and when their gaze met, he gave her an ecstatic smile. It was one she returned.

Senku was her dearest friend and confidant, outside of her twin of course, and they had known each other for a very long time. A few centuries at least. She had healed him up when he was a small kit, barely able to keep a human form at the best of times.

Like her brother, Senku was aesthetically attractive. At least for a kitsune cultivator aiming to become a celestial. Skin the color and texture of cream, hair the color of a scarlet sunset, and eyes the color of golden sun, as more poetic souls would phrase it.

Historically, the four potential heirs were to help each other. Regardless of who becomes the next ruler, each one specialized in different fields and so formed a council. She was the Archivist, Loras was the Spymaster, and Senku was the Warlord. Serena glanced at the cloaked and hooded unknown figure in the fourth spot. They had never met before, but she took that to mean that he was the Entrepreneur.

Dinner was soon served for the function, and conversation bubbled up from all over. Serena stared down at her meal of roasted venison, with a side of roasted potatoes covered with diced rosemary. Everything seemed to be made to replenish energy or boost the body. That was fine, but she would rather not be at this gathering.

The only small benefit was that the heirs and emperor would be having a meeting with various leaders after the dinner. Everyone else would engage in dances or meaningless socializing. She could avoid having to flop about before their eyes for another day.

She picked up the glass of red wine and brought it to her lips. A sense of foreboding swept her as she picked up the faint trace of aconite and belladonna. A fatal combination on its own, but if mixed with an otherwise scentless poison, it would be undetected. Hells, Serena was only able to notice it because she worked with plants of all kinds for so long.

Serena immediately turned to her brother and felt something sharp poke into her neck. It was a needle, she belatedly realized, and she stared at the pained expression on Loras’s face.

He pushed back the hair from her face as darkness closed in on her.

Throughout this strange series of events, all Serena could think of was how the rumor of Senku and Loras being spotted with known rebels was true.