A third of the continent was lorded over by the Iron-Blood Kings, the Courts of Steel and Amber, and the Radiant Orrichalcum Gardens.

These three gate sects, were aligned together to form, the Faction known as the South-Harta Alliance.

Countless minor sects, and lesser factions were consolidated under them, and their rule was spread across five of the major nations of the continent,. and several other smaller nations.

On one particular year, the Alliance recruited a grand total of seven thousand, five hundred and thirty-two new disciples. Roughly two thousand of which, were recruited into the smaller sects and lesser organizations.

Four thousand became the disciples of the three Great Sects’ subsidiary sects. With the great sects themselves only accepting a little under one thousand new disciples, with most of them being added into the forces of the outer-circle of the sect.

The most powerful of the Alliance, the Iron-Blood Kings, with their ideal of creating apex warriors, and mighty powerhouses, would recruit the least amount of disciples. Taking in only one hundred new bodies. Always choosing quality over quantity.

The most populous and well-known of the alliance, the Courts of Steel and Amber with all their numerous subsidiaries and affiliated organizations, would take in the most new bodies. Accepting over six hundred new disciples.

Finally, the wealthiest, and most discrete, of the alliance, the Radiant Orrichalcum Gardens, would take in a number, that wasn’t too much, and not too little. Absorbing only as many new bodies, as they had need for. Taking in two hundred new disciples.

*****

Numbered amongst the new disciples that the Orrichalcum Gardens took in, would be one newcomer who stood out amongst the rest. Upending decades of tradition by actually winning the recruitment tournament, and shaking the continent, as part of a simple greeting to his master.

His master, who was now understood to be one of the enigmatic, and inscrutable, crouching tigers and hidden dragons of Embla. One amongst the myriad number of great unspeakably powerful great cultivators who lay scattered throughout the land.

Taking the youth himself, and the legendary personage of his esteemed master into account, the youth would once more buck the common sense of the period. Becoming one of the rare recruits, who were directly pulled into the Inner-Circle of one of the Great Sects.

*****

Vanessa sat in a porch that overlooked a vast and many flowered field. She was attended by two servants, one a green skinned, white horned Jotuness. The other, a monstrum, one of the human form demonbeasts. A cat-woman, with pale pink skin, yellow hair, and furry triangular ears on top of her head.

“Ah...it’s a nice day, today as well..” she said. Staring out towards the field and admiring the way evening sun, cast its orange-red light over the many-colored field.

“Yes, Madame.” said the two servants.

Van nodded and then she massaged bridge of her nose, quietly wondering what on Embla was going on with her life. Still struggling to deal with, the small amount of whiplash left over from her circumstances shifting too quickly.

First she was hunted, then she was not, then her birth-father’s side of her bloodline started acting up, now she was a “Lady”, head wife of a great estate.

It was like she was sitting taking in a play, struggling to catch up, because the script kept jumping around to different acts in the story, and the director was a shoddy one.

On the one hand, she couldn’t complain, since at the very least, it seemed this story was going in her favor. On the other hand, she wished, whoever was in charge, would have given her a playbill, or some notes on what her part in all this was.

She was finding herself feeling a tad lost.

Van looked down at her hand, frowning at the ring, her husband gave her, when he told her what he’d done.

The simply circle of white-gold and crystal, seeming almost suspiciously innocuous to the young woman, who knew what it truly was, besides being a symbol of her husband’s affection.

She smiled, as she thought of it, knowing that at the very least, no matter what else might have changed, the man she was married to was still the same worrisome, but kind hearted young doofus, he’d always been.

Content to pursue his various hobbies, and fulfil his duties as a son, brother, husband and sect-member, but leaving all else to her discretion because he just couldn’t be bothered.