“For starters, how and where are they born,” ZaiWin replied, taking the armchair next to hers, and she took a deep breath, elegantly crossing her legs beneath her white robes.

“Like everyone else, I suppose. They can be born anywhere in the Empire. But, from what I’ve learned, they’re normally born as children of a Clan. It doesn’t have to be a big or important one, or even a noble Clan like ours. But I guess that the Heavens feel that they’ll be safer if they’re born into a family with some kind of foundation. In all history only three Tien’Elhar were born into poor families,” she promptly replied and Snow steeled his heart, guessing that the following conversation would be filled with information that was supposedly directly related to him.

“And they’re always girls. No exceptions,” ZaiWin wanted to make sure and VinWei nodded.

“Always girls, with golden hair and golden eyes.”

“And they are only born in our Wen Empire.”

“That’s right. Legend says that thousands of years ago the entire Continent was just a big, barren desert. Back then three brave, adventurous brothers and their respective families and servants, arrived at the shores of what is now the Province of Ven. They had come in search of new lands to explore and decided to make this Continent their new home. However, no matter how much they plowed the soil, or how many times they threw their nets into the ocean, no seed would take root and no fish would fill their nets. Seeing their hard work and taking pity on their families about to starve, the Gods offered to help them and divided the Continent in three large extensions, gifting one to each of the three brothers, so that they could each have their own piece of land. However, not all the land was the same.

“The southern area, where they had disembarked, was completely barren. The eastern lot was filled with dangerous,wild, deadly creatures. Only the western part held fertile soil, rivers of fresh water, and lakes overflowing with fish. And so, to balance things out between the three brothers, the Gods sent their magnificent sacred beasts, the Haemao, to help the brother of the east, so that the people could have a fighting chance against the vicious creatures that plagued the land. And he sent the Tien’Elhar to the south, so that they could bless and heal the land with their caring hands, and make it bare fruit so that the people would not starve.

“The land to the eastern became known as the Ran Empire. The one to the west, the Sen Empire. And to the south, the Wen Empire. Legend says that, to watch over the three brothers and their people, and to make sure that the Heavenly Laws were always observed, the Gods created a fourth bloodline, the Dragon Clan, that the people nowadays call the Demon Clan. And they took residence in the Ice Mountains that split the Continent into the three known Empires. They have lived there since then, silently watching over us.”

“You mean like heavenly spies?” ZenTar asked and she smiled.

“Some believe so, yes. In any case, our ancestors had no doubts about that, reason why they preferred to keep them at a distance. The Dragon Clan also didn’t show any desire to mingle with us, which still remains apparently true, and so they usually keep to their mountains.”

Snow recalled the column of white-haired people that had left the Fortress and their beautiful prince. Maybe he should have tried to go with them, he considered, watching the tree leaves dancing outside. Living his life in peace, somewhere hidden in some forgotten mountain, didn’t sound all that bad.

“So Celestials are born to common people. Then what?” ZaiWin asked, bringing the conversation back to its main topic, and VinWei sighed as if she were looking at a crazy, delirious person, and had just opted to indulge his madness.

“Usually the closest Varsen to the mother’s location will receive a revelation before they are born. Once the revelation is made known the Clan must then contact the Temple, so that the mother may be taken in. The Temple will be responsible for caring for her and her well-being until the time of birth. Once the Tien’Elhar is safely born, the mother is returned to her family and the child remains in the Temple’s care.”

“So mothers are never allowed to keep their babies,” ZaiWin wanted to make sure and VinWei’s scandalized expression was answer enough.

“Of course not! They’re not their babies to begin with! Tien’Elhar belong to the Empire and they come into this world with a higher mission. To be chosen to bear one of the Tien’Elhar is a great honor and the Empire heavily compensates the family for it, usually by granting them titles. But everyone knows that a Tien’Elhar can never belong to one single family.”

“So they remain in the Temple’s care. And they are raised by the Jundai,” ZaiWin summarized.

“Not any Temple and not any Jundai. Unlike the mothers, who remain in the main Temple of their home Province until they give birth, the Tien’Elhar are all sent to the main Temple in the Palace, and raised by the Jundai’El. Since you lived there as a child I thought you’d know this.”

Snow stole a glance at ZaiWin and saw him avert his gaze, obviously uncomfortable with those words.

So he’d been right, Snow thought, that cold man wasn’t just anyone.

“That was a long time ago and I was too young to pay attention to such things,” he grunted and VinWei nodded thoughtfully.

“I guess you’re right. And they probably don’t announce it openly, for everyone to know, even though it’s common knowledge for those who have an interested in the subject,” she agreed.

“And so they live in the Palace until the Ceremony?” ZaiWin went on and she nodded.

“That’s right. The first Haehir is held after they’ve been living for at least six years in the Palace. During the Ceremony the doors to the Palace’s Temple are opened to anyone who wishes to receive the Tien’Elhar’s blessing, and people from all over the Empire travel especially to attend it. Of course the main objective of the Haehir, like everyone knows, is to allow the Tien’Elhar to meet as many people as possible, in hopes they might select their Chosen One.

“If a Chosen One isn’t selected a new Haehir is to be held the following year, and so on. When a Chosen One is finally selected a great celebration is held throughout the Empire, especially within the Palace and, of course, in the Province of origin of the blessed one. For it is believed that when a Tien’Elhar binds herself to her Chosen One the Chosen One’s Province is bound to flourish. The lands and seas become richer, the weather becomes gentler, disease and war occur with less frequency. This was, after all, the Gods intent when they sent the Tien’Elhar to help our ancestors.”

“But from what I know, even though a lot of people from all over the Empire attend these Ceremonies, most of the times the Chosen Ones are royals,” ZaiWin pointed out and VinWei leaned forward, propping an elbow on her knee to rest her head on one hand, the blond waves of her hair sliding like cascades of gold over her shoulders.

“Well, it’s true that most of them are royals. But there’s been a good few of noble blood,” she stated in a strange, significant way, and ZaiWin seemed slightly disturbed by her silent implication.

“Even in those cases, it’s not like there isn’t any connection to the imperial bloodline.”

“That’s also true, I suppose. But if you look at things like that, and trace the origins of every Clan, noble or not, you’ll probably find that there are a lot of people connected to the imperial bloodline out there.”

ZaiWin nodded his agreement, his expression pensive.

“So unless they choose someone they’ll remain in the Temple’s care? No matter how long it takes?”

“No matter how long it takes.”

“And how do they know when they have found their Chosen One?”

“That no one really knows for sure, and none of the Tien’Elhar was able to clearly explain it either. They just know. And it has happened that they end up choosing someone they didn’t choose the year before. So it’s not like all that’s needed is to lay their eyes on someone.

“Some Jundai believe that they are attracted to the intensity of that person’s honest prayer. Reason why they are so insistent that people should go to the Temple and offer their prayers regularly, no matter their age.

“One thing is known, however. It’s been a very long time since a Tien’Elhar has chosen an adult as their Chosen One. On the other hand there are also those that argue that this only happens because younger children are being allowed to participate in the Haehir, which didn’t use to happen five-hundred-years ago or so. Back then only adults were allowed to come and offer their prayers.”

ZaiWin looked pensive again and Snow knew exactly why. If he really was one of those Tien’Elhar and if he had somehow chosen him like they all seemed to believe, then he could add one more abnormality to the long list that seemed to characterize his existence.

So yeah, I know there are a few strange words in there, but please don’t feel too stressed. ^_^;