THE ARCHAIC SKY

CHAPTER: THE TROUBLES OF HER LAZARUS

Shixian

The land under the eye of the lord of earth and goddess order was one the newly made archon named Zhong yuan. She is one of the only remaining original gods, the first reincarnate of the primordial spirit shan. Her rulings were strict under her iron fist as she kept order and balance to the kingdom she ruled. Until, eventually, her single kingdom split into two, now named Jieshi and Xueyan.

The war between Xueyan and Jieshi caused a lot of strains between her and the royal blood. On one hand, Xueyan had the council of xingqun who found commerce to be the best way to honor the lord of trade, but order too used to be heavenly ideal of the goddess. A divine ideal that's now taken the lesser lord of nightly earth.

And so the priests of the temples had gathered around the royal king lang yangjian. And so the land of zhongyuan was split into two. With the kingdom of Xueyan that stood around the mountain of yuguang where the yiyan palace stood tall along with the shimen temple. In the opposite land stood the Huangjin chamber where the xinqun council over looked the lands.

The lands between were ravaged, leaving nothing but ruin and dirt as all the grass had been stomped, the buildings blown up and and trees cut down. The plains between them that was once brilliant and thriving now a desolate land of returning and departing.

Xuyang's own region, mingyun, was destroyed by the war. Eventually she had to leave Jieshi and enter Xueyan where she forced herself to learn the trades of her family's old trade guild. For years her days were scheduled to the very minute. She's wake up, and eat, then study, then eat, and sleep and it repeated over and over to no end. It killed her to be so bored out of her mind. Even sneaking out to play with friends began to be boring when the only way to sneak out began to be repetitive. But now it was paying off seeing as she was invited to the yashiro commission's event for the five hundredth festival of descension.

It all paid off, everyone knew her name. and yet she was so very bored. Everyone around her said the same thing. Did the same thing. It killed her seeing them all be so polite behind their fake masks that veiled their true, selfish intentions. Most of them were directed at her, they all needed her help. And it was her fault, because she built up her own reputation.

Hirai Hayato, a dear friend. He needed something from her. he needed a friend and she was unfortunate enough to be there. He was entertaining for a while, up until he left without a word. And now that he returned, he didn't need her anymore.

Huiying and bao'er, they were just her colleagues. The only ones who were of the same rank of her. yet they provided no comfort. Huiying was ambitious and wanted the favour of the xingqun. Bao'er was more contempt. But even she had clandestine plans and ulterior motives.

And now she was left with the lady Amara herself. So kind and soft spoken. The saintess of the skies in the flesh. The one rumoured to be able to speak to spirits and illuminated beings without training as a shrine maiden. Everyone was after her as well. And now Xuyang can't help but wonder if Amara could be trusted. And so, she couldn't help but over her Amara's conversation with lady Hirai.

Xuyang always wondered why Hayato was always so loyal to his family. speaking greatly of them, working to the point of destruction for them, spoiling his siblings, helping his parents. When all they did was send him away over and over. Fearing him slightly for the things he's done and experienced when he did everything for them.

He was the fourth son of the Hirai family. rather disposable seeing as he had three older siblings and three younger ones. He would have been forgotten and left alone if it weren't for his dull eyes and gift for the blade.

As much as she prided herself in being close to Hayato, she really isn't. it was merely another business transaction. Seeing as she needed entertainment and he needed company. not only that but he disappeared a lot for someone who was always in the spotlight. At first it was for three days. Then two months. Now if she wasn't wrong, the last she saw of him before this festival was four years ago. And now he's back, with an Araceli.