Legend of the Lotus Book

Prologue

In the ancient days, when the realm was one, the Majesty of Lotus found a hatchling abandoned by his mother. This fragile creature resided within an egg, devoid of sustenance and warmth for its growth. Touched by compassion, Her Majesty raised the dragonet as her own, nurturing it as any mother would.

The dragon was pure white as snow, adorned with four legs and scales as soft as the finest fur. When it exhaled, it conjured clouds upon which immortals would dance. It proved to be the kindest and most selfless of all dragons known to immortals.

Her Majesty named him Guang Xiang. Guang for light and Xiang for soars above.

The dragonet was beloved by all, that even when Her Majesty's heart found love in the arms of Hong Wen Hua, he happily erected a grand castle to provide a dwelling fit for the extinct creature.

Yet, all joy turned to sorrow when Her Majesty's love abandoned her for another. Heartbroken and betrayed, she retreated to the far reaches of the realm to nurse her pain.

Consumed by bitterness, she turned her wrath on the race associated with the woman who had stolen her lover. She hunted the fairies, extinguished their Primordial Spirits, and fed them to her beloved dragon.

The dragon grew enormously as the Primordial Spirit of the fairy cultivated his power to be unmatched by anyone; though because of this did he also lose his heavenly aura.

Its purity ebbed as darkness immersed its being. Scales turned from soft fur and hardened into ice. Its breath turned from clouds into red blazing fire.

Nevertheless, the love and loyalty the dragon had for Her Majesty did not waver. It but grew as Her Majesty deeply cared and loved the dragon.

Fed up with the cruelty of their oppressor, the fairies joined hands to plot Her Majesty's assassination. As Guang Xiang hibernated, they succeeded in ending his mistress's life by crushing her Primordial Spirit and dissipating her core.

The dragon was consumed by grief and heartache, driven to despair and isolation. In a desperate attempt to end his suffering, he repeatedly crushed his own head so he would die. Yet, his strength was too immense for such an act to kill him. With each attempt, his head split and regenerated into another. On the seventh try, he realized he now possessed seven heads.

Filled with anger and bitterness toward the realm that had inflicted such suffering upon him, he took away the three seasons, plunging the land into eternal winter. Many creatures succumbed to the unyielding cold, and death became the dew lingering in the realm. In the million years to follow, the realm would suffer in turmoil, bearing the wrath of the dragon.

Legend whispers that the only means to vanquish him is to uncover the Lotus Book that Her Majesty left behind. Within its pages lies the secret to defeating the dragon, Guang Xiang, and restoring balance to the realm.

S.V