Prologue
Jessica loved a man once and now as she flew on her cloud-pine, she was thinking of him and of all the errors she had made. She was flying low, away from her bickering sisters and sought temporary refuge in the wide span of the night sky. There was only the sound of the wind and the moon bathed her in its gleam light.
"Where am I going?" She asked herself, suddenly aware of what she had done and what she was supposed to do. She imagined what her sisters must have thought of her sudden departure from the council. She could already hear her oldest sister say: "That wasn't very polite, Jessica."
Jessica was three hundred years old and not once did she disobey tradition. But tonight, Jessica, third-in-line to the Divine Throne of the Soshi Empire, would do it twice.
--
Kwon Yuri was running. She was running for her life. The man had a gun and like everyone else, Yuri knew that one shot was all it would take to end someone's life. The adrenaline rush went steady for her. She was now sure she was almost flying as she jumped up the fence and landed easily.
Bang!
Yuri fell forward, her hands automatically shielding her face against the impact. She rolled on the hard cement for a good two meters before lying flat on her back and panting hard. She didn't feel anything, couldn't feel anything other than how it was difficult to breathe after the fall. The man in pursuit slowly walked towards her. He seemed almost afraid to get near his victim. He slightly raised his hand that held the gun towards the now unusually quiet girl. His aim was steady and most certainly precise.
A swift and flawless death -
his superior had ordered. The hitman took forty-three seconds before he finally pulled the trigger. Yuri closed her eyes and felt the bullet hit her or rather, felt a searing pain enter through her heart that travelled swiftly across her body. Amidst the ordeal, Kwon Yuri had the time to ask herself:
Am I even supposed to feel any pain with this kind of death?
Then she opened her eyes and for forty-three seconds, saw Jessica's world
and it was dying.
--
Jessica witnessed the sudden flash up ahead. It looked like someone drew a straight yellow line across the sky. She didn't have time to shield her eyes as she saw the brilliant glow from where the light struck. It was in the mountains, the strike destroyed a mile's worth of trees. Under the moonlight, the damage looked ominous. Jessica cautiously descended towards the center point of the impact.
Keeping a firm hand on her cloud-pine in case of unexpected situations, she hovered above the mist and saw a form. It was human, that much she could tell. Jumping off her cloud-pine, she walked towards the lying figure. She quickly summoned a light with her right hand, circling her index finger as the soft light grew bigger above them. The girl's face came into view and Jessica decided right there and then that she was harmless. She bent down low, taking in more of the other person's features.
"What are you?" came from the girl. So low was her voice that it was almost a whisper. It was enough indication for Jessica to know that she was in pain and it was only later, in the comfort of her own home, that Jessica had the time to reflect on the girl's peculiar question.
Suddenly feeling impatient, Jessica abruptly pushed the light she created a while ago higher above them.
"Illuminate."
As soon as Jessica finished the last syllable, the small ball of light burst into the sky and effectively lit the entire forest. She looked down and noticed for the first time that the girl's clothes were soaked with blood and so was the ground beneath her. The girl weakly raised one of her hands to cover her eyes from the blinding light. At the slight movement, more blood slowly trailed away from the girl. The grass underneath her was turning into crimson, intent on erasing any traces of green at all.
