Johanne Green is a 15-year-old girl who lives in Golden City, the capital of West Land, the place where everyone has a guardian angel to protect them and guide them towards purification.
Johanne's mother is the mayoress of Golden City, Linda Black...
In a small hut of a peasant couple was born a child with golden hair. Unfortunately for the couple, it was a girl - it was not good news because poor families could hardly sustain daughters in that century. Men could work well in the fields, could become scholars and be accepted for different professions, and could also become monks and priests to study the history of angels and strive to become High Priests - the ones with the strongest spiritual power who were to dwell in the Golden Tower and relay the wishes of the High Forces to people. Girls, on the other hand, could do nothing of that sort. They were forbidden to be appointed for professions, and could not work in the fields either, due to their weak physique. Moreover, they were strictly forbidden to become priests and of course, High Priests. Discovering a woman on such a position would mean certain death for them. They were only permitted to become nuns and live in convents together with other women, in the service of the High Forces for the rest of their lives. The other option for them was to wed and bear children to their husbands, but in this case, too, they should come from capable families, so that the suitors would desire them.
Thus, the couple grieved greatly. They strove to raise the child the best they could, but it became harder and harder for a poor family like them. The woman passed away shortly after childbirth, because of improper care. The man agonized over it. He abandoned the daughter in an orphans' house and left, never to return.
The child grew in the orphans' house. She learned about her parents from the keepers of the house - old nuns who had founded a convent where the orphans' house operated. They took care of the little girls who were abandoned and would later take them under their protective wing, turning them into nuns as well.
The child was called Joan. It was the name her family had given her, as the nuns were informed by her father long ago. Joan grew in the children's house together with other orphan girls - her companions and friends. Her extraordinary golden hair was admired by many people who visited the children's house for charity purposes. Once, when the High Priest of that time visited the convent, he got quite interested in the young girl who was back then but ten years old, and, looking into her light blue eyes full of purity and innocence, and spotting her shiny golden hair, he concluded:
"That child is but a newly born soul. This may be her very first life on this earth. If she does not get corrupted in this current life of hers, she might even become an angel when she rejoins the High Forces."
"Oh, we have high hopes for Joan." The elder nun gave him a respectful smile. "We think she'll do an excellent job as a nun in our convent."
"May I have a talk with her?" the High Priest inquired.
The nun nodded and called for the child:
"Joan, come here!"
Joan, who was playing with the other girls, once heard the call, ran up to the elders with her bare feet and gave them an innocent, kind grin:
"Yes, madam?"
"Joan, His Holiness wants to have a talk with you." The nun glanced at the High Priest with a humble gaze.
"Oh..." Joan shrugged and looked up at the old priest, who smiled down at her.
"Hello there, my child," he uttered, "Joan, right? Here, this is for you." He gave her some candy.
"Oh..." Joan blinked and grabbed the delicious sweets, clearly happy that she had gotten some.
"Joan, what should you say when they gift something to you?" the nun reminded her.
"I want more?" Joan looked up at the High Priest with the same innocent gaze. The nun furrowed her brow, while the priest let out a laugh.
"Leave her be, madam. It is fine," he told the nun and turned back to the child, "The High Forces teach us to accept kindness with gratitude and be content with what we have, dear."
"I give you my gratitude for your gift, my lord." Joan bowed as a sign of respect. "But," she added, piercing the priest's eyes with her own, "giving out some candy, for a man who lives in the Golden Tower and has all the riches of this world in return for relaying the High Forces' words to us people, can hardly be called 'kindness', but rather a 'giveaway'. And one should not be content with what they have. Instead, they should follow the example of the High Forces and strive to gain more in this world, to become better and better, until they reach a perfect state and are worthy to return to the High Forces. If they did not strive for such perfection, the High Forces would never be extending their borders against the Black Energy."
The High Priest was left speechless, while the nun grew bewildered - she dared talk like that to His Holiness?!
"Joan," she spoke, "go to your room."
"Eh? What wrong have I done, madam?" Joan raised an eyebrow in clear confusion - she had only said the truth.
"Do not talk back to the elders!" The nun's frown deepened.
Seeing her anger, Joan gulped and decided to obey. However, before doing so, she furrowed her brow and gave the candy back to the stupefied priest.
"When you decide to lend a true helping hand to the poor orphans like us who are dying of hunger while you relax in the Golden Tower, only then, shall I humbly accept your 'kindness', Priest. Until then, I would prefer to continue striving in this life just like my fellow companions do. Oh, and one more thing - when you give a gift to an orphan in a children's house, you should give gifts to all of us, not just me."
With those words, she left the place, not lending an ear to the nun's reproaches anymore. The nun got incensed - this stuck-up child! Who did she think she was?! The priest, on his part, was left dumbfounded - this child was not ordinary at all.
In the evening, when the High Priest and his delegation left, Joan was, of course, punished by beating and was locked up in her room, but she did not mind - it was not a rare occurrence, after all... She did cry a lot, however. She wept and whimpered, cursing the fate that had brought her into this world as a feeble woman who was incapable of accomplishing great deeds.
Why can't they understand that we, women, can be great too? We are equal!
She pressed her hand to her heart, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
I wish so badly that I could live in a world, where there's no evil and hardship, but only kindness and light... so that we would no more have to fight, but be happy forever... all of us together...
She saw a white light glimmer before her. She covered her mouth with her hands and leaned back into a corner, terrified by such an unearthly view. But that was not all - a tall man of pale complexion, long white hair and sparkling yellow eyes appeared before her right from that white light, dressed in white robes and a long fluffy white fur shawl.
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