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(The Tower of Beginnings)
As the very fabric of the nascent world began to rumble and quaked, two celestial maidens stood at the balcony of one of the highest floors of the Tower that anchors the world.
They began to look out in worry as they observed the vast expanse of the realm being slowly put under tremendous pressure by an immeasurable force.
Storms were chaotically brewing all throughout the realm, storms that shouldn't have existed in this particular world!
They felt their connections to their lunar palaces being slowly wrestled away from them by the very person who had given them new life and purpose!
These two maidens, sisters reborn, stood in vigil as they felt the immense grief and hatred that originated from their Mistress somewhere in the far distant south of the world.
"This is bad... very, very bad. What manner of fool was responsible for coaxing out such intense level of hatred from our Queen?" said the older one of the two.
Her blonde hair swaying against the stormy winds.
"Her Majesty was always kind and gentle. True, she can be a little bit funny and silly sometimes, but never once have I seen her blow up a fuse!" the younger of the two stated with a grim expression on her face.
"Whoever caused her to be this mad must have ROYALLY FUCKED UP BIG TIME!" The pink haired girl added with an uncharacteristic venom present in her voice.
"LANGUAGE SISTER!" The blonde one immediately reprimanded.
"I'm Sorry Aria! I'm just really mad right now!" The younger one apologized.
"Anyways where's Canon? Wasn't she supposed to be here tonight? It's her turn to guide her moon."
"Canon had already left before you arrive Sonnet. She was the first one to sense our Queen's distress."
"She had gone down to Camelot in order to calm down the inhabitants, especially the new ones who had just arrived."
"Should we go and help out her Majesty Aria? She might need our..."
"No need Sonnet."
Aria, the goddess of the Eternal Moon of Avalon.
The one bestowed with the title of 'Lady of the Tower' and the one who was granted the divine authority named 'The Arbiter of Souls', approached the edge of the marbled balcony.
She gazed southward towards the distance with a calm and resolute expression.
"Calm yourself sister, and believe in her Majesty." She told her younger sister.
Looking out into the vast open as she continued.
"She's different from the rest Sonnet. Far different from our First Creator and even from the Winged One who came after him."
"Even in this state, I still truly believe that she'll pull through."
"She's a goddess, both in body and power, yet her very essence and soul understands the hearts of mortals. That's what makes her special my dear sister."
"Unlike the First Dragon and the Usurper, her heart is open to the reality around her. She sees them all, and she experiences them all."
"She's welcomed the first souls who came into this world with compassion and humanity."
"She sits with her people and not above them. She had created this world, and yet never once had she looked down upon them."
Aria then took a deep breath.
"And even now, in this angered state, I still believe that she won't bring harm to any of her subjects, for she loved them as if they were her own children."
"So believe in her sister, as much as I and Canon do."
Sonnet solemnly nodded.
They were tasked with the responsibilities of not just governing this newly born world which they now call their home, but also to render assistance and advise to its creator…
The being, the goddess who freed them from their prison.
The one person that all three of them had pledged their allegiance and loyalty…
Their Queen.
"Go now my sister." Aria said as she placed a comforting hand on Sonnet's shoulder.
"I believe that you are needed somewhere else at this hour. You, as well as I had sensed their arrival a few minutes ago right?" Aria said with a knowing look.
"Our four Princes and Princesses had once again returned to Avalon along with a handful of their retainers."
"We may not be able to directly aid our Queen this time, but we could at least be there to guide and protect her children...her beloved heirs, in this dire hour."
Sonnet immediately understood what her sister had meant.
She nodded, and with a final look towards the south, she departed the balcony and headed towards the bottom palatial section of the Tower, leaving her sister, Aria alone.
The Mistress of the Eternal Moon continued her vigil.
She closed her eyes and began reaching out with her power, trying to connect with her Queen.
For she too was worried about her well being.
"Please be careful my Queen. Please, come back to us safe and sound." She whispered.
******
Camelot, the Town of Idyllic Rebirth.
This newly established settlement was built at the northern foot of the hill where the Tower of Beginnings proudly stood.
The town was hastily built by Artoria more than a year ago when the first settlers—the first souls—arrived in Avalon, inadvertently plucked by the roots of the Resplendent World Tree from the silver branches of Irminsul.
The first to arrive were the souls of those who lived in Mondstadt.
People; men, women and even children, all of whom had passed away during Artoria's reign as Grand Master and later on, as Archon.
These souls, which were originally supposed to be stored as data in the vast Leylines of the Great Silver Spine of Teyvat, waiting for a chance of reincarnation....or, if they were unlucky, be used up as fuel to power up the tree's continued existence, rendering and condemning those unfortunate souls into a dreamless oblivion.
However….
Through the mercy and power that sprung forth from the Ever Distant Dream of a mortalwoman-turned goddess, some of these souls, particularly those who in life had dwelled in the nation she ruled, were given another chance.
Their dreamless sleep inside the bowels of the Great Silver Tree had ceased.
Their souls plucked and taken by the golden roots of the nascent Resplendent World Tree from the very branches of Irminsul…
Effectively severing their fate from Teyvat's laws of life and death, and instead, integrating them into Avalon.
These souls were then re-embodied into corporal forms, mimicking their appearance during their prime.
They were the first of the soon to be many.
The first to be freed from the laws set forth by the Heavenly Principles.
Loves one were reunited.
Families were restored.
Dreams sundered by death were once again made whole.
These fortunate first were the first to bask in the glory of a True Afterlife!
....
An afterlife that was now being ravaged by a storm born from the anger and grief of their exalted God-Queen!
Fear and confusion immediately spread throughout the burgeoning populace.
But instead of panicking, they instead huddled together in their newly built homes, praying, for they sensed that the storm and thundering winds and flashes of lightning that accompanied it….had an unnatural feel to it.
They could sense it, deep in their reborn hearts.
This made them even more worried.
It was during this tense atmosphere that their Overseer appeared before them.
She was a woman with frost colored blue hair.
She wore a pristine toga-like dress that was adorned with silver and gold ornaments.
They knew her well.
For she was one of the three personal Handmaidens of their Divine Sovereign Ruler.
One of the three goddesses who governed this realm in the name of their god-queen.
The one who bears the title of 'Lady of the Realm'.
Lady Canon of the Frost Moon.
Amidst the stormy evening skies that were now ravaging the entirety of Avalon, Canon strode forth in the rain-soaked streets of Camelot.
Her presence alone was enough to calm down the worried people.
She stood before them in the spacious town square and, with a clear and strong voice, addressed them.
"GOOD CITIZENS OF CAMELOT!"
"People cradled within the bossoms of our beloved Creator!"
"I stand before you today not as your Overseer, but as one of your fellow souls!"
"I know that many of you are worried at this hour! I can see it in your faces! I can feel it in your souls!"
"The unnatural storm that is now upon us! The howling winds! The numerous fulgurations! The shaking of the very world that we now call our home!"
"Many of you are now thinking whether or not our realm is under attack! That some unknown threat had found a way to breach our sanctuary!"
"But worry not my friends! For I stand before you today to tell you the truth!"
"This storm, this tempest, was not brought forth by some evil being!"
Canon then pointed her finger up towards the stormy sky.
"Behold! The source of this tempest came from none other than our beloved Queen!"
"From the one who had freed us from the endless cycle of suffering from the world we once belonged to!"
A wave of shock went through the crowd.
Their revered and greatly adored God-Queen? She was the one causing this?!
Seeing their confusion, Canon further explained.
"Do not be afraid! Do not be swayed by fear! For this storm, is but a manifestation of her anger and grief, not aimed at any of us!"
"Rather, this is a sign of our Queen's great Love!"
"Yes, my friends! Love! For this tempest came to be because a great and terrible evil had dared harm an innocent soul!"
"A child! A child that our Queen had considered as precious as those of her very own!"
Canon told them to look into their hearts and feel the profound sadness, the grief, the anger, that was now pouring out of their goddess.
"Look into your hearts and souls, especially those who are mothers and fathers among you, and you will see it!"
"The grief of a mother who had witnessed her child fell in the face of evil!"
The Lady of the Realm declared.
This act calmed down the people, and made them realize the truth behind their beloved goddess' anger, as well as the boundless love she had towards those she considered her own.
It was not an anger of a tyrant…
It was an anger of a loving mother who had been wronged!
As one, the people, led by Canon, prayed in the square in hopes that their goddess would soon be at peace and that the tranquility of the Promised Realm would return once more.
*******
(In some cramped up adventurer's tent somewhere in the southern lands of Avalon)
A lone man, an explorer of sorts, gazed upwards upon the tempestuous evening sky, with a perplexed expression plastered upon his face.
He had just finished his 6 month long exploration of the dense forests of the southern lands, cataloging and charting the numerous mystical flora and fauna that he had encountered.
The entire region is huge, more than double the size of Sumeru by his estimates! And as far as he could tell, he had only charted about half of it!
He had named the entire area as 'Brocéliande', in honor of his goddess and archon, whose mystical tales of her past lives had become quite popular among the people of Camelot!
It was while he was preparing his dinner back in his camp that a freak storm suddenly began to envelop the skies.
'This is strange.' He thought as he looked up towards the heavens.
He had been in Avalon for more than 4 years now, long before the rest came and settled the realm.
He was the first.
Avalon's very first soul and resident.
He was an adventurer in previous life, aseasoned veteran of the Mondstadt's Adventurers' Guild!
He had faced countless perils and battled so many monsters, from the deserts of Sumeru to the volcanic plains of Natlan!
He had seen things that would make lesser men wet their pants in fear!
He was offered the chance to become the branch manager of Mondstadt's Adventurers' Guild multiple times, yet he turned them down, passing the cushion to his protegee Cyrus.
For he desired a path less travelled, the path of an adventurer!
His 4 decades long career then ended when he sacrificed himself to save an orphaned baby that he and his team had found in the desolated plains of Mare Jivare.
Tethering in the brink of death, his near ruined body was then brought home to Mondstadt just in time for him to pass the child into the arms of a woman, who he had thought was theAnemo Archon.
He died soon after with a contented smile on his face, knowing that the child he saved was in safe hands.
.....
The next thing he knew, he opened his eyes and he was greeted by the sight of a small white fur ball quietly poking his beared cheeks!
'To think that my intuition was right all along. She really was the Anemo Archon and...something more.'
Heck, even that little whipper snapper that I saved from Natlan is now considered divine royalty!'
He allowed himself a brief moment of musing as he recalled the past, even as the storm raged on!
For his long years of service and sacrifice, the Ever Radiant Divine had rewarded him with an afterlife he could never have dreamed of, in a brand new world!
A world created and ruled by the same woman who he had recognized as his Archon at the time of his death!
Now, he wanders this mystical realm, driven by both his passion for adventure and a new found purpose, to explore and chart the very corners of this brand new world!
He had offered this solemn service to his Archon, no, his god-queen, and the souls who now reside in Camelot.
And in exchange, he was officially recognized by her Majesty and her three loyal Lunar goddesses as Avalon's Premier Royal Cartographer and Explorer!
Exploring and charting the vast realm of Avalon, giving each region and each landmark names and titles.
But now, for the first time since his arrival in this new world, an unnatural storm suddenly popped out, as if it was born from the anger of the world itself!
'Is her Holiness angry? Who or what would have the audacity to cause her to unleash such furry.' He wondered as he looked southwards towards the direction of the desert lands that his goddess had strictly forbade anyone to enter.
'The Terre Gaste Desert! That's what she called it. A place where her Majesty conducted numerous experiments! A place forbidden to all.'
"Maybe she's just testing out something again?" He said, but he then realized that this storm was different from the previous times she had tested out her powers.
It was more chaotic!
And some how…he sensed that this storm was more personal!
As if the goddess herself was in a state of emotional turmoil!
He felt a surge of worry towards his benevolent deity.
If she's really this angry, then something terrible must have happened…
Something terrible indeed!
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Inside the Palatial section of The Tower of Beginnings, the atmosphere was tensed for the newly arrived occupants, much more so for the four young Gunnhildr children.
Upon their sudden and abrupt arrival, the group was immediately escorted by a small platoon of finely dressedHomonculi maids into themain grand parlour, where they could rest and catch their breath.
The adults, namely Crepus, Melisa, and Elspeth along with most of the Gunnhildr household staff, were discussing matters pertaining to the current events amongst themselves.
The children, meanwhile, were placed on one of the numerous plush sofas of the room and were being served reverently by a group Homonculi maids and the remaining Gunnhildr staff with several trays of delicious snacks and refreshments.
However, most of the four siblings weren't that hungry, as their young minds were more preoccupied about the well being of their beloved mother.
"Mama is out there facing danger! And we're here...drinking apple juice! complained Venti.
Even the usually sweet tasting cup of apple juice that he now holds tasted bitter to him, a sign of the immense anxiety that he now feels.
Barbara pointed out that there's a storm brewing outside as seen through one of the tall glass windows of the Palatial suite.
"I don't like the storm. It's scary." The little girl stated as she hid her face using one of the numerous plush pillows placed on the sofa.
"Benny? Why are you eating?! This is not the right time for apple tarts!" Shouted Venti as he saw his brother shoving an entire platter of apple tarts into his mouth.
Bennett just looked at him and said with a worried expression.
"I'm worried too Venti! This is what Mama called as Stress Eating! When you're nervous or scared, you eat your favorite food to make you feel better!"
Jean on the other hand just kept staring on the storm happening outside.
She could sense something in the wind, as if her very soul was connected to it.
She could feel an emotion...
An overwhelming mixture of sadnessandanger…
"Mama..." she whispered.
They were becoming more worried by the minute, that was until one of the main marbled doors to the parlour opened up catching everyone's attention.
Through the now opened doors, came a beautiful woman with bright pink hair wearing a pristine toga-like dress and some golden hair ornaments.
Flanked by a pair of imposing Golden armored Enforcement Knights, the woman strode through the grand spacious room in an elegant and regal manner.
For the mortal adults in the room, they immediately sensed that this woman was no ordinary person.
She had the same ethereal aura around her as their archon though in a much, much lesser scale.
All the Homonculi maids present within the grand parlour bowed down in reverence to the woman, which further fueled the suspicion from the likes of Crepus and Melisa as to the mysterious identity of woman before them.
When the pink-haired lady saw the four siblings, her face immediately brightened up as she made a bee line towards them.
But before she could approach them, both Fou and Dvalin who were at that time resting in some cushion alongside Sir Kay, jumped towards the mysterious stranger's arms.
"Fou! Dvalin! Oh, it's been so long!"
"Well, it's just been a day or two really since I last saw the two of you. But hey, that still counts as too long in my book!"
The woman then proceeded to cuddle the stuffings out of the two mystical critters much to the amusement of everyone present.
The present tense atmosphere was momentarily lifted by the woman's affectionate act fueled by her bubbly personality.
After a few moments of cuddling, Fou began making a series of yelps which the woman seemed to understand.
Her face became a bit serious as the phantasmal creature relayed to her information and instructions coming from their shared Mistress.
"I see. So that's what happened." She whispered to herself.
After thanking the adorable white fur ball, she shifted her attention towards the now curious four siblings and gestured the pair of enforcement knights who escorted her to stand by.
She then approached them….
And in an act that somewhat surprised every mortal who was present inside the grand parlour, the ethereal woman curtseyed in front of the four siblings in manner that was greatly reminiscent of how a lady of the court would greet the members of a royal family!
"Greetings your highnesses." She solemnly greeted with a bright smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sonnet, the Mistress of the Robes of Avalon…"
"But you can call me Auntie Sonnet...or even Big Sis Sonnet! Those would sound much more cooler don't you think?" She said with a wink towards the children.
The four children looked at each other before looking back at the woman.
They were somewhat confused about the 'highnesses' titles that this somewhat friendly lady had addressed them.
Jean, being the oldest among them, took the initiative and introduced herself and her siblings.
"Good evening dear Miss Sonnet..."
"It's Auntie your highness." Sonnet promptly butted-in.
"Ahem. Yes, well my apologies…Good evening Auntie Sonnet. My name is Jean Pendragon Gunnhildr, and these are my dear younger siblings."
"This one here is my little sister Barbara."
She said while pointing at the little girl who was now peeking from the pillow she's clutching.
"And these two are my dear little brothers, Bennett and Venti."
She continued as she pointed at her two brothers, the slightly older of the two was still eating apple tarts while the other was looking at Sonnet curiously all the while clutching his green wooden toy sword.
"A pleasure to finally meet the four of you. We've been waiting for your arrival for quite some time now."
Barbara bashfully raised her right arm and innocently asked the pink-haired goddess.
"Auntie Sonnet, why did you call us...highnesses?"
Jean and the two boys nodded in agreement with Barbara's question, their curiosity piqued by her statement.
Sonnet's smile widened even more as she prepared her answer.
"That's because it's the truth my dear princess."
Sonnet's answer made Barbara giggled.
"See guys, even the nice auntie called me a princess, just like how Mama calls me at home!" Barbara cheerfully declared.
Her cheerful demeanor however somewhat made both Venti and Bennett puff their little chest out.
"Oh yeah? Well Mama also calls me her 'Brave whimsical prince!'" Venti proudly stated.
"Mama calls me her 'Lucky Little Prince' too! So I'm also a prince!" Bennett followed suit with his cheeks still full of stuffed apple tarts!
Jean just sighed at her dear younger siblings silliness. Though she herself had to admit that her mother would often affectionately call her 'Dandelion Princess' whenever she finishes her lessons and studies.
Sonnet' just giggled at the four heirs cute antics.
'Truly, they still didn't know the true extent of their own status, their own birthright.' She thought.
'Maybe her Majesty wasn't that keen in spoiling her children with titles and responsibilities, opting to let them have the most normal childhood that she could give them.'
'Nevertheless, the truth would eventually come out. Perhaps not right now, but soon enough, they will know their place in this world and beyond.'
'For now, I'll just indulge them a little bit. After all, I'm their auntie now! And that's what aunts do!'
"My dear Princes and Princesses, though it's not my place to tell you everything, I can tell you this."
"I am one of your dearest mother's most trusted confidants here in Avalon. As the Mistress of Robes, I oversee all the ceremonies inside the realm, and because of that, I am blessed with a unique ability."
Sonnet then gently placed a glowing hand on Jean's head surprising the little heiress.
"I can sense her very presence, her very power in each and everyone of you. It is like you carry and represent a piece of her."
"My dear Princess Jean," Sonnet shifted her attention towards the little girl in front of her.
"You seemed to carry within your mother's wisdom and will. Your soul is like that of a steady young lion, unyielding and steadfast."
Jean blushed at Sonnet's statement, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the praise.
She then looked at Barbara who was now curiously looking at Sonnet's glowing hand.
"And you my little Princess Barbara, you carried your mother's innocence. A soul that shines bright with kindness and love for all."
To Bennett, who had now stopped eating, Sonnet chuckled as she felt the giddy and excited aura that the boy exudes.
"Young Prince Bennett, I can feel your mother's adventurous spirit in you. A soul that yearns for the thrill of discovery!"
Lastly, Sonnet looked at Venti who was now staring at her with anticipation.
"And lastly to her youngest, Prince Venti, you carried within you, your mother's spirit of boundless freedom. A soul that cannot be chained by any wall or cage!"
The four siblings were stunned into silence by Sonnet's revelation.
This was something else entirely!
While they knew from an earlier encounter back in the Inn wherein the four of them literally glowed, and their mother, before departing, told them that they were somewhat special, they didn't expect that the meaning behind her words would be this deep!
Still reeling from the bombshell of revelation given to them, Jean mustered up the courage to ask the one question that mattered to her.
She looked towards the large glass windows and to the storm outside, then she turned her attention towards Sonnet and asked with a worried tone…
"Auntie Sonnet...is my Mama...going to be alright?"
Sonnet just smiled at the young princess, seeing through her worried expression.
'So young yet I can already see the iron-clad resolve within her.... just like her majesty. No wonder her Highness had designatedher as the possible crowned princess to the realm's divine throne.' Sonnet thought to herself.
"My dearest Princess," Sonnet softly answered as she ushered the four sibling towards the large window.
"Do not worry about your dear mother. For she is the STRONGEST PERSON that I have ever known."
As they gazed upon the storm outside, Sonnet firmly told them that their mother would be alright.
"The Lionness....the Queen, does not concern herself with the thundering of the storm. She is the storm! She commands it!"
"So, believe in her your highnesses. Look into your hearts and know that in whatever peril she might find herself, your mother will always emerge victorious!"
She then paused for a moment before continuing with an excited expression.
"And besides...I have a feeling that something miraculous is about to happen tonight..."
(To be continued...)
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