In many ways Seong Eunae considered herself to be an incredibly lucky person. She was born into a powerful family, given the best education available anywhere in the world, and raised in an environment where she could never have wanted for anything. She could have ended up utterly spoiled, but growing up as the black sheep of the family had tempered her vanity in a way that she couldn’t say she was grateful for, but at least appreciated the effect it had on her maturity.

As if that wasn’t enough, she’d also managed to become close friends with Lee Jia and An Eui, who had very rapidly ended up in single-digit rankings for most important people in the world. That had never been her intent, of course—if anything, what had drawn her to them was that they weren’t important. Misun might have uncharitably called it ‘slumming,’ but Eunae was genuinely interested in understanding what it meant to simply be a normal person, without all the burdens and responsibilities of royalty.

Of course, now that she did, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at those so-called ‘burdens.’ Regular people had just as much stress, if not more, but with far less power to do anything about it. There was nothing special about nobles or royals. Just luck of the draw.

And so Eunae was lucky. Lucky to have been born in privilege. Lucky to have been given the opportunity to recognize and appreciate that privilege, lucky to have met such supportive friends, and even her own ever-so-slightly forbidden family in her home away from home.

Luckier still to have been able to keep those friends and families close, even in the execution of her responsibilities. Perhaps she had her aunt, the queen, to thank for that.

For all that luck, however, Eunae remained a cynical person. Nobody could stay lucky forever, and every happy moment had a cost. She couldn’t take anything for granted—not her status or privilege, not her power, and certainly not the people she cared about. Everything came at a cost—and it was only a matter of when the payment came due.

Once more, she found herself at a precipice. Her breakthrough was coming, and soon. She could feel it resonating deep within her soul. The attention of the heavens bearing down on her, just waiting for her to make the leap.

It was a dangerous threshold. Though there was no way to validate the adage, it was said that the vast majority of cultivators met their end through heavenly tribulations. And as dangerous as it was for most, it was even worse for Eunae. According to Yoshika, Shen Yu had all but confirmed that unified cultivators faced more brutal tribulations, and Eunae knew that she didn’t have the raw talent or power of either Yoshika or Yan Yue.

She’d faced a tribulation once before, and it had changed her. Not only did Eunae come to terms with her power, and the careful—very careful—application thereof, but it was also the moment that she realized there were powers out there extremely interested in ending her life.

While Eunae had been deep in enemy territory at the time, it didn’t change the fact that her first tribulation had been used as an opportunity to assassinate her, by people she’d never met. People who hated her not because of who she was or what she’d done, but because of who they thought she could be, and what that person had done.

To some, Eunae’s bewitching gaze inexorably linked her to Seong Heiran, and for those people Eunae’s life was nothing but a constant threat of a return to her ancestor’s tyrannical reign.

She wasn’t stupid enough to think that such people existed only in Qin.

Misun had always hated her, and the rest of the family barely even spoke to Eunae. Only her little sister, Haeun, had ever truly felt like family. She’d made enemies in her youth, as well—before she’d learned to appreciate how dangerous and damaging her power could be.

That her potential adversaries now included the queen herself was hardly a surprise. Just another weight on the scales—her good fortune coming to collect its dues.

Eunae remained calm as she meditated. Whatever else happened, she had Yoshika’s support. She was prepared to face her future—to pay whatever fate demanded for the fortune she’d been granted. Eunae was happy, and she would face her tribulation without regrets.

A stirring in her soul warned her that would in fact be doing so very soon.

“It’s coming.”

Eui paused in the middle of her work and twisted around to face Eunae, who was meditating in the center of the Sky Hall, surrounded by intricate formations.

“What?! Already? We’re not finished with the modifications yet!”

Eunae smiled ruefully. Just her luck.

“Well, you’d better hurry them along, because I don’t think I have the means to delay this.”

“Tsk, ancestors damn it all.”

Eui turned back to the formation she was working on and began barking out orders to her nearby disciples.

“Narae, Haeun, get clear—Heian and I will finish the rest on our own.”

Haeun shook her head.

“I want to stay too! To support my sister!”

“You can support her from outside, where it’s safe.”

“We were fine during Heian’s tribulation!”

Eui growled in frustration and waved her hand, sending the two teenagers careening out of the hall on a powerful gust of wind, before activating the formation to seal them out.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I don’t have time to argue with petulant brats! It’s not safe for you here.”

She ignored the girls’ protests as she got back to work preparing the formations. Eunae smiled wryly at her.

“You didn’t need to be that harsh.”

Eui sighed.

“I know, but I’m worried. We only get one chance at this, and I don’t like being forced to rush.”

Heian patted her mother on the head, which was a strange sight. Eunae had never really stopped thinking of Heian as the cute little kitten Jia adopted, and now she was an adult woman taller than either of them.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll make sure you don’t make any mistakes.”

Eui chuckled sardonically.

“Thanks, sweetie.”

Eunae left them to it, closing her eyes and focusing on herself. The tribulation could come at any moment, and she needed to be prepared. She repeated a calming mantra in her mind.

She was not her ancestor, though her ancestor lived on within her. Her inner spirit was part of her, but it did not define her. Her power was terrifying and dangerous, but as with any power it had great potential if used responsibly.

Her domain was Control, a fact that her inner spirit—no—that she had once used to push her friends away. Yet Control didn’t need to be sinister or manipulative. Control began with the self, then one’s environment, and then—only with great care and a delicate hand—to others. Control was not a matter of tyranny, or domination. It was first and foremost, a mastery of the self, a rejection of outside manipulations.

Eunae had the support of her friends. She had a family bound by something stronger than blood to return to. She had the most advanced magic in the world protecting her, and preparations for betrayal from nearly any direction. She was in control.

A dark cloud thundered high above, gathering its strength in vehement denial of her assertion. Let it come—Eunae would not waver.

Eui sat back on her feet and wiped her brow.

“Okay, I think that should do it—not a moment too soon, either.”

“Indeed! Thank you so much for your service, Empress Yoshika.”

Eui and Eunae both looked up with a start to see Queen Eunhee hovering above the Sky Hall. Eunae furrowed her brows, they’d expected her aunt to do something, but a direct interruption was odd.

“Your Majesty, the tribulation could strike at any moment, it’s not safe up there. If a stray bolt hits you, we might both be destroyed by divine retribution.”

Eunae’s aunt smirked down at her.

“We might. Didn’t your last tribulation have a bolt intercepted?”

“Yes, and it nearly killed me and Yoshika. Just because I survived it once, doesn’t mean I’m inclined to tempt fate a second time. What are you even doing here?”

“I’m helping you realize your potential, my child. I’ve always had high expectations of you, but after my little sister, I had to be careful how I showed my favor. Alas, like her, you set your aspirations far too low.”

Eui glared up at the queen, her expression darkening as Destruction essence visibly crackled across her body.

“I warned you that I wouldn’t let any harm come to Eunae, Your Majesty. If you don’t step down from there, I will make you—even if it means war.”

Eunhee covered her mouth and laughed.

“And I told you I was counting on it, dear. You’ll stop at nothing to protect your precious friends and family—an admirable trait, and a useful one.”

Eunae glanced urgently down to where Narae and Haeun had been watching, but they had already fled. Good girls.

“Clan Mother, we don’t have time for this—I don’t know what you hope to accomplish, but please step aside!”

She could feel the pressure building. Already, her aunt’s appearance had caused a dangerous disruption. Every moment Eunae spent trying to stave off heaven’s wrath was a moment wasted not preparing herself.

“I think not. Your destiny is not to be a princess, Eunae, nor a queen. You will become a goddess unrivaled in this world—or die trying.”

Eui leapt for the queen, but she was beaten to the punch by a roaring ball of fire slamming into Eunhee and bursting into an explosion of smoke and fire. When the dust settled, Eunhee stood unscathed, a magic circle floating in the air before her.

“Minhee. I thought I’d arranged for you and the others to be preoccupied, big sister.”

Eunae’s eyes widened at the sight of her mother facing off against the queen. Her mother, who’d barely ever spoken to her, who’d been indifferent to Misun’s bullying and complicit in Eunae’s neglect. Her mother, who’d never once given Eunae so much as an ounce of affection, stood across from Queen Eunhee with an expression of unbridled rage.

“I’m not so easily manipulated, Eunhee. You promised. You promised me that you wouldn’t do this! I kept your secret for all these years, supported you as queen, and this is how you repay me? Our little sister was a mistake, Eunhee! You promised!”

The queen scoffed.

“You’re right, it was a mistake. Heiran lacked control, she was too weak, and I pushed her too hard. But Eunae is different! A softer hand was the key—to let her grow into her own strengths, find her own servants! I promised that I would not repeat the mistakes we made with Heiran, and I won’t. Your daughter will not break the way our sister did.”

“That is a twisted violation of the intent of your promise, and you know it!”

“Oh? And you’ve been just so committed to our promise. It’s a complete coincidence that Misun just happened to stumble on the last remaining copy of a record that was supposed to have been destroyed, hm? And knowing full well that your eldest had been sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, you still sent our dear friend Yoshika snooping after her—but I’m sure that’s just another coincidence, isn’t it?”

Eunae wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but she couldn’t hold on any longer. She gave Eui a pleading look, sweat beading on her brow as she desperately tried to hold back her breakthrough.

“Please, get her away from there!”

Eui flew straight towards the queen with lethal intent, a blade of Destruction forming in her hands. Heian opened the seal just enough to let Eui through, and Eunhee twisted to defend herself, shifting the defensive circle to interpose it between herself and Eui.

The blade of Destruction tore through Queen Eunhee’s shield like wet parchment, and Eui slammed into the queen like an arrow, piercing her heart and sending them both tumbling off of the upper barrier and down to the ground below, just before the gate.

Eunae was shocked at how sudden it was. The queen was one of the most powerful mages in the world. She’d stood her ground against a manifestation of the Void and held her own. Just how much stronger had Yoshika really gotten that she had been able to defeat Eunhee so easily?

The queen smiled up at Eui, blood dripping from her mouth.

“I knew I was right to count on you, Empress. Take good care of us, will you? And thank you for the demonstration.”

Before Eui could respond, a talisman ignited on Eunhee’s body, and she vanished with a flash of pitch-black and a loud pop. Eunae panicked, trying to find where her aunt had gone, only for Eunhee to reappear right next to her, wrapping her arms around Eunae in a surprisingly gentle hug.

“Now, my child. Let’s meet your destiny—together.”

And then, the first bolt struck.