On a planet called Colaff, there was an ancient sect called Kuul. These people are peculiar within the whole universe. Like the Amunians, they learned how to absorb and manipulate the power of the moon. This practice or art is called Selenokinesis, Lunakinesis, or Cynthiakinesis. These people can absorb the moon's essence as power. They can use moon energy to power their lunar magic. They can slightly affect time by either forcefully bringing night over a certain place or area, or slow time by delaying the moon. These people at their peak can control anything, and everything related to the moon. Even if they wish to draw the moon out of its place in the universe, they have the power to do so.
The people of Kuul were always quiet people. Unlike the Amunians, they don't like to expose themselves to the world. That being said, most of their dealings were underground. They started and trained some of the most notorious assassins league and assassins. They also owned some of the most thriving underground businesses in the universe such as the Kuul empire. Which is a notorious black market empire that sells almost anything illegal ranging from weapons to 'black' magic arts and some cultivation skills and arts that were considered as terrible.
Nevertheless, this didn't mean that the people of Kuul were cruel and evil. In fact, most of the properties they owned were either made by them from the ground up, or war trophies gained from useless infidels who blindly tried to attack them.
Commonly known as the Kuul sect to outsiders, the people of Kuul refer to themselves as Selenians, after the moon goddess, Selen. They believe that these various cultivation arts and magic they made were intentionally provided by the moon goddess, Selen. Whether this is true or false, no one is certain.
So, in honor of this, every millennium, there is a cultural tradition that is practiced. It is called Selene select night. During this event, every child born within the last millennium will come together and practice their sacred festival dance, songs, and chants. As for any baby born that day, they will be brought out of their homes and put in a cradle as the moon is about to rise. Once the moon has risen, a stream of pure moon essence will fall down like smooth honey upon an elected child. Whoever is elected amongst the babies presented, that baby will be the next leader elected by the moon goddess, Selen to lead the Selenians. It is also believed that the elected child is destined to one day lead the people of Kuul to prominence one day.
That being said, the people of Kuul take these children seriously. They would even have an unchangeable law to kill anyone who has negative intentions or plans against any of the chosen ones. According to their culture, they also start teaching the elect the history and culture of their sect at the age of 7. This way, the child will be well-grounded in their history and knowledgeable in their cultural practices. After the age of 5, the child will be taken from their families and taught by the grand elders themselves. They will be taught everything ranging from martial arts to magic spells and potion-making. They are also not limited to any resources which can help prosper the progress of the individual.
One day, the Selene select night was about to happen. The people of Kuul were very happy. Music was played, people were dancing, arts and magic displays were showcased, It was just wonderful. Family members also took this day as a day to reunite as everyone born in Kuul must be present for this event every time it happens. Failure to do so would only lead to terrible consequences like death, no questions asked.
On this very special night, All the young adults and still agile adults formed a circle like a moon as they danced the sacred dance for this festive night. In the middle, there were 13 babies present. These babies were the ones fortunate enough to be born during this day.
Amongst them, there were 7 girls and six boys. According to the rules, any baby born on the day of the Selen select night can be presented regardless of power, status, wealth, or background. The only exception is that the baby was born from an outsider. That is someone whose parents, either their mom or dad, married into the sect. Unfortunately for them, only full-blooded selenian children, born on the Selene select night were allowed to be presented that night.
Now, according to customs, these children were presented inside an underwater cave that had a hole on top where the moon normally stayed after rising. Once the moon has risen, no one except the grand elders and the babies was allowed to be inside the cave. As for the others, they were to continue to the ceremonial dance, songs, and chants until the moon started setting.
Inside, the cradles were positioned in a circle, as a fine ray of light emitted from the moon. As time slowly passed, the ray of light would move towards the direction of a baby. From one baby to another, the elders had to patiently wait until the fine ray of light landed on a baby and stopped moving. Once the ray was fixed on a chosen baby, only then, would they be able to identify the chosen child.
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Meanwhile, as the ceremony was going on. There was a female slave who was in the process of giving birth! She was inside a dungeon underneath a small castle as she was a slave of a lord. In here, she was left to fend for herself as no guards paid attention to her. Luckily, there were other female slaves who had also been through the same situation, so they knew how to help her deliver her baby. The birth of this baby was premature, so it was totally unexpected.
As slaves, they were not allowed to present their babies during the Selene select ceremony as the people of Kuul saw it as disrespectful to their goddess, Selene. So, no one paid any attention to them. Not even the doctors were allowed to pay attention to them, as all the attention was given to the babies born during the Selene select night.
By birth, this woman was not a slave. However, her family was so poor that they owed a certain lord money. When the time to pay arrived, they had nothing to offer, so they willingly gave themselves up to free service until a certain number of years were fulfilled. That being said, underaged children who couldn't fend for themselves were temporarily acknowledged as slaves too until they were old enough to work and pay off the debts of their parents. How cruel.
Anyways, this woman was giving birth with the kind assistance of 3 other female slaves. If not for them, she would have been left stranded to die in the process of delivery. The tragedy was this, even if the guards were kind enough to help the slaves, they couldn't act without the authority of their boss. It must be known, these soldiers are not slaves, however, if they acted without permission, they could get fired and lose their jobs!
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Back inside the underground cave, the elders were jubilating because the ray of light emitted from the moon had finally rested on a baby! This baby was a girl named Alista. She was the daughter of lowly merchants.
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Baby Alista was beautiful. She had red hair with warm orange eyes which seemed to be able to warm the hearts of many. Looking at the beautiful baby, the grand elders were very happy as they watched the ray of light envelope her gingerly while they enjoyed the music which was sung by the others outside.
BOOM! In the background, there was an explosion that came from a certain castle in the far distance. In shock and fear, one of the grand elders went outside to see what caused the explosion. Even the people who were outside dancing were in shock. Some people who were curious also went to go see what caused the explosion.
Not long after that, a huge pillar of glory shut up to the sky. From the perspective of onlookers, it seemed as though a supreme god was about to land on the planet! Full of joy and hope, a greater portion of the crowd ran towards the pillar of glory which shot up to the sky above.
Shortly after, almost the whole sect was present. Everyone wanted to have a look at what astronomical wonder was going on in their sect!
BOOM! Another explosion went off! This time, it was a shock wave that was quickly spreading everywhere! One after another, the shock wave hit the people watching. As it did, they all fell into a deep sleep! Seeing this, some people got scared as they started fleeing for their dear lives! Unfortunately for them, their efforts were futile. No matter how hard they ran, even under the full moon, they were still submerged by the extreme power of the shock wave!
Very soon, the whole shouts and cries could be heard from outside!. Inside the cave, the grand elders heard the screams. However, they knew that they couldn't act until help was requested from the other grand elder who had left earlier.
Suddenly, a wonder happened! The ray of light which was shining on Alista left her and pointed directly at the baby who caused the pillar of glory to shoot up into the starry universe above! That's right, the female slave had finally given birth to a baby! Not just any baby, she had given birth to another heir!
In shock, the elders looked up at the moon above. They noticed that the moon seemed to be rejoicing! It was shining more brightly than before! Plus, the ray of light which emitted from it became ten times stronger than the previous one which shined on baby Alista!
Half an hour later, all the elders finally decided to follow the moonlight. This time, they didn't even know how to respond. They were full of mixed emotions! One of the grand elders was so happy that he started flying extremely fast as he followed the beam of light which was emitted from the moon!
Upon arrival, the elder was even more shocked! He happened to notice something that had never happened before! Looking towards the towering pillar of glory, the grand elder looked back at the moon and suddenly fainted! On top of the moon, there was a figure of a woman who was wearing a silver gown like a queen. On her head, there were actually living moons which were embroidered on her crown. She had silver hair which overflowed like the ocean and calm silver eyes. This woman was Selene, the goddess of the moon!
Seeing this, all the other grand elders were even more shocked! All their lives, they have always doubted the authenticity of the moon goddess, but now, they actually got to see her in person! She was walking gracefully on the streamer of light which pointed directly to the pillar of glory which emitted from a castle ahead!
One after another, people on the ground who were not affected by the shock wave were pointing and shouting as they saw Selene in person. She had come out of the moon as she walked across the sky towards the pillar of glory ahead. In joy, many people ran towards the pillar of glory. For such scenes like this to happen, there must be an extremely prestigious figure who had visited them for Selene herself to reveal herself!
Shortly after, Selene was standing in front of the castle! Looking around, she noticed the thousands of bodies who were in deep sleep from the shock wave which came out of this very castle! Looking at them, her facial expression remained the same. After this, she turned and faced the castle as she slowly came down to the ground.
The castle was small compared to others, and due to this, it can be arguably classified as a small mansion. Due to the fact it was night, Selene couldn't make out which castle she was standing before. However, this didn't stop her at all. She walked towards the castle gates and waved her hands. As she did this, the gigantic wooden castle doors seamlessly opened for her.
In shock, the grand elders commanded the others to not come close to the castle at all! They didn't want to do anything to irritate their patron goddess. Or else, who knew what types of disastrous consequences it would bring to them? Plus, the grand elders knew very well that the wrath of the moon goddess wasn't something anyone can easily take. She is an ancient goddess who has lived for countless years and more. Against her, there is no telling what type of trump cards she has in stock.
Not long after, they all watched Selene enter the castle. In the castle, everyone inside was in a deep sleep. Not even the maid who had given birth was awake! Ignoring the multitude of bodies, Selene made her way towards the sleeping baby. To her shock, this baby was a girl! This made her, Selene, feel touched as she watched the baby sleep peacefully as she hovered in the air amidst the pillar of glory.
After that, she bowed down towards the baby and said, "My lady, your subordinates pay her respects to you. I swear this day by the Creator, to watch, guide, and protect you, my lady. I will watch you every night and be there for you every step of your life. I will be there to watch you age from a babe to glory. Please, my lady, sleep well in peace. I will carry you to somewhere safe."
After that, she stood up and carried the baby. Just as she carried the baby in her arms, she heard a majestic voice in her mind. It was the voice of the Creator himself!
"Her name is China. I've heard your oath, I accept it. Take her, I will show you where to go from here. For this kind act, you are blessed above many. Your faithfulness to China would bring you blessings unimaginable. Please, take care of her for me. Allow her to grow and be herself. Be her shield and sword for me." The Creator said calmly.
Hearing the words of the Creator, Selene felt touched in her heart. That being said, Selene started to cry as she bowed earnestly. She felt as though she was being loved more than her own mother just by hearing the words of the Creator Himself! She felt a peace that came from the very depths of her heart and soul! This kind of peace and love could only come from one person, The Creator. It was as though He was consoling her for all the things she had suffered in the past and was still blessing her on top of that.
Again, If she felt this way just by hearing the voice of the Creator, how much more, if she saw Him in person? How would she feel then? Wouldn't she feel at peace forever?
After that, Selene felt a hand on her shoulders as it consoled her from crying. It was so wonderful. Beside her, the Creator had come there in person just to console her! How touching is this? Out of all creation, she is the first person to ever make the Creator, HIMSELF, leave wherever He was to visit her and console her. No other person, not even the elder gods have ever made the Creator feel touched enough to console them in person! Ah, what type of honor is this? What type of love and favor is this?
"You have a good heart, Selene. Keep it! Unlike the others, you chose to willingly accept her, China, for who she is. Surely, I tell you the truth. Any kind of act given to any of these young ones is done directly to me! If you hate them, you hate me. If you love them, you have also chosen to love me... Just as you have chosen to do, you have loved me the same way. In this case, you have chosen to love her wholeheartedly, and so, I will also love you wholeheartedly. Look, when the time is right, I will recompense you with a triple reward. I will also give you the favor above many. I will make your name a living legend, and a blessing to ALL who chose to favor your cause. You will speak, and many will listen. You will lead, and many will follow. You will be a figure honored by all, even amongst the elder gods. This is my blessing to you, my love. Stand up, and leave now. Time is ticking!" The Creator said as he vanished.
Shortly after, Selene wiped her tears and stood up with baby China wrapped gingerly in her arms. She then turned towards the direction she came in and flew out with great speed.
Outside, Selene took one last look at thousands of bodies asleep on the floor. Out of kindness, she placed China in her right arm and with her left hand, she used her powers to awaken the hundreds of thousands asleep on the ground.
Seeing this, the grand elders and those who watched closely behind them started singing songs of praise to her. Even the grand elders lead the remaining congregation in worship as they bowed and worshipped her for her kindness. They also saw the baby in her arms and felt their hearts melt like butter. Who would have thought in their lives that their patron god would come in person to receive an elected child? Subconsciously, some of the grand elders started crying tears of joy.
VROOM! A streamer of silver light covered the moon goddess, Selene, and baby China as they both flew out of the Kuul sect. From the perspective of onlookers, people would think there was a shooting star shooting up towards the moon rather than shooting down. Regardless, it was still beautiful to behold. This day would be forever honored by the Selenians forever.
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