"Do I really need to wear all of this?"
"Of course you do!"
"Seriously?"
"Be thankful you have a memory that can change to whatever clothes you want them to be, some of us have to get ours professionally made."
"Okay, okay!" Asteria finally huffed, throwing her arms in the air in a rare display of exasperation. "You win! You're right, I am lucky, but this is exhausting."
Asteria was currently being bombarded by her sisters with all kinds of accessories, makeup and rushed last-minute lessons. Everything from how to walk with elegance to the specific social extremities of what to do with someone you dislike.
'I think I should quit. Can I resign? Disown myself, maybe?'
"Are you ready for your big day?" A pair of grey, silk smooth arms wrapped around Asteria from behind, a voice whispering into her ear.
"Not in the slightest, Shan," The Queen of Nightmare woefully admitted. "It's not like I grew up attending parties in the outskirts, heh?"
Seishan chucked, released her grasp on the Queen's shoulders and went a separate way.
Asteria, meanwhile, was donning a gown that seemed to breathe with its own life. It was a deep, liquid onyx that shifted through a kaleidoscope of colours — vibrant violets, deep forest greens and exquisite cerulean blues — mirroring the iridescent shimmer of her hair.
Her accessories were equally intentional. She wasn't permitted to craft them from her golden echo today; Eunbin had deemed that to be "too crass" for a debut. Instead, she wore polished silver cuffs that bit snugly into her forearms and ankles, with a simple silver pendant that rested against her collarbone.
'Master, I've replaced my iron shackles for gold ones! Thank you!' Asteria internally gave a wry smile while she tried to lighten her own mood at the outlandish prospect that she was now a Princess — even if it's been weeks since she has been adopted.
"Are we done yet?" Asteria moaned. "I'm already exhausted getting ready and we're not even at the main event yet."
***
The Song Clan's estate in the waking world was a sprawling, clinical masterpiece of white marble and glass. It was designed to intimidate and to mesmerise; a testament to the wealth that came from owning part of one of the last continents that remained of the waking world.
As Asteria stepped out of the PTV, the contrast hit her almost instantly. She noticed it first when she came to the Academy; but this time was far more extreme. The air in the outskirts with thick with the smell of desperation, smoke and grime; while looking like a dumpster that people somehow lived in. Here, however, it smelled like champagne, freshly picked flowers and not a spot of dirt nor dust could be seen. She walked with her head held high, though every step felt like she was navigating a political minefield.
In a way, she was.
When the grand doors opened, the room inside fell into a sudden suffocating silence.
Asteria felt the weight of a thousand gazes — officials, high ranking awakened and the pampered scions of the Great Clans. But she felt their presence more than anything. A hundred Ascended warriors, a dozen Saints and countless more Awakened with few mundane. Each of them were powerful and most likely more experienced than she were — the people in this room was a large part of humanity's strength, it seemed.
She moved forward, a few of her sisters flanking her like a literal wall of Transcendent beauty. Seishan was on her left acting as an escort, Moonveil on her right, with Revel and the others following like a vicious vanguard.
"Smile," Lonesome Howl whispered behind her. "You're one of us now."
"Princess Queen of Nightmare," A government official chirped, bowing so low he nearly spilled his drink. "A pleasure. Truly. The government is pleased to see such a... harmonious union between the hero of the Forgotten Shore and Hollow Oak, so they say, and the Great Clan of Song."
Asteria looked at the man, recognising the type — the kind of person who would have stepped over her dying body in the outskirts a year ago. "Harmonious?" She asked, her voice cool and light. "I suppose that's one way to describe it. I'd prefer to call it 'Strategically inevitable' though."
The official blinked, his practised smile faltering for half a second.
"I'm sure you'll find the transition from... previous circumstances... to be quite manageable," Another added, her eyes lingering too long on Asteria's attire.
"Oh, it's quite manageable, thank you." Asteria replied, leaning in slightly. "The food is better, and the people are much more polite when they're afraid of you. It's quite the welcome change after being invisible for so long."
She moved through the crowd, her dry wit acting as a shield. She was playing the part of the refined Princess, but the sharp edge of the outskirts girl remained. She didn't hide her past — couldn't hide it; instead she chose to wear it like a weapon, making even the most elite uncomfortable with her bluntness.
But then her gaze drifted towards the far end of the ballroom, near the terrace. Her heart skipped a beat.
It was a cohort of people she didn't think she'd see again. Some of them she cherished, others she admired and one she inherently detested.
Nephis stood tall, looking like an ivory statue in a sharp, minimalistic white suit. Beside her, Effie was shamelessly piling a plate high with delicacies, her boisterous laughter cutting through the polite murmur of the room.
'She's so.. different from the dream realm.' Asteria only saw Awakened Raised by Wolves within the Forgotten Shore and never had a chance to visit afterwards. Effie was strong, confident and... free spirited; but Asteria had to blink a few times to put the pieces together. 'I see why she liked it better, she could move in there. A paradise for someone like her, it seems.'
Enough about that, though, Asteria was nearly drooling at the idol next to her. Kai — Awakened Nightingale. He looked slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of fans that were trying to get close to the famous singer and archer — and Cassie stood silently, her blindfold fixed on a future that only she could see.
And then there was Sunless.
Their last conversation wasn't polite — or nice, for that matter, so their relationship was somewhat strained.
He was leaning against a marble pillar, dressed in a black suit that seemed to drink the light as much as his eyes did. When his eyes met Asteria's, there was no awe, no celebratory sparkle. Instead, his face was a mask of pure, unadulterated scorn. He looked at her iridescent gown, silver cuffs and the way she was surrounded by officials.
His eyes said everything: "You sold yourself for a shiny cage."
Asteria felt a surge of irritation. She excused herself from a group of minor scions and navigated the crowd towards them.
"You lot look like you're at a funeral." Asteria said, coming to a stop in front of the cohort.
"Asteria!" Effie cheered, her mouth half-full of what looked like expensive caviar and meat. "Look at you! You look like a very expensive piece of candy." The huntress laughed, nearly salivating at Asteria's appearance.
"It's good to see you, Asteria" Kai said, offering a warm, tired smile. "Though I suppose I should call you 'Your Highness' now?"
'What did he say? Oh Spell he's so fine... Can I ask for his autograph? I can right? Please?'
"Can I get your autog-" Asteria caught herself quickly, before she realised what Kai just said to mock her. "If you do, I'll throw you off that balcony."
Kai laughed with a sly grin, putting a slip of paper into Asteria's palm before turning away and copying Effie's idea — to finally eat something.
Asteria's eyes went wide.
'Is this what I think it is?!'
Nephis looked at the spectacle with the same calm, grey eyes as always. "You made an excellent choice, given your circumstance."
"And a dangerous one." Cassie added softly, her voice melodic yet uniquely strained.
Asteria turned her gaze to Sunless. He hadn't moved. The acorn on his face pressing against her like an invisible weight — an even more instinctual dislike bubbling in her chest.
"Something on your mind, Sunless?" She asked, voice dropping an octave.
"Just admiring the view," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's amazing what a few murders and a fancy title can buy, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's quite wonderful. Why don't you try it sometime?" Asteria shot back. "I'm doing what I have to. Don't pretend you're not as dirty as I am."
"At least I don't change my clothes to hide it." he muttered, turning his gaze away.
The tension was thick enough to cut with a blade. Asteria wanted to say more, to helplessly explain the necessity of her choice, but she felt the presence of Seishan approaching. The politics of the night were calling her back into their hungry maw.
"Sister," Seishan said, her voice smooth as velvet. "There's more representatives vying for your attention. It'd be rude to keep them waiting any longer."
Asteria sighed, giving her 'friends' a final look. "Duty calls, try not to eat the entire buffet, Effie."
"Too late!" The huntress grinned.
Asteria allowed Seishan to lead her back into the fray. For the next hour, she was a whirlwind of social grace and open sarcasm. She spoke to scions who tried to flirt with her, officials who tried to probe her for information about Song, and rivals who watched her every blink for a sign of weakness. She was a Princess of Song, a symbol of the Clan's expanding reach, and she played the role to perfection.
But the mask was starting to feel heavy. The lights were too bright, and the air felt thin.
She excused herself toward the balcony, needing a moment of real air — air that hadn't been filtered through a thousand lungs. She stood at the edge of the balcony, the city lights of the NQSC twinkling below like fallen stars.
The night was quiet for a heartbeat. Too quiet.
Asteria's instincts, honed in the white sands of the desert and the dark arena of the Jade Palace suddenly screamed.
A cold, jagged ripple moved through the air.
Her head darted to the right, her glassy-violet eyes narrowing. She felt it — the unmistakeable pull of essence and a flurry of white sparks.
She felt it. Somewhere close — somewhere near her, an Ascended memory was being summoned, and it clearly wasn't for social demonstration.
CRASH.
The massive glass doors leading to the ballroom shattered into a thousand glittering shards. Before the screams could even begin, a shadow tore through the billowing curtains, moving with a speed that defied her own senses — If she wasn't relying on [Spell Sense] to guide her.
Asteria didn't have time to summon her own blade — their speed was too fast and her summoning too slow. Her heart hammered against her ribs as the figure lunged from the debris, a black blade gleaming with a hungry light aimed directly at her throat.
'Ah shit.'