Heavenly Phoenix

“Sir! Sir, Her Majesty has successfully given birth, but she is now on her deathbed.” The servant stood trembling, his face filled with fear of the king’s reaction.

“Really? Hahaha… good work. What a dutiful wife. A dutiful wife. She gave birth to a son, didn’t she? Ahh, finally. Unfortunately, she was a fragile woman; she certainly couldn’t withstand my magic-filled blood. What a pity. But dying for her king is without a doubt her greatest achievement, hahaha.”

King Edward walked away, humming a joyful tune and thanking all the listening gods. After his concubine had given birth to his first son, Carlos, none of his other concubines managed to bear a boy. Whenever he had a daughter, he ordered both her and the mother executed, believing girls to be a bad omen. If he must have a daughter, she would be his last child.

Edward left behind in the room a woman filled with hatred and resentment—his favored concubine Celestia, Carlos’s mother. After he left, she screamed at the servant, pacing the room in clear agitation.

“Damn it! How could that worthless mortal give His Majesty a son? She was supposed to miscarry, or her womb should have been destroyed, or that cursed fetus should have died inside her! Why is this happening to me?”

“My lady, actually…”

“What do you mean ‘actually’? Speak!”

The servant trembled under her hateful gaze.

“Actually… Her Majesty gave birth to a girl. Moreover… her hair is red.”

“W-What?! Oh my God!” Her eyes widened in shock and sudden joy. She sought confirmation from the terrified servant, who was on the verge of wetting himself. If he said this in front of Edward, he would lose his head.

“Really, my lady. How could a humble servant like me joke about something like this in your presence?”

(Note: You may wonder why red hair is rejected. Red hair was considered for millions of years a symbol of sorrow and associated with evil witches in ancient legends. Thus, kingdoms—especially in the Fifth World—ordered the killing of every red-haired newborn and the burning of their ancestors to avoid the wrath of the heavens.)

Edward pushed open the door to his consort’s room with force, his face filled with joy as he headed toward the bed carrying his long-awaited “son,” ignoring the woman who had just given birth and was barely holding onto life.

He looked at his maids, all of whom had their heads lowered. The king felt something was wrong, assuming they were mourning their young queen, who was only 26 years old. He ignored it and walked to the cradle of his “son” and lifted the child.

But then his worst fears were confirmed, and reality struck him in the face.

Inside the blanket was not a boy, but a very small baby girl. She had an oval face barely fitting in a palm, soft red infant hair covering part of her forehead, pure white skin, and bright red eyelashes. As if sensing him, she opened her eyes—emerald green like ruby—staring with an innocent gaze that did not belong to this dark world filled with greed and schemes. Despite everything, she was beautiful, almost fairy-like.

Fear overwhelmed his anger, and he threw her toward her mother, who was taking her last breaths.

Soon he regained his rage and shouted with all his strength, his voice echoing through the palace:

“Nooooo! Verena, you miserable woman! How dare you?! With whom did you betray me to give birth to this cursed disaster?! How will the kings look at me now?! My life is ruined! Not only is she a girl, but she has red hair?!”

His chest rose and fell violently as he cursed everything impure.

Verena looked at him with sorrow, holding her crying daughter tightly.

The midwife said: “Your Majesty, please do not rush your judgment. Your servant has confirmed she is of your blood. Please forgive us.” She fell to her knees beside the maids begging for mercy.

His eyes reddened with rage. He knew she was his daughter but refused to accept it. “How? No… impossible. Yes, they must be executed. All of them.”

This was the tragedy of his life. He feared that such a crime would lead to the execution of the entire family, as per the law. Edward rushed out to prepare her execution ceremony.

Verena pressed her daughter to her chest protectively, smiling through tears.

“My little one… I’m sorry I cannot take care of you anymore. Be strong. I know you will grow up to be strong, not weak like me.”

She kissed her forehead. “Your father is a coward. He will try to kill you for sure. But don’t be afraid. Someone will come to save you and protect you. From now on… your name will be Lia.”

A transparent magic flowed into Lia’s forehead. Fragmented memories appeared before her eyes. A mysterious force gathered near her chest forming the letter M. She cried in pain, yet focused on the woman holding her.

“Goodbye… Lia…”

“My lady!” The maids rushed in as the queen died. The newborn cried as if sensing her death, while the loyal maids wept beside her.

In another room, Celestia drank fine wine, enjoying the cries from the queen’s chamber.

“Finally, the gods heard me. I was right.” She smiled cruelly.

“Where is His Majesty?”

“He is preparing the execution of the princess using dark magic.”

Celestia smiled widely.

“Edward… your cowardice will be your downfall.”

“Congratulations, my lady. What about that woman?” asked another concubine.

“She is dead.”

“Hmph. From now on, that title belongs only to you, Lady Celestia.”

“Of course, I will take care of you all,” she said softly, then turned away. “Fools… you were only steps on my rise.”

Elsewhere, Edward pleaded before hooded figures.

“We need your help.”

The leader spoke harshly: “One thousand gold coins per person.”

Edward paled. “But there are six of you… that’s six thousand!”

“Pay, or we reveal your secret.”

A witch laughed, and Edward finally agreed. After hours, the ritual began.

“The child is a girl… what a shame. She would have been very valuable,” the king muttered as she was placed inside a magic circle.

The ritual suddenly failed. A barrier of high magic shattered their spell.

“Nooooo!” Edward screamed as six terrifying figures appeared in the sky.

They were not kings. They were legends of the Seven Worlds.

The “Strongest of Worlds.”

Edward realized his fate.

“It’s over… what crime did I commit to meet them…?”