Part 1Divine Ascension After the Sword Swap

As the princess of the Spirit Realm, I was born bonded to Heartseeker, the blade fabled for its ultimate devotion.

In my last life, to hasten the birth of its Blade Spirit, I endured daily baptisms in scorching bronze water and anointed it with my own blood.

On the day the Blade Spirit finally formed, celestial energy converged from across the world, shaking the very foundations of existence. The Celestial Emperor himself descended from the heavens to grant me divinity, bestowing upon me dominion over mortal fate.

But as I prepared to offer my thanks, the Blade Spirit manifested its true form and ran me through with the very sword I had nurtured.

He held my sister, Joanne, in his arms, looking down at me with cold disdain.

“You only ascended because of my power,” he sneered. “If you are worthy of this godhood, then Joanne is as well!”

Only then did I understand. The Blade Spirit I had sacrificed everything for had loved my sister all along.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past, watching Joanne throw a tantrum, demanding to switch bonded blades with me.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I tossed Heartseeker straight to her.

I wanted to see just how they would ascend to godhood without me.

* * *

The hollow emptiness of my soul’s dissipation felt as if it had happened only a second ago, yet when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by the familiar sights of the day my Blade Spirit was to be awakened.

As spirits, we exist above mortals but below the gods. Those of us with royal blood are born with a bonded blade, a companion sword whose power and nature reflect our own.

My bonded blade was Heartseeker, one of the ten legendary celestial swords. It was foretold that once its spirit awakened, I would gain the power to command the fates of the mortal realm. I grew up bearing the weight of immense expectation, with the Royal Seer himself predicting I would be the next goddess to ascend from our realm.

And so, under the watchful eyes of my entire kingdom, the day of the awakening ceremony arrived.

In my previous life, a small incident occurred just before the ritual. My half-sister, Joanne, tried to steal Heartseeker and replace it with her own blade. If our father hadn’t discovered her in time, Heartseeker would have been lost to me.

Now, I watched as Joanne knelt in the center of the great hall, her face a mask of bitter resentment as she screamed at our father on the throne.

“Why? We are both your daughters, yet Sybil was born with Heartseeker by her side, while I was given this useless piece of bronze meant for farming!” Her voice cracked with fury. “I am the elder princess! But Sybil outshines me at every turn. You call it talent, but I call it favoritism!”

Our father slammed his hand on the armrest, his face flushed with anger. “As her older sister, you try to steal her bonded blade, and you still have the audacity to argue? For the past century, I have clearly been too lenient with you!”

But Joanne wouldn’t back down, her frustration dissolving into tears. “Lenient? Since you married your new queen, when have you ever cared for me? Father, if my mother knew you treated me this way, how could she ever rest in peace?”

As she wept, I noticed Heartseeker, resting on its stand, begin to vibrate, a low hum resonating from its steel.

In my past life, I was blind. The sword’s preference was so obvious, yet I had noticed nothing.

Joanne staggered to her feet, her eyes burning with hatred as she looked at me.

“Father, if you cannot decide, then let Heartseeker decide!” she declared. “Sybil, do you dare face the trial with me? Let us both offer our blood and see whom the blade chooses!”

Seeing her so resolute, a thought sparked in my mind.

She must have been reborn, too.

Before my father could forbid it, I accepted without a moment’s hesitation.

“Fine. If Heartseeker truly desires you, then I have no want for a blade so quick to betray its master.”

Joanne’s eyes lit up. Before our father could intervene, we had both sliced open our palms.

As the entire court watched, the moment Heartseeker sensed Joanne’s blood, it shot into the sky like a comet. After circling a few times, it came to a stop, hovering directly before her.

A triumphant, almost manic laugh escaped Joanne’s lips. “It chose me! Heartseeker chose me!”

Watching the sword make its choice without even waiting for me to complete the ritual, a wave of bitter irony washed over me. For a hundred years, I had submitted myself to daily torture, bathing in molten bronze and feeding it my lifeblood, all so I wouldn't tarnish its legendary name.

All that suffering, only to hand-craft a wedding dress for Joanne.

While the court reeled in disbelief at Heartseeker’s decision, a drop of blood from my hand fell, landing unnoticed on the humble bronze sword Joanne had tossed aside.

The next moment, the discarded blade flared with a soft, warm light. It rose from the floor and stood before me, silent and steady.

It had chosen me.