Part 1The Suicide That Shattered Heaven

I was once the childhood companion of Aurelius, Crown Prince of the Celestial Realm. For three millennia, I loved him in secret.

To win his hand, I knelt before the Celestial Emperor countless times, finally begging a decree for our betrothal.

Yet, he treated me with an icy disdain.

Because my sister claimed I meant her harm, Aurelius forced me to leap from the Sky-Piercer Spire, condemning me to ten mortal lifetimes as a lesson.

A thousand years later, I dragged my scarred, broken celestial body back to the heavens.

The lofty Aurelius looked down upon me. "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?"

Humbly, I knelt. "I have, Your Highness. I swear on my very soul, I will never again harbor improper thoughts for you."

He nodded, satisfied.

But when he saw the marks and scars that covered my body, when he learned that for the last millennium, I had been a courtesan in the Abyss of Lost Souls, his eyes turned blood-red, and he went mad with rage.

* * *

It was my one-thousand-and-fiftieth year working in the Abyss of Lost Souls.

Aurelius finally sent someone for me.

"By my calculations, Lady Rhea's ten mortal lifetimes should be concluded. Go and bring her back. She can attend the wedding feast for myself and her sister, Lady Lyra."

Aurelius's lieutenant had searched the Three Realms for an eternity before finally tracking me to this infernal brothel.

When he arrived to collect me, two hulking demons were just leaving my bedchamber.

The lieutenant's brow furrowed, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "Lady Rhea, what a clever scheme. Hiding in the filthiest corner of the Abyss to evade the Prince's sentence."

"You are a Celestial, a princess of the Phoenix Conclave. How could you fall so low?" he spat. "Look at yourself. The sight of you makes me want to vomit."

Once, if a mere lieutenant had dared speak to me so, his head would have parted from his shoulders. But I was no longer the Rhea I once was.

I lowered my head. "You are right, Lieutenant. I have debased myself. I am unworthy of being a Celestial. Please, take me back to the heavens."

I pulled on my robes, but my legs were weak, my body drained of all strength. Impatient, the lieutenant bound me with a Celestial Chain and simply dragged me skyward. The chain was lined with countless tiny barbs.

The moment he pulled, a piercing scream tore from my throat.

He barked, "What are you screaming for? You have your celestial energy to protect you. As if this chain could truly harm you! If you hadn't been feigning weakness and wasting time, I wouldn't have had to use this at all."

When we reached Aurelius's Citadel of Eternal Light, he yanked the chain back. The barbs tore my flesh anew. Blood soaked through my thin robes. I clutched the fabric to myself and knelt on the cold, unforgiving marble.

Soon, Aurelius appeared.

He sat upon the high throne of his Citadel, his gaze a mixture of coldness and contempt.

Everyone in the heavens knew the story: Lady Rhea, the young princess of the Phoenix Conclave, had been infatuated with Crown Prince Aurelius for three thousand years. Trading on their shared childhood, she had openly declared she would marry no other.

A millennium ago, to secure a betrothal, I had prostrated myself before the Celestial Emperor countless times, finally earning a royal decree. But Aurelius had rejected it, never showing me an ounce of affection.

I had once believed he was simply incapable of love. Then I saw him tenderly tracing my sister Lyra's brow, adjusting her cloak. And I knew. The ice-cold Prince could love. He just didn't love me.

A thousand years had only amplified his commanding presence. I kept my head bowed, not daring to meet his eyes.

Seeing me, Aurelius's lips tightened in a familiar, downward curve. "Rhea, have you learned your lesson?" he asked.

As the words left his mouth, the crushing weight of his royal authority washed over me. My already fragile body couldn't withstand the impact, and I collapsed.

Aurelius snorted. "Look at this pathetic display. How pitiful."

"Rhea, I am warning you. If you ever dare to think of harming your sister again, I will make you pay a thousand times over."

Before he could finish, I scrambled back to my knees, bowing my head to the floor. "I was wrong! I was wrong, Your Highness! I will never dare again!"

And I wouldn't.

Once, I had believed our shared past made me special in his eyes. But all it took was a single tear from my sister Lyra for him to believe her lies, to condemn me for a crime I never committed. The Prince's sentence of ten mortal lifetimes was nearly impossible to evade, unless one fled to the Abyss. When I refused to go, he drew his sword and forced me to the edge of the Sky-Piercer Spire.

"Your heart is black with poison," he'd snarled. "You tried to poison Lyra. A few lifetimes of mortal suffering is a light punishment. What right do you have to refuse?"

As I fell, ten thousand bolts of celestial lightning shattered my powers, nearly cleaving my phoenix form in two.

Remembering this, I pressed my forehead lower, prostrating myself in supplication. What courage did I have left to resist? How many lives did I have to spare?

The celestial handmaidens in the hall began to whisper.

"Look at her. A princess of the Conclave, brought to such a miserable end."

"It's her own fault for being so greedy, for daring to think she could marry the Prince."

"His Highness and Lady Lyra are a perfect match, destined by the heavens. What does she have to do with it?"

Celestials have keen senses. Aurelius heard them, but said nothing.

I remained bowed, not daring to lift my head. My body trembled as I swore an oath, word by painful word. "Your Highness, it was my foolishness, my delusion. I am awake now. I will never again presume to covet you."

"I, Rhea, swear to the heavens, I will never again harbor improper thoughts for the Crown Prince!"

"And I sincerely wish you and my sister a blessed union, an eternity of love."

I peeked up, offering a placating smile, praying he would finally let me go.

Aurelius sneered. "If it weren't for Lyra's kindness, for her begging on your behalf, do you think you would have ever been allowed back?"

"You two are sisters, born of the same mother. Lyra is as benevolent as a saint, while your heart is as black as a demon's."

"You've returned after your punishment, but a few mortal lifetimes was a pittance. You still need to suffer a little more, to truly learn your lesson."

At the word "suffer," I began to shake uncontrollably. The matron of the Abyss brothel used to say the same thing when I was disobedient.

Fear paralyzed me. I crumpled to the floor, my face as white as paper. "No, no, I beg you! Please don't punish me again!"

"I can leave the Celestial Realm forever! I'll become a mortal! Just please, no more punishment!"

But Aurelius saw only another pathetic performance. "Is this a place for you to speak?" he commanded coldly. "Guards! The Lady Rhea has shown disrespect to the Crown. Three hundred lashes!"

These were not ordinary lashes. A single strike from his enchanted whip could shatter my phoenix bones. The lieutenant carrying out the sentence, clearly acting on another's orders, aimed every blow at my old wounds, carefully avoiding any fatal injury, leaving me in a state of living death.

When it was over, I was alone in the great hall. My body was a bloody ruin, one leg broken. I began to crawl, inch by painful inch, toward my own palace.

Behind me, a stark, crimson trail stained the pristine marble of the Citadel of Eternal Light.