Everything has a beginning.

This is the era where legends and myths still exist… History spreads far and wide, and there is no way to trace what happened at that time. The only thing that remains are rumours spread by word of mouth; no documents, no records. It once happened in this world, but there’s no one now who can say for certain what clearly happened in the process.

It’s only because of a relation with God.

Everything concerning God is a mystery. Although people have attempted to scribe all they learnt, records are lost and destroyed through the ages.  Legends speak of those who have touched the face of God, yet the only things we know are their names, bloodlines and their unwavering status.

They accepted their duties bestowed by God, and take on the responsibility of passing down God’s oracles – with the identity of a normal human. Things that were passed down from then till now, are symbolic objects and temples. They swore an oath to a life of chastity, devoting themselves only to God. Their blood was shared and with it, a covenant between comrades was sealed: to never betray one another.

These eight priests serve their lives to God, their identities different from ordinary priests. To differentiate that, they have a common term and their own names.

That is how the Priests of God came about.

It’s said that they who represent God, devote their lives entirely to their duties till death. Their very blood is then claimed by God and infused into the next generation of successors through mystical means. That is how their lineage is passed on.

For thousands of years this continued…

Some say that this is the highest honour, while others believe it is a curse. These eight families, throughout the passage of time, can never break free of their destinies... their duty to God.

Desertion was not unheard of throughout the centuries. Even if they realised terrible consequences would befall them should they be caught by one of the other seven members... sometimes one must struggle... to fight against the destiny forced upon them.

However, many still protect the superior blood of their ancestors. They silently carry out their duties to the fullest, maintaining the glorious reputation of the Priests of God. They spread their legends far and wide, and thus these legends became immortal.

The system binding the Priests of God changes every year, and now, the rules are no longer as unbearable.

And the impressions the commoners have towards these Priests of God are—

Just like a God, pure and solemn. They are people who do not violate, and are always at the top; worthy of respect, yet impossible to get close to.

However, the truth is, not every one of them is like that.

Other than their indifferent nature, and other slight discrepancies, they aren’t much different from normal people.

The reason they were hard to get close to, besides disposition, status, and the legends that surround them, was because they had beautiful appearances, as if bestowed by God.

Because of their natural personalities, knowledge and duties, God’s throne was divided. There were many priests of God who couldn’t get along, probably because of the mentality that only they were special.

The Priests of God everyone meets are young, regardless of age. This has relation to God’s gift, and commoners would of course not know any better.

Their legends, although incomplete, were still passed down in this way.

Till this generation……

A generation fraught with disaster……

The Aisuile Shrine standing by the sea, has existed since legends started. It is also the place where one of the eight Priests of God, the Guardian of Broken Hollow¹ resides.

It is undeniably a beautiful shrine; the craftsmanship of its forefathers is enough to put people in awe. Amongst the nine shrines during the era of this legend, this is the most beautiful. Those with the ambition of becoming a priest, or currently a priest, see it as an honour to work in these nine shrines.

On a usually peaceful morning, something minor happened.

No, maybe it’s not something to be considered minor.

“Guardian……. Guardian of Broken Hollow……!” Running frantically into the huge shrine, a servant reported on what just happened.

“The Priest-to-be… has… has disappeared!”

Behind the table next to the window, that slender figure did not even turn around, making him seem unconcerned.

“Disappeared?”

A magnetic voice gently spoke out, and then there was a long silence.

“Or should I say… isn’t it more accurate to say that he has run away from home?”

He maintained his posture of staring out of the window. His hair is a beautiful shade of ebony, and even though a robe was draped over his entire body, you can still see his perfect proportions underneath.

”Then… should we go find him?”

“No need.”

It was a simple command, yet it held dignity that carried anger.

He actually ran away by himself… there isn’t much time left till the succession ceremony… he just had to create trouble…

When I see him, there’s no doubt that I’ll have to put some discipline in him……

- I just wanted to use my own eyes, to gaze at this world…… -

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1 Guardian of Broken Hollow (破虚神座) : Its direct translation would be Broken Hollow seat/throne, but since it refers to a person, ‘guardian’ is used.^↩

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