Prologue

A sharp clang echoed within the area as one of the squires crossed his sword with another. They were training to be accomplished knights, and Solphitia was there to supervise them. Melusine watched as the knight shouted commands at them in a reprimanding manner, sighing deeply as she finally decided to divert her attention back to the book she was reading.

"You! Don't just swing your sword around! Have some sense of coordination with your arms and eyes! You dare call that swordsmanship? You're putting everyone here to shame!" Solphitia's voice reverberated, her words bouncing off the walls.

Melusine chuckled. She was the same as ever. Her seriousness regarding her occupation never changes. She trains everyone with an iron fist and refuses to tolerate even a small mistake committed by each.

Solphitia breathed a sigh and wiped a sweat off her brow. "Alright everyone, take a short break." She walked over to Melusine and sat on the available seat next to her. The stone bench was quite cold, but it made her feel refreshed in the very least.

"Still as adamant as ever, I see." Melusine commented, a small laugh bubbling from her lips.

Solphitia rolled her eyes and inhaled the scent of fresh air. A sheen of sweat glistened at her skin. "If I go soft on them, they won't learn. They want so much to become a knight, then, they must first endure hardships. A diamond in the rough needs polishing to shine. Isn't that what you always tell me?" She stated.

Melusine remained quiet on her seat instead of answering. Her eyes remained glued to the page of the book in her hands. Silence drifted between the two except for the sound of the princess flipping her book to the next page.

Solphitia felt her brow twitch. "You stole another forbidden book from the library?"

"Shhh," Melusine glared at her friend and placed a finger on her lip. "No speaking of this to anyone." She said.

"This is starting to happen quite frequently."

"Don't worry. No one will notice." The princess allowed a charming giggle to echo in the back of her throat. "I made a perfect imitation of the original and put it in its place while I borrowed this." She said.

Solphitia glanced worriedly at her friend and shook her head. "If ever anyone finds out of this, your mother will kill you."

"It doesn't matter if they kill me." She whispered, letting her blue eyes close momentarily from exhaustion. She could feel the weariness that was forcing them close. "The fact is I am decisive about knowing about the world I'm unaware of. A person can never be knowledgeable enough."

"Don't tell me you're still infatuated with knowing what lies behind the gates." The lady knight suppressed a whine that almost came with her words. Melusine was surely a hard one to control. She couldn't imagine how hard it must be for her mother to handle her as her daughter.

Melusine snapped the book in her hand close and stood up confidently from the bench she was sitting previously on. She glanced upwards to the heavens and recited a speech which impeccably fitted her personality.

"Once I become the Supreme Queen, I want to try and open the Celestial Kingdom to the worlds beyond ours. I want to expand and gain more knowledge of the things I've never encountered before."

To outsiders, Princess Melusine may look like the ideal princess. However, if you look much closer, you would see that she was just an unusual character, and like every other young lady, she possesses her own hobbies which she focuses on at a major rate.

Melusine was the kind of girl who hungers for knowledge and thirsts for the world she has yet to see. Her uncanny interest in new things often leads her to trouble. Though if ever a mishap occurs, she's very well-able to protect herself from any kind of potential danger. She really is an admirable princess. But as a close friend and subordinate, she's all but an energetic brat. Solphitia was only grateful that she did not grow up being too dependent on the people around her. The only thing she was worried about for the princess was her developing liberal thinking. As she delved into the world of logic and reasoning, she came upon the conclusion that the rule that separated the Celestial Kingdom from the rest of the world was unreasonable.

Melusine possessed captivating blue eyes framed by a thick fringe of long lashes. She normally lets down her wavy, blond hair which softly flowed down until it reached her thighs. She was fair-skinned, and her body was properly proportioned. With the small waist and wide hips she has, it would certainly make anyone jealous. She had long legs, a frail frame and a charming smile.

Since the great, tragic war against the originators, the Celestial Beings almost went extinct. Because of this, they were all forced to flee to save the last people of their race. The most ideal place for recovering was somewhere hidden and isolated from the rest of the world, and for that cause, the Celestial Kingdom was created. This city reigns at the sky and remains suspended in the air with the great power of its monarchs. It never stays in one place, nor does it remain visible to the naked eye.

To the human and mazoku race, those land-dwellers who stay at the lands below, the Celestial Beings never existed. They are all but mere tales of people who wanted to find their ideal lover. It is true that Celestial Beings hold great beauty and allure, but at the same time, they are also powerful and deadly creatures.

The Celestial Kingdom exists to protect its people, but all it was for Melusine was an unnecessary prison. She became decisive of opening the gates of the kingdom to the other world, but for Solphitia, it was only naive of her to think that it would be that easy to accomplish. However, despite that fact, she has a trust on the princess. She was the kind of person who won't give up on something she has already set her mind at. With this kind of heir, she had already begun wondering what kind of events would happen to the Great Kingdom of the Celestials.

Solphitia had no worries since despite descending from a royal family, she wasn't the one who will take the throne, but her brother. Melusine's family isn't the only one ruling the kingdom. However, they are the most powerful and are the ones who mostly dictate what the other families were supposed to do.

The Celestial Kingdom, judging by its enormous size, needed not only be governed by one queen. To keep things in order and to prevent the kingdom from falling into trouble, the First Supreme Queen (Melusine's grandmother) appointed different, honorable people who are trusted in ruling smaller pieces of land. There is the von Hart who rules the South, the von Cadalyns who rules the East, the von Gwendolyn who rules West, and lastly, the von Montelle de la Rosellevienne, who rules the North and guards the gate located at that area. Thus, the term 'Supreme' was added to the queen's title, to symbolize that her power won't be matched.

"Seriously," Solphitia muttered. "You're always so high in spirits. Where do you get all that energy? And, by the way, if you ever get caught stealing those books, then tell them I had no idea what you were doing."

"How mean. You call yourself my friend?" Melusine pouted at Solphitia and gazed at her with her puppy dog eyes.

Solphitia had straight, silky blue hair with eyes that resembled a river of melted gold. Her lips were rosy red and she was physically fit because of all the harsh training she endured as a knight. Her face looked mature and she was, like she Melusine had once said, a graceful and beautiful woman.

Melusine, with the book under her arm, entered her chambers with an exhausted sigh. The sun had already set, and with her guess, it's almost midnight. At the very moment, she stepped into the room; she sensed the strong presence of her queen mother. Her eyes snapped into the direction of her couches and there she saw the Supreme Queen Ceres sitting comfortably while sipping a cup of tea.

Melusine made no hesitance to come forward and greet her with a smile. "What brings you in my room, mother?"

Supreme Queen Ceres possessed elegance and beauty that can never be seen in any other Celestial Maidens in the kingdom. Her golden eyes almost seemed like a river of melted gold and her long, matching golden hair often dressed into striking chiffon curls shined blindingly. The crown atop her head didn't shine any less than the beauty of its owner.

Melusine bit her lip as she watched the tea cup being set down on the glass table. As soon as the clink reached her ears, her mother glared at her direction.

"Where in the world did you go again, Melusine?" Her mother almost screamed. "Don't you know how worried sick I was, waiting for you to come back to your room?"

Melusine grinned and scratched her head at the overreaction her mother was showing. She was sure no one would want to see this side of her.

"Mother, please calm down."

"Calm down? You're telling me to calm down? That's impossible!" Supreme Queen Ceres walked over to her daughter and crushed her into a tight embrace.

Melusine reluctantly hugged her back. "Mother, what's this all of a sudden?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, Melusine." She whispered.

"What?"

"It's been finalized."

"What's been finalized?"

"You're engaged to marry Lord Viltheim."

"Engaged . . . to marry?!" Melusine pushed her mother away as she stared at her in shock. "What do you mean? I've already refused to accept that proposal! I already told you so many times! I treat Lord Viltheim as a close friend of mine, but not anything more than that!"

Ceres grabbed her arms gently and tried to explain. "I can't do anything anymore, Melusine. It's all been set."

"All been set? Do you not trust me? Do you not believe that I can run this kingdom properly as much as you can alone?"

"I know that . . . but . . ."

"But what? Mother! Please! I don't want this!"

"It's necessary!"

"No, it isn't! I have enough power by myself to reign as queen!"

"Listen to me once, daughter."

"No! I don't want to hear any more of what you're going to say! I heard it once already. So please don't force it to me anymore."

"Melusine . . ."

"Just please!"

"I can't."

Melusine paused. "I don't want to hear the same things over again, please leave me alone."

"Daughter,"

"Just leave me alone!"

Supreme Queen Ceres reluctantly left the room. Melusine turned away from her and sat on the chair in front of her study table, sighing problematically.

Melusine wasn't a doll that can be willed to do anything as told. She had her own mind, heart, and emotions. Being forced to marry someone she didn't love was not something she agreed with—and with her cousin, nonetheless! Lord Viltheim was the first son of her mother's brother, and out of all of those problems, the thing the she couldn't bear was the fact that her loving mother agreed to something like it! She always used to say that she loved Melusine so much and wanted nothing else than her being happy. But she was doing the total opposite! By doing this, she was condemning Melusine to an unhappy life.

She sighed and hatched the book she was reading previously open to the last page she was in. Her heart felt like it was breaking.

'The Covenant Castle presents rich history of the demon kingdom. Rumors started circling that by the very moment us Celestial Beings left the low lands, the originators were sealed in four boxes and peace settled among the people. The Covenant Castle was said to have been built on the very land that the Great King Shinou pledged protection to, and in return to his promise, the spirits that dwelled in the land told the Great King to build a castle. It would be a structure protected from other conquerors, and no other person except the demon king would be allowed to rule over it.'

How great would it be to see this marvelous place herself? This book has recorded history long ago. What have become of the Great Demon Kingdom now? She was curious of what had happened to it, in the very least. How many kings have reigned over it?

She sighed. She wished she knew more. She also wished that more books contained information of it. The only things that the books in the library contained were only the history of the Celestial Kingdom.

An idea flashed inside her head. She perked up from her seat and snapped her finger in realization. "Then why don't I go myself?" She suggested.

She ran towards the book shelves in her room and reached for a book in the top corner at the highest shelf. She needed to climb the ladder to get it, but it was worth the effort anyway. Flipping the book to the intended page, she started reading the following paragraphs and smiled.

'The gates leading out of the Celestial Kingdom can only be opened temporarily by the First Supreme Queen, or the direct descendants of the First Supreme Queen, otherwise, the main ruler would need the help of the three other people or their descendants to completely open it. This is the same mechanism used to lock the forbidden books in order to protect its secrets, with only enhanced security and power. However, it requires much effort than normal. How it's done is known only to those who took part in locking the gates—mainly those of royal blood.'

"I'm so lucky to be of royal blood." Melusine whispered, and thought of the method she often uses to unlock the forbidden books.

Just starting from the forbidden books, it was already hard. In order to unlock them, one must face the danger of being burned—literally. There were no exceptions. The first step was to prevent oneself from being harmed by the spell. So as to do this, the person must concentrate on masking his or her magic energy. It's quite tricky. Once done in masking, the person must wait until the spell has 'calmed' and becomes somehow oblivious to his or her presence. There was a small chant that puts the guard of the magic down. At that very moment the spell was caught off-guard, the person must force a great deal of power into the object and try to weaken its security. The power required was something possessed only by the people who locked it. The barrier that protected the kingdom was complex, and several magic were used to strengthen it. But out of all the people who took part in creating the barrier, only the supreme queen had the power to temporarily open it. What it was for Melusine was a mystery. Though for sure, that power was strong enough to hold a large city in the air, and she had that kind of power inside of her.

She wasn't exactly prepared, but she already had practice, that's for certain. All she had to do now was to expect the worst and, most of all, ready herself. Melusine thought for a moment and asked herself why she hadn't done this before in the first place.

Sighing, she removed the adornments on her hair along with the crown that sat on top of her head. She looked at it forlornly and closed her eyes in apology. "I'm sorry." She whispered, and gently placed it on her table.

She stepped out of the elegant garments she wore and decided to slip in some much simpler clothes. The new outfit was loose and easier to move in. Wearing her palace attire would slow her down since it was heavy and made it harder to move.

Once fully prepared, she topped her clothes with a black cloak and wrote a small note, folding it on the top of her table. She opened her cabinet of weaponry and strapped a sheathed dagger around her waist, and since she was a practitioner of archery, she took the sturdiest bow she had and wore it around her shoulders. She also took a bunch of fine arrows with her.

It took quite a lot of time preparing. She was quite sure she already had taken up to midnight. She decided to carry a small bag with her which held some of her important possessions.

She lifted the lid of her jewelry box and saw the nostalgic necklace lying around with her other prized possessions. She stared at its pendant. It wasn't just any necklace. It was her father's emblem.

Without hesitation, she slipped it into her traveling bag and turned to get her circlet. This circlet was used for casual occasions. She wore it during normal days, to tell everyone who saw that she was the crown princess. It was necessary—especially for her situation.

It didn't seem important for this event since she would be leaving, but it's already been a habit of hers and she had a feeling that she'll need it for some reason.

She opened the window of her room that faced the direction of the gate and glanced once at the ostentatious bed chamber she slept in. She raised the black cloth to cover her mouth, and when the wind picked up, she disappeared into the darkness like a phantom of the night.

As a princess, Melusine knew the time of the guards' patrols. Though it was an unnecessary knowledge, she had unconsciously memorized their patterned perambulation. She often offered them light snacks, and with her best friend being one of the best knights, she became familiar with it in no time.

She snuck surreptitiously through the city and hid carefully under the shadows, evading the keen sights of the patrolling guards. It was tough trying to act unnoticed. Every now and then, her heart would pound thinking if she had been seen at some point. She wasn't a great warrior as Solphitia was but she was an expert in sneaking around. With all the times she had tried escaping the palace grounds to wander off and mingle with the common people; it had given her a lot of experience.

The wind was cold and the night was quiet. Occasionally, some people would go around doing their businesses. The guards were sleepy and their state of attentiveness had struck low. Melusine wandered in the darkness, heading for one direction alone. She jumped from shadow to shadow like a swift cat.

She eventually reached the gate with success, going unnoticed. She cautiously looked around and approached the daunting structure. Just looking at the looming edifice made her heart thrum in excitement. She could see it glowing with the unbroken spell casted upon it for security.

She stared at her greatest and last obstacles yet. Two guards were posted on either side of the gate, and it's obviously up to Melusine to outwit them.

She could tell that they were sleepy, so she approached them openly and brought the cloth covering her face down. They looked at her warily and pointed their spears towards her, a fierce frown crossing their face.

"State your identity."

"There's no need to raise your weapons, gentlemen." She said and pulled the hood of her cloak down.

They surely knew her face. She wasn't wearing her formal crown, but she was wearing the circlet that had the Celestial Kingdom's emblem in it. She had forgotten that she wouldn't need it when she went down to the lower lands, but thought it would be necessary to bring it with her anyhow. Her intuitions had been correct. If ever these guards do not recognize her face, they would still recognize the circlet she was wearing.

"It's only me."

The guards looked dumbfounded and they pulled their weapons back immediately. They bent down into a reverent bow. "P-princess Melusine? What brings you to our post?"

"Pardon me, gentlemen." She told them. "I personally came to bring an urgent message from the queen's palace."

"It must be urgent to have you come personally to deliver it."

"It really is an emergency and highly confidential. Please report to my mother and hear what she has to say, and since this is to be kept a secret, please avoid the other guards on your way. As princess of this kingdom, I will personally do the honors of guarding the gate in your stead."

The guards exchanged glances and broke into a bow again before scampering from their places. "Thank you, Princess. We'll rush there as soon as we can."

"It's alright." She said.

She watched them disappear from her sight and then diverted her gaze to the gate in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she reached out and poked the gate with her finger.

She was warded off with intense magic and it nearly incinerated her. She pulled back her finger instinctively and grimaced at the smell of her own flesh burning.

There was no much time left, however, it wouldn't be too soon when those guards would reach the queen's palace. She had to begin now or take the risk of getting caught. She took another breath and focused on doing each of the steps she had done towards forbidden books.

She did everything with discreet and reached the final stage of opening the gate. She grabbed the same power she forced into the books and exerted a greater amount of it towards the gate. Because of this, an eerie, golden light began glowing brighter from the intricate bars. The metal began heating up in response and Melusine gritted her teeth. This was taking a lot more effort than the usual. She'd say that it required twenty times the normal power she used.

And as per every time she uses her power, the tranquil blue color of her eyes swirled and changed into a bright golden color.

As everyone could see, Celestial Beings of royal blood normally had a pair of golden hair and eyes. But when Melusine was born, she only possessed golden hair and her eyes were of blue color. This had caused everyone to doubt of her credibility to inherit the throne. She suffered for a very long time. Her memories as a child were horrible. Years ago, despite being the princess, she was a misfit and everyone didn't want her. Her mother loved her either way.

But when she reached the age where she had successfully attained her power as a Celestial Being, everyone was shocked to hear of the minor transformations she made when she used her power. Ever since then, everyone respected her.

She panted as she felt the strain being put to her body. She never released so much of her magical energy all at once. It almost seemed impossible to accomplish, but she can't stop now.

"Melusine! What are you doing?!"

She whipped around and saw Solphitia coming her way. "Solphitia . . ."

It certainly took a while. Pouring the last drop of her energy, the gates finally unlocked and she collapsed on her knees. She pushed its bars open and heard the creak that resonated in her ears.

Despite her shaky knees, she stood back up on her feet and looked back at the approaching lady knight coming her way. "I'm sorry." She whispered, and plunged herself into the unfathomable depths below.

"No! Melusine!" She heard Solphitia yell. The knight rushed to where her friend was, but it was too late. Melusine had already thrown herself away.

Past the gates, there is nothing but misty clouds and air. That was the reason why Melusine fell. Solphitia felt her face creasing in anger and worry. "You idiot!" She screamed.

Solphitia summoned her wings. A pair of luminous, plumed bird wings bloomed on her back. When she tried going through the gates in the attempt to save Melusine, however, the gates themselves closed at her face and she was thrown back by intense magic. She grunted as she fell on the floor. Smoke simmered from her burned clothes.

"Damn. I have completely forgotten that the spell is sensitive. It'll only take a few seconds before it comes back again in activity." She bit her lip and pounded her fist against the ground in anger.

It took Melusine the very last of her strength to open the gates. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to create a barrier around herself. She tried projecting a small ball, but it flickered and vanished into thin air.

"Good gracious! I can't die now!" But if she had stayed there and waited for her strength to recover, then she would've been caught. After going this far, she couldn't afford to fail.

The wind howled in her ears as she zoomed closer to the ground. With her current state, she couldn't even will her wings to appear. All her energy was drained. She never expected this to happen, and she was a fool to think that it would be easy. The task had been simple, but the process upon accomplishing it was very complicated.

Clearly, there was no choice but to hope she survived. Even the strongest man who fell from such height guaranteed no survival at all. Fortunately, Celestial Beings were known to have strong bodies able to endure big blows. There's a great chance she'll still live. If she gets down in one piece, she'll use the time to think things through and enjoy freedom. She's willing to learn about everything the other world had to offer, and come back to their kingdom after she can prove to her mother that she is befitted to rule as queen without any help from a king.

"I can't save Melusine personally. However, the barrier only rejects magic that comes from the outside. I guess I won't have any trouble shooting her a barrier."

Solphitia created a big bubble from her hands and threw it towards Melusine to protect her in the least. She saw a small flicker of golden light earlier. It was apparent that Melusine's strength was greatly depleted from trying to open the gate. She can no longer protect herself from the fall.

After studying the mechanism of the barrier that protected the whole city, Solphitia knew that it's only a semi-permeable layer. It did not allow people to leave or go in, nor disd it let magic enter. Nevertheless, to ensure safety, it allowed magic that was shot from its jurisdiction to leave. To put it simply, Solphitia can't leave, but her magic can.

She watched as the bubble left the barrier. "Reckless brat," She gritted through her teeth and hoped that the bubble reached her in time. "You're lucky I'm here to save you."

Melusine had had failed attempts to create a barrier that's usually just a piece of cake to create. She felt so weak, however. It seemed like trying to accomplish this task would make her pass out.

Shockingly, a golden sphere caught up with her. When she was swallowed inside, the walls hardened into a glass-like structure.

A barrier.

Melusine, with wide eyes, traced the walls under her finger tips and smiled. "Thank you, Solphitia."