Preface
Not so long ago now, there lived a beautiful empress who ruled over us all. One look at her, and you could tell why. From her lilac fur and forked tail, to her, most interestingly, red jewel on her forehead. Whilst her large ears and tufted cheeks gave her a feline appearance, she was in fact anything but. Some said she was a spirit, who travelled to our world. Others said she was nothing less than a goddess. And who could blame them? For such a small being, she possessed unbelievable power. Magic; the likes of which we'd never seen. Magic that shone in her paws as if she were holding the sunlight itself. Magic that, in her benevolence, she might share with us. To protect us, to give us light, to give us hope that we might one day reach the lofty throne upon which she sits. She told us her name was Xīyǒu, and we could believe it. It means "rare", or "uncommon", and she certainly was that.
Yes, it wasn't long before we put the puzzle pieces together. If this creature had such power, to seemingly create sunlight out of nothing, then who better to lead us? A goddess and an empress, all in one. She would watch over us with her celestial strength, and we in turn would show our gratitude. No creature was as loved as our dear sun goddess. Loved by all, admired by all, worshipped by all. Yes, there were still times of disharmony and battle, but Empress Xīyǒu was always there to lead us through it. For a while, we were happy.
But puzzles can be fickle. Sometimes the wrong pieces still fit together, to form a distorted reality of a once beautiful picture.