After the infamous war that changed everything, I rarely visited Imperium, but I would check on it now and then. It was hard for them to adjust at first, but soon Imperium prospered again.

And so I finally come to the main part of this story that took place millions of years after Evelyn's disappearance, the story of a specific girl I watched and cared for as if she were my daughter.

Evelyn and Adelard each had children of their own. It is unknown who they were married to or whether the children were even sexually reproduced at all, but there was no denying that these "Descendants" were indeed their children. They were gifted the same abilities as their parents, although not nearly as powerful. The child I shall tell the story about was one of them. A Descendant of Light.

To know more about her; I shall have to start from the beginning. Her beginning.

Celeste Knight and her family lived in a country called Firebend. Firebend was famous for being the place Lady Evelyn had once lived in. Celeste was a Descendant of Light and had gained Evelyn's good looks. She was a woman with long white hair and bright, marine blue eyes.

She was married to John Knight, the Descendant of the Guardian Knight (The 'Guardian Knight' was actually Esmond, but Imperium had long forgotten the Keepers of Light. They did, however, remember Esmond, the first Knight of Imperium, despite forgetting his name). He was the Guardian Knight of Firebend, a title given to the leader of a country's Knights, second in command to the Lord. He was the reason, along with Celeste, why Firebend was feared by others.

John had jet black hair and hazel eyes that looked like pools of honey. Scars covered his skin, a relic of the wars and battles he took part in.

There was a day where the whole of Firebend celebrated. Festivals were being held and the sounds of music and laughter hung in the air. That day was the birth of a new Descendant.

Just after her birth, Celeste and John beamed at the baby in her mother's arms, wrapped warmly in a pink blanket. She was pale, with dark black hair, and when she opened her eyes, they saw bright blue eyes looking back at them, identical to her mother's.

Celeste's smile vanished, and her body trembled. John held her hand.

"It won't happen again. We'll save them," he said, smiling softly. "I'm worried too, but you know you can't be like this. No matter what it sings, we need to be there for them. We need to make them happy and strong. They'll go through it."

Celeste cried the tears she had been holding for so long, resting her head on his shoulder, the baby sleeping soundly in her arms, unaware.

"Please," Celeste croaked. "It can't happen again! What if... it sings something worse? What will I do then?!"

"It won't," he soothed, patting her back.

Her body shivered. It was soon. It was coming.

"Celeste, I believe in you. Listen carefully to the song, alright? Make sure you remember every word," he said urgently, grabbing her shoulders. "Now is not the time to cry! This is her life we're talking about!"

She nodded slowly, wiping her tears.

Something in their hearts dropped. It was time. They held hands one last time before John had to let go. He left the room, and the door slammed shut behind him. He quickly turned to open the door, but it was locked. Fear crippled him. He cried, but quickly muffled the sound with his hand — he didn't want her to worry. He leaned against the door, begging for Fate to have mercy. It can't happen again. Not to their daughter, too.

Minutes passed, which felt like hours. John stood still by the door, his legs became numb, his hand still grasping the door handle. He tried turning it every few seconds, but it was still locked. When the door finally opened, he ran towards Celeste like his life depended on it, but looking at her face made his blood run cold. 

Celeste was in a state of shock, and the baby in her arms was now crying weakly.

"No!" John screamed, grabbing Celeste. "Please!"

She didn't answer. Her eyes were cold and empty, as if life had lost meaning. They could hear the sounds of celebration outside the window.

He shook her, tears falling down his face, trying to wake her from this lifeless state.

"Her name!" he cried, "What's the name of our child?!"

Celeste turned and looked at him, eyes red.

"Ash..." she whispered.

❋ ❋ ❋

A boy ran around wildly in his living room. His Grandmother watched him, amused. Her name was Allie, Celeste's mother. She had long white hair, greyish brown eyes, and despite being very old she looked young, with a few wrinkles here and there.

The boy, Garnet Knight, kept running around the room, knocking over books and other things as he did. He inherited his good looks from his father; jet black hair and hazel eyes. He was five years old and filled to the brim with youth and innocence.

"When will they come?!" he asked his grandmother excitedly.

Tired of trying to explain using words, Allie sighed and used magic instead. With the flick of her wrist, Garnet's lips sealed tight and was forced to sit on the chair next to her.

"Calm down," she said. "Your parents won't come home in two days still."

"But I want to see her now! " he whined as soon as his lips were unsealed.

"We'll take that time to decorate the house and buy toys for her," Allie sighed.

"I want to see her now!" he screamed. "I don't understand, why can't Mom and Dad be home now? Where have they gone?"

"It's not for you to know," she snapped, losing patience.

Garnet winced at the tone of her voice and knew he couldn't argue further. Crossing his arms and muttering something under his breath, he stomped towards his room and slammed the door shut. This was often a sign that he needed someone to dry his eyes, console him and maybe even sing him a song. The dramatic sounds of crying from his room were only for her attention, for her to come to his room and apologize for speaking harshly.

But Allie was not in the mood to mediate him today. She could barely stop herself from being so anxious. A cold, dreaded fear consumed her heart, and she wished she could be there for her daughter.

What if the cycle repeated? Would Celeste look at her with the same lifeless eyes, go through the same sleepless nights?

Why was Fate so cruel? On a day where they should've been celebrating, on a day where the entire country honoured the birth of a Descendant, they lived in fear like this; fear for the life of another precious child.

Today was supposed to be a happy day.