Chapter 34 - The Back of the Kun Peng

They had come out of respect; they departed blessed on the wings of a myth.

The sky had calmed the shadow of the tower gently stretched over the floating garden, still scattered with cushions and empty cups the laughter had long since died down, but its echo still vibrated between the ribbons of lightning suspended in the air the goddesses, standing, did not speak their eyes fixed on the blue queen. Chang'e watched the mist slowly recede from the sea. Amaterasu brushed the golden threads falling from her hair. Hera, arms crossed, frowned… to keep from crying. The Queen Mother of the West remained upright, solemn and The Scarlet Countess, veiled in silence, clutched her red necklace to her chest. Saphira, meanwhile, walked slowly towards them, without a queen's gown, without thunder or proclamation, just with her arms outstretched.

And a murmur split the sky. It was not a wind; it was an ancient memory, something as vast as a legend the clouds bent, and suddenly, between the still visible stars, an immense being split the air The Kun Peng, a mythical creature, descended gently like a blessing half celestial bird, half cosmic fish its feathers were made of erased galaxies, its scales, of dreams never lived, and its voice was a song that made the stars weep.

—"I am the chosen back for those the queen has honored."

Before anyone ascended, Saphira raised her hand.

—"Wait."

She conjured six midnight blue boxes, each sealed with a piece of herself a lock of hair, a note, a touch of silence she offered them one by one, whisperingFor Hera: A sachet of tea infused with morning light, a cosmic lemon cake, and a protective doll, embroidered in her image. —"You carry too much, so I give you someone who can hold you when you fall." Hera took a trembling breath. She did not reply. She clutched the box to her.

For Chang'e: A lunar tea, filtered in silence, celestial rose biscuits, and a misty silk doll that sings when sadness approaches:"You have cradled others; it is your turn to sleep, cradled." Chang'e bowed her head a little lower than usual for Amaterasu: A solar tea, infused in a garden of infinite dawn, a gentle fire mochi, and a lantern-doll that lights up at a touch:"Even the sun deserves a lamp when it crosses the shadows." Amaterasu let out a discreet, almost shy laugh for The Queen Mother of the West: A sweet immortality tea, an awakening cake, and an obsidian doll, soft but solid:"You watch over the ancients, but who watches over you? me, if you let me." The Queen Mother closed her eyes, and for the first time, she smiled.

For the Scarlet Countess: A red tea, infused in the silence of an ungiven kiss, a black celestial vanilla macaron, and a faceless doll with a vibrating heart, which cries in her place:"You are beauty, you are solitude this doll will cry for you when you no longer have the strength." Ecstacy looked at her for a long time:"You have no idea what you have just done or perhaps you do." She did not say thank you, but her eyes said much more.

One by one, the goddesses climbed onto the back of the Kun Peng it bowed none spoke, but all looked at Saphira and Saphira, hands clasped, responded with a smile one of those that remain etched in the heart, more than in memories Hera, the last, stopped before taking off she approached her blue daughter.

—"You are my daughter, but above all, you are the guardian of everything the gods have forgotten, and for that, I bless you."

She brushed Saphira's forehead a drop of light remained there, a promise then she ascended. the sky opened the Kun Peng spread its wings it split the sky, and for a few suspended moments, the world ceased to tremble because five goddesses had been blessed by a Queen.

End of Chapter 34 — The Back of the Kun Peng