1690 The Betrayal...

A few years later...

In the opulent chamber reserved for the councils within the celestial palace, the three rulers convened a meeting with the unigins, the gravity of the situation was reflected in the solemnity of their expressions.

Besides Ares, the rest of the unigins had gathered, knowing that the three rulers called them only if there was a situation that affected them too.

As the meeting commenced, the first ruler spoke, his voice resonating with the authority of the stars.

"We stand at a crossroads," He began, addressing the assembled unigins. "The prophecy tablet has revealed new directives concerning Asnaleigha. The cosmos has decreed two paths: to seal her away or extinguish her light forever. Otherwise, she will awaken and we will have a new master."

A murmur of disbelief and concern swept through the room, the weight of such a decision pressing heavily upon every heart and mind present.

"Listen, I like the kid, I really do, but..." Poseidon said with a stern tone, "I have no desire of placing my fate in her hands."

"I rarely agree with this hideous bastard, but he is right." Hephaestus supported coldly, "We are already struggling with the universal chains and are forced to rely on loopholes to have some peace of mind when using our powers. I can't fathom how it will be when the universe possesses an actual consciousness."

The more time passed, the more convinced most of the unigins were about Asna's awakening being related to the universe's lost consciousness.

A sentinel being with all known powers in the universe under her command had no reason to exist unless to rule the universe and protect its balance.

It was Artemis, the guardian of nature and a voice of compassion, who stepped forward to challenge the starkness of the decree.

"How could you think like this?! This is Asna we are talking about! She might be acting out at the moment, but that's only normal for her age. She will mature soon enough and if we maintain our guidance and respect, she will return the favor. I am sure of it!" She criticized with a heated tone.

"Artemis...How could you be sure?" Demeter shook her head, "We spent billions of years with each other, and we barely built a decent trust between us. How do you expect us to trust our freedom and eternal life to another? You know better than this..."

As unfortunate as it sounded, it was true...The unigins did not trust each other or the three rulers. This distrust was the reason the eternal kingdom was still functional since no one would get betrayed.

"All I know is that to disrupt the course of a life so entwined with the fabric of our existence is to meddle with forces beyond our comprehension," She argued, her voice imbued with a conviction. "If she is truly the consciousness of the universe, whether we eliminate her or seal her, there would come a day, where she will awaken...What do you think will happen to us then?"

When this point was brought up, most of the unigins went silent with deep frowns. They knew that destiny could not be stopped, it could be delayed, but not stopped.

In the case of Asna, a day would come when she would awaken and reside over her duties as that was her destiny.

"You know she is right." Apollo supported with a serious tone, unusual behavior from him, "I spent the most time with Asna and watched how her personality shape up. I can tell you right now, that she will hold a grudge against us that lasts for eons if we dare to betray her. On the other side of the coin, our trust, and support will be rewarded. I am certain that the moment she awakens, the first thing she will do is help us seek a way to reach the other side."

Before the unigins could get swayed, the third ruler shared with a composed voice, "You don't have to worry about that...The prophecy has given us a new path to freedom through using her core."

"We have everything planned out."

Knowing that the three rulers cared the most about the other side made the unigins understand that they had nothing to gain from lying to them.

If Asna were to awaken after being sealed, they would be the first to pay the price.

"I think enough has been said." Uranus said calmly, "Let's start the vote...All in favor, raise your hands."

Before Artemis or Apollo could add anything else, the unigins began to lift their hands one by one until only Apollo, Artemis, and Eris remained.

"You guys will come to regret this in the future." Artemis could only shake her head in disappointment.

"Sigh, don't bother calling me when you give her the news...I need a f*cking drink." Apollo lowered his head and walked out with a disgusted expression.

As for Eris, she abstained from voting, not that it mattered with the crushing majority against Asna.

As the meeting adjourned, the fate of Asna was decided to a life of imprisonment...

Unbeknownst to this, Asna was seen slumbering under the shade of a massive tree, enjoying the soft breeze hitting her cheeks.

If only she knew this would be the last day she would enjoy the breeze of fresh air, she would have appreciated a tad bit more...magic

...

Sometime later...

The three rulers called for Asna's attendance in the celestial palace, waking her up from her peaceful slumber.

"Ahh, so annoying. What do they want now?" Asna complained with a muddled look.

But, she knew better not to leave them waiting for long...Thus, she swiftly arrived at the celestial palace and met with the three rulers, Uranus, Eris, and most of the unigins.

"What is everyone doing here? Were you having a party without me?" Asna raised an eyebrow in surprise, taken back by the sight.

Neither the rulers nor the unigins entertained her joke, making Asna read the room's atmosphere to be quite serious.

"Did someone die? Where is Uncle Apollo?" Asna asked with a hint of concern, "Did he have another psychiatric episode?"lightsnovel

No one anwsered her.

"Asnaleigha, come here." The first ruler ordered.

Asna walked with a mix of concern and curiosity in her steps...Her golden star-like eyes, reflecting a universe of possibilities, scanned the surroundings, unaware of the full gravity of the moment.

After she stood in front of them, the first ruler waved his hand, and Asna was transported alone inside the sealing hall, which was built within a pocket dimension.

Before Asna could react to the sudden shift in the environment, the three rulers entered the sealing hall with the rest of the unigins.

"What is this place?" Asna asked curiously as she gazed at the stone statues, their inscribed chains, and the platform suspended in the middle, "Is this another method to break the universe's heart? What do you need me to do now?"

Hearing her innocent curious voice caused most unigins to feel a prickle of guilt in their hearts while Artemis straightaway shut off her emotions manually, knowing that her soft heart would not be able to take any of this.

"Asna, this will be your sanctuary for a short while until we figure things out." The first ruler remarked with a stoic voice.

"Huh? Sanctuary? What do you mean?" Asna was left startled."We can't have you running around anymore as your existence will keep drying out the celestial energy pool." The second ruler said softly, seemingly trying to appease her, "This is for the sake of the kingdom's longevity, you understand right?"

"We promise it will be just for a short period." The third ruler spoke in a monotone voice that even a five-year-old would find hard to believe.

As they were speaking, they were getting closer and closer to Asna while she was stepping away from them with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"You are scaring me...Please stop, I don't want this." She said, her lips trembling.

Alas, the three rulers ignored her pleas and started chanting the sealing Incantation, their voices merging into a harmonious chant that echoed the inscriptions on the walls.

The ancient language of the cosmos filled the hall, weaving a complex tapestry of energy around Asna.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The inscriptions on the walls and chains began to glow brighter, their light converging on Asna, enveloping her in a cocoon of celestial power!

"Please stop!! Why are you doing this to me?!" Asna cried out loud as she looked at Eris and the rest of the unigins with tears flooding her eyes, "Help me!! Aunty Eris!! Uncles!! Stop them!"

lightsnοvεl Eris and the rest could only give her bitter looks and remain silent observers, knowing that this was the best possible outcome for both parties...

'My apologies little one, I possess failed you...We have failed you.' Artemis murmured in Asna's mind.

Whoosh!!...

The air vibrated with the force of the chant, the words dictating the sealing of her powers, stripping away the raw, unbridled energy that coursed through her being!

Asna, caught in the eye of the storm, felt the weight of the universe pressing down on her, the essence of her powers being drawn out and contained within the runes that now glowed even brighter around her.

A look of pure fear flashed across her face as she realized that the purpose of the hall became to seal her powers away!

"I am sorry! Please! I will behave from now on, I will do whatever you inform me to! Please don't put me away!"

Asna begged and begged, crystal tears flowing down her reddened cheeks, but such pure emotions were wasted on that wall of ice-cold beings...

None of them took a step forward, none of them said anything...

They just watched with deadpan looks as Asna, their spoiled princess was imprisoned for something she had no control over. Being locked away due to their insecurity and inability to trust anyone but themselves.

Whoosh!!

The chant reached its crescendo, the hall thundering with the sound of cosmic order being enforced.

The warrior statues came to life and the chains kept clinging noisily as they kept wrapping themselves around Asna appreciate she became some sort of a first-degree criminal.

But, she became just a child...

"Sob...Sob...I am sorry...I am sorry...It hurts...Sob, please..."

As the glowing inscriptions dimmed and the hall returned to its peaceful state, only Asna's heartwrenching weeping became echoing in everyone's ears.

Her voice became the only thing left that resembled her as the moment she was sealed, her form turned into a small white flame hovering above the white platform.

"Sob...Sob...It's dark...Sob."

"I am scared..."

That became the last sentence the unigins and the three rulers heard as they turned their backs on Asna and left the sealing hall once and for all...