How It All Began (1)

Inside an elegant manor filled with expensive furniture and waxed floors, many servants were walking at a rapid pace all for one reason: Princess Ling Yuna was to have her Soul Companion Welcoming Party.

When a youth turns 15 years old, they develop magical powers required for mobilizing a Soul Companion. A Soul Companion is a soul linked animal with powerful skills that exhibits a child's inner powers. It merges with the youths soul and the bond is unbreakable.

It can arrange them into 3 levels: Beginning Companion, Mature Companion, and Master Companion.

A Soul Companion ranked with Beginning Companion has low magical skills that can further expand.

They are ready not for battle and need to improve their powers.

A Soul Companion ranked Mature Companion has high magical abilities. If someone trains them, they could take out a unit of 1,000 men alone.

A Soul Companion ranked Master Companion is extremely uncommon. They have outstanding magical skills that are not to be received casually. If a Mature Companion rank could take out 1,000 men, a Master Companion could take out a whole province if trained right.

Gaining a powerful Soul Companion was terribly important to a youth. If they had a powerful Soul Companion no matter how wealthy or poor they were, everyone would admire them.

If they gained a weak one, they would risk ridicule and be deemed worthless. Some families would go to the degree to disclaim a youth because of disgrace.

If a youth got a powerful Soul Companion, the Soul Champion Alliance would pursue the youth out to aid them in training and cultivating their Companion. The Soul Champion Alliance was a force to reckon with. They house Soul companions before they are summoned by their masters. The Soul Companions they house rank from Beginning Companion to Master Companion.

The individuals in this Alliance have been around for many generations. The reputation they hold is passive. They are not out to make others hurt, but to raise them to a respectable status.

~~~~~~

Inside a pale pink room with a fur rug in the floor's middle, a white dresser on the left side of the wall, laid Ling Yuna on her silver king-sized bed. She was reading through a novel about Soul Companions.

Her father gave her this novel so she could learn about them. This action surprised her since he never seemed to pay attention to her much. But, she did not object and accepted the novel with a cheerful smile on her face.

Ling Yuna was truly something. She's a terribly clumsy, elegant young woman. She expresses her mind and is friendly with strangers. Her voice is fruity and high pitched. Her appearance makes her stand out, however.

All of her family members have dark hair, but Ling Yuna has long golden blonde hair paired with a well-trimmed fringe. She stands out like a sore thumb in all the group pictures. She is an exquisite young woman, too. Some people say she's the prettiest one out of all her female family members, and may turn into the pretties girl in the whole nation.

Even with all the praise from her appearance she isn't aloof and is truly pleasant and polite. People felt she is like this because her arrogant entitled father didn't raise her, her lovely mother did.

Her mother, Ling Rougang was the beauty of her generation. Men would flock to their knees whenever she passed by. She appreciated the spotlight, but the only man she craved was the wealthy and royal Ling Lei.

Ling Lei was a royal. His father Ling Jingyi wielded a Master Companion ranked Soul Companion. He engaged in many battles for his country and was praised for many years, turning into a royal man.

When Ling Lei was born, the moon turned crimson and skies turned pitch black. People believed this circumstance meant Ling Lei was a powerful man, and right they were. Ling Lei grew up strong being instructed by his father at a young age, no one could top him. When he turned 15, he summoned a Master Companion ranked Soul Companion, just like his father!

Ling Lei and Ling Rougang met at school. Ling Lei had fallen for her good looks and declared he would marry this young woman. Ling Rougang could not be happier.

She was not a powerful young woman. Her Soul Companion ranked Beginning Soul Companion and was an embarrassment. The sole thing she had going for her, were her looks. Most men would turn her away because she was weak, but Ling Lei refused to let a beauty like her go. He didn't know if he would ever meet someone as captivating as her again.

Thus when they came of age, they held a marvelous wedding. Every noble family attended if they didn't it would weigh on them. The couple soon had a child. He came up to be a remarkably handsome young man. They loved him very much and pampered him with affection and love.

Being the only child he soon became lonely as asked his parents for a sibling. Per his desire his parents had a little girl.

As soon as Ling Rougang gave birth to her she never let her out of her arms. Something about this child was so adorable to her. Ling Lei however, was furious.

Why? The infant had blonde hair. He questioned his recovering wife. "Are you positive this child is mine?! You must have gone behind my back and cheated! There is no way a child of you and me would have blonde hair!"

Furious at her husbands remarks, Ling Rougang demanded a DNA analysis.

Like she knew, the child was his. He apologized but still pushed away his daughter.

Seeing her child pushed aside by her own parent, it saddened Ling Rougang.

As Ling Yuna grew up, she always thought of her father as a distant, cold man. Whenever she saw him, she would smile brightly and say: "Ah! Hello, father! How are you today?" In the sweetest voice, but he would simply walk away.

Her brother also acted arrogant towards her. When ever he saw her he would scoff and turn up his nose. This hurt Ling Yuna so one day she asked him why he treated her this way.

"Liuxian, why do you act like you are better than me when we came from the same womb? I don't understand why you treat me like a servant girl? If I did anything wrong, by all means tell me! I don't want to have a complicated relationship with you. So, Let's be close, okay?" LIng Yuna looked at him with hope in her eyes.

Ling Liuxian looked at her with arrogance. "How could I ever become close to someone who does not share the same father with me? Your blood and my blood are not the same! I mean it doesn't take a scientist to know that mother must have tampered with the DNA test!" He stepped up to Yuna and forcefully grabbed her hair.

"Liuxian! That hurts!" Yuna grabbed his hand and struggled to pull his fingers from her hair.

"Look at this hair! Since when did black hair and black hair make blonde?! The only reason mom lied to dad was because she felt sorry for you!" He eventually let go of her hair. Yuna rubbed her burning scalp as she stared into Liuxian's piercing eyes.

"Let me give you some warning: never act like we are siblings ever again!" Liuxian turned on his heels and promptly walked off.

Yuna crashed down on the sofa next to her and wept.

Now every time she sees Ling Liuxian walking past she simple bows her head and proceeds on her way.

~~~~~~

Ling Yuna tossed and turned with the novel in her hands. It was an ancient and delicate book with some pages falling out. She let out a faint yawn and stared at the white bumpy ceiling. Everyone was preparing for her Soul Companion Welcoming Party without rest.

She leaned up using her arms as supports and peered out the door. She purposefully left it open so she could peek at what was going on. She exhaled and pulled up from her bed, heading out the door. She wandered towards the stair's railing and looked down.

"Ah! It's so beautiful!" She stared in astonishment at all the servants shuffling from one thing to another. The scene was breathtaking. She felt this had to be her mothers doing because they based everything around the color red, her favorite color.

The white shining tables correctly positioned with one another, on top was name cards and a vase of fresh red roses. They lined the podium upfront with golden trimmings. The curtains bedazzled with jewels shining beautiful tints of red.

She calmly strolled down the stairs not paying attention when she heard a familiar cold voice.

"Ling Yuna, you'd better not disappoint us tomorrow and summon a weak Soul Companion! This Ling household has a reputation to defend!"