Prologue

"Catch me! Catch me!"

The five-year-old Princess ran through the corridors of her festively decorated Palace. Her little legs were fast as they kicked up behind her at full speed, zig zagging around doors and down the halls. Long pink ribbons flew elegantly behind her pink hanfu as she sprinted on the smooth wooden floors. Her buns that the maids were just about to take down were more tousled than they should be with strands falling flimsy and pins leaving a trail behind her. The clinking sound of each pin on the wooden floor was the only noise that allowed the maids to turn the corner and see her as she ran away.

"Princess! Princess! Please slow down. Wait for us!" Her two maids were far behind at the end of the hallway. They were no match for the hyper Royal who was loaded with energy from her late afternoon meal. "Princess, you mustn't run so fast or you will hurt yourself."

"Hurry up! If you can't catch me, don't be sad when I'm out of your sight!"

This was a threat the maids were concerned about. Things could get out of hand if the little Princess decided to leave her Oracle Palace and cause chaos elsewhere with her mischievous self. The two maid's hearts sank when the Princess turned to a door that led outside and disappeared from their sight. They then quickly called for help from any nearby maids that could hear them. Pretty soon, the Oracle Palace Chief of Maids was notified and had the entire place searching for the Princess.

The Princess wasn't even breaking a sweat as she stopped to recognize the Chief of Maid's voice calling for her. She flicked her nose with a thumb, laughed at how serious this was getting at, then turned on her foot and was in motion again.

Although she was running and dodging being seen, her footworks was so light that they were almost silent. All the while, her laugh echoed down the corridor to the courtyard and could be heard from different corners of her Palace. If she wasn't in sight, the maids and servants won't have any idea where she was. They had to stop in their tracks, pause to listen. Occasionally cupping a hand on their ear to hear her silly laughter, and use that to pinpoint her location.

"Princess, where are you?" shrieked all the maids.

"Hurry up before the Majesties arrive!" demanded the Chief of Maids.

"Princess!" Yelled the guards.

If the Princess created chaos among the other Palaces again, the Emperor would have to find a way to deal with her that would teach her a lesson, but not too harsh to ruin her spirits forever. She was his only daughter after all. The only Princess in this kingdom.

"Princess! Please come out. Don't run from us anymore!"

On the path towards the Oracle Palace, the Emperor walked alongside the Empress underneath the blooming flower trees that were already starting to shed their petals. The Majesties were wearing large gold and maroon robes that looked to be matching as a couple. The Emperor's big broad chest was his most prideful feature as it panned from his strong left arm that had once served a great nation, to his thick right arm that once held a legendary spear in battle. The pointy shoulders of his robe only exemplified his honorable and respectful figure even more. His rough but visibly handsome face was cleanly shaved from any facial hair. A long visible dimple was set on his left cheek, his eyes deep and sunken with the warmth of a firm handshake. His ever smiling lips were slightly thin but they were soft and bold.

His Empress, swaying her silky hair behind her, was next to his position. Though having two kids, she was still equally as beautiful as any other Princesses of any nation. She had a long oval face with gentle eyes and walked so elegantly that if you put a book on her head it wouldn't totter one bit. Her eyes were large, there was a small mole on the top right corner of her lips and her nose was slim. She was exceptionally tall, almost as tall as her husband beside her. The long tail of her golden robe behind only made her look taller.

The Majesties were followed by a trail of servants and guards. There were no distinguished walls to indicate separation of one Palace to another. Instead, there were mainly apricot and peach tree groves along the path. During the seasons, the apricot and peach trees added a mystical, lively, and stunning look to the Palace. The flower petals fell elegantly onto the crowd below. The Empress had especially enjoyed the enchanting walk as she breathed in the fresh air after being inside for the past week.

"The Coronation Ceremony for our little Princess is in two days," the Empress said. She was reminded of how mischievous her little girl was and smiled. Yesterday, the girl exhausted her Royal Father by riding him like a horse all evening. It wasn't until he pretended to die that she stopped, but even then, she bounced him up and down on his back like his back was something bouncy.

"Yes, Your Highness. She will soon be called the Dreamer Princess," replied the Lady-in-Waiting behind her.

"These apricot and peach blossoms will be pretty to decorate the Ceremony with."

"I will have someone prepare it right away, Your Highness."

"Xing'er, the way you procrastinate on planning will lead all of us to a heart attack. The Coronation Ceremony is in two days and you still haven't decided on what to use for the decorations." The Emperor stated in a teasing manner. For the past decade they were married, the Emperor and Empress called each other's names insteading of using formal honorifics. It kept them humble and brought them closer to each other.

"There are too many beautiful things to choose from, Tian. I can never come to a consensus. If you aren't so busy with your meetings then perhaps you could have stopped by to give me a hand. No one knows our little girl more than you."

The servants smiled at how the Emperor and Empress would bicker at each other like normal couples. Sometimes they would act like normal parents towards their children, playing and joking, forgetting that they are Royals and the rulers of this kingdom. Because of such formalities, the maids, servants and guards were all glad to serve under the kind oversight of the Majesties. There was much leniency and care coming from the Emperor and Empress. So much, that the servants were even tolerant of their adorable but naughty Princess, the one who created trouble every single day with her little fast legs.

The Princess peered behind the concrete lamp next to the gate exiting out of the Oracle Palace. After seeing that no guards were on post, she ran out the gate and bumped straight into the Emperor.

Poof!

"Hm? Little rascal! Why are you running about like a loose chicken?"

"Father!" The Princess didn't take the scolding from her father at all and clutched onto one of her father's legs instead. Her two maids came running behind her and knelt before the Emperor with their heads bowed deeply to the ground and their breaths unsteady.

"Look at you. Making your maids run all over the place like this. You are tiring them out, do you know that?"

"Father, I don't want to take a bath! Don't make me take a bath." She whined. Her cheek was pressed tightly against the Emperor's thigh, her eyes were shut in a squeeze.

The Emperor turned to look at the mother of this child to which he received a sigh and a shake of the head from her.

"How about this?" He put a hand on top of her head. "If you take a bath, I will make your brother come play with you tonight, all right?"

"Really!?" She raised her head up to her father with sparkling eyes and a wide smile. "Yes. You treat me the best!"

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The night air was still as distant cicadas chirped through the window. The Oracle Palace had finally died down from the chaotic livelihood playdate of the Princess and Prince as they slept next to each other on the bed. Other than the Emperor, the Prince was the only other playmate the Princess enjoyed her company with, and she made sure they were completely active until they both dropped on the bed in tangled positions of exhaustion. The little Princess had one leg over the Prince's abdomen as she snored with her head off the pillow.

A cold dusty wind carried a distant calling voice from the floorboards of the hallway and through the door cracks as it entered the little Princess's bedroom. The only candle on the table of the room flickered once.

"Yue Ling..." the cold wind said softly.

The Princess suddenly got cold and rolled over towards the blanket, her eyes still shut.

"....Yue Ling..." She had heard the woman's voice echoing through her sleep, but didn't want to wake up just yet. A tired child could care less about who's calling her name, only that she wants to keep sleeping.

"Yue Ling..." The voice was gentle at first, then it sounded almost like it was terrified. "My child!"

The Princess immediately opened her eyes at the sudden snap of the voice to realize that she was standing in an endless white space. She was in the middle of nowhere. Everything that surrounds her was just white. So white that she almost couldn't distinguish where the horizon was.

"Huh… where am I?" Her little body turned around, still wearing her nightgown.

"Yue Ling."

She turned behind to the sound of the voice and saw the most beautiful woman she could ever possibly imagine. The relatively young woman was probably the age of her own mother, wearing a large, long, and light green robe with pointy shoulder pads. She had all her hair up high and smooth above her head in a cone-like shape. A gold accessory in the shape of a snake wrapped around her large design as the main decor. Surrounding it were green flowery jade hair pins.

The woman was smiling down at the Princess. Her image was absolutely beautiful and gorgeous. She had a perfectly egg shaped face, her skin was so soft and smooth that she even glowed a little. Her eyes were large with a tall slim nose. Her neck was long and her stature had many curves from her bust to her waist and down to her hips. As she came closer, the Princess thought it weird for her to be gliding instead of taking steps. However, the strangest thing about this gorgeous woman was that her body glowed transparently.

"Aunty, why are you so pretty? How come I have never seen you in the Palace before?"

"Silly child, you don't remember me?" The glowing woman slightly bent at her waist to brush the back of her hand on the girl's cheek ever so slightly.

The Princess scratched her head. "How come I can see right through you?"

"It's alright if you don't remember me. From now on, you have a mortal mother who loved you just as much as I do." She paused to take a deep sigh. "My child, do you want to know who I am?" She held out her hand towards the Princess. They were adult sized but dainty, and probably very soft.

"Yes! You look so gorgeous. I wish to grow up to be beautiful like you." The naive Princess was not even hesitant as she took the woman's hand.

As soon as their hands touched, there was a bright white light encircling them and they were suddenly in a different environment. Standing on the edge of a large cliff, the area was vast and endless in front of them. Far in the horizon was an island, a world, floating as if gravity was non-existing in the endless space. Far behind them was another island, and the Princess realized that they were also standing on a different island. All the islands had trees, mountains and houses in it. They were all floating in random levels but seemed to be equally spaced apart.

Magnificent clouds stood everywhere, separating the worldly islands. The most interesting thing was that in front of them was an enormous levitating river that flowed up and down, regularly and elegantly from left to right. It was a strange river indeed with no basin, just water and a slow current that ran from an endless horizon, meandering around the worlds and disappearing to another endless horizon.

"What is that?" The curious Princess pointed to the river.

"That is the Infinite River of Time."

"A river of time? What does that mean?"

"It's not what it means, but rather what it does. It is a river that carries sadness and sorrow, happiness and joy. It carries memories of all living things that had ever existed since the beginning of time. When you are inside it, it will take you back and make you remember every single thing in all of your past lives." She smiled down at the Princess again. There was warmth in her glistening eyes. "Do you want to know who you are, and who I am?"

The Princess looked up at the woman's face. She had never seen anyone so striking and dazzling before. She didn't understand anything the woman had just said. She just wanted to take a look inside the river and perhaps had some fun. She'd never been swimming before.

"I do. But I'm scared of the water."

"Don't be afraid, love. I'll be right here. All you have to do is jump right in, and you will know everything."