The end of Naran

Through the glass, Mei Yang could observe the snowfall outside. The day was as gray as any in the palace was after the queen's death two weeks ago. Her maid kept coming into the room with the birthday gifts that she was so reluctant to see, but that now she had an obligation to analyze one by one and thank each person who was willing to give it to her.

Many Hanfus of all colors and different embroideries were given to him, jewelry, fasteners for his hair of the most refined gold. Then a small little bottle of the summer sky color caught her attention. The bottle seemed to glow in her hands. As soon as she uncapped, Mei Yang inhaled Jasmin's slightly sweet fragrance with another substance she could not identify, and smiled.

- Who gave me this perfume? - The princess asked her maid.

- This is a rare fragrance; there is only one in the world. It is said that the fragrance goddess belonged when she wandered the land and ended up getting lost, so many mortals tried to take this bottle and many died. It was a special gift from the king of Naki.

- I will write to him personally. I loved the present. As for the others, ask Mi Gu to write on my behalf thanking...

- A princess must learn to be grateful to her guests. - Mi Gu stopped at the entrance door of the room in his usual blue instructor's robes and the scrolls for the day's class. Seeing the materials that Mi Gu proudly sported in his hands, Mei Yang snorted.

- I am a princess, I should not write. My Father does not write letters of thanks when he receives something important.

- Your father is the king; he has important tasks to do, but what princess who does nothing for the day can be so important that she cannot write some letters of thanks? - Mei Yang wanted to reply to her tutor, but she already knew Mi Gu since she was little and knew that there was no way to argue with a mind as wise as the man in front of her. She just took her small cloth bag, where she contained her brushes and paint, and followed Mi Gu through the corridors until she reached the winter room, where the king's three children gathered to study during the cold season. Mei Yang was absent from her duties as an heiress for two consecutive weeks, but now, by order of the king, everyone in the palace had to return to their activities.

Amon was not there, Mi Gu already knew that the first prince was too proud to share classes with his two younger brothers. In addition, when he placed his parchment on the table, he looked at Yoshio, who was already there with a tired face.

- Second prince, what happened? - The tutor was seriously concerned about the boy. Even though Yoshio's education was not entirely in his hands like Mei Yang's, his heart was concerned with the young prince who already had to deal with the fact that his mother was in exile until the king's second order. Yoshio was very different from his brother. While Amon was rude and wanton, Yoshio sported in his dark eyes the innocence that his older brother never had. He was gentle in words, and patient in listening, a perfect prince neglected by the crown, and especially by his own father.

- It is nothing ... - he said softly, but Mi Gu already knew what it was. Then he caught the eye of Mei Yang, who looked at Yoshio with disdain and opened the parchment. The princess was smiling victoriously, after all Ayame had beaten her, and her back burned for at least a week. All the servants of the princess's palace were removed from the usual calm state to take care of the little lady's cries of pain.

- Today, we will study what happened in the war twenty years ago...

- Oh no! - Mei Yang protested. - Why do not we study something interesting, like those myths that you always tell? Anything is better than six-state policy.

- As the young prince is visibly ill, I will give a truce and tell you what you want to know, but any story you want to know cannot escape the real subject that we came to study. - Mi Gu saw Yoshio's eyes shine with curiosity. After all, unlike Mei Yang, he was interested in learning, and if Mei Yang was not the future heir to the throne, and if Amon did not exist with his real ambition, Mi Gu would bet all his guesses on Yoshio.

- What do you have to say about them? - Yoshio asked. - How do you know that they are Gods and no other things?

- Certainly, only the ancestors know how they are physically. I do not know anyone who has seen a god, but if you give me a minute, I can bring you some old writings that talk about it. - Mi Gu went to the lower rooms of the palace where, the scriptures considered as myths by the king were thrown, and took the scrolls from Naran's ancestors and returned to the classroom. - Do you know what this is? They are written by old men. Here they tell everything they lived when the gods lived on earth.

Mi Gu opened the scroll where he had the writings of heaven, written by the first lord of Naran, when that land was still governed by the feudal lords and the Naran family, which today governs seated on the throne, was once only a family of great power. Its founder was Kong Naran I, a man who believed faithfully in the beliefs of the gods and their powers, had written each scroll telling his experiences with the celestial beings.

- This one is a scroll from your ancestor. He tells how the god of war helped him in his battles against other clans in the feudal era. The six most influential clans of the six states ruled heavily, in Naran, the Naran clan, which was regarded as synonymous with authority, and strength, which is why this land received its name. In Naki it was the Jin clan, which still perpetuates today. In Kase it was the Wei clan. In Sunri it was the Feng clan, the family of her fiance, princess. In Honga the Li and Yate clan were the Shu clan. These six clans had tremendous strength and like most powerful ones, they were not satisfied with having only their land, they wanted more. Then the six feudal clans fought fiercely for territory and the war was so bloody that it ended many innocents and chaos spread throughout the world. There was no more fruit at the foot; it seemed that the sun was black, because even the day has dissipated. Then, after many wars, Kong Naran I managed to overthrow the Shu and Wei clan bringing the greatest power to him. Soon after, the other clans, who had been succeeded by their children, joined Naran, bringing peace again. Naran became the capital of the six states and the other clans were accountable to us.

- Where do the gods come in all this? - Mei Yang asked, now more interested in the story.

- In the age of feudal wars, the ancient kings reported that the gods helped him during battles. The god of war took over Naran's army by going into the deadly battle destroying the chaos that existed. So, everything was unified through heavenly power. However, do not think he came just for that - Mi Gu opened a large scroll. In it was a delicate painting of a man sitting on a white horse, his black clothes of a great general were majestic, but what caught the attention of Mei Yang were the man's platinum hair, they were identical to Yan Feng, only in a more adult and much more beautiful version. Surely, that man in the painting must have been an ancestor of the Feng clan.

- An extremely powerful beast has escaped from the celestial prison. This beast brought cosmic disorder, creating chaos wherever it went. The gods came to hunt such a creature, and to bring peace to the mortal world, but for that, it was necessary to destroy men, since the chaos that was in the beast dwelt in the hearts of mortal hearts. - said Mi Gu.

- And what about this painting with the gods? - The princess was still lost in the image of the man with platinum hair.

- This is the representation of the reported god; the scroll says that he was one of the gods who fought with men ... - Mei Yang laughed at Mi Gu. Her father must have been right and the whole thing must have been just crazy.

- This man is not a god; he must be some ancestor of Yan Feng, or the founder of the Feng clan. - Mei Yang immediately tried to make his suspicions clear. Never that Yan Feng would be a god, nor descendant of a god. This was as absurd as being a goddess.

- Why did the gods choose Naran? - Questioned Yoshio who was more interested in the explanation.

- I do not know, that Kong Naran did not report. However, the war was only stopped when the god of war and peace returned to all spheres sealed this beast again.

- What is his name, the god of war who brought peace? - Mei Yang's eyes fixed on Mi Gu's looking for something to refute that theory that that man was a god.

- I do not know either, princess. The Scroll only says that the god of war, the god of stars and the god of the dead came together to arrest the dark creature.

- That monster must be strong...

- Certainly, second prince! For three gods of the highest celestial level to come to earth, it is because the creature must be very powerful. Here it says that it is because of this beast that chaos in the world exists, that it feeds on hatred and evil thoughts and through it that wars have started. Its existence brings enormous imbalance to the world and for this reason it lives sealed in the deepest immortal layers.

- Why does not Kong Naran I report the names, he did not even report the name of the beast? - Mei Yang was upset.

- Not! That is irrelevant. If such a creature really exists, it is trapped, and will never again plague the worlds. Now back to the explanation. Shortly after the war ended and all six states lived in peace, a new era began. States were unified, prosperity took over the world and everyone lived well until the Kase revolt twenty years ago...

- I already know that! - Mei Yang got tired of hearing about politics. The subject of celestial beings was much more interesting. - Kase was tired of living as a province and rebelled with Sunri against Naran and his allies. After a bloody war on the bank of the Yellow River that cuts through the three states, Kase, Yate and Sunri, the two rebel states achieved their longed for independence. Soon after Yate rebelled as well and Naran, already without strength, surrendered delivering the emancipation letter. Then, kings governed the three provinces, each state raised its king and Naran took the weaker part, Naki and Honga, but it did not take long for the two to achieve independence too, since Naran had no more strength for such a great war and surrendered the points by making agreements between the two neighboring states. Thus was born the six states, as we know them, Naran and his political allies Naki and Honga, and the three states with which we do not have much contact, but now, unfortunately, we are obliged to live with Sunri in our lands.

- Don't say that, princess. She will soon be married to Sunri's future general and will be proud of her husband.

- Mei Yang will never get married! - Yoshio spoke low and sharp.

- Yoshio is right. I will not marry a son of a general, only with someone worthy of you - She added, she.

- And who is good enough to you, Dianxia?

Mei Yang fell silent and thought of Qiang Mao. However, the sounds of laughter outside the classroom took the three of them out of focus.