There once was a priestess of the diurnal cycle whose heart was as dark
as the night itself. She sought absolute celestial power to take over the sisterhood of the moon and the sun. Little did she know her name
would forever be forgotten, blown away in the shimmering sands of time…
The priestess woke up to the rising sun. That would be the day on which her destiny would be fulfilled.
There was not much time left, and the offering was already prepared. It was a moonflower, a rare plant that only blooms in a specific cave during a full moon.
The gift was of exceptional value, and she was aware that the spirit beasts would never decline it.
It was
about time when Maru, the bear of dawn, awakened.
The priestess found herself atop a mountain, where the breeze resembled a rough embrace of Mother Earth.
Just in time, a figure of a
celestial bear appeared in the sleepy morning sky.
The woman carefully put the moonflower on the ground. It was rather large, approximately
of the size of a ripe pumpkin. The delicate, pale petals complemented her tan skin.
“Maru, spirit of dawn!” the priestess exclaimed. “Please accept this humble offering and grant me your celestial power!”
The bear gazed at her and uttered a resentful grunt.
“You speak of gifts you are
not worthy of. I sense that you have dark intentions in your hearts. Return when you have changed your ways.”
Maru disappeared, leaving the woman puzzled. She didn't get everything done as she expected, but it's not all over, as there's still hope for the remaining spirit beasts. One of them will consent to her request.
The woman arose from the ground and extended her arms towards the spirit animal.
“Arrik, spirit of midday!” she shouted. “Kindly accept my offering and bestow your celestial power upon me.”
The initial response to her words was silence. Arrik’s eyes narrowed. “You do not appear worthy of my gift, human. I don't want anything to do with your gloomy plans.”
The beast answered and disappeared with the rising wind.
“That’s not good,” she thought to herself. The priestess knew that her chance of success was much slimmer than she expected. Now her only hope is the spirit of afternoon… or else… no, she didn’t want to think about the last possibility. The infamous spirit of dusk was the one nobody ever wanted to deal with. What happens if she doesn't get another chance? Her thoughts were whirling in a rapid manner.
She was lifted from the abyss of despair upon the appearance of Tareesh, the elusive catfish spirit of the afternoon.
“Tareesh, oh, great
spirit of waning day! Please accept this offering and grant me your
celestial power!”
The priestess lowered herself to her knees.
The woman stood on her feet. She was aware that Tareesh was the softest of them all; perhaps this time her plan would work?
“I
would be pleased to grant you my power, child,” the fish spirit said. But I shall not. I tried so hard to find something good in you, but I didn't succeed. Unfortunately, I cannot help you unless you change your ways.
Tareesh vanished, leaving her in a state of profound sorrow. Could there be a problem? Why didn’t they accept
her offering? She didn't know anyone who wouldn't take a moonflower. Why would the animal spirits refuse to accept it?
The sun was beginning to set. She felt the chill of the inevitable night. It was a good idea to go home now, but the priestess was aware that she would simply live in shame. She had very little chance of becoming the arch-priestess.
She turned around and looked up. The slender scales of Raa, the spirit of dusk, encircled the dimming sky.
The Twilight Mother, also known as the serpent of the sunset shimmer, was widely regarded as one of the most despised spirit beasts of all. The trickster god, the shameless deity, the fool’s divinity—that's what Raa was called, and yet, the priestess decided to take her last chance.
She picked up the moonflower from the ground and held it up in front of her head.
The Twilight Mother's green eyes shifted towards her as she inquired, “And what are you willing to offer in return?”
“Raa, spirit of dusk! Please accept this offering and grant me your celestial power!” She begged.
The priestess replied, “Everything! Nothing is more important to me than this.”
The celestial snake coiled around her without breaking eye contact. Dark smoke swirled around like dancing black flames flecked with glitter.
“You'll attain a level of power beyond your comprehension, transcendent, immortal, and far surpassing your expectations.”
Raa's body tightened around the priestess. “I hope you won't change your mind now, as there is no turning back once our deal is sealed.”
The priestess felt as if her breath suddenly became very heavy. She looked at the spirit animal with visible determination.
“Never.” She spoke very harshly. “I didn't make it this far to turn back now.”
Raa smirked. “We have a deal, then.” She whispered.
“From this point forward, you shall be referred to as Raajimera, the avatar of the Twilight Mother, and no one, including yourself, shall be able to recall your real name and identity.”
The priestess suddenly experienced a burning sensation on her forehead. She closed her eyes in anguish. Raa didn't seem to loosen her grip on her.
The whole life flashed in front of the priestess' eyes and then vanished forever. Suddenly, the pain subsided. The celestial snake let go of her. Raajimera's eyes, now green as freshly cut grass, looked at her, confused.
“Go now and serve.” As night fell, Raa disappeared from the sky.
The woman was swept by anxiety. She didn't really know who she was or where she was from. She didn't know much beyond the faint call she could pick up. Something wanted her to go, but it was unclear what for…
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