The Mountain Offering site, usually a place of ancient rituals under the open sky, was bathed in an ethereal glow. It was the first night of the spring moon, yet instead of the expected slender crescent, a magnificent full moon hung high above the Sacred Mountain, casting long, silvery shadows across the snow-dusted peaks. A hush had fallen over the assembled tribe members, their breath misting in the crisp night air. They had been told something miraculous was to occur, and their eyes were fixed on the center of the clearing.
There, upon a bed of woven furs, lay Midnight Blue. Her deep blue coat, usually like twilight, now pulsed with an inner light, the scattered markings resembling constellations flickering with intensified brilliance. A low hum emanated from her, a resonant thrum that vibrated through the very ground. I stood vigilantly beside her, my hand resting gently on her flank, a soft blue energy emanating from my touch, intertwining with her celestial glow. Aycecek's parents, Temurel and Aylaqun, who had just come back from their Spring Camp, stood close by, their faces etched with a mixture of sorrow and profound anticipation.
As the full moon reached its zenith, a ripple went through Midnight Blue's form. Her breathing deepened, and the starry patterns on her fur began to swirl and coalesce, forming luminous currents that flowed towards her belly. The air grew thick with a palpable sense of magical energy, and the surrounding trees seemed to lean in, as if witnessing a sacred event.
Then a beam of pure radiant blue light erupted from Midnight Blue. It shot upwards towards the full moon for a breathtaking moment before cascading back down, enveloping the birthing site in an ethereal luminescence. Within this light, a form began to coalesce. It wasn't a flesh and blood in the traditional sense, but a figure woven from starlight and shadow.
Slowly, the light subsided, revealing Asena. She lay nestled against Midnight Blue, not as a newborn infant, but as a small, luminous child, seemingly formed from the very essence of the night sky. Her skin had the deep, velvety hue of twilight, and her hair shimmered with a faint blue iridescence, like stardust caught in moonlight. Her eyes, when they fluttered open, were like twin stars, ancient and wise. A gentle, innate aura of power radiated from her, a silent promise of the celestial domain she embodied.
A collective gasp of awe rippled through the witnessing tribe members. Temurel and Aylaqun clasped their hands to their chests, tears streaming down their faces – not of sorrow, but of overwhelming wonder. The sorrow for Aycecek remained, but it was now intertwined with the miracle before them.
I knelt beside Asena, a soft smile gracing my lips. I reached out a finger, and a tiny hand, glowing with a faint blue light, grasped it with surprising strength. In that moment, she connect to me. My power now manifested in the form of the Blue Goddess of the Night Sky.
Midnight Blue, seemingly at peace, nuzzled the luminous child, her starry fur dimming slightly, her role as the sacred vessel fulfilled. The full moon above seemed to pulse with a gentle acknowledgment, its silvery light bathing the Mountain Offering site in a benediction for the newly born goddess and the dawn of her celestial reign. The air, once thick with anticipation, now held a quiet power, a tangible sense of the divine made manifest under the watchful gaze of the full, spring moon.
The intense, radiant blue light that defined Asena's form began to soften, to draw inward. It swirled around her like a gentle current, gradually dimming and compacting. Where it had once emanated from her entire being, it now seemed to weave itself, thread by luminous thread, around her small body. The shimmering threads coalesced, taking on the texture and form of fine silken garments. A tunic of deep midnight blue, almost indistinguishable from the shadows, and soft leggings appeared, seemingly spun from the very essence of the night sky itself.
As the clothing materialized, Asena's skin, which had been bathed in an otherworldly luminescence, gradually lost its glow. It settled into a soft, healthy human tone, still delicate and new, but now distinctly corporeal. The faint blue iridescence in her hair likewise receded, leaving behind strands of soft, dark hair, catching the moonlight with a subtle, natural sheen. Her eyes, which had held the depth of twin stars, softened into the clear, bright gaze of an awakened child, though still possessing an undeniable ancient wisdom within their depths.
I gently brushed a hand over her newly formed cheek, a quiet understanding passing between father and daughter, while Midnight Blue let out a soft, contented sigh. I projected my thought into her, "Do you hear me, my daughter?"
She touched my hand and spoke in English, "My venerable father, the Eternal Blue Sky! I, Asena of the Night Sky, show my reverence to you!"
It wasn't the first thing that a child would do, but she was no ordinary child. I didn't really think about this at first, but sometimes I also knew about the titles of other beings and spoke in this same manner. It might be some kind of information that is written down in the very core of all things, and can only be accessed if you have authority or learn how to read what had been written first.
Then people started to leave and let their Goddess have time with her own family. She smoothly switched to speak in a more casual manner with her grandparents in their language. They started to cry while Asena was comforting them. That when I saw Cynthia and Erik looking from afar behind a tree line. The White Deer and the Raven God decided not to be present at the gathering today, because they wanted Asena to get all the attention and believers.
While the Tagh Boru held a celebration banquet down there, we had a private one in my yurt in the Sacred Mountain. But Temurel and Aylaqun left early, I think they felt little awkward in front of their High Deities.
Erik let my daughter play with his ravens while we discussed about her. They feel that Asena is a little different from the other non-time traveler deities around here. Most of them don't really know much about our lingua franca, modern English. Some might awaken with a basic understanding of all modern languages when they ascend, but for Asena, it's more like she recently learned it, except for that first sentence.
So I asked her directly, and she answered in a basic form of English, "Asena see through things. First, Asena see Mama and Papa, so Asena learned. Then White Auntie and Mama Blue."
"Oh dear, she's definitely your child, ha ha ha." Cynthia laughed.
I continued with a faint smile, "What do you mean, 'see through things'? And how did you learn from me, Asena?"
She pointed at me, then spoke, "Asena see Papa, so Asena learned!"
"I think I saw her speak with her grandparents before," Erik noticed. "Can you speak their tongue, Asena?"
"Yes, Uncle Crow. I was surrounded by the Tagh Boru while I was inside Mama Aycecek," Asena answered in the language of the Tagh Boru.
We're a little bit in shock, it's almost like her personality has changed, but I continued to ask, "Can you explain it again, my daughter?"
"I clearly see you, Father," Asena answered. "I saw the land you came from and how you grew up. I saw when Mother was wandering alone in the mountain. I was also there when Mama Blue lost all her cups in those harsh winters. But for White Auntie and Uncle Crow, I only see a few terrible events..."
I looked at my two allies before speaking. "Asena, it's not polite to look into someone else past, and it's even more rude to speak about it unnecessarily. Next time, you must ask permission from that person, or me, first, alright?"
"I'm sorry, Father," Asena apologized sincerely. "Please accept my apologies. Auntie. Uncle."
"What do you mean? Is it our memories or our thoughts?" Erik asked for clarification. "Is it your own vision, or does something show it to you?"
"For Mother, Father and Mama Blue, their memories are a part of me and directly connected to mine," Asena explained. "While others are more like a stigma that's carved into your souls. I almost instantly saw it when I looked at you both."
"Oh dear, a complicated one," Cynthia said. "May I temporarily suggest a name for her Innate Power? I'm thinking of 'True Sight.' Is that okay?"
"The name is fine, but who should teach her?" Erik spoke while thinking. "Kris, your innate power might be closely related to hers, but you still need to awaken your Personal Space first. And you also want to teach her the way of the Tagh Boru, right?"
"Yes, she needs their knowledge to understand this corner of the world." I gave out my answer.
"Then Cynthia will be her main mentor, teaching her how to become a Divine Being. And Kara Yulduz will teaching her how to be a mortal, while her tribe teaches her about their knowledge of this land and Midnight Blue will be her protector. Her study will be smoother this way," Erik suggested. "I'll teach Kris while I'm still here. Cynthia will train Asena here until her time to depart. Right now, we'll let the Moon Maidens do their jobs. When everything is ready, you'll need to move south, Kris. Then it's up to you to decide if you want to bring Asena with you or not."
"Sounds like a solid plan to me. But I think we should put our marks on Burkhan Khaldun mountain and a mountain around Chang'an before we leave." Cynthia suggested.
"I'm okay with this plan, but why do we need to mark those places first?" I asked curiously.
"You might not know this yet, but wherever our believers go, it will become our territory," Erik replied, "and it can become our battlefield with other deities and spirits too, if we can't talk things out. So we usually mark some strategic places just in case our territory changes, and it will be easier for us to return in the future, too."
"These two peaks and the Sacred Mountain will be our meeting places and the base of our operation in the East," Cynthia explained. "We will mark them by combining our energy, so we can teleport back here at any time. And to make them even harder to track, we'll mark other places along our journey with only our own energy and teleport at least two or three times before we jump to the real meeting place."
"Okay, that's cool, but it looks like I have more to learn!" I said, my gaze on Asena, who continued playing with the ravens outside the yurt as Midnight Blue watched.
"That's all for now, but I have a feeling we've forgotten someone," Cynthia muttered.
"Atashan!" the three of us exclaimed in unison.