On the day my husband married my younger sister, I once again heard the divine message from the Astral Sanctuary: if I sever all ties to the mortal world within three days, I can reclaim the astral power I relinquished and return to the Astral Sanctuary. On the first day, I publicly cut my hair to symbolize the severing of love and signed the separation letter, ending my three-year marriage to the man I once loved. Holding my sister in his arms, he looked at me with disdain. His words dripped with mockery as he called me petty and jealous, claiming that sparing me the title of an equal wife had been his greatest act of kindness. On the second day, I drove a blade into myself six times, severing my bond with my cherished elder brother. He stood by, cold and unfeeling, sneering that I was nothing more than a desperate fool, resorting to theatrics to compete for his affection—a devotion he reserved entirely for my sister. On the third day, I clenched my teeth and carved through my own flesh and bone, severing my connection to the parents who had given me life. Enraged, they called me ungrateful and declared I was unworthy—not just of being their daughter, but even of being compared to my perfect sister. In the end, I succumbed to exhaustion and blood loss. My spirit ascended to the Astral Sanctuary, where I reclaimed my true identity as an Astral Maiden. When my family discovered my lifeless body left behind in the mortal realm, they all descended into madness.
View MoreI appeared in a swirl of golden light, blocking Juliana's path."Did you think you could leave without returning what you owe me?"The room fell silent, every pair of eyes fixed on me. A moment later, a chorus of gasps and cries of relief filled the air."It's Elle! She's alive! Elle is back!"I ignored their exclamations, my focus solely on Juliana.With a wave of my hand, I seized her trembling body and began drawing back the astral power she had stolen.Her enchanting, ethereal beauty dissolved in an instant, leaving her face a grotesque, rotting mask.The crowd recoiled, some screaming at the sight of her ghastly transformation.As my astral power fully returned, I stood radiant, my body surrounded by a golden glow.Juliana crumpled to the floor, her hands clasped in a desperate plea. "Astral Maiden Elara, please! I've spent centuries cultivating just to take human form!"Now that you've regained your astral power, there's no need to harm a humble spirit like me. Please,
I watched coldly as Marcus' grief spiraled into madness.With a flick of my hand, the brilliance of his Heart of Astral Clarity faded, leaving him the dull-witted man he had once been.He fumbled clumsily with the blood-soaked bag, spilling its contents as he knelt in the gore.Upon seeing what lay within, he collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "Astral Maiden, oh, Astral Maiden, I'm sorry… Please come back… Please…"Everyone had forgotten that, without the astral power I had bestowed, the brilliant top scholar was nothing more than a simple-minded fool.The gathered soldiers, physician, and palace servants all witnessed the eerie scene.Terrified, they fled the cursed Ashthorn Estate, muttering about its sinister aura.Though I had reclaimed much of my astral power, it was still not enough to reach the full five portions.The largest reservoirs of my stolen power were, predictably, Marcus and Juliana, whose union had accelerated the drain.Sensing her advantage fad
"Impossible! Elara is an Astral Maiden! How could an Astral die?"Marcus crawled into the ancestral hall, his once-pristine robes drenched in blood—mine—as he desperately sifted through the mangled remains.Gareth stood frozen, his lips pale and trembling. "But... she became mortal long ago. Mortals... can die."When Marcus finally uncovered my bloodless, lifeless head, realization struck him like lightning. Tears cascaded down his face as he collapsed into the pool of blood, sobbing uncontrollably.The Ashthorn steward had already departed to report the incident to the authorities. They were now awaiting the physician's arrival.Meanwhile, Marcus, still combing through the carnage, suddenly found the wig he had chosen so carefully for me.He turned, his eyes blazing with fury, and fixed his glare on Juliana. "Just now, when you brought her the wig, Elara was fine, wasn't she? What happened? Juliana, explain yourself!"Juliana's face turned deathly pale. She hid her hands behind
Juliana's eyes flickered with panic as she quickly shut the door to the ancestral hall behind her. "Why are you here, hubby?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.Marcus hesitated, his expression complicated.After a moment of thought, he handed her the silk bag he was carrying. "Forget it. You take it to her. Given her temper, she won't listen to me anyway."Tell her this: if she changes her mind and wants to come back, even without a title, the Blackwells can still afford to take care of her."Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.Juliana stood there, clutching the silk bag, before letting out a cold laugh.She opened the door again and stepped into the ancestral hall. "Elara, weren't you supposed to be an Astral Maiden? Look how pathetic you are now. A high-quality wig from Fausthaven Studio, wasted on this pile of rotting flesh."She tore open the silk bag, pulled out the wig, and flung it carelessly into the pool of blood.Then, she began casting spells ove
Strangely, after my mortal body perished, my spirit did not immediately ascend to the Astral Sanctuary.Instead, I floated above, watching the Ashthorns gather outside the ancestral hall.The metallic tang of blood hung thick in the air, making everyone wrinkle their noses in disgust."What's Elara up to now? Today is Julie's homecoming celebration. As if it wasn't enough for her to keep causing trouble, now she's made the house stink!"Gareth's brow furrowed deeply as he stepped forward to push open the hall doors.My leg bone, lying across the threshold, caught against the door, stopping it from opening."I heard yesterday that our sister severed our sibling bond with three stabs and six wounds. Could her injuries have reopened? Maybe that's why there's such a strong smell of blood," Juliana suggested softly.Gareth's hand froze on the door. Then, sneering, he withdrew it."Hmph! I was just speaking in passing. How was I supposed to know she'd go crazy? Besides, her little wo
Marcus stared at me in disbelief, unable to fathom how indifferent I seemed. With the eyes of the crowd fixed on him, he had no choice but to draft the separation letter.I took the document without hesitation and immediately went to the Magistrate's Office to file it.…By the next day, the paperwork was finalized, and our divorce was official.Marcus stood tall and proud outside the Magistrate's Office, his red-rimmed eyes glaring at me."Elara, don't think the Ashthorn family will take you back. You have nowhere to go. I'll be waiting for you to come crawling back!”I scoffed, refusing to dignify his words with a response. Turning on my heel, I marched directly toward the Ashthorn Estate.My elder brother, Gareth, had already caught wind of my arrival. His soldiers stood stationed outside the gates, their presence a clear warning to keep me out."Look at yourself!" he barked, his tone cutting."The eldest daughter of a Marquis, jealous of her own sister—cutting off your hai
After a night locked in the woodshed, they finally let me out.I returned to my room, craving only a sip of tea to soothe my parched throat. But before I could bring the cup to my lips, the door burst open with a loud kick.Standing there, furious, was Marcus, the man I had been married to for three years."Why won't you come to the front hall and drink the tea Julie prepared for you?" he snapped. "Don't you get it? Juliana is my equal wife now, no less than you! She offered you tea as a sign of respect. Do you really think sulking in your room will keep her out of this household?"I set down my cup and looked at the man I had once given up being an Astral Maiden to stay with.Calmly, I said, "Marcus, let's divorce."His expression twisted into one of disgust. "Are you still angry about the child? That was your own fault. If you hadn't cursed Julie, she wouldn't have fallen ill! You owe her this!"I placed a hand over my now-flat stomach, the pain in my heart as sharp as a blade
While my sister consummated her marriage with my husband, I lost the child in my womb as my elder brother locked me in the woodshed.My mother cheerfully carried two cups of celebratory wine to the bridal chamber, while my father reverently lit scented candles meant to stir passion.As the sounds of intimacy rose and fell from the room, the whole family sighed in relief. Only I sat in the woodshed, watching the pool of blood beneath me grow larger and laughing until tears streamed down my face."I want to return to the Astral Sanctuary," I cried.I was not an ordinary mortal but an Astral Maiden undergoing a trial.My descent had brought me to the Earl's residence, a family on the verge of ruin, where I became the eldest daughter—a title as useless as dust.Seraphine, the Mother of Heavens, pitied my suffering in the mortal world and allowed me to awaken half my astral power in a dream.When my father, Leopold Ashthorn, had his career sabotaged by Estateins and was left teeterin
While my sister consummated her marriage with my husband, I lost the child in my womb as my elder brother locked me in the woodshed.My mother cheerfully carried two cups of celebratory wine to the bridal chamber, while my father reverently lit scented candles meant to stir passion.As the sounds of intimacy rose and fell from the room, the whole family sighed in relief. Only I sat in the woodshed, watching the pool of blood beneath me grow larger and laughing until tears streamed down my face."I want to return to the Astral Sanctuary," I cried.I was not an ordinary mortal but an Astral Maiden undergoing a trial.My descent had brought me to the Earl's residence, a family on the verge of ruin, where I became the eldest daughter—a title as useless as dust.Seraphine, the Mother of Heavens, pitied my suffering in the mortal world and allowed me to awaken half my astral power in a dream.When my father, Leopold Ashthorn, had his career sabotaged by Estateins and was left teeterin
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