Chapter Text
Little Haemi snuggled deeper into her warm, pink blankets as her mother gently tucked her in, preparing her for bed. Her mother leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to Haemi's forehead, before she spoke.
"Alright Haemi, it's storytime. Which one would you like for tonight?"
"Hmm, I don't know," Haemi said. Her lips pursed as she thought.
"How about the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter and Princess Kaguya?"
"That one's sad," Haemi protested before she let out a sniff. "The Princess goes back home, but leaves behind the people who love her, and her memories of them disappear."
"Would you like to hear the Ugly Duckling again?" the mother asked, brushing a strand of hair from Haemi's face. "That one's much happier. As you know, he starts off being bullied, but then grows up into a beautiful swan."
"But we did that one two days ago… Can we do a different story?" Haemi softly asked.
"Would you like to continue with another adventure from Journey to the West?" the mother suggested. Haemi shook her head. "Or would you like a story from before the journey even started, when the Great Sage Equal to Heaven stood alone against all the celestial soldiers?"
"Mama, I think I know which story I would like," Haemi whispered. "Can you tell me the one about Ashborn and Lilith?"
The mother's eyes widened slightly.
"That one? That story can be a little bit scary," the mother said. "Are you sure you want to hear it tonight?"
Haemi's lower lip protruded slightly. "But Big Bro got to hear it the other day…"
"Yes, but Suho is older than you."
"Please, Mama? I'm a big kid now! I promise I won't be scared! I know I'm ready for it!"
Seeing the determination in the little girl's eyes, the mother smiled and gave a playful sigh. "Alright. But remember, if it gets too scary, please tell me."
She settled into the chair beside the bed. She cleared her throat before she began.
"Long ago, before our world even existed, there was a being called the Absolute Being."
Haemi snuggled further into her blankets. "Was he like a king?"
"Even more powerful than a king. He was one of the Itarim, a family of godly beings, and each one could create their very own universe. And in this Absolute Being's universe, there was another Itarim named Lilith. She was called the Princess of Creation, and she was meant to take over if anything ever happened to him. She stayed by his side, learning and watching by example, and she prepared for a day that she hoped would never come."
The mother was now gazing at the window, but not as if she truly saw it. Her eyes were unfocused as she absentmindedly stroked Haemi's hair. Haemi, with her eyes closed to better imagine the story, did not notice. The mother continued.
"And there was also a brave Ruler named Ashborn, and he was assigned to protect Princess Lilith. All Rulers are made by the Absolute Being. Ashborn loved the Absolute Being, but even more so, his heart belonged to Princess Lilith."
"Did they fall in love?" Haemi whispered.
"They did. They spent more and more time together, and little by little, the Princess and her knight fell in love. It was a love as vast and beautiful as the sea of stars that they watched over."
Haemi let out an excited giggle.
"But not everything was happy," the mother continued, her voice a little sadder. "Lilith began to see a terrible truth about the Absolute Being. There was a terrible war. The Rulers were meant to protect the universe, while the Monarchs sought to destroy, and the war between them caused so much pain and destruction. Lilith would beg the Absolute Being to help stop it, and the Rulers themselves would plead with him, but he never listened. It was then that Lilith realized the truth about the Absolute Being. To him, this war was just… It was just a fun show."
Haemi gasped. "That's not fair!"
"Lilith was heartbroken, and she told Ashborn the Absolute Being's terrible secret. Together, they decided that the Rulers needed to know the truth. However, when Ashborn told them, the Rulers became very, very angry. They yelled to each other that Absolute Being was evil and had to be killed. And because Lilith was his heir, she also could not be left alive."
"But why?! Princess Lilith didn't do anything!" Haemi's eyebrows were screwed up in frustration.
"Ashborn tried to get his comrades to understand, but the Rulers felt too angry, too betrayed to listen to reason. When the Rulers came marching to execute the Absolute Being and Lilith, Ashborn stood strong against them to protect his Princess. He fought with all his might, but even his great love and strength couldn't stop them all. The Rulers were too many. And so, the loyal knight fell. His light faded away."
The mother's voice then grew slightly quieter. "The Rulers then stormed the throne room. With their spears, they killed the Absolute Being. Lilith came out, and she knew right away what they intended to do to her. In one last, desperate hope to stop the war, she offered her own life to them. To end the war that had spanned thousands upon thousands of years, Lilith told the Rulers that she would help them defeat the Monarchs, and they could have her life after. But then, the Rulers speared her too, lifting her lifeless body and pinning it to the back of the throne chair, like a beautiful butterfly impaled for display."
A few tears escaped from Haemi's closed eyes, trailing past her temple and dripping into her pillow. "That's so sad, Mama."
"And so, this whole universe was left without anyone to guide it. It was a very dark time."
Haemi sniffled.
"But then, from the deepest, darkest shadows, Ashborn rose again," the mother said as she wiped the tears from her daughter’s eyes, "He wasn't the same Ruler he had been. He was something new, born entirely from shadow. He rushed to the throne room only to find his worst fears had come true. The Absolute Being was dead, and his beloved Lilith was impaled on the throne."
"Poor Lilith…" Haemi mumbled.
"He gently, so gently, removed the spears, and lowered her cold, still body. He held her close, and he trembled with a grief so deep that to him, it felt like the world itself might rip apart.
"Poor Ashborn…"
"And that is how Ashborn's story truly began. He had once been a Ruler, and now, he was the Shadow Monarch, the King of the Dead, born from both love and loss."
"Will they be together again, Mama?" Haemi asked as she finally opened her eyes to look at her mother. "Lilith is not truly dead, is she?"
The mother smiled, kissing her daughter's forehead. "That, my dear, is a story for another night. Now, close your eyes."