Wind with Voices Prologue

The B

ook Speaks of a Thousand Years

Everything has a beginning.

This is the era where legends and myths still exist...

History spreads far and wide, and there is no way

to trace what happened at that time. The only thing that remains are rumours spread by word of

mouth; no doc.u.ments, no records. It once happened in this world, but there’s no one now who can

say for certai

n what clearly happened in the process.

It’s only because of a relation with G.o.d.

Everything concerning G.o.d is a mystery. Although people have attempted to scribe all they learnt,

records are lost and destroyed through the ages.

Legends speak of

those who have touched the face

of G.o.d, yet the only things we know are their names, bloodlines and their unwavering status.

They accepted their duties bestowed by G.o.d, and take on the responsibility of pa.s.sing down G.o.d’s

oracles

–

with the ident.i.ty

of

a normal human. Things that were pa.s.sed down from then till now, are

symbolic objects and temples. They swore an oath to a life of chast.i.ty, devoting themselves only to

G.o.d. Their blood was shared and with it, a covenant between comrades was sealed: to nev

er betray

one another.

These

eight priests serve their lives to G.o.d, their ident.i.ties different from ordinary priests. To

differentiate that, they have a common term and their own names.

That is how the Priests of G.o.d came about.

It’s said that they

who represent G.o.d, devote their lives entirely to their duties till death. Their very

blood is then claimed by G.o.d and infused into the next generation of successors through mystical

means. That is how their lineage is pa.s.sed on.

For thousands of years t

his continued...

Some say that this is the highest honour, while others believe it is a curse. These eight families,

throughout the pa.s.sage of time, can never break free of their destinies... their duty to G.o.d.

Desertion was not unheard of throughout the

centuries. Even if they realised terrible consequences

would befall them should they be caught by one of the other seven members... sometimes one must

struggle... to fight against the destiny forced upon them.

However, many still protect the superior blo

od of their ancestors. They silently carry out their duties

to the fullest, maintaining the glorious reputation of the Priests of G.o.d. They spread their legends far

and wide, and thus these legends became immortal.

The system binding the Priests of G.o.d c

hanges every year, and now, the rules are no longer as

unbearable.

And the impressions the commoners have towards these Priests of G.o.d are

—

Just like a G.o.d, pure and solemn. They are people who do not violate, and are always at the top;

worthy of respe

ct, yet impossible to get close to.

However, the truth is, not every one of them is like that.

Other than their indifferent nature, and other slight discrepancies, they aren’t much different from

normal people.

The reason they were hard to get close

to, besides disposition, status, and the legends that surround

them, was because they had beautiful appearances, as if bestowed by G.o.d.

Because of their natural personalities, knowledge and duties, G.o.d’s throne was divided. There were

many priests of G.o.d

who couldn’t get along, probably because of the mentality that only they were

special.

The Priests of G.o.d everyone meets are young, regardless of age. This has relation to G.o.d’s gift, and

commoners would of course not know any better.

Their legends, a

lthough incomplete, were still pa.s.sed down in this way.

Till this generation......

A generation fraught with disaster......

The Aisuile Shrine standing by the sea, has existed since legends started. It is also the place where

one of the eight Priests of G.o.d,

the Guardian of Broken Hollow

1

resides.

It is undeniably a beautiful shrine; the craftsmanship of its forefathers is enough to put people in

awe. Amongst the nine shrines during the era of this legend, this is the most beautiful. Those with

the ambition

of becoming a priest, or currently a priest, see it as an honour to work in these nine

shrines.

On a usually peaceful morning, something minor happened.

No, maybe it’s not something to be considered minor.

“Guardian....... Guardian of Broken Hollow......!”

Running frantically into the huge shrine, a servant

reported on what just happened.

“The Priest

to

be... has... has disappeared!”

Behind the table next to the window, that slender figure did not even turn around, making him seem

unconcerned.

“Disappeared

?”

A magnetic voice gently spoke out, and then there was a long silence.

“Or should I say... isn’t it more accurate to say that he has run away from home?”

He maintained his posture of staring out of the window. His hair is a beautiful shade of ebony,

and

even though a robe was draped over his entire body, you can still see his perfect proportions

underneath.

”Then... should we go find him?”

“No need.”

It was a simple command, yet it held dignity that carried anger.

He actually ran away by himself

... there isn’t much time left till the succession ceremony... he just

had to create trouble...

When I see him, there’s no doubt that I’ll have to put some discipline in him......

I just wanted to use my own eyes, to gaze at this world......

1

Guardian of Broken Hollow (

) : Its direct translation would be Broken Hollow seat/throne,

but since it refers to a person, ‘guardian’ is used.