Prologue

The Sun Temple stood at the very center of the nation of Lunatia, the morning light falling across its cold white stone steps.

Five-year-old Solya, the Wolf God of the Sun, wore a slightly wrinkled long-sleeved outfit, her small sneakers stained with mud from her play.

She hurried after the temple instructor and stepped inside, ready to begin the day’s lesson.

Bathed in the morning light, little Solya’s shoulder-length golden hair shimmered with a warm glow. Her blue eyes, as clear as a tranquil lake, darted about as she looked around her.

The pale golden locks atop her head, shaped like drooping wolf ears, swayed gently with the rhythm of her movements, as though alive—listening to the sounds around her.

Behind her, a slender little golden tail, soft and short, would sometimes stand upright and at other times flick back and forth in quick motions. Like a young wolf pup, it revealed her boundless curiosity about the world around her.

The petite Solya hurried after the temple instructor, weaving quickly across the vast courtyard before the grand sanctuary.

The temple’s white walls were traced with lines of gold, their tones radiant and immaculate. Solya’s gaze swept across the vast white-and-gold expanse, where only a handful of clergy—dressed in near-identical robes—moved about in measured silence.

Though the scene appeared solemn and magnificent, to someone as young as Solya, it felt strikingly cold.

Solya followed the temple instructor down the long corridor of the sanctuary. Whenever they passed other members of the clergy, each of them would bow their heads in respect to the Sun God.

But Solya clearly did not understand these gestures. She furrowed her brows slightly, looking up and around at the clergy in confusion, and in the next moment, she dashed forward again, her little golden tail flicking behind her as she hurried to keep up with the instructor.

The cold air of the temple stood in stark contrast to the warmth of home. It wasn’t biting, but it made Solya feel a distance, as if she didn’t belong here.

Her small hands rubbed against each other instinctively, seeking a trace of warmth in the chill.

“Teacher, I want to go home. The temple is so cold.”

Solya spoke in her childish voice, expressing her reluctance. To her, this place was really cold and boring.

The instructor didn’t slow down or look back, keeping their gaze straight ahead. In a calm tone, they said,

“My Lord, as the Sun God, you are the future ruler of a country. You must study diligently in the temple to learn all kinds of knowledge in order to govern your land well.”

“What’s so fun about that…”

Solya pouted. To her, scooping up mud from the the meadow in the distance and shaping it into mud cakes, singing “Happy Birthday,” and pretending to blow out candles was far more interesting than any lesson.

“There are so many kids over there. Don’t we go to that classroom?”

Solya looked toward a nearby apprentice classroom.

Inside, the children all wore elegant, neat robe uniforms. The overly formal attire seemed somewhat at odds with their youthful faces. They laughed and played together, waiting for their lesson to begin.

These were the children sent to the temple by noble families, destined to serve as clergy of the Sun God in the future.

“I just saw them exchanging toys over there. Can I join them?”

At last, the instructor turned back to face her. Lowering her gaze, she spoke with a hint of nervousness,

“My Lord, you are the supreme Sun God. They are mere mortals. You are not the same as them. You must not attend lessons with them.”

“They’re kids just like me. What makes us different?” Solya furrowed her brows, clearly dissatisfied with the instructor’s answer.

The instructor said no more, seemingly afraid that any further words might be wrong, and turned back to lead Solya toward the main hall, reserved for the Sun God alone.

Before entering the classroom, several female attendants bowed to Solya and led her to the changing room to help her change into her divine robe.

“My Lord, wearing this robe makes you look even more like the Sun God,” one of them said.

“I’m Solya! I’m not ‘My Lord’!”

Solya protested loudly at the attendants, unable to understand why everyone kept calling her “My Lord.” It all seemed utterly ridiculous to her.

Though the attendants heard her protest clearly, addressing her simply as “Solya” would likely cost them their positions before the day was over. They could only exchange awkward glances and fall silent, deftly continuing to help her change.

The attendants dressed Solya in a gold-and-white divine robe that matched the colors of the temple. They then respectfully placed a metal pectoral engraved with the symbol of the Primordial, representing the Sun God, upon her chest.

It was a sacred relic that only the successive Sovereigns throughout history were permitted to wear.

Solya looked at herself in the mirror, her brows furrowing.

“Why do I have to wear this big metal thing every time I come to class? It’s cold and hard. I don’t want to wear it.”

“This outfit is so heavy too. I want to take it off.”

“I look just like that big pillar over there.”

“This whole thing is so hard to put on. Can I wear my own clothes instead?”

Solya was a little talkative, and her string of blunt, childlike remarks left the attendants unsure how to respond for a moment. In the end, they hurriedly handed her over to the instructor, eager for a brief moment to catch their breath.

Inside the classroom, Solya sat across from the instructor, who was holding a pen and writing continuously on the whiteboard, talking endlessly about the history of the country.

Solya’s small hands, clutching a pencil, didn’t stop moving either—but she wasn’t paying attention to the lesson. Instead, she poked at the desk with the pencil every now and then.

Frowning and pouting, she gazed out the window, utterly bored.

She had no interest in hearing about the great deeds of past Sun Gods, nor did she care why the Moon served the Sun. The historical feats and glories drifted past her ears like a gentle breeze, passing by without a trace, not a single word sticking in her mind.

"Rattle, rattle..."

Suddenly, the classroom door opened gently.

A girl with long, curly hair the color of hyacinths stood in the doorway. She looked about the same age as little Solya.

She made eye contact with the instructor and froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, standing there in a daze.

A look of sheer bewilderment crossed her face, and it was clear she realized she had entered the wrong classroom.

“Vela?”

The instructor froze as well when she saw the girl.

“What are you doing here? Your classroom isn’t here.”

“..........”

The girl’s expression stiffened. Although her lips parted slightly, as if trying to answer the instructor’s question, the words seemed caught in her throat and no sound came out. She still looked unable to recover from the shock.

“Can’t find your classroom?”

The experienced instructor quickly guessed what had happened. Vela must have gotten lost in the temple and wandered into the wrong room. The temple grounds were vast, after all, and it wasn’t the first time a young temple apprentice had lost their way.

Vela nodded while staring at the floor, not daring to meet the instructor’s eyes, as if she were afraid she might be punished.

“Honestly, what am I going to do with you…” the instructor sighed.

“I’m currently giving a lesson to Wolf God. Go ahead and come in and sit here for a moment. When we have a break later, I’ll find someone to take you to your classroom.”

Solya’s eyes suddenly lit up. The inattentive look she had during the lesson vanished at once. Her attention was completely drawn to the girl named Vela, and she even forgot to play with the pencil in her hand.

Since this was the Sun God’s private classroom, there weren’t many chairs, so the instructor asked Vela to sit in the seat across from Solya’s desk while she waited.

Vela pressed her lips together, looking extremely nervous. Her small hands were tightly clasped together, her shoulders hunched as she sat with her head lowered.

Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and she shrank into herself as if hoping no one would notice her.

Solya was instantly intrigued by the girl who had appeared out of nowhere. A bright smile spread across her face as she stared at Vela without a hint of shyness.

Finally, another child was sitting across from her, and that made her genuinely happy.

Full of mischief, Solya began her antics. She reached her hand under the table and waved it wildly at Vela, hoping to catch her attention.

“……?”

Vela noticed Solya waving at her in secret, and her clear violet almond eyes widened in surprise.

Finally, their eyes met, and Solya, feeling triumphant, grinned even wider.

But shy Vela, caught off guard by the sudden eye contact, immediately looked away.

Solya tilted her head in confusion, continuing to stare at Vela. Outgoing as she was, she couldn’t understand why someone would shy away just because their eyes had met.

But Solya’s determination to play with Vela wasn’t going to be so easily defeated.

Seizing the moment while the instructor had her back turned to write on the whiteboard, Solya grabbed a sheet of paper from the desk and quickly folded it into a wonky paper airplane under the table. She gently let it glide across to land on Vela’s lap.

Vela froze.

Carefully, she picked up the paper airplane and looked down. That’s when she noticed a big, cheerful smile drawn in the center between its wings—Solya’s handiwork.

This time, Vela didn’t shy away. Instead, curiosity got the better of her, and she looked up at Solya.

“I want to play with you.”

Although Solya didn’t make a sound, Vela seemed to understand from the exaggerated movements of her mouth.

She looked at Solya, blinking shyly a few times, and gave a small smile.

Solya grinned back, showing all her tiny teeth, her eyes curving into half-moons. She was delighted that Vela’s gaze no longer shied away from hers.

Time seemed to fly as they secretly played in class, and soon it was the mid-class break.

The instructor stopped a priest in the corridor who was about to head to the side hall, quickly explained the situation with Vela, and then returned to the classroom to prepare for the next lesson.

“Vela, I’m heading back to the side hall now. Just go straight from here, past the stairs, and it’ll be the second classroom.”

Vela nodded shyly, and the priest guiding her hurried off.

Watching the priest leave, little Vela let out a soft sigh, as if still reflecting on why she had accidentally wandered into the Sun God’s classroom. But in the next moment, she couldn’t hide the upward curve of her lips—she was clearly very happy to have made a new friend.

After only a few steps, Vela suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, a tiny child’s finger poked her cheek.

“Veeee~~~~~la!!”

Solya beamed, clearly delighted with her little prank.

“My Lord?! Shouldn’t you be in class?” Vela exclaimed, startled as Solya suddenly appeared beside her, calling out her name.

And no one had ever called her name with such enthusiasm—Solya was the first.

Since coming to the temple for classes, quiet little Vela had always struggled to keep up with the other children during playtime.

Whenever someone shouted, “Who wants to play tag?” Vela’s voice would catch in her throat, and, shy as she was, she couldn’t bring herself to say the simple words, “I want to play.”

While she hesitated on how to express herself, the other children’s games had already begun, and little Vela could only watch with a forlorn expression, quietly standing aside.

“Hehe… class is so boring. I just want to play with you!” Solya said, grinning brightly, seemingly unconcerned about skipping her lesson.

“You shouldn’t be here...” Vela whispered anxiously. “The instructor will notice soon, and she’s really scary when she gets angry.”

Worried that Solya might get punished, she softly urged her to hurry back to the classroom.

But Vela’s urging didn’t seem to change Solya’s mind. For a girl of action like Solya, playing with this brand-new friend was the most important thing in the world right now. Whether an adult might scold her later was the furthest thing from her mind.

“Vela! Come with me!”

Suddenly, Solya reached out her small hand and grasped Vela’s.

Vela froze for a moment. She had never expected the Sun Wolf God to take her hand so directly.

Solya’s soft little hand was very warm, completely different from the image of a god she had in her mind. As their small hands clasped together, Solya’s hand actually seemed even smaller than her own.

“W-wait! My Lord?!” Vela’s eyes widened in surprise. Before she could finish speaking, Solya had already pulled her forward and started running. “Where are you going?!”

Though Solya was smaller in stature, her boundless energy was so infectious that Vela found herself being swept along, running almost involuntarily.

Solya grabbed Vela’s hand and dashed toward a patch of grass surrounding the side hall of the temple. Rarely tended by the temple staff, the plants had grown freely, turning the green lawn into a vast natural canvas dotted with wildflowers in a rainbow of colors, their buds ready to bloom.

“This is what I found last time!” Solya exclaimed, letting go of Vela’s hand as she ran to the center of the lawn. She spread her small arms wide, as if showing Vela her secret little base.

“There are so many flowers of different colors, it’s beautiful, isn’t it? Much more fun than all the other lawns that are just green!” she said, grinning like a little sun.

“Hmm… it’s beautiful, but none of them have bloomed yet,” Vela murmured, bending down to study the tiny wildflowers carefully.

“Don’t worry! Watch this!” Solya said, patting her small chest with determination, her smile radiant.

She crouched in front of a plant with a purple bud, stretched out her tiny hand, and spread her five fingers gently toward it.

“Watch closely…”

In an instant, Solya’s little hand began to glow with a soft, golden light, warm and gentle like the morning sunrise.

For the first time, Vela saw the power of the Sun God with her own eyes. She widened her eyes in a mix of surprise and curiosity, watching Solya’s every movement carefully.

For some reason, even though it was the first time Vela had witnessed this power, it stirred a deep, familiar warmth in her heart, as if she had known it all along.

She felt as though the energy didn’t just envelop the flowers, but gently drew her closer, and she unconsciously took a few steps forward, gradually approaching Solya.

“What…?”

At the same time, Solya also suddenly felt a wave of power welling up inside her, unlike anything she had felt before.

It was as if guided by another force, completely unexpected, yet it filled her chest with a tender warmth of light.

The soft golden glow from Solya’s small hand instantly surged outward like a flood breaking its dam, spreading across and illuminating the entire lawn.

In the next moment, the previously budding flowers, bathed in the sacred light of life, all bloomed at once.

“This is amazing…”

Vela’s eyes widened in astonishment as she took in Solya’s immense divine power and the field of flowers now in full bloom before her. She was so surprised she forgot to even breathe.

“I was only trying to make the flower in front of me bloom…”

Solya had always thought she could only make a single flower open. But with Vela standing beside her, her power surged like a rushing flood, even leaving Solya herself staring in disbelief.

The two of them stood frozen for a few seconds, until Solya suddenly snapped out of it.

“…Vela! Look! It’s become a field of flowers!” Solya shouted excitedly, raising her small hands high and running back and forth through the blooming field.

Vela watched Solya’s joyful movements, then looked around at the colorful expanse of flowers, the scent of the blooms filling the air. For the first time since arriving at the temple for lessons, her usually tense nerves began to ease.

Her normally cautious steps became light and quick as she ran to join Solya, seemingly forgetting all about class. Vela, who was usually careful to keep a certain distance from others, found her usual hesitations fading in Solya’s presence.

The two children played together among the flowers, collecting petals that had fallen to the ground, as if they were searching for tiny, precious gems.

“Vela, what else did you pick up?”

Seeing that Vela seemed to have gathered more than just petals, Solya turned her head to peek at her crouching on the ground, curiously asking.

“You'll see soon enough, My Lord.”

Vela didn’t turn around, only offering a small, gentle smile as she continued picking up the soft, springy stems scattered on the grass, clearly planning a little surprise in her mind.

“Alright, then I’ll start with this side!”Solya smiled and turned back to continue collecting her “gems.”

Carefully, Vela twisted the stems together to form a sturdy circle, then delicately tucked the colorful petals she had picked into the gaps of the woven circle.

Her movements were a little clumsy, but her face showed complete focus.

After a while, Vela had made a small, slightly uneven flower crown behind Solya’s back.

Though the shape wasn’t perfect, it looked charming and delicate.

“My Lord, could you please turn around for a moment?”

"Mhm! Sure!"

Hearing Vela’s request, Solya immediately turned around without hesitation.

The next moment, Vela placed the little flower crown she had made onto Solya’s head.

“This is a gift for you, my Lord. Thank you for playing with me.”

Looking at Solya, Vela smiled. Unlike the shy smile she had shown earlier, this time her smile was completely unreserved, her deep violet eyes curving into crescent moons.

Solya froze for a moment. She reached up to touch the small flower crown on her head, then looked at Vela and broke into a bright smile as well.

"Yeah! We have to play together again!" Solya said excitedly. She hugged Vela and rose onto her tiptoes, rubbing her soft little cheek against Vela’s.

Solya’s sudden embrace made Vela’s breath hitch slightly.

But she did not pull away. Instead, she carefully wrapped her arms around Solya in return.

In the flower field filled with the faint fragrance of blossoms,

their shadows swaying gently among the flowers,

a soft breeze passed by the two little girls.

They held each other tightly, and neither of them let go.

Inside the temple’s side hall, in the High Priest’s chamber on the upper floor, two elaborately robed priests stood by the glass window, looking down at everything unfolding below.

“High Priestess Dreven… the young Wolf God’s power seems to exceed our expectations,” the middle-aged senior priest said in a low voice.

High Priestess Dreven’s silver hair was coiled neatly, her bearing solemn and dignified.

The traces of age on her face and her pale hair inspired an instinctive sense of reverence.

The sacred High Priest’s robe draped over her shoulders, making the pressure of her presence feel even more formidable.

“I know,” High Priestess Dreven said. There was little expression on her face as she quietly watched everything below. “I see it very clearly.”

“She is playing with your granddaughter. Do we truly not need to do anything?”

The senior priest looked at High Priestess Dreven, his face filled with unease.

Silence lingered for a moment. High Priestess Dreven continued watching the two children getting along on the temple lawn below.

“…No.” Her voice was low and measured.

“The Sun Wolf God is unlike any of the Sun Gods who came before.”

“Those who know of the power hidden within her all desire to possess it…”

She paused for a brief moment.

“…and yet fear it just as deeply.”

Sunlight streamed through the glass into the chamber. Everything inside was bright and orderly, yet the silence was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

High Priestess Dreven slowly closed her eyes.

“We must not act rashly.”