​​Violetta stared at the stars scattered across the sky-all that remained of Sister Star, who'd shattered herself to pieces for her love of Brother Desert. Would Violetta do the same for Pippa? She thought that she would, if the circumstances called for it. 

Violetta thought of all the stories, myths, and legends surrounding the goddesses. She knew more about their universe than even some of the Alumnallen priests, which she found to be rather ironic. She [i]was[/i] technically considered less than human through the Almerintian system of belief, after all. Funny how she should know more about it than some of its most devout practitioners. But Violetta had spent ten years of her life all but locked away in the basement of a library, and there hadn't been much to do other than reading.

And read she did-everything from little-known mathematical theories to ancient scrolls detailing the creation of the world. It was in these very scrolls that Violetta discovered some of the most obscure stories and beliefs concerning the goddesses and Almerinte, though there was no way to confirm the veracity of them. Violetta found these stories to be the most interesting. One of the most notable stories was about how, in a time long-forgotten by even time itself, Brother Desert tried to claim the world for himself. 

Legend said that after he'd been banished to the Wastelands for attempting to steal Mother Moon's valuable crown, but before he created humans in a failed attempt to plague the goddesses and Mother Nature and Father Earth, Brother Desert tried to claim the world for himself. The stories told of how plants withered and died at his touch, of how animals fled from his malevolent presence, of how his anger created violent sandstorms that raged for weeks on end. According to the stories, the wrath of Brother Desert repelled everything that the goddesses set at him-he was not hurt by scorching rays of sun, he could tolerate frigid cold, and howling winds did nothing but make him angrier. In the end, Brother Desert was victorious-for a time. He'd managed to transform all of Almerinte into a giant wasteland, but he hadn't counted on his sisters, the four goddesses of the four realms, approaching the elusive Empress.

That was what the ancient texts referred to her as-simply the Empress. From Violetta's understanding, the Empress could give and take life at will. According to the legend, the four goddesses beseeched the Empress to restore life to Almerinte, only to have her spurn them scornfully, telling them that they were perfectly capable of doing so themselves (Violetta thought that Pippa was remarkably similar to the Empress in this aspect). And so, the goddesses returned to Almerinte, and with the help of Mother Nature, Father Earth, Sister Sea, and Brother Sky, began anew. Father Earth laid down mud and mountain once again, and Lativia sowed the seeds as Mother Nature breathed life into them. Sister Sea filled the clouds of Brother Sky with rain as Ver'lya raised trees out of the soil and Scarletta ran through them, leaving a whole host of animals in her wake. Ophelia froze the lands of the north and Ver'lya shined the sun down on the lands of the south and Scarletta painted the trees red and gold and Lativia created fields of wildflowers, and all was right again.

Upon having his plans thwarted, Brother Desert retreated to the Wastelands, leaving with only one warning-that he would return, and he would return when the goddesses least expected it. Some accounts say that he fled beyond Almerinte to the realm of the likes of the Empress, joining the dangerous Lady Luck and Catastrophe in a land that was not governed by the laws of Mother Nature or Lord Time. Other accounts tell of his continuing presence in the Wastelands, where he preys on anyone bold enough to trespass into his realm. 

Whatever the case was, one thing was for sure; Brother Desert was gone, his power severely diminished. And now, his creations, the humans, ruled the realms he had once tried to take over, worshipping his sisters. None of the priests that Violetta had encountered ever mentioned anything about Brother Desert's short-lived rule of Almerinte, so Violetta was unsure if that had actually happened, but nevertheless, it made for an interesting tale.

Other mentions of figures such as the Empress, Eternity, Catastrophe, Lady Luck, Lord Time, the Lady of Light, and the Lord of Darkness were few and far in-between. Violetta understood that most of the Almerintians dismissed them as the fanciful imaginings of their ancestors. Violetta thought that there could possibly be merit in the stories, but it was not her place to say so. Even after ten years, many members of the Alumnallen nobility could not accept the fact that a half-blood lived and worked amongst them in the running of the realm. Imagine what they would say when the aforementioned half-blood came out and directly challenged their ages-old beliefs of their world and their goddesses!

Violetta was startled from her musings by the sound of falling trees. [i]What in the name of Father Sun and Mother Moon...[/i] thought Violetta, scrambling to her feet as she peered into the darkness, unable to discern anything save for the fuzzy outlines of trees simply toppling over. She listened closely, and she then she heard something else-it was a strange, peculiar sound that reminded Violetta of the sound of gears turning, except for considerably amplified. And it was getting closer.

[i]Scarletta save me,[/i] Violetta thought, fear freezing her to the spot. She scrambled into the relative safety of the forest behind her, peering cautiously in the direction of the tremendous noise from behind a particularly large tree. She knew she should run back to the castle, behind the tall stone walls, but some sort of morbid curiosity kept her from going anywhere. Despite her fear, Violetta was interested in seeing what was capable of producing such a sound. 

She got her answer as a hulking shadow crunched over the last of the trees, and the [i]thing[/i] came to a stop just before the small stream that cut across the clearing. Violetta's eyes widened at the sight. It was made out of a metal that sort of resembled Itervian armor, though it was much duller than the shining steel of armor. It seemed to move on wheels encased in...something. As a whole, it was shaped like...like a four-legged animal with large feet and a small torso. 

Violetta had never seen anything like it.

She let out a small gasp and took a step backwards, her palms slick with sweat. Violetta was on the verge of turning on her heel and fleeing for the castle when a fierce gust of wind almost knocked her over. The wind screamed, coming up from behind Violetta and blowing her skirts every which way. Violetta stumbled, grabbing hold to the tree she was standing behind. Leaves of red and gold and brown swirled through the air, some of them settling on the metal of the [i]thing[/i] beside the stream. 

The wind eventually settled down after a minute or so, and Violetta winced and caught her footing once again. [i]If the Alumnallen belief that the wind is created by Scarletta running through the trees is true, then it must mean that she is here with us right now,[/i] Violetta thought to herself in an effort to assuage her fears. [i]Scarletta save us all. What[/i] is[i] that?[/i]