Heavenly Pursuit (Princess Yue)

Chapter One

"You're right," he said, a look of determination crossing his face. He looked stronger now that he had someone believing in him. He gripped the log underneath him, saying, "I won't give up."

Her Spirit was forcefully dragged back to the Spirit World. The world around her spun in circles, flashing color all around her, and she let out a breath as her vision cleared. She was back in the Spirit World again, hovering near the Moon. It hurt her to do that, to project herself to the Earth. Her Spirit was meant to stay where it was, above the Earth, to watch over the humans below. She wasn't meant to be back there; no, her Spirit was meant to be above the people, so that she could watch over them during the night. It was her job to listen to their prayers and to do something about it. All within her powerhouse, though. That was why she could project herself to the Avatar at night, even if it did hurt her soul. The pain wasn't like human pain; it was deeper and darker than anything else. The light in her soul dimmed when she projected herself, and she could feel it again once she got back to the Spirit World. If she spent too much time away from the Spirit World, she would lose all light and slowly dissolve into nothingness. Then she'd be replaced by another human whose soul was attached to the Moon Spirit since the Moon Spirit couldn't die.

Even though she had been here in the Spirit World for months, she still felt the pull of the Human World. Her happiest times had been when she was Yue. She loved her people; she had been ready to rule the Northern Water Tribe and create a better city for everyone who lived there. Yet, that wasn't what the Spirits had planned for her life. It was cut short because she needed to return to being the Moon Spirit for all of eternity. She thought it was better that way, though. This way, she could help even more people than she ever could have done at the Northern Water Tribe. She would be helping the whole world instead of just the Northern Water Tribe. That warmed her heart thinking about it.

Her heart still longed for the simplicity of human life, though. There was something so mundane and soothing about being a human. Every day was nearly the same, but it was also so different. She had so much to look forward to, as well, and now she wasn't able to experience it at all. She was able to see Yue's future, and it was a bright one if she hadn't become one with the Moon Spirit. She would have lived a long time and made a lot of changes to her tribe for the better. Her grandchildren would have called her "Granny" and loved her unconditionally. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to live that life. Her life now was Tui, the Moon Spirit, forever and ever.

There was a pain in her soul yet again, but this time it was different. It burned and twisted and cut deep inside her, reminding her that she was a Spirit now. She needn't be wishing to be a human anymore. 

The Human World was her past. The Spirit World was her future now. And with that, all the pain and longing slowly dissipated, leaving her as light as a snowflake. 

☀⋆🌑︎

Every single day, she would see him. The boy she met for the first time when she returned to being a Spirit. The boy who had taken her breath away with a single dance. When the moon lowered in the sky, the sun would rise and take over, giving light to the humans below them. And when the sun rose into the sky, she would see him waiting near the sun. Waiting for what, she didn't know. She wanted to know, though. She wanted to get closer to him, to find out more about him. It felt like she had known him for eternity, yet she had no idea who he truly was.

He would never look at her. It was like she was invisible to him, but she was sure that she wasn't. Maybe he didn't want to look at her, but why? Everything about him confused her. He would always sit atop or near the sun, glaring down at the Earth below. It was like he was mad at something. She had an inkling that it was because he was a Spirit, but that was strange. Being a Spirit was a blessing. At least, it was mainly a blessing for her. Maybe it wasn't a blessing for him; maybe he had a better life before the Spirits decided to bring him back home. She wasn't sure, but she desperately wanted to know.