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The three wise brothers made their way to the city - they were Pensive, Placid, and Harmonious.

Brother Harmonious was the centre of their kinship; he kept them unified and in agreement. Brother Placid was the quietest, and he rarely spoke save for moments where it was of great importance. Brother Pensive was a worrier. His eyes were always shifting behind his tarnished brass mask; he wished he had some on the back of his head.

They were making their way towards the city for the great event that was taking place - the great prophet herself was to be born that very evening. The morning star lit their path, and they followed in the wake of blessed light it spilled onto the earth.

At last, they came upon the virgin, weary and in labor. She looked them in the eyes calmly as they approached; much to the surprise of the three brothers.

"Doest thou not feel pain?" Placid asked.
"No," she replied. "This birth is a blessed one. There will be naught a drop of my blood spilt. This, I have been promised."

Harmonious stepped forward and presented himself and his two brothers, deftly gesturing at Pensive to lower himself to his knees in respect. The virgin nodded at them in acknowledgement.
"I have been waiting for you," said the virgin. "This... my daughter, she must be delivered. You three shall recieve blessings in kind for the very service."

"I wish to have knowledge," announced Pensive.
"I wish to retain my balance," announced Placid.
Brother Harmonious hesitated for a moment.
"I wish to raise this child," he said.

The virgin said nothing, but instead focused her eyes on Harmonious. He could feel the unpleasant tingle of her looking through his soul.

"Should I not have the opportunity to raise her myself?" she replied.
"No," he stated firmly. "You cannot understand the complexities, the... volatile nature of such a child. I am no stranger to them, however. I have lived many thousand years, and I will live many thousand more. You will die and return to the dust in only a pittance."
"She will still be my child," she said.

The virgin closed her eyes slightly, looked towards the sky, and brought her daughter's life into the world, and it fell into the arms of the three brothers.

The child was wet with the liquid of her mother's womb, and it covered her like a fine sheet. She rolled over slightly and pressed her hands through the veil; seeing for the first time. Brother Harmonious leered back down at her solemnly. Her mother reached down and cradled her in her arms; rocking her back and forth slightly. She planted a kiss onto her newborn forehead and once again faced the three wise brothers, softly combing the fine hairs on her daughter's head with her spindly fingers.

This time, she hissed at them angrily. "She is mine," she spat out, taking a slight step backwards. The newborn looked around confusedly, and then laughed for the first time at Brother Pensive, who had tripped over a haystack while backpedaling in fear at the anger of the virgin mother. He noisily stood himself up again and dusted his shoulders off.

Brother Harmonious's mind whirled in search of a solution. He sat cross-legged on the ground and immersed himself in his thoughts, and glanced up towards the morning star.

"This will be the solution," he said triumphantly, and he reached up and pulled the star from the sky. "You," he said. "You will watch over this prophet. You are a being of the heavens. Your wisdom is infinite, is it not?"

The morning star smiled cheekily and gleefully admitted that very fact. "The universe knows no boundaries, and neither does my brain," he said. He drifted over towards the mother, who clutched the child closer to her as he approached. "I must take her," he said. "She will live with me among the stars and planets and clouds; she will know nothing of this world until she is ready. And then - then, she will follow through with her destiny." The child slapped her hands together happily and grinned at the star, who lifted her in his arms and then glid upwards with her into the blackness above. The mother had her last look at her child as she rose higher and higher; looking down innocently.

The mother would have none of this.

With the strength of a thousand beasts, she leapt into the air and snatched her child away from the star.
With the resolve of a thousand minds, she snuffed out the star with the palm of her hand.
And with the crushing desperation of a thousand dead dreams, she took her child back, falling back down to the earth.

"Do not doubt my love for this little being," she said to the brothers.

Re-submitted with higher scan quality and improved contrast

Description
The three wise brothers made their way to the city - they were Pensive, Placid, and Harmonious.

Brother Harmonious was the centre of their kinship; he kept them unified and in agreement. Brother Placid was the quietest, and he rarely spoke save for moments where it was of great importance. Brother Pensive was a worrier. His eyes were always shifting behind his tarnished brass mask; he wished he had some on the back of his head.

They were making their way towards the city for the great event that was taking place - the great prophet herself was to be born that very evening. The morning star lit their path, and they followed in the wake of blessed light it spilled onto the earth.

At last, they came upon the virgin, weary and in labor. She looked them in the eyes calmly as they approached; much to the surprise of the three brothers.

"Doest thou not feel pain?" Placid asked.
"No," she replied. "This birth is a blessed one. There will be naught a drop of my blood spilt. This, I have been promised."

Harmonious stepped forward and presented himself and his two brothers, deftly gesturing at Pensive to lower himself to his knees in respect. The virgin nodded at them in acknowledgement.
"I have been waiting for you," said the virgin. "This... my daughter, she must be delivered. You three shall recieve blessings in kind for the very service."

"I wish to have knowledge," announced Pensive.
"I wish to retain my balance," announced Placid.
Brother Harmonious hesitated for a moment.
"I wish to raise this child," he said.

The virgin said nothing, but instead focused her eyes on Harmonious. He could feel the unpleasant tingle of her looking through his soul.

"Should I not have the opportunity to raise her myself?" she replied.
"No," he stated firmly. "You cannot understand the complexities, the... volatile nature of such a child. I am no stranger to them, however. I have lived many thousand years, and I will live many thousand more. You will die and return to the dust in only a pittance."
"She will still be my child," she said.

The virgin closed her eyes slightly, looked towards the sky, and brought her daughter's life into the world, and it fell into the arms of the three brothers.

The child was wet with the liquid of her mother's womb, and it covered her like a fine sheet. She rolled over slightly and pressed her hands through the veil; seeing for the first time. Brother Harmonious leered back down at her solemnly. Her mother reached down and cradled her in her arms; rocking her back and forth slightly. She planted a kiss onto her newborn forehead and once again faced the three wise brothers, softly combing the fine hairs on her daughter's head with her spindly fingers.

This time, she hissed at them angrily. "She is mine," she spat out, taking a slight step backwards. The newborn looked around confusedly, and then laughed for the first time at Brother Pensive, who had tripped over a haystack while backpedaling in fear at the anger of the virgin mother. He noisily stood himself up again and dusted his shoulders off.

Brother Harmonious's mind whirled in search of a solution. He sat cross-legged on the ground and immersed himself in his thoughts, and glanced up towards the morning star.

"This will be the solution," he said triumphantly, and he reached up and pulled the star from the sky. "You," he said. "You will watch over this prophet. You are a being of the heavens. Your wisdom is infinite, is it not?"

The morning star smiled cheekily and gleefully admitted that very fact. "The universe knows no boundaries, and neither does my brain," he said. He drifted over towards the mother, who clutched the child closer to her as he approached. "I must take her," he said. "She will live with me among the stars and planets and clouds; she will know nothing of this world until she is ready. And then - then, she will follow through with her destiny." The child slapped her hands together happily and grinned at the star, who lifted her in his arms and then glid upwards with her into the blackness above. The mother had her last look at her child as she rose higher and higher; looking down innocently.

The mother would have none of this.

With the strength of a thousand beasts, she leapt into the air and snatched her child away from the star.
With the resolve of a thousand minds, she snuffed out the star with the palm of her hand.
And with the crushing desperation of a thousand dead dreams, she took her child back, falling back down to the earth.

"Do not doubt my love for this little being," she said to the brothers.

Re-submitted with higher scan quality and improved contrast