Chapter 1: Fallen Star, Risen Soul
The sky split open like a wounded beast, painting streaks of violet lightning across the heavens.
For most people, that night was nothing more than a strange phenomenon—a flicker in the cosmos, maybe a passing comet. But for Aven, it was the beginning of something he would never forget.
Somewhere far above the ordinary world, a girl fell.
She wasn't screaming. She wasn't panicked. Her body floated gracefully, arms outstretched, her long pink ponytail trailing behind her like a comet's tail. Two delicate bangs framed her peaceful face. She looked serene, as if the heavens themselves were carrying her.
And then, like a star out of orbit, she crashed into the earth.
Aven was the first to reach the crater.
He hadn't meant to wander into the woods that night. But something—a pull in his chest, an ache in his bones—had led him there. The moonlight shimmered over the shattered ground, and in the center of the impact lay a girl.
She was glowing.
Aven froze. His instincts told him to run, but his curiosity pinned him in place. Her dress was torn at the edges, but pure white. Her skin shimmered with a faint luminescence, like moonlight trapped in human form.
He stepped closer. "Are… you alive?"
The girl stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a color not known to this world—an iridescent hue that shifted from blue to rose gold depending on the angle. She blinked slowly, her gaze locking onto his.
"Where… am I?" she asked, her voice soft, melodic, almost not human.
Aven knelt beside her. "You… fell. From the sky."
She sat up with unexpected ease, brushing dust off her dress. Her movements were elegant, precise. "Sky? No… I was in the Gate of Silence. Then… it shattered."
Aven tilted his head. "Gate of what?"
The girl blinked again, then placed a hand gently against her temple. "I don't remember much. Just... falling. And a name." She paused, then looked at him. "Aven."
He froze.
"How do you know my name?" he whispered.
"I don't know. But it was the first word in my mind."
Aven swallowed hard. The woods around them were quiet now, almost too quiet. He felt the air pulse with something… ancient.
"You're not normal, are you?"
The girl looked down at her hands, then to the sky above. "I don't think I ever was."
Silence hung between them. She stood slowly, gracefully, and looked around like a newborn seeing the world for the first time.
"What's your name?" Aven asked.
She paused for a moment. Then said softly, "I… don't have one."
Aven looked at her again. She didn't seem like someone who belonged here. And yet, here she was—pink hair cascading in a long ponytail, white dress catching the breeze like angel wings, her presence almost divine.
"Then I'll call you Lyra," he said. "Like the constellation. A fallen star."
She smiled faintly. "Lyra… I like that."
Suddenly, a crack echoed in the distance. Aven turned sharply. "We should get out of here. Someone—or something—might have noticed that crash."
Lyra nodded. "Lead the way."
---
Back at Aven's home, an old, worn-down cabin on the edge of the village, he watched her as she gently touched the objects around her—his books, the cracked mirror, the dusty windowsill—as if trying to understand them.
"Is this… your home?" she asked.
"Yeah. Not much, but it's safe. For now."
Lyra nodded. "Thank you."
Aven stared at her, his mind spinning. Who was she? A goddess? An angel? An alien? He'd read about magical beings, sure, but none of them looked this… human. And yet, the air around her still hummed with energy.
"Can you remember anything else?" he asked.
She sat down quietly, hands folded in her lap. "Only fragments. There was a war… lights… screams. Then silence. Someone said I was chosen, but I don't know for what."
Aven leaned back in his chair. "This feels like a dream."
Lyra looked at him gently. "You're the only real thing I have right now. So I'll believe in you."
His chest tightened. The way she looked at him—it wasn't trust out of fear. It was like she already knew him. Like she'd been waiting for him.
But why?
Before he could say anything else, Lyra suddenly jerked upright. Her eyes widened.
"They're coming."
Aven stood. "Who?"
Her voice shook. "The ones who shattered the Gate."
Aven grabbed his old blade from the wall. He hadn't used it in years—but tonight wasn't ordinary.
"Then I'll protect you," he said.
Lyra stood beside him, her glow intensifying. "No, Aven. I think we protect each other."
---
To be continued…