The moon floated like a silver lantern above the quiet village of Eloria, its light spilling across the rooftops and fields like melted glass. The wind carried the faint scent of blooming starpetals — flowers said to grow only when fate brought two souls together.
Aiden walked alone through the empty road, his boots brushing against the soft dust. He had always preferred solitude. The world, with its noise and rushing dreams, had never been kind to him. But tonight felt… different. Something in the air whispered that his story was about to change.
As he passed by the crystal lake, a faint shimmer caught his eye. Someone was there — kneeling by the water's edge, her hand glowing softly as if the lake itself obeyed her. Her silver hair caught the moonlight, and her eyes — deep violet — reflected constellations he couldn't name.
She was whispering to the water. And the water whispered back.
Aiden froze, half-afraid, half in awe. He had heard of spirit talkers — rare people born with the ability to speak to nature itself. But he never believed they were real.
Then, she turned.
Their eyes met.
And for the first time in his life, Aiden forgot how to breathe.
"Sorry," she said, her voice as gentle as the night breeze. "Did I scare you?"
He shook his head, though he could barely speak. "No… I just didn't expect anyone to be here."
She smiled — and gods, it was the kind of smile that made the stars look dull. "Neither did I," she said. "But the lake wanted company. Sometimes, so do I."
Aiden didn't know it then, but that was the moment his heart quietly betrayed him — the moment he fell for someone whose heart already belonged to another world.