They say the moon was never meant to bleed.
But that night… it shattered.
Aeryn still remembered the sound.
It wasn't like glass breaking.
It was like the sky being torn apart.
She was at the top of the eastern tower when she felt the first crack in the air — a thin vibration, almost musical, running through her bones. The symbol on her chest burned beneath the dark fabric of her dress.
And then the stars began to fall.
Not like meteors.
Like tears.
— No… — she whispered, clutching her chest.
Magic did not obey.
It never obeyed when her emotions slipped free.
The courtyard below was filled with soldiers. Screams echoed as a wave of silver light exploded from the tower like a second dawn.
Aeryn didn't remember screaming.
But she remembered the silence afterward.
The cruelest silence that had ever existed.
When she opened her eyes, the moon in the sky bore a visible fracture — a luminous slash cutting through its center like an eternal scar.
And the kingdom… lay in ruins.
Years later.
The night wind still carried the same scent of wet stone.
Aeryn walked through the upper streets of Luthien, her hood covering her silver hair. Even so, some gazes followed her.
They always did.
The Last Heir.The Survivor.The Curse.
She ignored them all.
Until she felt it.
A touch.
Not physical.
But in her soul.
She turned her head.
On the other side of the stone bridge, leaning against the railing, stood an unfamiliar young man.
Dark hair tousled by the wind. Eyes far too intense for someone who looked so relaxed.
He stared at her as if he already knew her.
Aeryn frowned.
And then it happened.
A memory flooded her.
It wasn't hers.
A golden field beneath the sunset.
Laughter.
Her own voice saying:
"Don't forget me."
She staggered.
The young man's eyes widened.
— Hey… are you okay?
Aeryn pressed a hand to her head. Her breath faltered for a second.
She knew that feeling.
Stellar Memory activating without consent.
But… why?
She had never touched him.
Had never seen him before.
And yet—
There was something broken there.
Something empty.
As if he were a book with pages torn out.
He took a step toward her.
— Sorry… I feel like… I know you from somewhere.
Her heart skipped a beat.
That was impossible.
She never forgot the memories of strangers.
Unless—
A chill ran down her spine.
She stepped back.
— You're mistaken — she said coldly.
But her violet eyes betrayed her voice.
The young man tilted his head slightly.
Confused.
Genuine.
Lost.
— Strange… — he murmured, almost to himself. — I get this feeling sometimes. Like I'm always searching for someone. But I can never remember who it is.
The world seemed to tilt.
And for the first time since the Shattered Moon…
Aeryn felt fear.
Not of her own power.
But of the possibility that this was not the beginning.
But… a repetition.
She turned to leave.
But before she could take a second step, he said:
— Wait.
She didn't want to stop.
Yet she did.
— What's your name?
The question seemed simple.
Harmless.
But for someone who could lose everything… names carried weight.
She remained silent for long seconds.
The wind blew between them.
And then, almost as if fate itself were holding its breath—
— Aeryn.
He smiled.
A soft smile. Natural.
As if he had finally found something.
— I'm Kael.
The name echoed inside her.
And something — something tiny, fragile — trembled.
Like a star about to be born.
She didn't know it yet.
But that night—
What began on the bridge was not merely an encounter.
It was the first echo of something that had already happened.
And was destined to happen again.
Beneath the shattered moon.