The Moonlit Kingdom
In a land where the rivers whispered secrets and the night sky shimmered with living stars, there was a hidden kingdom called Lythria. It appeared only when the moon was full and vanished before dawn, as if it were a dream the world forgot each morning.
Princess Elira was its guardian. She wasn't like other royals—she could hear magic breathing in the wind and see colors in people's hearts. But there was one rule she had never broken: Never cross the border into the mortal world.
One night, while standing on the crystal balcony, she saw something impossible—a boy sitting beneath the silver trees outside the kingdom's barrier. Mortals could never see Lythria… yet he was staring right at it.
Curious and bold, Elira stepped past the invisible line. The world changed instantly: the air felt heavier, the stars dimmer. The boy looked up, startled, his dark eyes wide.
"Are you… real?" he asked softly.
Elira hesitated. No one had ever spoken to her like that—without titles, without fear.
"I think I am," she said, her voice like wind chimes. "Who are you?"
"Arin," he replied. "I've been dreaming of this place for years."
They talked until the moon climbed high. He told her about ordinary things—rainy afternoons, warm bread, laughter with friends. To Elira, those stories sounded more magical than any spell.
Night after night, she returned. And night after night, Lythria glowed brighter, as if the kingdom itself liked Arin.
But magic has rules. The Queen of Starlight appeared one evening, her eyes filled with ancient knowing.
"A heart cannot belong to two worlds," she warned gently. "If you stay with him, Lythria will fade. If you leave, you must forget him."
Elira looked at Arin, who stood silently beside her. He didn't beg her to stay. He simply smiled—a quiet, brave smile.
"Magic should make the world brighter," he said. "Not smaller."
At that moment, Elira understood. Love wasn't about keeping someone close; it was about letting their light shine, wherever they belonged.
She stepped back into Lythria. The border shimmered. Her memories of him began to blur like mist… yet one feeling remained—a warm glow in her chest, like moonlight that never fades.
And far away in the mortal world, Arin would sometimes look up at the full moon and feel, without knowing why, that someone was smiling back at him.