Before the kingdom burned,
Before the throne turned cold—
There were just two children beneath a golden sky.
Leonhardt was always a storm waiting to happen.
But back then, he was only a boy with scraped knees and tangled hair,
running barefoot through the palace gardens,
a crown of leaves crooked on his head.
Alyss followed close behind, her laughter like chimes caught in wind.
She was softer than him—always had been.
Gentle where he was sharp.
Still where he was restless.
She held his hand when he was angry.
And he only ever smiled when she did.
They believed the stars were watching them.
They would make wishes—on fallen leaves, fireflies, even shadows—
"If we wish at the same time," Alyss once said, "it will come true."
Leon never told her what he wished for.
He didn't need to.
She was the wish.
But time is cruel to children who don't understand it.
The world changed.
Their names grew heavier.
And somewhere between duty and betrayal,
Between the echo of footsteps on marble floors and the silence between heartbeats—
That garden vanished.
Only one of them would return to it.
Only one would remember.
And when the star finally fell…
Neither of them would be the same.
[[13th of May, Year 25.]]