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“Will I see you again?”

“Please hold on to this for me. It’s proof that I’ll return. Let’s meet here again tomorrow.”

The boy sat before her, his brunette hair glinting beneath the sunlight.

“But you still haven’t told me your name,” said seven-year-old Aster, gazing up at him. In her small hands, she held the crescent moon crystal necklace he had just given her.

“I’m Ran—” He hesitated, then quickly added, “Ranley.”

Aster’s eyelids drooped. Her vision blurred, but his voice echoed in her mind as everything faded into darkness.

Sunlight burst through the curtains, tickling her eyes awake.

“That dream again,” she murmured, pressing a hand to her forehead.

Her heart pounded as her gaze dropped to the pendant resting against her collarbone. The crescent moon crystal shimmered faintly in the morning light…proof that the dream wasn’t just a dream. It was her only link to a past she could barely recall.

Etched faintly into its surface were words she never understood, yet could recite by heart:

“Once the sun and moon combine,

Realms unite and stars align.”

She had no memories before arriving in Twilightvale, the bustling capital of the Crescentis Kingdom. Only that single, recurring dream remained.

A voice she couldn’t forget.

A promise left unanswered.

“Aster! You’re going to be late for school. Remember, it’s your first day!” Aunt Sally’s voice called from outside her room.

Twilightvale was a grand capital made up of many districts. At its heart lay the Emporium District, where merchants, artisans, and common folk filled the vibrant streets. It was here, above a modest seamstress shop, that Aster and Aunt Sally lived. It’s a cozy apartment not far from the festive town square.

Towering over the capital from the city’s highest hill was the Crescentis Palace, home to the royal family. Though distant from the market’s noise, it was clearly visible from Aster’s window.

Aster bolted upright. “Oh no! I can’t be late on the first day of my last year at the academy!” She rushed to get dressed.

Aunt Sally laughed. “Relax! You’re five hours early. It’s not the end of the world if you’re a little late.”

Still, Aster hurried through her morning routine, bouncing her leg impatiently at the breakfast table as she bit into a piece of toast.

She brushed her wavy light brown hair behind her ears, her blue eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Yes, Aunt Sally, but I’m just so excited! It’s my final year at Celentine Academy. I want to enjoy every moment! The library, the garden, the music room… everything.”

Celentine Academy was the most prestigious school in Crescentis, nestled in the upper districts of Twilightvale. It was where nobles and scholars studied, except for the royal family and the children of dukes, who were usually privately tutored. Despite not being noble, Aster had earned her place through a scholarship.

Aunt Sally smiled, though her eyes drifted toward her coffee cup. Her amber gaze lingered on the dark liquid, her thoughts seemingly far away.

Aster noticed. “Aunt Sally? Is something wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, no, not at all.” She forced a smile. “You’re just growing up so fast. Seems like yesterday you were a little girl clinging to my skirts.”

Aster set her fork down. “I’m not going anywhere after graduation. We’ll still be here, together, in Twilightvale.”

The seamstress shop below their apartment wasn’t grand, but it was warm and smelled of fresh linen and fabric dye. Aunt Sally wasn’t the most famous seamstress, but her work was respected, enough that even minor nobles sought her for fittings.

“I suppose so,” Aunt Sally replied softly. Then, teasing, “You’re getting close to coming of age. Have you thought about what you’ll wish for?”

“My eighteenth birthday’s still a year away. You’re thinking too far ahead,” Aster laughed. “You’re more excited than I am.”

“I’m also worried you’ll get a boyfriend and won’t tell me,” Aunt Sally added with a grin.

Aster nearly choked. “That’s not in my plans, don’t worry! Besides, the person I like doesn’t even like me back.” She stood to clear her plate. “Haha… Anyway, no time for romance.”

She disappeared into the bathroom, and Aunt Sally’s smile quietly faded.

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she murmured.

Later, dressed in her school uniform, Aster paused before the mirror, lost in thought.

“If I could wish for one thing… it would be to know my family.”

She hesitated, then shook her head and gave a faint smile.

“What am I saying? Aunt Sally is my family. She’s the only family I have.”

She tapped her cheeks twice and straightened up.

“Lord Ranley,” she whispered.

A breath.

“I’m going to see you again.”

With that, she slung her satchel over her shoulder, stepped into the bustling streets of the Emporium District, and boarded a public carriage headed for Celentine Academy, where her final year of school and destiny awaited.

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