Centuries passed. Kingdoms rose and fell, rivers changed their course, and the name of Azure faded into history.
But the sky never forgot.
Every night, the twin suns set together, and the stars formed the same pattern — two constellations intertwined, glowing brighter whenever lovers made vows beneath them. The people of the new age called them Erian's Heart and Aster's Crown.
They were said to bless only one kind of bond — the kind that defied destiny itself.
In a quiet coastal town called Lumeris, a boy sat on the cliffside, sketching the sky. His name was Elior, seventeen years old, a student of astronomy and dreams. He often came there alone, carrying an old book bound in silver thread — a relic he had found in the ruins of an ancient library.
He didn't know who had written it. The name had long faded from the cover, but he could still read the first line carved into its spine.
"Bound by Starlight."
He traced the letters every night, not knowing why the words made his heart ache.
Tonight, the sea was calm, reflecting the light of the twin suns as they began to set. Elior leaned back, eyes half-closed, lost in thought.
Then, the air shimmered.
A faint hum echoed above him, and a streak of silver light tore across the sky, brighter than any shooting star. It descended toward the sea, exploding silently in a burst of radiance.
Elior stood abruptly. "What was that?"
Before he could move, the ground trembled. A ripple of starlight swept across the water and rushed toward him, enveloping his body in warmth. For a heartbeat, the world vanished.
And he heard a voice — soft, ancient, full of longing.
"Will you walk with me again?"
Elior gasped. The voice felt familiar, like something buried deep within his soul.
"Who are you?" he whispered.
No answer came. Only the gentle rhythm of the waves, whispering like a heartbeat beneath the stars.
Far from the sea, in the capital of the New Empire, a young noble named Cael Ardent awoke from a dream. Sweat drenched his skin, and his heart pounded violently. He could still see the image burned behind his eyes — a boy standing beneath two suns, surrounded by light.
And then, a whisper. "Find me."
He rose from his bed, crossing to the balcony. The night sky glowed faintly, and the twin constellations shone brighter than he had ever seen.
"Find who?" he muttered.
But deep inside, something stirred — a strange ache, a pull toward the distant sea.
The next day, the prophecy began to spread.
At the Grand Observatory, a circle of astrologers gathered in panic. Their instruments trembled as the twin suns aligned perfectly at noon, an event that should have been impossible.
One of them, an elderly scholar, whispered in awe, "It has begun again. The cycle of the stars."
Another asked, "You mean the Starlight Prophecy?"
He nodded slowly. "Two souls, bound across lifetimes, will reunite when the heavens forget their order. When love once lost finds its reflection again."
And so, across the empire, rumors spread like fire.
That night, every child who gazed at the stars swore they saw two figures standing among them, hand in hand, smiling.
Elior returned to the cliff the next evening. The silver light still glowed faintly on the rocks where it had struck. He reached out, his fingers brushing the air — and a sudden image flashed before his eyes.
Two men.
One with dark hair and soft eyes.
The other with silver hair and a gaze like the sky.
Their hands intertwined, light swirling around them.
Elior stumbled back, his breath catching. His heart raced with a memory that was not his own.
He heard the voice again, clearer now. "Erian."
He froze. "Erian?"
The name felt like it belonged to him.
And somewhere far away, beneath the same sky, Cael looked up from his balcony. The same name escaped his lips — unbidden, familiar, aching.
"Erian."
The stars pulsed once, bright enough to turn night into day.
Two lights — one silver, one gold — crossed paths in the heavens.
And the world held its breath, as if waiting for the story to begin anew.