Amara stood in front of the mirror, her fingertips brushing against the cool glass. Her reflection stared back — black hair cascading over her shoulders, soft violet eyes that always seemed a little too deep, too sad.

She didn’t know why, but lately, she’d been dreaming the same dream over and over again.

A garden of silver roses.

A man with snow-white hair.

And a voice calling her name like a prayer:

"Amara… come back to me."

Every time she opened her eyes, she felt like something had been stolen. A piece of her soul left behind.

“Snap out of it,” she whispered to herself, shaking the feeling away. She was just a normal 22-year-old literature student. Or at least… that’s what she kept telling herself.

On the other side of a world not her own, Elian stood atop a moonlit balcony. His long white coat shimmered like frost, and his eyes — cold as obsidian — searched the skies.

“She should have returned by now,” he murmured.

Behind him, a cloaked figure bowed low. “Your Majesty… if her soul has not awakened yet, we may need to use the relic.”

“No,” Elian said sharply, voice laced with emotion. “I made a promise. She must return on her own. I will wait.”

That night, Amara’s dream was different

.

She stood in a grand hall, wearing a silken dress of white and gold. Candles floated in the air. A crowd of faceless people clapped and smiled.

But all she could focus on was him.

The man with white hair, kneeling before her, holding out a ring shaped like a crescent moon.

“Marry me, my Queen,” he whispered.

Before she could answer, thunder cracked — and everything shattered like glass.

Amara woke up, heart racing. But something was wrong.

She wasn’t in her apartment anymore.

She was lying in a bed of rose petals, under a crystal ceiling. Her modern clothes were gone — replaced by a gown that shimmered like stardust.

“What the… where am I?” she whispered.

The door creaked open.

And in stepped Elian, taller, realer than ever before.

“I told you,” he said softly. “You would come back to me.”

Amara's Thoughts:

> Who is he? Why do I feel like I know him? Like… I’ve loved him before?

This can't be real. This has to be a dream.

Elian's Thoughts:

> She doesn’t remember. But she’s here. That’s all that matters. I will make her fall in love with me again — even if it means breaking all the laws of the realms.

The wind outside howled softly, as if the night itself remembered what she had forgotten.

Somewhere deep inside Amara, something stirred.

A name. A promise.

A kiss once shared beneath the silver moons.

She didn’t know it yet…

But her destiny had just begun to rewrite itself.

She took a step toward him, uncertain yet drawn.

Something told her… this was only the beginning of everything.

Amara’s feet sank into the velvet-soft carpet as she stepped toward Elian, her movements slow, cautious — as if waking in someone else’s life. The moonlight streaming through the crystal windows kissed the edge of her gown, which shimmered like falling stardust.

“Where am I?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Elian’s expression softened. “You’re home.”

She blinked. “No… no, I don’t understand. This isn’t real. I was in my room. In the city. I had… exams. My phone…”

Elian took a step forward, hands clasped behind his back. “That world was a dream, Amara. Or rather, a borrowed reality. You were hidden there. For your safety.”

Amara’s breath caught in her throat. “You’re saying my entire life was fake?”

“I’m saying it was incomplete,” he said gently. “And you’ve only just begun to remember.”

Amara turned away, hands pressed to her temples. Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, as memories — or were they dreams? — flashed through her mind. The sound of laughter in a moonlit garden. The feeling of holding someone’s hand and never wanting to let go. A wedding veil. A broken crown.

None of it made sense… and yet all of it felt true.

“I want answers,” she said, facing him again.

Elian nodded. “You’ll have them. In time. For now… you need rest. Your soul has traveled between worlds. That alone is no small burden.”

He moved toward the door, pausing only to look back at her.

“I promise I’ll explain everything. But I won’t force you to remember what your heart isn’t ready to face.”

As the door closed behind him, Amara sat on the edge of the bed. Her fingers traced the embroidery on her gown, her mind racing.

Amara’s Thoughts:

> What if he’s telling the truth? What if the dreams were never just dreams?

But… why me? Why would I be part of some royal fantasy world? I’m just… me.

The room was quiet, save for the occasional flicker of magic glowing from the lanterns on the wall. As Amara lay down, exhaustion pulling her under, a single name echoed in her head.

“Elian…”

Meanwhile, in the palace war chamber, Elian stood before a glowing map of the realm. A star-shaped kingdom floated midair, and cracks of darkness were beginning to appear across its borders.

“She’s here,” said a voice behind him. “But she doesn’t remember.”

“She will,” Elian replied firmly. “And when she does… the balance between the realms will shift.”

“And if she chooses the wrong side?”

Elian’s jaw clenched. “Then we lose everything.”

Far away, deep in the shadows of a cursed forest, a figure cloaked in red watched the stars flicker.

“So… the Moon Bride has returned,” she whispered, her voice like rustling leaves. “Let’s see how long her heart remains loyal.”

Elian’s Thoughts:

> I’ve waited lifetimes for you, Amara. This time, I won’t lose you again — not to fate, and not to war.

Outside the castle walls, two moons crossed paths — a celestial sign that destiny was in motion once again.

And this time, it wouldn’t wait for anyone.

Amara stared at the mirror. Its surface glowed softly, like moonlight on still water. The silver shimmer called to her, pulling her in. Her heart beat fast, but her feet moved on their own. She reached out a trembling hand and touched the glass.

It wasn’t cold.

It wasn’t solid.

It rippled beneath her fingers like water.

She gasped. Then, without meaning to, she stepped forward—and the world changed.

A soft wind brushed her face. She was no longer in her bedroom. Around her stood a forest of silver trees, their leaves glowing like stars. Above her, the sky shimmered with deep purples and soft blues, dotted with two moons.

Amara turned slowly, taking it all in. The air was quiet but alive, as if the forest itself was watching her.

“Elian?” she called softly.

“I’m here,” came the gentle voice behind her.

She turned and saw him again—Elian, with his white hair and dark eyes full of mystery. He wore a long, flowing coat that shimmered like the night sky. He looked the same as in her dream, but now he felt more real than ever.

“You came,” he said, stepping closer.

“I didn’t mean to,” Amara said. “I just… I touched the mirror.”

Elian nodded. “It responds to your soul. You’ve crossed into the realm between—my world.”

“What is this place?”

He looked around the glowing forest. “It’s called Noctra. A land between dreams and stars. You were once part of it.”

Amara frowned. “That can’t be. I’ve never been here.”

“You don’t remember yet,” Elian said. “But you will. You’re not just from the human world, Amara. You were born from both realms. That’s why you’ve always felt… different.”

Amara’s head spun. “This is crazy. I’m just an ordinary girl. I live in a small town. I have a job, a life—”

“But your heart longs for more,” Elian said quietly. “You’ve felt it. The dreams. The strange feelings. The mirror waking up.”

She looked down at her hands. They were glowing faintly now, a soft purple light tracing her veins. “What’s happening to me?”

“You’re awakening,” he said. “Your true self is returning.”

A low rumble shook the ground beneath them. In the distance, black shadows moved through the trees. The sky above cracked like broken glass for just a moment.

“What was that?” Amara whispered.

“The veil is weakening,” Elian said. “Darkness from forgotten worlds is seeping through. You’re the key to healing it.”

“Why me?”

“Because you are the bridge between the worlds. The only one who can walk both paths.”

Amara looked around, fear in her chest, but also something else—curiosity. Maybe even purpose.

“What do I have to do?” she asked.

“First,” Elian said, “you must choose. Stay in Noctra, and discover who you are. Or go back through the mirror, and forget this place.”

Amara looked at the trees, the sky, and then into Elian’s eyes. Deep inside, something whispered that she already knew her choice.

“I’ll stay,” she said softly.

Elian smiled. “Then your journey begins now.”

Behind them, the wind picked up. The forest glowed brighter, and stars began to fall slowly from the sky like glittering snow. Amara stepped forward, feeling the ground hum beneath her feet. The world welcomed her, and her destiny called.