When Stars Collide
The Celestial Transfer
The sun hung low over Ethereal City, casting a golden shimmer across the silver towers of Celestia Academy — the most prestigious school in the modern world… and the only one that secretly taught magic disguised as science.
Inside the grand gates, a gust of energy swept through the courtyard.
Students turned their heads. A girl had just stepped out of a sleek black car — long, silken hair glowing faintly under the sunlight. Her eyes, soft yet sharp, caught every detail around her like a crystal mirror.
Rina Solen
[bubbly and outspoken] Whoa—she’s gorgeous!
Rina Solen
Wait, is that the transfer student from abroad?
Eli Arven
[calm and observant] Yeah.
Eli Arven
Lyria Valen. Rumor says she’s the only one who aced the Academy’s entrance test in a decade.
Lyria adjusted her uniform, brushing off invisible dust. There was something celestial about her — not just beauty, but presence. The air seemed to bend lightly around her, like even the world paid attention.
Lyria Valen
[softly, to herself] So this is Celestia Academy…
Lyria Valen
Let’s see what destiny’s planning this time.
Unseen to anyone else, a faint mark shimmered on her wrist — a sigil in the shape of a broken moon.
Meanwhile, in another building —
Sparks of blue light flashed as Aster Kael, the Academy’s strongest mage, trained alone. His movements were sharp, precise, almost emotionless. Every flick of his hand commanded energy with frightening control.
Instructor Vane
Impressive, as always, Kael. But you’ll burn out if you keep training like this.
Aster Kael
[coldy] Better that than to lose my edge.
He didn’t notice the faint pull of fate twisting nearby —
Until the moment he stepped into the courtyard later that day.
The sound of the crowd dulled into silence.
Her faint aura shimmered like starlight; his burned like lightning.
And for a single second — the threads of their destinies brushed against each other.
Lyria Valen
[quietly] You…
Aster Kael
[brows furrowing] Do I… know you?
Something deep within her chest stirred.
Memories not her own flickered — a battlefield, a promise, a hand letting go under the stars.
Lyria Valen
[forcing a smile] No. We’ve never met.
But her heart whispered otherwise.
That afternoon, the classroom buzzed with chatter as she entered. The four friends — Rina, Eli, Kairen, and Sera — all turned toward her.
Rina Solen
You can sit here! We don’t bite—well, except Kairen when he’s bored.
Kairen Vale
[grinning] Only if she asks nicely.
Sera Dione
[rolling her eyes] Ignore him. He thinks flirting counts as breathing.
Eli Arven
[smiling] Welcome, Lyria. You’ll get used to the chaos.
It was the first time she’d felt warmth since she arrived.
But her gaze flicked toward the back of the room — where Aster Kael sat by the window, sunlight framing his cold profile.
And that small act felt like a challenge.
Lyria Valen
💭"So this is the strongest mage in the academy… He looks like trouble."
Aster Kael
💭"That aura… she’s dangerous. I’ll need to keep an eye on her."
That night, under the full moon, Lyria stood on the academy’s balcony, her fingers glowing faintly with silver energy.
She whispered a name she didn’t remember learning — Aster.
And far away, in his dorm room, Aster’s magic flared uncontrollably for the first time in years.
His hand burned with the same broken moon sigil.
Aster Kael
[low voice] Why… do I feel like I’ve already lost her once?
Whispers Beneath the Veil
Morning sunlight spilled through Celestia Academy’s glass corridors, scattering soft rainbows across the marble floor. The faint hum of energy ran through the walls — the school’s barrier spell, alive and listening.
Lyria walked through the hallway with Rina chatting beside her, her long silver hair flowing like liquid light.
Rina Solen
[excitedly] We have Elemental Application today!
Rina Solen
They said we’ll be paired with a senior mage for the trial.
Lyria Valen
[tilting her head] Paired? As in... battle?
Rina Solen
[grinning] Exactly!
Rina Solen
Welcome to Celestia’s version of a friendly introduction.
Lyria smiled faintly, though a quiet pulse throbbed beneath her wrist where the broken moon sigil faintly glowed.
Something about this place… felt familiar.
Like she had walked these halls in another lifetime.
Meanwhile, across the courtyard—
Aster Kael stood by the training field, surrounded by his admirers and fellow seniors. His black coat fluttered with the breeze, a small trace of magic circling him like dark starlight.
Kairen Vale
[teasing] You’ve got fans again, Kael.
Kairen Vale
Try not to freeze the poor girls this time.
Aster Kael
[coldly] I don’t have time for that.
Sera Dione
[walking past] And yet, somehow, they still worship you.
Sera Dione
Must be the personality.
Eli chuckled from behind his book.
Eli Arven
Personality’s a stretch. It’s probably the jawline.
Aster ignored them all, but his gaze flicked briefly — unconsciously — toward the entrance.
Lyria Valen, stepping onto the training field like sunlight piercing through clouds.
Something in his chest tightened.
Aster Kael
💭"Why does she feel like a memory I can’t reach?"
Professor Vane’s voice echoed
Instructor Vane
🔊 Pairings for today’s trial — chosen by the system’s resonance algorithm. The results will appear now.
Magical sigils floated in the air, rearranging names in glowing light.
Rina squealed as hers matched with Sera.
Kairen high-fived Eli, both looking smug.
Aster’s and Lyria’s names flared the brightest.
Their sigils entwined in midair.
Instructor Vane
Lyria Valen… and Aster Kael... An interesting match.
Instructor Vane
🔊 You two may proceed to Arena C.
Rina Solen
[whispering] Oh no. The new girl… got him.
Sera Dione
[smirking] This will be entertaining.
The arena shimmered — a massive glass dome filled with floating light orbs and a circular rune platform.
Lyria stood opposite Aster. Her heartbeat echoed faintly in her ears, but her face remained calm, unreadable.
Aster Kael
[flatly] Don’t hold back.
Lyria Valen
[smiling slightly] I never do.
Aster moved first — a flash of azure energy crackling across the floor.
Lyria’s feet barely touched the ground as she dodged, her hand tracing a glowing sigil midair. Silver light erupted, wrapping her in a celestial aura.
Her magic wasn’t from any known element. It shimmered with the colors of the stars.
Aster Kael
💭"That… that’s not possible."
He countered — fire and wind spiraling together — but her shield bent the elements like reflections of light.
When their powers collided, a shockwave rippled across the arena, cracking the runes beneath them.
Lyria Valen
[eyes narrowing] You’re strong… but reckless.
Aster Kael
[gritting his teeth] And you’re hiding something.
Another clash — brighter, louder — until both were thrown back, magic dissipating into mist.
For a second, neither spoke.
Just the sound of their breathing… and the faint whisper of something ancient stirring in the air.
Instructor Vane
🔊[over the intercom] Enough! That’s sufficient. Excellent control, both of you—
But Aster wasn’t listening. His gaze was fixed on her mark — the broken moon glowing faintly through the sleeve of her uniform.
The same mark that burned on his own hand.
Aster Kael
[quietly] No… it can’t be.
Lyria Valen
[stepping back, uneasy] What did you just say?
Aster Kael
That symbol. Where did you get it?
Lyria Valen
[eyes hardening] It’s not something I ‘got.’ It’s something I was born with.
The silence that followed felt heavy — almost sacred.
Then, without another word, she turned and walked away, her aura dimming into nothing.
Aster’s fingers clenched around his mark as if trying to keep it from burning through his skin.
Aster Kael
💭"Born with it… Just like me."
Later that evening, the friends gathered under the floating lanterns near the dorm garden.
Rina Solen
[leaning close] Okay, spill. What was that today?
Lyria Valen
[softly] It was… complicated.
Sera Dione
[smirking] Complicated? You nearly broke the arena with Celestia’s golden boy.
Eli Arven
[quietly] He’s not easy to rattle. You did.
Kairen Vale
Which means… you’ve officially made the academy’s strongest enemy.
Lyria smiled faintly at that — though her eyes drifted toward the moon overhead.
Lyria Valen
[whispering to herself] Enemy… or something else entirely?
In his dorm, Aster couldn’t sleep.
He stood by the window, moonlight spilling over his desk, where a single page from the old archives lay open.
An ancient prophecy, faded and fragile.
“When the stars fall and the moons split in two,
their souls shall meet once more — bound by fate,
and cursed by memory.”
His hand trembled over the words.
Because the illustration beside it…
showed a woman with Lyria’s eyes.
Echoes of What Once Was
The next morning dawned soft and misty, the academy blanketed in silver fog.
Lyria stood before her dorm mirror, fingers brushing lightly against her wrist.
The broken moon sigil shimmered faintly, pulsing as though it had a heartbeat of its own.
Lyria Valen
[whispering] Why now… after so long?
Whisper — soft, ethereal — brushed her ear.
Not a voice, but a memory. Flashes of a battlefield under twin moons.
A hand reaching for hers. A promise drowned in light.
Her reflection flickered, showing for an instant not her own face — but a woman in white armor, blood on her lips and love in her eyes.
Lyria gasped and stumbled back.
The image was gone. But her heart thundered like it remembered what her mind could not.
Meanwhile, in the Main Hall
The students gathered for the announcement of the annual Celestial Trials, the academy’s most celebrated (and dangerous) event — where the strongest mages formed teams to face illusions crafted by the ancient founders themselves.
Rina Solen
[bouncing excitedly] Can you believe it? The Trials! It’s like—history, but trying to kill you.
Sera Dione
Sounds about right.
Eli Arven
It’s also mandatory.
Eli Arven
Which means we don’t get to choose our partners this time.
Kairen Vale
[winking] If I end up with Lyria, I’ll call it destiny.
Rina Solen
[playfully elbowing him] More like disaster.
Their laughter filled the hall — light, familiar, comforting.
But when Lyria looked up at the stage, her smile faded.
Aster Kael stood beside Professor Vane, his expression unreadable. The same mark glowed faintly on his right hand.
Instructor Vane
🔊 The Trials will begin at dusk.
Instructor Vane
🔊 Your magic will be tested not by strength alone, but by your ability to face what lies within you.
Aster’s eyes flicked toward her then — brief, but sharp.
Lyria held his gaze this time, unflinching.
Lyria Valen
💭"If fate wants us to meet again… I’ll face it head-on."
That night, the Trials began.
The moon hung full and pale above the Ethereal Dome, casting silver light over the ancient runes. Each team stepped into their portals, vanishing into illusions shaped by their hearts.
Lyria’s group — Rina, Eli, Sera, and Kairen — entered together, hands glowing with synchronized spells.
But the moment their feet touched the glowing floor of the illusion world, the light fractured — splintering them apart.
Lyria Valen
[shouting] Rina! Eli!?
Only her own echo answered back.
She was standing in a field of glass flowers under a bleeding sky.
Each petal reflected fragments of her memories — some hers, some not.
And standing across the field… was Aster.
Aster Kael
[coldly] So it’s you again.
Lyria Valen
[steady] This isn’t real. The Trials are meant to test us, not bring us together.
Aster Kael
Then why does it feel like it’s been waiting for us?
The illusion shimmered and shifted — suddenly showing them a grand temple in ruins, two figures standing where they stood now…
One bearing her face, the other his.
Lyria Valen
[softly] That’s—
Aster Kael
[hoarse whisper] —us.
Their surroundings changed again.
The illusion dragged them into the temple vision.
Now they could feel it — the cold wind, the scent of smoke, the heartbeat of an ancient war.
Past-Lyria’s Voice [echoing]
“You can’t fight fate, Aster. But you can love through it.”
The words hit something deep inside him — something raw and real.
He looked at the present Lyria — her silver eyes wide with confusion and pain.
Aster Kael
[quietly] Who… are you, really?
Lyria Valen
[voice trembling] I don’t know.
Lyria Valen
But it feels like I’m supposed to.
The temple began to crumble, shards of illusion falling around them like dying stars.
Aster grabbed her wrist — their marks flaring at the same time.
A blinding light burst between them — silver and blue intertwined.
They were back in the real world, gasping for breath as the dome lights flickered.
The crowd murmured in confusion — they’d been the first team expelled from the Trial’s illusion.
Instructor Vane
[concerned] Lyria Valen, Aster Kael… what did you see?
Aster Kael
[staring at his hand] The past.
Lyria Valen
[whispering] Or maybe… a warning.
Their marks still glowed faintly — synchronized, bound by something older than both of them.
And above them, high in the sky, the broken moon shimmered…
Its light falling only on them.
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