Falling Star in My Garden

The air in Aki's room was thick with an unseen force. He could feel it pressing against his skin, seeping into his very bones. Something had changed.

Hoshikiri stood by the window, her silver-blue hair glowing under the faint moonlight. Her expression was unreadable, but Aki could sense the hesitation in her movements.

"…Hoshikiri." His voice was hoarse. "You're hiding something from me."

She didn't turn around. Instead, she traced a finger against the cold glass, watching the reflection of the sky.

"The gods fear you," she finally murmured. "But it's not because of what you might do. It's because of what you already are."

Aki's breath caught. "What do you mean?"

Hoshikiri exhaled softly. "The legend says the Star Maiden descends to grant a wish. But that's not the full truth. There was something left out of the stories."

She turned to face him, her luminous eyes locking onto his.

"Four hundred years ago, the one who was chosen… wasn't just blessed." Her voice lowered, almost a whisper. "He became something beyond human."

Aki felt the floor beneath him tilt. "You're saying…?"

Hoshikiri nodded. "The one chosen by the stars doesn't just receive a wish."

She stepped closer, the air around her shimmering.

"They become a being that even the gods cannot predict."

A deafening silence followed.

Aki clenched his fists. "Then why me?" His voice wavered. "I'm just—"

Hoshikiri placed a hand over his chest.

"No." Her voice was steady. "You were never just human."

A strange warmth spread from her touch, flowing through him like a quiet storm. His vision blurred, images flickering at the edges of his mind.

A sky filled with stars.

A voice calling his name.

A power that had always been there—waiting.

Somewhere in the celestial realm, Tsukihikari-no-Kami watched in silence. The gods around him whispered, uncertain.

A choice had to be made.

Would they stop him?

Or would they let fate take its course?

For the first time in centuries—

Even the gods didn't have the answer.

—To be continued.