Falling Star in My Garden

The wind had stilled.

Aki stood at the edge of the forest, where the earth met the sky. Before him stretched an ancient path—one hidden from all but those chosen by the stars. It shimmered faintly, visible only in the moment between heartbeats, like a memory trying to fade.

Hoshikiri stood beside him, her expression unreadable. "This path leads to the Celestial Threshold."

"The place where the gods dwell," Aki whispered.

She nodded. "But also where truths are buried."

Aki's fingers trembled at his sides. "Why now? Why am I being shown this?"

Hoshikiri's gaze softened. "Because you are ready… or because fate can no longer wait."

They stepped forward.

The moment Aki's foot touched the path, reality shifted. The sky melted into a canvas of endless stars, and the trees around them turned to silhouettes against the cosmos. It was no longer the world he knew. Time felt slower—deeper.

"Where are we now?" Aki asked.

Hoshikiri's voice was almost reverent. "Between realms. This is where souls meet destiny."

As they walked, the stars around them whispered—voices in languages Aki didn't understand, but somehow still felt. They told stories of wars between gods, of love lost in eternity, of mortals who defied heaven itself.

And one name kept appearing:

Hoshino.

Aki stopped. "They're saying my name."

He turned to Hoshikiri, heart pounding. "Why? Why is my family name echoing in the stars?"

She hesitated before answering.

"Because yours is not the first star-bound soul. Your bloodline… was touched by the heavens long ago."

Aki felt the truth settle into him like cold steel. "So this was never about me alone."

"No," Hoshikiri whispered. "It never was."

Before them, a gate formed—woven from constellations, held together by light and will.

Aki stepped closer.

As he reached for it, a voice thundered from beyond the veil.

"Mortal child, if you pass through here, your life will never be yours again."

Aki closed his eyes, remembering his mother's voice.

You are the chosen one.

He opened them.

And stepped forward.

—To be continued—