🌙 Chapter:8 Under the Starlit Promise 🌠
The night in Shimara had never looked more beautiful. The festival lanterns had dimmed down, giving space for the real stars above to dance freely. A gentle breeze carried the scent of moonflowers that only bloomed once a year—just like tonight.
Yuna was walking through the silver-lit path in the garden behind the temple, unaware of the surprise waiting ahead. The fireflies seemed to guide her steps, glowing brighter with each move, as if the universe itself wanted her to find something... or someone.
Suddenly, she stepped into a clearing.
And there—under a giant tree wrapped in twinkling lights, with soft petals raining down from above—stood Alce, dressed in white and silver robes, looking like a celestial prince. A soft instrumental melody played from nowhere, as if the stars were humming.
Yuna’s eyes widened. “Alce… what is this?”
Alce smiled, eyes shimmering like the constellations above. “This is the place where I first saw you... and I knew from that moment, your light would guide me out of my darkest memories.”
He lifted his hand. Magic shimmered from his fingers. Slowly, floating lanterns rose around them, each glowing with a memory—their laughter, their fights, their moments under rain, the first time Yuna healed Alce, and the night she saved him with her tears.
Then the final lantern rose—it had no image. Instead, it burst gently like a glowing flower and rained golden stardust over them.
In that moment, Alce knelt down.
He didn’t hold out a ring.
Instead, he held out a tiny glass orb, glowing with light from both their energies—Yuna’s healing aura and Alce’s protective magic swirling together like a promise.
“Yuna…” he said softly, “I don’t have a crown or a kingdom. But I have a soul that’s forever yours. Will you walk with me—not as my queen, but as the reason I breathe, laugh, and believe in love again?”
Yuna’s heart pounded, her hands trembling. Tears welled up in her eyes—not of sadness, but of overwhelming joy.
She bent down, took the orb, and whispered through her smile,
“Yes… and forever.”
As they hugged under the glowing stars, the sky lit up with magical fireworks—drawn by their joined energies. The night had chosen them. And so had fate. ✨💍🌌
🌑 Final Chapter:9 A Voice Set Free 🎤🌸
The magical glow of the proposal night still lingered in the air. Yuna and Alce sat beneath the starlit tree, their fingers intertwined, hearts warm and full of dreams. But destiny had one last test waiting...
The calm of the night shattered with the sound of shouting.
"YUNAAAA!!"
She turned, her heart dropping.
Standing near the temple gate were two familiar figures—her mother and father, eyes filled with desperation and rage. They had followed the traces left by her magic... and found her.
Before Yuna could move, her father stormed forward and grabbed Alce by the collar.
“You monster! How dare you take my daughter! She belongs to her family—not to some stranger from this cursed place!”
Alce didn’t raise a hand. He stood silent, protecting Yuna even in silence. But her father's anger exploded, and he punched Alce, throwing him to the ground. Blood trickled from Alce’s lip, yet he still didn’t fight back.
“STOP IT!!” Yuna screamed, running between them, shielding Alce with her body.
Her father froze.
“Do you want to know why I ran away?” Yuna's voice cracked but didn’t break. “It wasn’t because of him. It was because of you. Because at home, I was dying... slowly.”
She turned, eyes wet but full of fire.
“You controlled everything—what I wore, what I said, how I smiled, even when I could breathe. You never asked what I wanted, you never even saw who I truly was! I was a puppet in my own home!”
Her mother stepped forward, voice trembling, “Yuna… we were trying to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?” Yuna asked. “From love? From freedom? From becoming someone who can feel?”
Then, her voice softened.
“I didn’t run away to rebel. I ran because I was suffocating. I came to Shimara by accident, yes... but this place gave me life. And I met Alce—not as a stranger, but as the one who saw my pain and stayed.”
She held Alce’s hand tightly.
“This man didn’t ‘take me’. He healed me. He made me believe that I was worth loving, just as I am.”
Her parents stood frozen in silence. The anger in her father’s eyes slowly melted into something else—guilt, regret… maybe understanding.
Alce finally spoke, voice calm, “I never meant to steal her. I only stood by her when she felt alone. If you truly love your daughter, let her choose what love means to her.”
For a long time, no one moved.
And then, Yuna’s mother stepped forward with teary eyes and whispered, “We lost her once. Let’s not lose her again by holding too tight…”
Her father looked at Yuna, broken inside, and whispered, “I’m sorry…”
The wind picked up gently. Moonlight fell upon them like a blessing.
And there, in the village of Shimara, under the ancient sky, the past was forgiven. Yuna embraced her parents, not out of duty, but with peace. Then she turned to Alce and smiled.
The story didn’t end there.
It began again—this time with no secrets, no fear.
Just freedom, truth, and a love that survived every storm. 🌸🌠🩵
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✨The End… or maybe, a new beginning.
