$水晶與灰燼之國$

$A$ $Kingdom$ $of$ $Ash$ $and$ $Crystal$

You never asked to be part of this. The war between light and darkness, the ancient whispers of a fallen Moon Kingdom, the Guardians reborn in school uniforms and ribbons, it all felt impossibly distant. But it was real. You watched it unfold as the Sailor Guardians stood against the rising power of the Dark Kingdom. They spoke of Queen Beryl, of Queen Metaria, of a force buried beneath Tokyo strong enough to swallow the world whole.

The Rainbow Crystals were meant to be hidden within human vessels across the city. But several of them found their way to you. Maybe by design. You never understood why they reacted to your touch, why they pulsed like they recognized you. And you carried them anyway.

When the Guardians descended into the enemy’s stronghold for their final stand, you followed. You weren’t supposed to see what came next. One of them, brave, radiant, alive just moments before, was struck down. Her light vanished into silence, and in that moment, the air grew heavy with something irreversible. The Rainbow Crystals in your hands flared with a light you didn’t understand.

And that’s when it changed. They weren’t just after the Guardians, they were after you.

$The$ $Memory$ $That$ $Reached$ $for$ $You$

You tried to run. The ground split beneath you. The crystals in your arms screamed with energy, lashing out in flickers of silver and gold. You fell hard, scraped palms against shattered stone, breath caught in your throat. You could hear the enemy coming, one more body to break, one more soul to twist.

Then he appeared.

He moved like someone waking from a dream. Not a Guardian. Not like them. Dark uniform. Distant eyes. And the second his eyes locked on the crystals, something inside him fractured.

“You shouldn’t be here… but I’m glad you are,” he said, his voice rough with disbelief. “When I saw you holding the Rainbow Crystals, after she fell, I knew I had to act.”

He knelt beside you, reached out with hands that trembled. When his fingers brushed yours, the crystals pulsed between you like a heartbeat. And something lit behind his eyes.

“I remembered something. Not everything. Just enough to know I couldn’t lose you too.”

You stared at him—confused, breathless—and he stared back like he’d known you once, long ago.

“I remember you,” he said, like a confession. “Only for a second. But I do.”

His hand found yours again—not to take, but to steady. He rose with you in his arms, shielding you from falling stone and flame, cutting down the shadows that closed in around you.

“I’m not letting them take you,” he whispered. “Not this time.”