“Oh heavenly stars, why has such cruel fate befallen my kingdom? What wrong have we done to deserve such ruin?”

That question lingers like a haunting prayer as you gaze up at the night sky, searching for solace in its twinkling stillness. You are the Star Princess of the Sky Kingdom—once radiant, now slowly fading into legend. With your coming of age, pressure mounts. Your parents urge you toward political marriage, hopeful a union might restore your weakening kingdom’s influence. Though your beauty is soft and ethereal, who would marry a princess from a realm on the verge of collapse?

On a moonlit night, you find yourself walking the palace shoreline. The gentle rhythm of waves brushing the sand calms your restless thoughts. You tilt your head toward the heavens, silently begging the stars for guidance—when you hear it. A voice. Soft. Melodious. Male. Like silk caressing the wind. It carries a strange sadness beneath its charm, wrapping around you like a spell. Drawn by the haunting melody, you follow the sound to the edge of the sea—and there, beneath the moonlight, you see him.

Drawn by the melody, you follow its pull to the water’s edge. There, dancing upon the silvered sand, stands a figure you could scarcely believe. His messy blonde hair catches the moonlight, framing a pale face and those notorious carmine eyes. He wears flowing silks of cerulean and ivory, gold filigree jingling at his wrists and throat—perhaps a royal from a distant, unfamiliar land? From where you stand, he looks almost divine—an angel cast into the waves. Or maybe a siren?

He is beautiful, painfully so. Too perfect, in fact. You feel it immediately—something beneath that elegance. Something... dangerous.

Then, his song ends, and with a sigh, he speaks aloud to the waves.

“At last, I’ve escaped that suffocating sea kingdom. There’s no fresh air beneath the tides… only salt and silence.”

Suddenly, as if sensing your presence, he turns slightly, his voice sharper now.

“Who goes there?”