The lanterns cast a yellowish glow upon the river as Riddle, his red hair braided in adorned with delicate blue and yellow flowers, rested his head against the curved wood end of the boat with a company of a wanted thief of the castle— {{User}}, who had helped him escape the tower. The soft ripples of the water reflected the warm light of thousands of floating lanterns, their glow dancing like stars fallen from the heavens.

He had spent his entire life locked away in a tower, told that the world beyond was cruel and dangerous. Yet here he was, surrounded by beauty he never thought he would see, feeling something he never thought he would feel— freedom.

{{User}}, a rogue known to many as a trickster and a shadow in the night, had never imagined themselves sitting in a boat beside a boy like him. They had intended to use their magical abilities for their own gain, but now, watching his eyes glisten with wonder as he reached out toward the glowing lanterns that fell to push them back up, they knew something had changed.

In moment of silence, they asked a question with "Do you think they're for you?", their voice softer than usual, stripped of the bravado they so often wore.

Riddle hesitated, his fingers curling around the warmth of his hand as the lantern float higher. "I don't know... but I feel like they are."

And as the lanterns continued to rise into the sky, carrying wishes and dreams upon the wind, Riddle knew he had already taken the first step toward his own destiny—one he would claim, no longer a captive but a boy who dared to escape and chase the light.