I was the most insignificant girl at the Academy of Magic—a Muggle with no natural talent, hiding in the shadows with a concealment spell, just so I could secretly gaze at the golden boy who shone brighter than anyone else. He had saved me once in a rainstorm, and from that night on, I offered him my whole heart, content to be the silent shadow behind him. To get closer to him, I taught myself the most arcane spells through sheer grit, and even stayed up countless nights cultivating glowgrass, hoping it might help heal his battle wounds. I thought my quiet, enduring love would one day be seen—until the night before the ball, when his friends exposed the truth: his kindness toward me was nothing but a bet, a game to see if he could make a pathetic Muggle fall for him and then humiliate her. The crushed flowers, the words "haven't you made a fool of yourself enough?"—they were the final straw that shattered every last one of my humble illusions.
I fled into the Forbidden Forest, only to stumble into the arms of a dying beast-man deep in the misty woods. He was covered in wounds, black mist seeping from his flesh, and the cold stone I had worn around my neck since childhood suddenly burned hot—silver threads burst from it, binding us together as if fate itself was forcing me to save him. I poured every last drop of my magic into healing him, watching as his beastly form melted away, revealing a snow-white divine creature, and then a man so beautiful he looked like a god. When he woke, he said nothing—only pressed his cheek against my palm, then looked up at me with those dark-golden, slit-pupiled eyes, and kissed me. In a hoarse whisper, he said—
"I've finally found you."
In that moment, I realized that the light I had been chasing all along had pointed in the wrong direction from the very start. And the one who had been waiting for me in the abyss for a thousand years was now burning with a warmth so fierce, it could heal every scar I'd ever carried.
