Falling Star in My Garden

The night was still. Aki stood atop the rooftop of the school, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the stars shimmered like ancient watchers. The city lights flickered below, distant and unreal compared to the vastness of the sky above.

He clutched the pendant his mother had given him, now glowing faintly with a light that pulsed like a heartbeat. It was the same light he'd seen in his vision—the same warmth that reminded him of her.

"You feel it, don't you?" Hoshikiri's voice came gently from behind him.

He nodded. "It's like... something's calling me. Not just from the stars, but deeper. Beneath everything."

She stepped beside him. Her presence brought a calm clarity, like the moonlight settling over turbulent waves.

"That is the Celestial Thread," she explained. "It binds all who are chosen. Not just to the heavens, but to destiny itself."

Aki turned to her, frowning. "But what if I don't want to be bound? What if I want to choose my own fate?"

Hoshikiri looked at him with something between sorrow and admiration. "That's what makes you different. And that's why the gods are afraid."

There was a pause. Then, a gust of wind rushed over them, carrying a voice not heard in many years.

Aki's eyes widened. "Mother...?"

The pendant shone brighter.

From the sky, a single star fell. Not with violence, but grace. It landed on the rooftop, taking shape—a silhouette cloaked in light.

Aki took a step forward, his heart trembling. "Is it really you...?"

The figure didn't answer. But he heard her voice in his mind, gentle and sure:

Follow the thread, my son. The path is yours to make. But never forget why the stars chose you.

The light faded. But the warmth remained.

Aki looked down at his hands. He no longer trembled.

"I'm ready," he whispered.

Hoshikiri smiled, proud. "Then the real journey begins."

The sky above them opened wide, and somewhere far beyond it, the gods stirred again.

To becontinue...