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It held a realm once, a love boundless,
It was shattered by evil, an evil heartless,
They were cursed to live lives countless,
Yet, they believed in love, in its prowess.
 

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It happened one day. Her eyes turned a glowing silver upon gazing at the Sun. Memories returned to her slowly, naturally, in the form of dreams and thoughts, in the form of deeply rooted emotions, in the form of actions that seemed tediously familiar.

She often looked at the Sun, standing in her balcony. Her eyes did not ache upon staring at the bright blue orb, that shone with such strength, drenching everything in a soft aqua light. She had light hair that glistened in the aqua sunlight, her skin had azure freckles and her robes were a Prussian blue, the royal color of this realm. Her eyes that once used to be bright had grown dull, despite all the beauty she gazed at.

She was a sight to behold herself, especially when she let loose snowflakes that drifted along with the breeze, creating a serene view of the first snowfall upon their castle. Her father observed her and asked her one day, curious because she had gradually grown quiet, reserved. “Why is your gaze so forlorn, my child?”

And she answered, “Because even in this life...I will not find my Sun.”

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It happened one day. His eyes turned a glowing silver upon gazing at the Sun. Memories returned to him slowly, naturally, in the form of dreams and thoughts, in the form of deeply rooted emotions, in the form of actions that seemed tediously familiar.

The sun never shone in the skies, barely visible in the shadows of the moon...the sand was as dark as the night. There were three crescents that illuminated the realm, crescents that overlapped each other. The middle one had a glow that was faintly crimson, a bright contrast to his rosy, unkempt locks. He wore crimson robes like every other man around him, traversing through the dark lands. He often sat against the trunk of a tree, looking at the dark abyss that was the sky, his view obstructed by the crimson leaves of the tree.

He gazed at the skies. The skies that never changed. The skies that were devoid of the entity he sought. The skies that were a hint that he was born again in a realm not his own.

He blew into the breeze that collided with him, setting loose a spiral of sparks that vanished within moments due to the cool breeze. As he watched them disappear, his gaze grew forlorn again. This time, he had no one who would ask him why. But he still muttered it to himself at times.

“Even in this life...I will not find my Sun.”

✦

It happened one day. His eyes turned a glowing silver. Memories returned to him slowly, naturally, in the form of dreams and thoughts, in the form of deeply rooted emotions, in the form of actions that seemed tediously familiar.

The skies were a soft yellow, the sun in them so bright, he couldn’t sight it without aching his eyes. The sun faded and came the moon, a violet moon that never waned. There was no magic in this realm and hence none in him. Yet, he believed in it, remembering how it had been once a part of him in the other lives he had led.

He lived on like he always did, getting engaged in his surroundings, carrying out that trivial role he had been given in every realm. He had been a princess in one realm, he had been a baron in another. He had been a miner of rubies in one, he had been a seamstress in another. He did not know what he would become in this one yet, and despite being eager to know, he often lost spark...because in the end, this life was just one more in which he would not find his Sun.
 

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It happened one day. Her eyes turned a glowing silver upon gazing at the Sun. But memories did not return to her. She did not dream of many pasts, nor did she feel a familiarity in her tedious actions. Yet, her heart was constantly heavy. She could ignore it at times, and when she could not, she found reasons for it to be heavy.

Perhaps it was the lady who had demeaned her blood and refused to hire her as even a maid. Perhaps it was the ache of her mother passing away. Perhaps it was the husband she left, who she could not get herself to love.

She sighed, watching the sun leave the skies. A petal had flown and rested on the back of her palm and the breeze took it away again, to a destination another. She watched it flutter out of her sight before she fisted her palm and looked at the heap of flowers she had picked to make garlands. She picked one out and after gazing at it a while, she resumed working, forgetting about how painfully heavy her heart was.

She lived on, despite her struggles.

She lived on because that was the only thing she had to do. 

She lived on...unaware if the life she was living...was the one in which she would finally find her Sun.

 

✦

It happened one day. His eyes were closed. He was resting in the boat that he had rowed to the middle of the lake. He liked to escape to this serenity often, feeling the slight wobbliness of the boat that was adrift on water, feeling the soft breeze on his face, every sound around him faint. The waves listened to him, they did not let any harsh ripples from the bank reach him, and he remained in serenity despite the children playing rashly in the shallow waters of the lake.

The sky grew dim; soft, grey clouds concealed their blue. The skies thundered before raindrops left them. Usually, he would halt the showers until he was inside but this time, he did not interfere, he let them reach the ground, chuckling softly at the faint screaming of the children scurrying towards shelter. He sighed when every other sound was buried by the rainfall and his smile remained, enjoying the cool, refreshing pitter-patter on his skin.

It numbed the dull ache of his heart, the reason for which he knew, but couldn’t apprehend.

He sat up and raised his head to the skies, and the rain listened to him, slowing down as he began to open his eyes. His dark eyes flickered into soft, glowing silver ones, searching the skies amidst the calming drizzle. It finally appeared, the shy pink Sun, now its veil of clouds thinner. His heart sprang with joy at the sight but the dull ache of it grew slightly sharper as well, re-establishing its roots within him. He could not comprehend how such sorrow and joy could simultaneously overwhelm him, but he would do anything for this joy, even bear this ache of being tied to the ground, while the Sun remained tied to the skies, at a distance insurmountable.

You are a fool to long for the Sun. He heard the soft drizzle whisper and he sighed.

Then a fool I am.
 

✦

It happened one day. His eyes turned a glowing silver upon gazing at the Sun. His urge finally had taken over him to soar the forbidden skies, to not take heed of the words that had been repeated to him ever since he had been born. He dove from a cliff and rose swiftly, his delicate, translucent wings fluttering rapidly as he flew against the winds, against the gravity, against every law, every warning of his clan.

He could not understand, he just could not understand why they lived in fear of an entity that lit their skies with gold and filled their air with warmth. The layers of its glow were beautiful, fading from deep amber to a soft gold. He was fascinated beyond reason, overtaken by his desire to reach it, to find the truth behind its beauty. And it angered him, it angered him every time they repeated,

The Sun is our mortal enemy. Do not fly too close, it will burn you to ashes.

And it ached him more, thinking of his fate, of how he had been born as a creature who had to fear the one only existence that had him enthralled.

But he flew, and he flew until the colors of the skies began to change, until the pleasant warmth became harsh, until the clouds vanished and were replaced by floating embers. He could not stop, the Sun was still far away, but he had come further than the distance that remained. He was not turning back.

His wings caught fire, still, he did not turn back. They were disintegrating yet he forced them to flutter, drawing himself closer to the deepening light.

And it was the very next moment that the fire spread entirely to him and he disintegrated into floating embers, his sparkling remains now flying the closest to the light, joining the others that had perhaps had met the same fate as his, trying to reach the Sun.
 

✦

It happened one day. His eyes turned a glowing silver upon sighting a man. He was walking towards him against the darkening skies, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat, chestnut hair tousled by the chilly breeze, his breath fogging the air around him. He dropped the bags he was carrying, his feet tied to the ground, the constant dull ache of his heart was now sharper, yet there was something more, something that was overtaking it, vanquishing it… and overwhelming him. Relief. Happiness. He let out a breath he knew not he was holding, tears pricked his eyes as memories rushed into him, memories of the times he had remembered, memories of the time his remembrance had faded. It made sense, everything that he had done in his life without knowing the reason for it, actions tedious, actions he had deemed to be his habits, actions that carried the familiarity he had never comprehended.

He was so close, yet he could not move, he could not lessen the distance between them any faster, he was struck, struck because after countless lives in countless realms… he had finally found his Sun.

He had been looking elsewhere but his steps halted the moment he looked forward, halted a mere foot away from him. His dark eyes had turned a soft gold, he only kept staring, boring into silver eyes, his lips quivering, his eyes moistening, his voice finally breaking the moment.

“My Moon…”

And he finally blinked, his silver eyes that had been waiting endlessly, finally let the tears stream down his cheeks, for, he had, at last, been called what he had been yearning to hear for uncountable lives.

As his Sun took the remaining steps that separated him, snowflakes flitted around them softly, spirally in the joy that was filling both their hearts. His Sun reached for him, wiped his tears and he closed his eyes to the touch, to his warmth. He opened them when he felt his touch withdrawing and met his golden eyes, enamored by their intricacies yet again, at how they were warm, gentle, colored by magic caused by their eternal love… how they understood his every struggle, how he had suffered on not finding him, how his existence had sought him in the mirrors of his existence even when his memory had faded… how he had destroyed himself, trying to reach even the slightest closer to every and any existence that resembled him. In those golden intricacies, he could see the same suffering, the same struggles of trying to find and reach him.

His Sun engulfed him in his arms the moment he had read everything from his eyes, holding him close, holding him tight, whispering, “Finally.”

“Finally.” He whispered back, nuzzling into his warmth, “Finally.”
 

✦

They watched the entire world slowly get doused in white, in the soft yet determined first snow of the season, sparkling against the dark of the night. They had taken shelter in a nearby coffee shop and were standing in front of the glass window in a corner of the coffee shop’s second floor, enjoying the silence of its vacancy, of how the snow flurried before their sight. His Sun gingerly took his hand and entangled their fingers.

“What are you called in this life, my love?”

“Jonghyun,” He whispered modestly, “And you?”

“Jinki.”

“It suits you, my Sun.”

“Jonghyun,” Jinki called out to him softly, as he gazed at the night sky, “It is almost poetic. The stars in this realm…”

Jonghyun rested his head on Jinki’s shoulder, smiling as he completed, “...are countless.”
 

✦

Even in oblivion, their hearts yearned,
Despite the dangers of being burned,
Even in oblivion, the curse was inurned,
And to each other, they finally returned.
 

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