“A Future That May Never Be”

Chapter 1. The Apsara's Flight and the Scholar's Gift.

(Malaka’s POV)

I danced among the stars, my body weightless as I twirled between soft pink clouds that caressed my skin like silk scarves. The night sky enveloped me in its endless dark embrace, stars twinkling like the most precious of jewels just beyond my reach. My flute's melody spiraled upward, wrapping around me like a second skin, each note pulling me higher until I felt I might touch the very face of the moon herself. This was freedom—pure, untethered, and mine alone. The butterflies that always seemed to find me flickered around my flowing robes, their iridescent wings catching the starlight as they danced alongside me, faithful companions in my celestial waltz.

Below, the Meadow of Whispering Dawn stretched out in a soft depression of luminescent clover. From this height, I could see how it shifted from lime-green to magenta as the evening light played across its surface. And there, a solitary figure stood watching—Lakos, his familiar form easily distinguished even from above. I knew he'd been there since I began my ascent an hour ago, his eyes never leaving me. The gentle persistence of his attention was both comforting and suffocating.

I descended slowly, allowing the music to guide me downward in lazy spirals, feeling the heavier pull of the earth reclaim me inch by inch. My feet touched the meadow's soft surface, sending tiny sparks of silver light rippling outward with each step I took toward him. The butterflies scattered, then regrouped, hovering just above my shoulders.

"You were magnificent," Lakos said, his amber-brown eyes warm with admiration. His jet-black hair was tied back neatly with a simple cord, a few soft waves framing his face. "Like an apsara spirit made flesh."

"Thank you." I smiled, genuinely touched by his praise despite the familiar unease that always settled between us. There was something in the way he looked at me—as if I were a rare constellation he'd spent his life charting.

"I have something for you." His fingers, stained with ink from his archival work, reached into the pocket of his lime green robes. The garment was heavily adorned with clusters of amethyst and pink gemstones that caught the fading light, scholarly yet hopeful in its appearance.

He produced a delicate bracelet that seemed to capture the very essence of the night sky. Silver links held small stars that glimmered with their own inner light, each one pulsing gently as if breathing. It was beautiful—thoughtful and perfectly aligned with my celestial nature.

"Lakos, this is..." I let him fasten it around my wrist, where it settled with a comforting weight. "How did you make this?"

"I collected fallen stars over many nights." His voice was quiet, sincere. "Each one cooled in my hands before I could set it in silver. I wanted you to carry a piece of the sky with you, even when your feet must stay on the ground."

The gift was so perfectly me, so clearly made with loving intention, that I felt a sharp pang of guilt. "It's beautiful. Truly." And it was. Nevertheless, my gaze drifted past his shoulder, drawn like a lodestone to another figure in the distance.

At the meadow's edge, where the Heartwood trees rose like silent sentinels, their dark purple canopies stark against the twilight sky, Irkan moved with controlled power. His weathered brown skin glistened with exertion as he trained with the Nagini spirits—fluid, serpentine movements that spoke of both strength and grace. His jet-black hair, cut short and practical, was damp with sweat, curling slightly against his neck.

He lifted a flute to his lips—so different from my celestial instrument, his was earthier, carved from bone and sinew—and began to play. The melody slithered through the air, and I watched as serpents emerged from hiding places among the rocks and grass. They coiled and swayed, obeying the magic of his song.

"You're watching him again," Lakos observed, his voice soft with resignation rather than accusation.

I turned back to him, ashamed at being so transparent. "I'm sorry, I was just—"

"Don't apologize." His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Your Svara resonates with his. I can see it, even if others can't."

That was Lakos—always understanding, always kind. His generosity should have comforted me, but instead it made my guilt feel like a blade twisting with each gentle word. A week ago, after months—years—of suppressing what I felt, I had finally written to Irkan. A confession sealed with a drop of my essence, the letter containing every truth I'd hidden from the world.

‘I dream of you,’ I had written. ‘Not just in sleep, but in every moment my mind is free to wander. There is a pull between us that defies explanation. When you are near, my Svara hums in harmony with yours, creating a melody that only we can hear.’

I hadn't heard back. Perhaps he hadn't received it, or worse—he had, and chose to remain silent.

Looking at Lakos now, I could see my distraction had wounded him. The light in his kind eyes dimmed, though he tried to hide it behind another smile. "The stars shine brightest for you tonight," he said, touching the bracelet gently. "Perhaps they're jealous that I captured a few of their sisters for your wrist."

"Lakos, I—" What could I say? That I wished I could feel for him what he felt for me? That I'd tried to direct my heart toward his steady, reliable devotion rather than the wild, unpredictable pull I felt toward Irkan? "Thank you. Not just for the gift, but for understanding who I am."

His fingers lingered on my wrist for a moment longer than necessary. "How could I not understand?"