The girl beneath the moonlight

The town was silent.
It had been weeks since Ren’s return, and the world still had not fully realized what it meant.
Lilia walked through the empty streets, the air crisp with the scent of the night.
The full moon hung above, casting its pale glow over the rooftops, its silver light stretching across the cobblestone path beneath her feet.
She was restless.
Something about the night felt different.
As she walked, her thoughts wandered—back to the armies gathering, back to the murderer watching from the shadows, and back to Ren.
No matter how much time passed, he remained an enigma.
Unshaken.
Unmoved.
As if the world’s concerns were nothing but whispers in the wind.
And yet…
Tonight, for the first time—
She saw something human in him.

At the heart of the town, in the abandoned square, stood Ren.
He moved with an eerie grace, his steps deliberate, smooth—as if caught in a slow, delicate dance.
But there was no one there.
Lilia's breath hitched.
Ren was dancing alone.
Yet—
As she looked closer, she saw something impossible.
A faint, ghostly figure was moving with him, mirroring his steps.
A girl.
Her long white hair cascaded around her, glowing under the moonlight.
Her red eyes were deep, sorrowful—filled with something unspoken.
She was there—
And yet, she wasn't.
A vision.
A memory.
A ghost.
Lilia stepped forward, her heart pounding.
"Who—"
But before she could speak, a hand grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
She turned sharply—
And found herself staring into the cold blue eyes of Seraphina.

"Don’t," Seraphina warned, her voice soft but firm.
Lilia looked at her, confused.
"Why is he—"
"Because," Seraphina interrupted, "his heart belongs to someone else."
Her tone was unreadable.
Lilia felt her stomach tighten.
"Who is she?" she whispered.
Seraphina’s gaze never left Ren.
"The one person he could never keep."
The words lingered, heavy in the cool night air.
Lilia felt something twist inside her.
Ren had always been unknowable.
Distant.
Untouchable.
Yet, for the first time, she saw a piece of him that he never showed.
Longing.
Pain.
A grief buried so deep that even after centuries—
He still danced with it.
The Song of the Unforgotten 
As Lilia watched, the wind carried a melody.
A song without a hook.
A melody that looped endlessly, flowing like a river with no end.
It was soft—
Yet filled with aching sorrow.
It wrapped around Ren, intertwining with the ghostly figure, binding them in their endless dance.
Lilia felt a chill.
The song had no beginning, no end.
Just like Ren’s pain.
Just like his memory of her.
The girl with white hair and red eyes.
Lilia swallowed.
"What happened to her?" she asked, her voice almost a whisper.
Seraphina’s expression didn’t change.
But for the first time—
There was a hint of sadness in her gaze.
"She was the only thing he could never control."
Lilia’s heart pounded.
"And he lost her."

Ren continued to dance.
The ghostly figure faded with the wind, her presence dissolving into the night.
And yet, his steps never stopped.
Lilia looked at Seraphina, searching for answers—
But the woman simply turned away, as if the conversation was over.
"Go back to sleep," Seraphina murmured.
Lilia hesitated.
Then, finally, she forced herself to walk away.
But as she left, one thought refused to leave her mind.
Who was she?
And more importantly—
Would Ren ever stop dancing?
The night was quiet, untouched by the chaos of the world.
The full moon hung high, casting silver light over the forgotten town square.
And in the center of it all—
Ren danced.
His movements were smooth, effortless—as if the world around him did not exist.
His arms moved in slow, deliberate motions, guiding an invisible partner through the rhythm of a song only he could hear.
But to him—
She was not invisible.
She was there. 
The girl with white hair and red eyes looked at him, her expression soft, gentle—just as he remembered.
She moved in perfect harmony with him, her steps light, flowing like the wind.
Her hands rested against his, warm, familiar.
Ren’s heart ached.
How long had it been since he had last seen her smile?
His lips curved ever so slightly—
And to his quiet relief—
She smiled back.
A real, genuine smile.
The same smile that had once saved him from the emptiness of his existence.
The same smile that had once been his light.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity—
Ren was at peace.
The Words That Were Never Said 
They danced in silence, lost in the moment.
The world outside did not matter.
The gathering armies, the looming destruction, the hatred of those who once feared him—
None of it reached him here.
Here, there was only her.
Only them.
Ren exhaled softly, his gaze locking with hers.
Then, his voice, quiet but filled with unwavering devotion—
"I will wait for you until the very end."
His grip on her hand tightened slightly.
"I want to see you... to hold you in my arms again."
His words were not a plea.
They were a promise.
The girl simply smiled.
A knowing, gentle smile.
And in the softest voice, like a whisper carried by the wind—
"Yes… I’ll be with you soon."
A Farewell That Was Not an End 
A breeze swept through the square.
The girl's form shimmered, becoming faint, transparent—like a fading dream.
And then—
She vanished.
In her place, countless blue moonlight butterflies fluttered into the sky, their delicate wings glowing softly in the darkness.
Ren stood still.
His arms lowered.
His gaze lingered on the space where she had been.
The butterflies danced around him, their soft glow reflecting in his crimson eyes.
And then—
For the first time in centuries—
Ren’s eyes glistened.
A single tear slipped down his cheek.
A silent testament to the love he had lost.
To the love he still held onto.
To the love that time could never erase.
And beneath the moon’s quiet watch—
Ren, the King of the Kingless World,
cried.
Lilia’s Unspoken Realization 
From the shadows, Lilia watched.
She had seen him battle.
She had seen him command.
She had seen him feared as a monster, whispered of as a legend.
But tonight—
For the first time—
She saw him as something else.
Not a king.
Not a conqueror.
Not a destroyer.
But as a man.
A man who had once loved.
A man who still loved.
A man who, despite the power he held, was still bound by a simple, human pain.
And in that moment—
Lilia knew.
Ren’s heart did not belong to this world.
It had been left behind—
With her.