I felt it even before it hit - a crack in the air.
It always precedes a shift in my life - neither good nor bad, but undeniable.
A presence lurking in the shadows, heavy as pulse, keen as a whispered secret, swelling with intent.

That Tuesday night, the impossible happened. My armor, built over years, crafted in a lifetime,
cracked silently like a soft whisper in the night. I felt it. Couldn't stop it.
It was terrifying, a shadow of my deepest nightmare gazing through me, unyielding.
But it wasn't fear; it was worse - it was longing.

Its power stole my breath, and a single tear fell down my cheek,
carrying all wonders and terrors in its gleam. Me undone by that one tear.
I looked at the night sky, stars above me, and memories came back.
Memories I had buried deep in my darkness.
I stared above. Stars flickered, promising forever. Memories clawed their way up, step by step.
A voice from long ago called my name.
The shadows tightened around me - a soft and warm welcome, not a goodbye.

I lay down, eyes still on the stars. More tears came, each one spilling regrets, pain, wrong turns.
Some caught the starlight, holding a smile, a hand, a moment of warmth and love.
I wandered a spiral staircase in my mind, its walls glistening with unwept tears,
forgotten days, laughter, and summer rain, guiding me to my hidden self.
I thought I knew what I'd see - childhood scars, heartbreaks, losses.
But I was wrong.

A child sat in a library, staring at words. She inhaled them, embraced them, and loved them.
Words became her armor, her blade, forever hers.
From tales of heroes, beauties, and glorious beasts, she gathered fragments,
weaving them into her yearning heart, crowning herself a queen.
Then she seized a spark of divinity and eternity, pressing it into her chest.
A reckless vow to something eternal. She knew her soul longed for this, and her own queen demanded it.
I saw the world as she did - magic in everything, every pattern woven clear to see.
Every incident we mortals see revealed as fate and choice, knotted together.

Then a voice, deep and resonant, like a drum in the dark: “Remember.”
A shiver went down my spine. Somehow familiar, but not mine.
A voice from another world.
Once, the world had split open. The cafe dimmed, voices faded to silence,
and I glimpsed beyond the veil. I stood under the stars,
two silhouettes burning in the sky, their forms carved in starlight.


A sign so powerful, but not truly perceived in a time when I'd stopped believing.
But there it was - a reminder of a world beneath this one. A rare gift from the gods.
That voice again, low and rough, resonating from everywhere: “Remember.”
The longing nearly broke me.
“Becoming,” the voice said softer.


My heart stopped, and the longing paused for a fraction of time
A shift, a whisper of transformation. I was becoming something else.
I sat silently in the dark, the shadows wrapping around me, soft and gentle.
My inner reflection unfolded, and I saw the cage - my heart locked in cold gold, hard as truth.
I knew it too well.
A whisper warm near my ear, the voice gentle: “Remember,”
and my caged heart melted into liquid night and gold.


All the armor I’d built dissolved, swept away in quiet awe.
The queen, always there in me, rose, fierce and gentle, with black dahlias as her crown.
Her heart burned through time, her dress liquid night and stars and light woven in every constellation.
Raw and alive. The voice, now gentle and calm: “Becoming.”
And I said, finally and truly me, the queen again: “Remember.”
A tremble in my voice, the longing gone.

Then he was there, eyes like starlight trapped in shadow. He looked at me.
“I swore I'd find you in every life, in all there is.” His voice soft and gentle.
I whispered back, “I swore I'd remember you in every life, in all there is,” a vow renewed.
He held me, kissed me with all the love there is. The universe held its breath.
Stars collided, weaving a nebula of gold and love.
The queen within me stood tall, her crown of black dahlias shimmering in the night.
“Remember,” I whispered, my voice steady, no longer trembling.
“Becoming,” he echoed, his eyes holding mine, starlight to shadow.


Together, we were a promise kept, two silhouettes traced in starlight.
Shadows fade, and in the stars, a silent light awaits those who seek.