The Girl Who Fell with the Stars
The stars were falling again.
Not like meteors — no. These stars drifted slowly, as if they were choosing where to land.
In the village of Tharwin Hollow, people locked their doors when the stars came down. Elders whispered that those who followed them disappeared. Some said the stars weren’t falling at all… but escaping.
On the 13th night of Duskwane, a star chose a girl.
Elira Vale was not special — not yet. She was a baker’s daughter, known more for burning pies than casting spells. But that night, she woke to silver light pouring through her window like a river. It called to her.
She followed.
Past the wheat fields. Past the old stone gate. Into the forest that was forbidden — not by law, but by fear. That’s where it landed: a glowing shard embedded in a tree older than memory.
It pulsed as she touched it.
And in that moment, the sky tore open.
She didn’t fall. She was taken.
---
Elira landed in a field under two moons, surrounded by towering stone creatures frozen mid-motion. A place that wasn’t on any map. A place humming with ancient magic.
A voice echoed in the air — not loud, but inside her:
> “The heir has arrived. But too late. The gate is already bleeding.”
She turned. The star shard was now embedded in her hand, glowing like a second pulse.
She wasn’t in Tharwin anymore.
She wasn’t just Elira anymore.
She was marked.
---
End of Chapter One.
