THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM
585 Words
As we drove, The car wound its way through the green, quiet woods passing mountains, tires crunching over fallen leaves, until suddenly we emerged onto a mountain path. A handsome , tall figure in black, purple and gold celestial armor stepped forward, his gaze steady and unreadable. “Your names,” he said, voice low and commanding. My parents answered, and in return, a subtle nod allowed us passage.
As my father guided the car forward, the familiar forest and jagged mountains seemed to dissolve, replaced by a realm that shimmered between reality and a beautiful dream.
The air was crisp, sweet with the scent of unknown blooms, carrying a chill that felt alive rather than cold. Above, the sky stretched wide and infinite, streaked with shooting stars that left trails like whispers of light. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Then I saw it: a castle, vast and dark, almost black, Its gates loomed high, pulsing faintly as if alive. I knew, without thinking, that this was the Celestial King’s domain....And it was amazing.
We stepped out of the car and walked to the entrance, and the melody of the realm reached me before the gates even did—soft, mid tempo music that made me feel more anxious but excited. mingling with whispers that brushed against my mind.
We finally walked in and inside it was a beautiful room filled with gold, silver, light grey and blue hues, it felt majestic, fresh but also mysterious.
The people inside supernatural and few Human Women and Men dressed in glamorous dresses and prestige suits that looked like wealth.
My older sister Aria who had straight black hair, with brown highlights, a silver dress with a slit looked at me with pink lipgloss on her lips and smiled "beautiful isn't it?"
And I couldn't disagree, she's been here at least twice before and I know she's not afraid at all. she's always been the more fearless, sophisticated one. and I admire her for it. I'm glad she's with me.
As I look around I hear ..
"You carry her face… Iris…” The voice was distant yet intimate, and the name made me feel weird, almost like a shiver went through me. My heart thudded, a strange rhythm that felt like it recognized something lost long ago. It was a longing for something I didn't remember or didn't even experience.
Prince Elias stood just beyond the shadows, tall and still, his eyes catching the starlight in a way that made my breath falter.
There was a pull between us, sudden and undeniable, as if the air itself had folded to bring our souls closer, I felt like I knew him but my feet felt rooted to the ground. I don't know him and certainly don't want to come off as strange.
He smiled—not wide, but enough—and in that small curve of his lips, I saw a memory I couldn’t place, a name I almost remembered. Something that sounded like Iris. The whisper stirred again in my mind taunting me but I ignored it.
The castle, the stars, the music, and the whispers—all of it seemed to exist just for this moment, just for the first brush of something ancient and impossible.
Elias moved slightly, his gaze never leaving mine, and the world narrowed until it was only the two of us—silent, expectant, caught in the space between the past and what was yet to come.
- Writer
