CHAPTER 37: I WISH I WAS SPECIAL TOO

This is the first time I’ve seen something this beautiful. From the moment we arrived, every second felt worth it. The Mirage Fair was so magical that it made me wish for the life I had before... or at least, I thought I did.

Suddenly, my emotions caught up with me. I looked down, feeling a quiet ache in my chest. I didn’t know why, but at that moment, the idea of going back to my old life felt heavier than ever. There wasn’t much waiting for me there—no family, no home. Maybe the only reason I still wanted to return was Vivian.

Vivian... she wasn’t just my best friend. She was my family, my anchor, my everything. We grew up together in that old orphanage, sharing a single blanket on the coldest nights, whispering about the kind of lives we wished we could have someday.

I smiled faintly at the memory. Vivian always believed that no matter how cruel life was, we’d find our own kind of happiness one day.

But looking around now, at the shimmering lights, the laughter, the music that seemed to dance in the air and I wondered if I’d already found it.

Maybe this world wasn’t just a dream. Maybe... it was where I was meant to be.

"Celeste."1

Lucian’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. He stood a few steps ahead, bathed in the glow of floating lanterns, his white hair catching the golden light like frost touched by fire. His eyes softened when he saw my expression.

"Are you lost in thought again?" he asked quietly, offering his hand.

I blinked, realizing he’d been waiting for me to catch up. "Just... thinking," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled faintly. "Then think while walking. The Fair has more wonders to show."

I took his hand without thinking. It was cold at first, like touching polished ice but the moment our fingers intertwined, a gentle warmth bloomed between us. It wasn’t the kind that came from heat, but something softer, alive. I wasn’t sure if it was just me who felt it... or if he did too.

I looked up at the six-foot-tall dragon beside me and smiled without realizing it.

"Why?" he asked, noticing the expression on my face. "Do I have something on my face?"

I shook my head quickly, the corners of my lips curving wider. "No... I just thought you don’t seem like someone who’d enjoy a fair."

Lucian raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "And what makes you think that?"

"Well," I said, glancing ahead at the glowing stalls and floating lanterns, "you’re always so composed. You give off the ’I’d rather be reading ancient scrolls in a cold castle’ vibe."

He let out a quiet, amused hum. "That’s... not entirely wrong," he admitted, his tone teasing. "But perhaps I just needed the right company to change that."

My heart skipped a beat at his words, and I quickly looked away, pretending to be distracted by the dazzling lights overhead. "What is that?" I asked, my eyes widening as I pointed ahead.

Lucian followed my gaze. Above us, hundreds of glowing orbs floated gently through the air, their colors shifting from soft gold to deep violet, like stars set free from the night sky. Some drifted close enough that I could see faint patterns swirling inside them, some sort of tiny illusions of memories, laughter, and faces that didn’t seem quite real.

"They’re called Mirage Lanterns," Lucian explained, his voice calm, almost reverent. "Each one holds a fragment of someone’s wish. The Fair collects them every year."

"Wishes?" I echoed softly, my gaze following one that shimmered brighter than the rest. "So... each of them belonged to someone?"

He nodded. "Yes. But the Fair doesn’t usually let visitors see what’s inside. The lanterns only show their memories to the one who made the wish."

A small lantern drifted toward me then, glowing gently, as if it had heard him. It hovered just above my hand, pulsing faintly, inviting me to touch it.

"What happens if someone else touches it?" I asked, glancing up at him.

Lucian’s expression softened with faint amusement. "Nothing. It won’t react to anyone but its owner."

But when I reached out and brushed my fingers against its surface, light burst across my vision.

In an instant, I saw two girls under a gray, rainy sky, sharing one umbrella. They were laughing, shivering, holding onto each other as if the world would blow them away.

And then, just as quickly, the vision vanished.

I gasped softly, blinking as the lantern floated upward, its glow dimming before disappearing into the night.

Lucian’s brows furrowed slightly. "That shouldn’t happen," he said, his voice quieter now. "You saw something, didn’t you?"

I hesitated, forcing a small smile. "It was... nothing important. Just a memory. Maybe it belonged to someone like me."

He studied me for a long moment, the suspicion in his silver eyes flickering with curiosity. But then he let it go, turning his gaze back to the glowing sky. "The Fair must think you’re special," he murmured.

I lowered my gaze, watching the ground beneath our feet ripple faintly like water, reflecting the colors above. Everything here felt so alive, so unreal, that I almost forgot this world wasn’t mine.

’Special...’ I thought again, biting my lip. ’I wish I was special too.’

But before I could drown in that thought, the wind shifted. The music faltered.

The air around us grew colder, not Lucian’s kind of cold, not the calm, familiar frost that came with him, but something heavier... darker.

The lanterns above us flickered. One by one, they dimmed until only a handful still glowed faintly against the night sky.

Lucian’s expression changed instantly. His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing as he scanned the sky.

"Celeste..."

His tone dropped, low and controlled, but I could hear the tension underneath, something sharp, almost instinctive. He clasped my hand tighter, the pressure firm, protective.

"Stay behind me," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "And don’t move until I say so."

Since they are in public, he calls her with that name, although no one around... heee~