The night had settled over the temple grounds, stars scattered across the sky like scattered gems. After running in circles through endless halls, slipping past patrols, and nearly getting lost twice, Astra and the man finally stumbled into a forgotten corner of the enormous temple complex.
An entire wing buried deep behind collapsed corridors lay untouched for centuries.
They found a quiet spot atop a low stone wall beside what once might've been a courtyard. Cracked pillars leaned at odd angles. Ancient idols, their faces eroded by time, sat half-swallowed by creeping vines. Offerings that had turned to dust lay scattered near broken altar steps. The air was thick with old incense, the scent faint but lingering, as though memories refused to leave.
Both of them sank down on the cool stone, backs pressed against the wall as they drew in ragged breaths.
Astra exhaled, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I can't believe we actually escaped them," she murmured, relief softening her voice. Then, as if a memory struck, she reached into her sleeves and pulled out a neatly wrapped leaf, revealing a steamed rice ball.
"I… forgot I had this with me," she said, holding it out.
The man tilted his head, curiosity evident in his posture. "What's that?"
"Oh—right, wait," Astra said, fumbling for a moment. Then, with careful fingers, she wrenched the blindfold from his face, finding the knot and loosening it completely.
"Now… open your eyes. See," she whispered gently, holding the rice ball toward him.
Slowly, he obeyed, lifting his gaze and Astra froze, caught off guard.
Those eyes… a pale, striking grey, calm yet sharp, reflecting the faint starlight above. For a heartbeat, the world seemed to still, and Astra's hand faltered midair—the simple rice ball slipping. But he caught it immediately, steadying it with gentle precision.
Astra blinked, realizing it.
"A rice ball…" he said softly.
"Huh? Oh… yes, it's for you," she replied, a faint flush coloring her cheeks.
He looked at her again, his grey eyes flickering with something she couldn't quite name, before offering a small, almost shy smile. Astra's chest tightened. Such striking beauty, she thought, caught off guard by the quiet intensity of him.
He shouldn't have looked like that.
Not with dust smudged across his cheek, his hair a wind-tangled mess, his clothes torn and bruised from the chaos earlier.
And yet—
Even like this, she thought, startled, he's striking.
Fragile in the way moonlight is fragile. Masculine in the way steel is masculine.
She stared before she realized she was staring. While Carefully, he unwrapped the leaf, halved the rice ball, and pushed a piece toward her.
"No, it's all for you. I'm not hungry," she said, shaking her head.
He only shook his own head, resolve quiet but firm, and still offered it to her.
Astra let out a soft, reluctant sigh and accepted it, the night around them settling into a tranquil hush as the simple gesture lingered between them.
She took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully as her gaze swept over the forgotten place they were at present.
"I didn't know a temple this grand had a place this abandoned," Astra murmured, awe softening her voice. "It's like… this whole corner was swallowed by time. I wonder why no one comes here anymore. And I hope no one comes here. At least… not now."
The man beside her hummed, finishing his bite before answering.
"Every sacred place has a forgotten side," he said quietly. "Every 'good' thing hides a part like this shadowed, cracked, left behind."
Astra blinked, surprised. "But… I always heard the Imperial Capital is like heaven on earth. And the temples here are supposed to be—"She gestured vaguely at the ruins around them. "—pure. Perfect."
He exhaled, a sound too soft to be a laugh, too bitter to be a sigh.
"Even heaven has corners it doesn't show," he murmured. "Flaws it hides… and truths it buries."
Astra frowned slightly, sensing the weight beneath his words.
"…You say that like you've seen those flaws yourself."
He looked away, eyes tracing the old, crumbling idols as he took another bite, chewing slowly.
"By the way…" Astra leaned a little closer, curiosity bright in her eyes. "What's your name?"
He paused mid-chew, puffing out his cheek like a squirrel caught stealing fruit.
Then, through a mouth still half full, he mumbled,
"Xiao Dan-Dan."
Astra blinked. "…What?"
He swallowed hastily, Then just like that he turned to her with a full, unguarded smile, innocent as moonlight on water.
"Mn. That's what people call me."
Astra chuckled softly. "Xiao Dan-Dan, huh… that's kind of cute."
He shrugged, "It's not cute."
Astra tilted her head, noticing the way he rubbed the back of his neck, a faint blush creeping onto his cheeks. "You're… really easy to tease, aren't you?" she teased lightly.
"Am not," he protested, but the way his voice wavered betrayed him. Then he pouted slightly, looking almost like a child caught in a playful scolding.
Astra's lips curved into a smile, shaking her head. Such a baby… she thought, heart softening at his small gestures, the way he chewed, the way he blinked up at her with that gaze.
"Xiao Dan Dan," she said again, softer this time, almost to herself.
He blinked up at her and simply nodded, a faint grin spreading across his face.
Astra leaned back a little, still watching him with that softened smile. "Then I'll just call you Dan," she decided, her voice playful but gentle.
He tilted his head, considering it, then gave a small nod, lips curving into that same childlike grin. "Dan… I like that better."
For a moment, the silence between them was easy, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the night breeze. Then he glanced at her again, almost hesitant.
"Are you new here?" he asked quietly. "Because… people around here don't really like good people. The kind who risk themselves to save others." His tone was simple, like a child repeating what he had heard from the world too early.
Astra blinked at him, surprised, then let out a small laugh that wasn't entirely light. "Good?" she shook her head. "No… no, you've got me all wrong. I'm not good at all."
He frowned, puzzled. "But you—"
She cut him off with a rueful smile, eyes drifting toward the dark horizon. "Every time I try to do something right, it ends up in disaster. People outside…" Her voice dropped. "They're actually scared of me."
Dan blinked, chewing on her words the way he had chewed on the rice ball earlier. Then, with the same quiet honesty, he whispered, "That's silly. You don't seem scary at all in my eyes."
Astra raised a brow, half-curious, half-deflecting. "Really? Then how do I look in your eyes?"
At that, Dan tilted his head, blinking once, twice, before leaning in closer. His eyes studied her with startling earnestness, so close Astra caught her breath without meaning to. For a heartbeat, it felt as though he were peering past her face, past her defenses, into something she hadn't shown anyone.
"You look like someone I must have known long ago, someone I can see even now, and someone I'll still be searching for tomorrow… like a dream I never want to wake from, even if it's a nightmare."
The words struck her deeper than she expected, leaving her momentarily still. Then Dan leaned back, as if he hadn't just disarmed her entirely, and popped another bite of rice into his mouth, chewing with the same simple calm as before.
Astra exhaled, a faint laugh slipping out, though her chest tightened with something unnamed. Her lips curved, bittersweet, as she whispered, "You really are… such a baby."
Dan grinned, rice still in his cheek, as if her words were the greatest compliment he'd ever been given.