Heartglass

Prologue

AZALEA

From my office, I walked to the gigantic glass windows of my two-story building, decorated by velvet curtains and stared at the bustling streets of Glassbury City, in the Glass Kingdom of this world, Ezerea.

Nobles and merchants were all over the place, offering the goods they were trading and selling–from silks, fruits, vegetables, meats, jewelries and services that include manpower. Carriages rushed down the town with mighty and lovely horses – probably owned by the wealthy nobles. Knights, wearing their badged military suits, patrolled in every alley and crevices of the city to ensure safety, chasing thieves and criminals with their swords, arrows and daggers.

It was autumn and it was kind of cold. The blazing leaves of maple trees could be seen from the forest and mountain areas which was probably cool and humid. The leaves were blazing red–the color we probably all hated.

At the center of the city square, a huge fountain with people sitting around it could be seen–all busy making or counting money. Some children with their unkempt dresses and tunics were also busy playing around it – jumping on the ground made of brown and gray bricks and playing tag.

Despite the businesses going on smoothly, the enthusiastic noise and the smiles plastered on everyone's face, there was no love involved here because love would only be the death of us.

Love is simply equal to death itself.

It was kind of unusual but our hearts were made of glass and if we were not careful and guarded enough, it could easily be destroyed by love. Our hearts could literally shatter to pieces due to betrayal, loss, cheating, unrequited love and other painful things.

We referred our hearts as heartglass.

But some people still marry for political reasons, with contracts involved excluding love from the benefits, though some still fell to their demise. Some still fell to the traps laid down by love. They still died due their shattered glass hearts.

Love was treacherous. No one would know when would it seep in. It could enter the small crevices of our souls and hearts that we were not aware of–despite our vigilance.

Everyone was guarded. The people of this Glass Kingdom would always secure their hearts because they were afraid of death. No one wanted to risk their own life. And true love was rare especially for those who already took the risk. Most of them died with shattered heartglasses that couldn't be made whole again.

And because I already witnessed too many hearts breaking, I already hardened my heart to never fall in love. Because true love was only for the lucky ones and I didn't think I was lucky enough to find such perfect love. Soulmates might not be real so I won't push my luck.

So if you are living in a world where hearts are made of glass, fragile and can easily be broken that may lead to death, will you still dare to fall in love?

Because if you ask me that, I don't have the confidence that I won't break–that I won't shatter.

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