Zora-Zora
PrologueEvery year, on the night the moon is fullest and boldest, Lotus Lake becomes a world apart-a place where legend and longing blur beneath a thousand drifting lights.On this night, the villagers gather along the banks, breath misting in the cool air, their faces aglow with anticipation and hope. Lanterns-red, gold, shaped like lotus petals or soaring cranes-float atop the water, each one cradling a flame and a whispered wish. The scent of sweet rice cakes and blooming lotus drifts through the crowd. Music shimmers, laughter and prayers rising in the night.Older women tell the tale to children who clutch their sleeves: If two hearts send a lantern onto the lake beneath the full moon, their love will outshine darkness and endure beyond the turning of seasons. Some say they have seen it-a lantern rising higher, burning brighter, carrying the joined wishes of two souls into eternity.But the lake keeps its secrets. Mist curls along the surface. Shadows slip between the reeds. Somewhere among the revelers, hopes are kindled, old wounds remembered, and destinies quietly set adrift.On this night, beneath the ancient willow trees, two lives will cross. Lantern light will sparkle in their eyes, and a story-part legend, part longing, entirely their own-will begin.