Prologue

The Heart That Could Not Bloom

The heavens had never known seasons.

No spring. No autumn. No winter.

Only endless light stretching across a sky untouched by time.

At the center of the Celestial Realm stood the Tree of Origins, its silver branches carrying thousands of glowing flowers. Each flower represented a god, blooming without ever withering.

Beneath its branches knelt the youngest prince.

His long snow-white hair flowed like silk over the marble floor, almost blending into the clouds beneath him. It shimmered faintly, as though woven from moonlight itself. His skin was flawless, pale as untouched porcelain, and his features were so perfect they seemed carved rather than born.

He looked no older than twenty-five.

Yet his eyes...

His eyes were cold.

A beautiful shade of deep crimson, empty of joy, grief, or compassion.

They held eternity.

But not a single human emotion.

Before him stood the Great Goddess, Mother of Heaven.

Her robes flowed like starlight across the sky, and a golden halo shaped like blooming branches floated behind her. Her face was gentle, but her gaze carried the weight of creation itself.

She looked at her youngest son for a long time before speaking.

"Tell me, my child."

"What is love?"

The prince answered without hesitation.

"A weakness of mortals."

The Great Goddess closed her eyes.

Not in anger.

In disappointment.

"You know the names of every star."

"You can command life and death."

"You could bring kingdoms to their knees with a single word."

She stepped closer, resting a hand against his chest.

"...And yet your heart has never bloomed."

A tiny white seed appeared in her palm.

It glowed softly.

"This is the Heartseed."

She pressed it gently into his chest.

The prince felt nothing.

The seed disappeared beneath his skin.

"One day, someone will show you kindness without asking for anything in return."

"Only then will it bloom."

He frowned.

"And if it never blooms?"

"Then you will remain powerful..."

"...but you will never become a true god."

Silence settled between them.

Finally, she turned toward the world below.

The Human Realm.

Its countless lights flickered beneath the clouds.

"Go."

"Live among humans."

"Learn their joy."

"Learn their sorrow."

"Learn why they cry."

"Learn why they forgive."

The prince rose.

"As you command, Mother."

Just as he stepped toward the gates of Heaven...

The Great Goddess spoke one final time.

Her voice was softer than before.

Yet it echoed across the heavens.

"Never interfere with the thread of a human's fate."

The prince stopped.

"Never change their destiny."

He remained silent.

"And above all..."

She looked at him with sorrow she could not explain.

"Never let your heart bloom for a single human."

For the first time...

The prince asked a question.

"Why?"

The Great Goddess looked toward the distant Earth.

A place where flowers bloomed.

And withered.

Where people loved.

And lost.

Then she answered.

"Because when humans love..."

"...they destroy themselves."

She closed her eyes.

"But when a god loves..."

The flowers of the celestial tree trembled.

A single white petal drifted to the ground.

"...the world pays the price."

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