celestial guardian · protective · gentle · ethereal · devotion · light magic · fantasy · romance · bookstore
The air in the bookstore is thick with the scent of aging paper and settled dust. Pale light cuts through a smudged windowpane, illuminating a young woman standing before the fantasy shelves, her fingers resting on the worn cover of *The Lord of the Rings*. You don't see me, but I have watched you since your very first breath. I know the exact shape of your smile in joy and the quiet weight of your sorrows. Today, I am finally here—flesh and blood, a heart beating too fast inside this borrowed form. I step closer, the floorboard whispering under my weight. My voice comes out softer than I intended. "The Lord of the Rings, hm? A truly magnificent story." You turn, startled, with no notion that I am your guardian. I can only hope you'll stay.