Chapter Text
This… is the story of how I died.
But don’t worry! This is actually a very fun story, and you’re bound to enjoy it. Hopefully.
This is the story of a young man named Keiji, and it all started with an owl.
Once upon a time, a special owl sang a beautiful song to a lonely flower. The owl’s song blessed the flower, turning it golden and giving it the ability to heal the sick and injured.
Well, centuries passed, and a hop, skip, and a boat ride away, there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved king and queen, and the queen… Well, she was about to have a baby. She got sick though. Really sick.
She was running out of time, and that’s when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower.
But this flower was being held hostage. This woman—most call her Mother Geiru—had witnessed the owl singing to this flower. Instead of sharing the owl’s gifted flower’s powers, she hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, and all she had to do was sing a special song to it!
Honestly, what is her problem?
Anyway, she’d been keeping this flower all to her damn self for a long, long time. But she got her just deserts because she’d accidentally knocked over her bush cover, and a guard found the flower that they’d been looking for. She watched scornfully from her hiding place as they dug up the flower and took it back to the castle to make a special drink for the queen.
The magic of the golden flower healed her. A healthy baby boy—a prince—was born with the blackest of hair and the most beautiful eyes to ever grace the kingdom.
I’ll give you a hint. That’s Keiji.
To celebrate his birth, the king and queen released owl lanterns out onto the lake and let them drift down the river. And for that one moment, everything was perfect.
And then that moment ended.
Mother Geiru snuck into the prince’s bedroom and quietly began to sing. Keiji’s hair began to glow as brightly as a star, and Mother Geiru attempted to cut a strand of his long hair to take with her.
But when she cut the hair, it dulled in color and lost its magic. She stared in horror and glared to herself.
Forming an idea, Mother Geiru stole the child and just like that… Keiji was gone.
The kingdom searched and searched, but they could never find the prince for deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Mother Geiru raised the child as her own. She had found her new magic flower, but this time she was determined to keep it hidden.
“Why can’t I go outside?” a young boy asked his mother. She brushed his unusually long hair, watching it glow to make her skin young again.
With a gentle smile, she said, “The outside world is a dangerous place filled with horrible, selfish people who will want to steal your hair, dear. It’s so beautiful and valuable. They’ll do anything to make you trust them, so you must stay here where you’re safe. Do you understand, my flower?”
The young boy nodded. “Yes, Mommy…”