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After days spent organizing scrolls, records and memory stars within the tower, Merlin finally stepped outside alone, seeking a change of pace. They hoped that the sight of a quiet midnight sky, adorned with a tapestry of twinkling stars, might offer some much-needed solace to their weary mind.
As they stepped out, a full moon greeted them instantly, casting a mantle of silver light across the world. It seemed to whisper to anyone watching that the stars would remain hidden tonight, outshone by its overwhelming brilliance.
But at this moment, Merlin thought, anything would do.
Merlin found a perfect spot to sit upon the grassy cliffside, gazing absentmindedly at the night sky. They listened to the song of the nocturnal birds and crickets, while a cool breeze brushed past the leaves and kissed their skin. They allowed their thoughts to drift until time itself seemed to lose meaning—at least until the faint sound of footsteps approached from behind. Merlin turned to look.
A young man with hair as red as a flickering flame stood there. He bowed politely before offering a cheerful greeting.
"Magister Merlin... I heard you were quite fond of stargazing. I didn’t expect to find you out here admiring the moon as well."
"The moon is far more adorable than the mountains of work back in the Stella Spire, after all. Would you care to join me, Sir Silven?"
Merlin chuckled softly, patting the grass beside them. The newly dubbed knight scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment at the formal title, but he accepted this informal invitation, taking the seat with a grateful smile.
"Ah... thank you. But... I’m not used to it being called like that at all. Please, just call me Silven, like you used to."
"Fine. But in exchange, you must call me what you used to as well."
"You m—mean, like when you were undercover?"
The Magister maintained a small, knowing smile. Though the request startled Silven for a moment, having spent so much time among the nobility, he understood that sometimes, people simply wanted to exist without the heavy weight of their titles or responsibility.
He tentatively uttered the name this 'new student' had given during their first meeting, and he was met with a satisfied nod. And so, the former and current students of the Serene Lyceum sat together, watching the moon from the edge of the cliff.
"The moon is gorgeous tonight, isn't it?"
"Mm, the sky is so clear. Hardly a cloud in sight."
"You can see the rabbit up there quite clearly, too."
They exchanged small talk as if they were true classmates. But as both began to sink into their own reflections, the conversation drifted apart, eventually falling into a silence that stretched between them. Yet, it was a silence that wasn't at all uncomfortable.
Then, Merlin caught the sound of a soft sigh. Looking over, they glimpsed a flash of pain and loneliness etched onto Silven’s profile.
The mage instinctively looked away to grant the boy his privacy, but after a moment’s thought, the magister decided they couldn't let him carry such a heavy burden alone anymore.
"The things on your mind... Is there anything I can do to help?"
Merlin asked softly, their voice more gentle than usual.
Silven tore his gaze from the moon to meet Merlin's. His eyes, reflecting the silvery light, wavered with a complex swirl of emotions before he forced out a laugh, trying to keep the atmosphere away from becoming too awkward.
"It’s nothing! I just thought..."
His voice trailed off, his peridot-colored eyes dropping to look at the blades of grass.
"Please don't tell anyone... but for me, the more I look at the moon, the more I... I can't help but miss Gervan’s moon magic. No matter how many times I saw his spells, I never grew tired of it."
Once the very definition of perfection, Gervan was now branded a criminal by everyone at the Serene Lyceum. Even those who once were head over heels for him now whispered words like, 'I can't believe I was so wrong about him' or 'How could I have ever admired someone like that?', without even mentioning Gervan's name. Because of this, Silven hadn't dared to speak of him to anyone.
But Merlin was different. Merlin had been close to them, had seen, heard, and felt everything. They shared a similar experience. Silven felt that the Magister wouldn't mock or judge him, like he had lost his mind.
Though the cold, silver moon Silven loved so much had been swallowed by shadows, he still believed it was merely an eclipse—a temporary loss of radiance. He wished that one day, the darkness would pass, returning that noble and gentle light to the sky as it once was.
He prayed for that with all his heart. And he hoped that one day, the silver moon would cast its light his way again, even if it might not shine as brilliant as before.
"I know... it sounds stupi—"
"Stop right there."
The boy looked up with a strained smile, but before he could finish his sentence, the magister placed an index finger near his lips to block his words. Merlin’s expression was so serious that the red-haired knight didn't dare utter another self-deprecation.
Merlin understood him so well, painfuly too well.
"Whatever the present holds, your past remains a truth that never changes. You never sided with him in his wrongdoing, so how could you be called stupid? You are simply a good boy."
The magister smiled faintly, their voice soothing, as they slowly lowered their hand. Though Merlin was looking into Silven’s eyes, it felt as though they were gazing into a distant past... a time more than twenty years ago, before the distance between two people grew too deep to mend.
No matter how much they regretted it, no matter how much they wished time could have stopped right then—back when Cyran’s magic transformed into a dazzling star shower across the sky, painting the night with numerous trails of shimmering light and leaving the whole world breathless.
But time never stops for anyone.
"Even for me...I still think that my old friend's star shower was the most beautiful one, whether then or now. "