The Stars Guide Us; They do not Bind Us - TodoMomo

||Chapter 7||

"Here. I brought you something."

Momo looks up from the book she is poring over, surprised.

Her companion steps closer. Momo holds out her hand, and he drops a pouch into it. It's unremarkable, a brown drawstring bag that feels weightless in her hands.

He steps back and stares at her. His expression is carefully masked, but something in his posture almost seems uncertain. "It's not much, but I thought you'd like it."

Momo stares at him for a moment then slowly opens it. A small object no larger than a pebble falls into her hand and her breath catches.

She feels her heartbeat quicken.

The stone is small, an oval the size of a pebble, but it's radiant.

Her hand shakes. Carefully, she holds it up. Glowing reds and golds shimmer forming dark clouds that morph into luminescent fog. The remnants of ancient magic linger along the smooth edges.

Momo can barely breathe. "A creation stone," she whispers, voice quivering.

"Do-do you not like it?" he asks softly from next to her.

Her vision blurs. The stone can only be mined in her family's lands; there haven't been any found in hundreds of years.

She shakes her head. "It's beautiful." The words don't give it justice. It's like starlight—an entire nebula—caught inside a stone. "Why?" Her voice trembles.

"I thought you'd like it."

Momo wants to cry, instead she smiles and holds it up to the moonlight. It gleams and Momo can almost imagine the magic shimmering around it.

She closes her eyes and makes a wish, even though she knows that it's useless. The magic has left the stone a long time ago.

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"I finished." She hands him a piece of paper. Her throat is tight, like the words are bitter honey sticking in her mouth. "This is a list of ingredients your patron will need for the reversal spell. Most of the ingredients are easy enough to find but..."

Her companion takes the slip and scans it. His face grows ashen. "A phoenix tear?" His hands tighten around the piece of paper until his knuckles are white. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Momo avoids his gaze. "I did the calculations and formulas a number of times. It's the only way."

His shoulders slump forward. "It would take forever to find a phoenix tear — There must be another way."

Momo doesn't say anything. Sometimes there is only one way. Destiny isn't that kind.

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Her companion continues to visit, looking for an alternative spell to counter the curse. Momo wonders every time he leaves if that will be the last time she will see him. She doesn't understand what drives him. Why is finding a cure so important?

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"I was thinking it was about time we married. The summer solstice is coming up...that seems like a good time. What do you say, my dear cousin?" Shigaraki turns to her, his eyes dance with cruel glee.

Her stomach twists.

I don't want to marry you.

The words echo in her heart, but Momo doesn't say them aloud. Her fate has always been to be queen. She folds her hands respectfully in front of herself and lowers her eyes. "As you wish, my king."