Sakura Hime: 2

The night of the Great Bloom arrived. The enemy armies were at the gates, their torches looking like fallen stars against the dark earth. Kaguya stood on the balcony, her kimono trailing behind her like a river of silk. The Emperor stood behind her, his hand heavy on her shoulder. "Bloom," he commanded.

Instead of a wave of shattering glass, Kaguya let out a soft, low hum. The glass trees didn't explode; they melted. They turned into a thick, luminous mist that smelled of rain and forgotten dreams. The mist didn't kill the soldiers below; it made them drop their swords. It made them remember their homes, their mothers, and the feeling of sun on their skin. Sakura Hime 2

Her father, the Emperor of the Silver Moon, saw this as a weapon. He didn't see a daughter; he saw a siege engine. He kept her locked in the High Pagoda, where the air was always thick with the scent of fermented nectar and old magic. The night of the Great Bloom arrived