Heart's Gleam

Heart's Gleam is a delicacy spoken of rarely, and only in hushed tones and ancient bardic songs; a creation not merely of ingredients, but of intention, devotion, and celestial alignment. It is said to be the culinary embodiment of true love, a dish that can only be made once every three years—on the Flowering Bloom, a night when the moon of the realm crosses paths with a distant star called the Seed of Love. This ethereal dish takes the form of a glowing, translucent fruit—no larger than a closed fist—filled with a liquid so sweet and pure it is said to free the soul of earthly ennui.   To create Heart's Gleam, one must first journey to the Atoll of Unspoken Vows, where an ancient, coral reef called the Aethernal bears a single polyp every three years for each soul bound by genuine love. The polyp must be plucked from the reef not with hands, but with a whispered confession—a truth the bearer has never spoken aloud to their eternal beloved.   Once harvested, the polyp dissolves into an emotional light and reforms into a hollow shell when steeped at dusk in a bowl of moonwater reflecting the last rays of the sun. The resulting dish pulses with faint golden light and a warmth that is not heat, but a perfect memory of a remembered touch or a moment two when hearts beat in perfect rhythm.   The catch: It can only be served to the posessor's one true love. If offered to another—out of deceit, confusion, or longing—the dish withers into ashes. If received by one who does not return the love in equal measure, the dish turns bitter and dull. But when shared in mutual, soul-bound affection, the one who partakes is said to glimpse not just their partner’s heart, but their shared future—a fleeting vision of the life they will build together, if they remain true.   No couple who partakes of Heart's Gleam ever speaks of what they saw. Whether to save the feelings of those who have not found true love, or to keep a sweet secret shared only by two, the couple always hold hands a little tighter afterwards.