Aure stood beneath the Starlit Arch, a structure built in the time before time. The ring around his neck began to hum. The markings on his chest glowed.
A stranger emerged—Yara, no longer cloaked. Her face bore a matching mark.
"You were one of us," she said. "A Guardian. One who protected the gate between memory and fate."
Aure reached out and touched the arch. It responded.
Visions flooded them: battles fought side by side with Lian, kisses shared beneath falling stars, the moment they promised to return no matter the cost.
Then, the betrayal. The spell. The vow.
The arch blazed.
Aure collapsed, whispering, "I chose to forget him… to save him."
Yara knelt beside him. "Then it's time to remember."