The morning sun bathed Cebu in golden light. Fishermen hauled their nets by the shore, children laughed as they ran through narrow streets, and life carried on as if nothing had ever threatened to unravel it.
Dr. Elias Cortez did not exist. His name was absent from university records, his publications gone, his reputation erased like ink washed clean from a page.
And Amara Villanueva…
Jun stood at the excavation site by the old caves, staring at the final report. There was no mention of her leading the dig. Instead, the report listed him as the lead archaeologist. Yet, deep in his heart, Jun felt a strange emptiness—like a name he should remember but couldn't.
He crouched near the limestone wall where the mysterious artifact had once been buried. The sand there was oddly warm, as though it had held a memory. He brushed away some dust and froze.
Carved into the stone, faint but unmistakable, were Baybayin symbols. He traced them with his fingertips, whispering:
"A-ma-ra…"
The name felt foreign on his tongue, but also… right.
---
Far beyond the threads of time, Kailan watched the restored timeline. He stood silently, his form flickering like a candle flame.
"She chose well," he murmured. "The world does not remember her, but time itself does."
He looked to the horizon where fragments of light swirled—Amara's essence, now part of the Veil's eternal fabric. "You are not gone," he whispered. "You are the guardian now, watching over the threads you saved."
---
One evening, Jun walked along the shore near the caves. The tide was low, and the sky glowed with the pink-orange hues of sunset. He found himself pausing, looking out to the sea, feeling an odd warmth in his chest.
A whisper—soft as the ocean breeze—brushed his ear.
"Thank you."
Jun turned, but no one was there. He only saw the horizon, glowing with light.
Somehow, though he couldn't explain why, he whispered back:
"You're welcome… whoever you are."
And for just a heartbeat, he swore he saw a faint shimmer—a woman's silhouette—smiling at him from the waves.
---
The End.