Seasons shifted.
Days rose and fell.
Every morning, without fail,
Rio would take Wee and Lamai to the Aurea Flora Complex.
There, he guided them through the art of photography.
Angles, light, shadows, framing...
each day was a new lesson.
Wee and Lamai learned with quiet dedication.
Their laughter often joined Rio's guidance,
while their cameras captured petals, leaves, and sunlight.
And yet...
no matter how focused she tried to remain,
Wee's eyes would inevitably find Kai.
And Kai, despite herself,
would feel her gaze wander back to Wee.
Their hearts stirred,
restless and uneasy.
But for Wee,
Kai was her brother's lover.
How could she allow herself to feel anything more?
And for Kai,
Wee was nothing but a distraction...
a dangerous pull she could not afford.
And so both fought against it.
And yet, each day,
their glances collided.
Each day,
their hearts betrayed them.
---
Of course, nothing remained hidden for long.
How could Wee study at the Institute,
and Luneth not come to know?
He had already discovered her presence,
alongside her friend Lamai.
For him, this was a relief.
At least here, in this place,
he could keep an eye on his sister...
protect her, in silence.
---
Weeks passed.
Wee and Lamai immersed themselves in their studies,
absorbing knowledge like sponges.
They had already grown so much,
their skills refined,
their confidence strengthened.
Meanwhile, Kai and Teanguan
focused entirely on their mission.
Step by step,
they moved with perfect caution.
They had even secured their pass cards...
something the Institute required of all.
For if a shadow of suspicion fell upon them,
they would be cast out immediately.
Thus, every movement,
every word,
was chosen with care.
---
And then.....
One day,
as the sun fell upon the sprawling gardens,
their eyes caught something familiar.
A circle of marigolds bloomed ahead,
arranged deliberately like a patterned ring.
It seemed ordinary,
like a decorative park design.
But Kai remembered.
Yes.
That same design...
they had seen it once before.
Not here.
Not in the gardens.
But etched upon a tattoo…
a mark they had discovered near the main laboratory.
Her chest tightened.
Her pulse quickened.
There was no mistake.
The hidden lab…
the one they had been searching for…
It was here.
Somewhere beyond that circle of golden marigolds.