-Caspian Grayson:
I woke up slowly.
Still half asleep at first, my mind heavy with that strange softness that sometimes lingers after a deep sleep. The curtains in my room were still mostly closed, leaving only thin streaks of morning light slipping through the gaps and stretching across the floor and walls in pale gold lines.
For a few seconds, I just stared at the ceiling without moving.
Quiet.
Still.
My body felt unusually relaxed.
Then my eyes shifted slightly toward the nightstand beside my bed.
And I saw them.
The books.
I borrowed two books from the Valerian library yesterday.
The second I saw them—
Everything came back at once.
Not gradually.
Not gently.
All at the same time.
The date.
Kyle is driving me there.
The mountains.
The field of flowers.
The cave.
The crystals were glowing through the darkness like stars trapped underground.
The library.
The massive tree.
