The room remained silent.
Sakura stared at the stone inside the wooden box.
Then at the stone resting in her own hand.
Identical.
Not similar.
Identical.
The same shape.
The same color.
The same faint glow hidden beneath the surface.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Finally, Sakura broke the silence.
"How can there be two?"
The Archivist slowly closed the box.
"I do not know."
Sakura sighed.
That answer was becoming familiar.
The woman almost smiled.
"Questions are easier to find than answers."
"I have a similar thought."
The Archivist raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be concerned?"
"Probably."
The woman nodded thoughtfully.
"Then I am concerned."
For the first time, Sakura laughed.
A small laugh.
But a genuine one.
The Archivist seemed pleased by that.
Only for a moment.
Then her expression became serious again.
She opened a drawer beneath her desk.
From within, she removed a small velvet pouch.
Old.
Carefully preserved.
The kind of object that had remained untouched for a very long time.
She placed it on the table.
"Open it."
Sakura hesitated before obeying.
Inside rested two silver necklaces.
Simple.
Elegant.
Neither contained a gemstone.
Both pendants were empty settings.
Waiting for something to be placed inside.
Sakura frowned.
"What are these?"
The Archivist looked at the stones.
Then at the necklaces.
"An unfinished pair."
"Unfinished?"
The woman nodded.
"Created centuries ago."
Her fingers lightly touched the wooden box.
"The craftsman who made them believed the stones belonged together."
Sakura looked back at the identical blue stones.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
The Archivist continued.
"According to the records, he intended to place one stone in each necklace."
"Did he?"
"No."
"Why not?"
The woman was quiet for a moment.
"One stone existed."
Sakura immediately understood.
The second stone had never been found.
Until now.
The room grew silent once more.
The implication hung between them.
One necklace.
One stone.
Waiting centuries for a second.
It sounded ridiculous.
Impossible.
Yet here they were.
The Archivist gently pushed the pouch toward Sakura.
"Take them."
Sakura blinked.
"What?"
"They belong to neither me nor the Archives."
The woman folded her hands.
"And I suspect they have been waiting longer than either of us."
Sakura stared at the necklaces.
Then at the stones.
Then back at the necklaces.
Something about the sight felt strangely emotional.
As though two incomplete things had finally found their missing pieces.
The thought made her uncomfortable.
Mostly because it sounded exactly like the sort of thing Haruto would say.
He always liked giving meaning to small things.
A flower.
A sketch.
A stone.
Anything.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
The Archivist noticed.
"You thought of him."
It wasn't a question.
Sakura looked away.
The woman sighed softly.
Not annoyed.
Not disappointed.
Simply understanding.
"You really loved him."
Again, not a question.
Sakura lowered her gaze to the table.
After a moment, she answered.
"Still do."
The Archivist remained silent.
Then she stood and walked toward the window overlooking Aurelis.
The evening sun painted the city gold.
Ships crossed the strait below.
Bridges connected the two shores.
People moved through their lives completely unaware of the conversations taking place within the Grand Archives.
"Most people fear being forgotten," the Archivist said quietly.
Sakura looked up.
The woman continued staring at the city.
"But very few fear forgetting."
The words lingered in the room.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
The Archivist turned back toward her.
"If Haruto is somewhere in this world..."
Her silver eyes met Sakura's.
"...then do not rely solely on fate."
Sakura's heart skipped.
It wasn't confirmation.
It wasn't proof.
Yet it was the first time someone had spoken about Haruto as though finding him might actually be possible.
The Archivist pointed toward the pouch.
"Keep one."
Then toward the wooden box.
"And keep the other safe."
Sakura frowned.
"The other?"
A small smile touched the woman's lips.
The kind that belonged to someone who knew more than they intended to say.
"If you ever find him."
She glanced at the second necklace.
"You'll know who it belongs to."
"What about that one?"
Sakura's eyes pointed at the other blue stone in the box.
"I am genuinely surprised by your greed.This one's mine to keep."
She could only smile in embarrassment.
The room became quiet once more.
For the first time in years, the future didn't feel completely empty.
It was still uncertain.
Still frightening.
Still impossibly far away.
But now there was something else.
A destination.
And perhaps that was enough.