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The garden shimmered with impossible clarity.
Moonlight traced silver lines through the canopy above. Somewhere in the trees, wind chimes rang — gentle, familiar, as if they'd always been there. The air smelled faintly of jasmine and pine, with just a trace of that worn linen scent Kai used to associate with her uniform.
Kathlyn smiled down at him again, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead.
"You remember the lake?" she whispered, voice soft as falling petals.
Kai blinked. "We never—"
"Yes we did," she interrupted gently. "It was after the first mock expedition. You dragged me out there because you thought I was overworking again."
A vision blossomed behind her words. The lake. Still, perfect. A warm afternoon filtered through dappled sun. A picnic blanket. Her sitting with her shoes off, toes dipped in the water, hair tied back lazily, laughing as he tossed a pebble too far and splashed both of them.
He stared, caught off guard by how real it felt.
