Spring was drawing to a close, ushering in the transition to the next season. The air no longer carried its cold bite, and the days grew warmer under the bright sun.
New life had quietly taken root—grass thickened, branches swelled, and fields awoke with colour and blooms as the season prepared to give way to summer.
Kyren sat under the old elm tree at the edge of the grounds, its broad canopy casting fragmented shade onto the ground.
He was in the same spot where he had once sat with Anna on the day he first took her out of the camp settlement.
In front of him, the marigold field had started to bloom, with fresh flowers opening up in silent defiance of the past months, their golden petals catching the light as they swayed in the breeze.
Yet his gaze remained empty, unenticed by the beauty of nature.
Kyren lowered his gaze. The vivid spark that once shone in his blue eyes had long since faded, replaced by a quiet, hollow sorrow.
