Five years had passed since the Singularity War ended.
The world had changed.
The Red Tower was gone. The Helix program had been dismantled. Aria Rothschild's name had become a whispered legend — a myth spoken of in quiet reverence, like a ghost who saved the world and vanished with the wind.
Liam lived far from all that now, tucked away in a sleepy corner of Lisbon, Portugal. He ran a secondhand bookstore on a street where the sun touched every windowsill, and the air always smelled faintly of old paper and roasted almonds.
But not a single day passed without her.
She lived in his dreams, in the ache behind his ribs, in the empty space on the other side of the bed he never filled. He wore her ring on a chain around his neck — a simple thing that burned like a sun whenever he touched it.
---
It was a quiet autumn afternoon when it happened.
He was sitting on a park bench with a coffee cup growing cold in his hands, watching children chase pigeons and mothers scold toddlers. Life moved around him.
And then he saw her.
A little girl with dark curls, no older than five, walked straight toward him. Her eyes — wide, steady, golden-brown — locked onto his like magnets.
She didn't smile. Didn't flinch.
Just stopped right in front of him and asked, Why are you so sad?
Liam blinked. I… I'm not sad.
She tilted her head,you are but it's okay. She misses you too.
His chest clenched what did you say?
She dreams about you sometimes,the girl whispered.Even when she's asleep in the quiet place.
Liam's heart stopped.
He dropped to one knee, gently reaching for her.
Who are you?
But she was already turning away.
As she ran off, her curls bouncing, Liam stood and searched — frantic. He scanned the crowd. Looked for parents. For any sign of her.
But she was gone.
Completely gone.
All that remained on the bench where she'd stood…
Was a single feather.
Soft, glowing faintly.
Blue… with a streak of gold.
---
He picked it up, cradling it in his palm like a secret.
His lips parted, barely a whisper escaping.
…Aria?
And somewhere far above, the clouds shifted — just enough for sunlight to break through.