Emmy stood before the steaming clay pot on the charcoal stove, her eyes reflecting the flickering golden flames.
Suddenly, the light swirled through the smoke and the dry grass… and she saw a figure emerge within the fire.
"Who…?" she whispered, her hand trembling slightly.
The glow sharpened, forming a young woman with long hair, illuminated as if painted by the flames of memory itself.
Lalin… or the one the other world had always called her name.
"Emmy?" Lalin's voice echoed softly, though they seemed to exist in different dimensions.
Emmy stepped closer to the flame. The scent of cooking rice and the warmth of her rural home intertwined with the glowing light from another world, filling her with both awe and familiarity.
"I… I'm really seeing you, aren't I?" Emmy asked.
Lalin offered a faint smile, the light around her shimmering against the surrounding darkness.
"Yes… we are here, together now."
Their eyes met, and in that moment, the flames united the two worlds — and the two hearts — in a single, radiant connection.