The Lantern Girl had waited for this moment.
Vespera, keeper of the last light, held watch over the ruined chapel of echoes. She had known someone would come. Someone who remembered.
Crystal did not yet know her name, but Vespera did.
"I've guarded your light," she whispered, offering the flame. "And now it's time for you to carry it again."
The lantern flickered with recognition.
In the light, Crystal saw her past.
Not in clarity, but in silhouette... duets, betrayals, a spire shattering into void.
Her hand trembled as she took the lantern.
And from that moment, the world began to listen again.