The moonlight spilled across the palace corridors like silver threads, guiding Illyen and Cael toward the Observatory Hall. The air felt thinner here, as if each breath carried pieces of something ancient and unnamed. Illyen's steps were slow, uncertain — not from fear, but from the overwhelming clarity returning to him, memory by memory.
Cael watched him carefully, their hands nearly touching but not yet intertwined. "If it becomes too much," he murmured, "tell me. We can stop."
Illyen shook his head gently. "No… I want to see what comes next."
The Observatory doors opened with a soft resonance, revealing a vast circular chamber lit by hundreds of floating lanterns. The glass ceiling reflected the stars, creating a sky both above and around them.
Waiting inside were their allies.
Lysa bowed first. "Illyen. Cael. We came because… the Loom has shifted again."
Serin stepped forward, holding a crystalline device shaped like a compass. The needle spun slowly, glowing faintly. "Your thread resonated strong enough to awaken part of the Astral Lattice. We believe more memories — deeper ones — are ready."
Maerin carefully closed an ancient book she'd been studying. "But these won't be childhood memories," she warned softly. "These will be from the days leading up to the Great Veil."
Illyen's breath caught. Cael immediately moved to stand beside him.
"You don't face them alone," Cael said, voice steady.
Illyen nodded, swallowing. "I know."
The lanterns brightened, recognizing the magic stirring within him. Serin approached the mirrored floor at the center of the chamber and pressed his palm against the rune-plate. Light rippled outward like water, forming a circular portal of shimmering reflections.
"Step in when you're ready," Serin instructed.
Illyen took a deep breath. His heart raced, but Cael's hand — warm, steady — slid into his.
"Together?" Illyen whispered.
"Always," Cael said.
They stepped onto the mirrored circle.
The world shifted instantly.
A soft wind brushed Illyen's face, carrying the scent of wild lavender. The sky above them dimmed into shades of violet and rose. Illyen blinked — and then gasped.
They stood in an old garden.
Not the palace garden.
Their garden.
A place Illyen had forgotten long ago.
Cael inhaled sharply. "I haven't seen this since—"
He stopped, swallowing hard. Illyen squeezed his hand.
Memories rippled around them — translucent figures flickering like soft ghosts of time. Younger versions of themselves walked through the garden, speaking in hushed tones.
Illyen stepped closer to one of the memory-shades.
A younger Illyen — perhaps fifteen — stood beneath a lantern tree, holding a small journal. He looked troubled, as if trying to write something but unable to find the courage. A younger Cael approached, concern etched in his expression.
"You look like you're carrying a storm inside you," younger Cael said quietly.
Younger Illyen's voice trembled. "I'm afraid."
"Of me?" Cael asked.
"No… of what I feel."
Illyen felt his heart twist painfully. Cael beside him inhaled sharply.
The memory continued, gentle but aching:
"I think I'm… changing," younger Illyen whispered. "When I look at you, it feels like something inside me wakes up… something I don't know how to explain."
Younger Cael stepped closer, brushing a leaf from Illyen's hair. "You don't need to explain it. I feel it too."
Illyen's eyes stung. Cael's hand found his again, squeezing softly.
The memory dissolved into light, giving way to another.
This time, the atmosphere was heavier. The sky above the mirrored garden darkened. The memory-figures looked older — closer to the age they were in their past lives.
Illyen watched, breath tight, as younger Cael argued with his father, though the conversation was muted and blurred by magic. Younger Illyen stood alone at the far end of the garden, watching the palace lights flicker through the trees.
"I couldn't reach you," Illyen whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "No matter how much I tried."
Cael's expression softened with quiet grief. "You were never the reason things fell apart. You were the only thing that held me together."
Before Illyen could reply, the mirrored ground glowed again — this memory was different. Stronger. Sharper.
It showed the moment just before the Great Veil spell was cast.
Younger Illyen clutched Cael's wrist, eyes red from crying. "I don't want to forget you."
"You won't," Cael promised, though his voice broke. "Even if everything else collapses… our thread will find its way back."
A tear slipped down Illyen's cheek — the real Illyen — standing in the Observatory, heart trembling from the force of his rediscovered love.
The memory dissolved again, leaving the mirrored space quiet.
The lantern-lights dimmed slowly, signaling the end of the vision.
Illyen swayed slightly, overwhelmed. Cael caught him instantly, steady arms anchoring him.
"Illyen," Cael whispered, his voice cracking. "We were so young. We didn't understand how much it would hurt."
Illyen buried his face briefly against Cael's shoulder. "I remember more now… not everything, but enough."
A shaky breath.
"Enough to know that we never wanted to lose each other."
Cael held him closer, careful but firm. "And we won't again. Not in this life. Not in any."
When Illyen pulled back, his eyes held a new brightness — not sorrow, but determination.
He turned to the others.
"Vaenn tried to break us then," Illyen said softly. "But he failed. He only delayed what was inevitable."
Serin nodded. "Your unity tonight has triggered another shift in the Loom. We expect Vaenn to react soon."
Lysa tightened her grip on her sword. "Let him come. This time, he won't face a boy. He'll face all of us."
Maerin looked at Illyen with gentle admiration. "Your heart remembers its name again. That is a powerful thing."
Illyen looked at Cael.
"It remembers you," he whispered.
Cael's expression softened into something warm and luminous. "And mine never forgot you."
The lanterns flickered, as if bowing to the truth between them.
Illyen exhaled slowly, feeling the weight inside him ease. "Then let's return to the Council. There's more we need to prepare."
Cael offered his hand.
"Together?" he asked.
Illyen smiled — soft, sure, glowing.
"Together," he said.
And as they stepped out of the mirrored chamber, the palace walls echoed with a quiet hum —
the sound of two hearts remembering the same name.