The silver leaf rested gently in Linh's hands.
Its light did not fade.
Instead, it became brighter with every heartbeat.
The Listener looked toward the distant mountains.
"You have recovered a memory."
"But there is one final lesson before you continue."
Linh raised her eyes.
"What lesson?"
The old man smiled kindly.
"To remember others..."
"...you must first understand yourself."
The crystal tree slowly parted its branches.
Hidden behind them stood a quiet lake.
Its surface was perfectly still.
No wind touched it.
No bird flew above it.
Hope whispered,
"The Mirror Lake..."
"I thought it existed only in legends."
Professor Nguyen looked into the water.
He saw nothing.
Only a clear reflection of the sky.
"It is just a lake."
The Listener gently shook his head.
"It re
