The golden star descended slowly into the Garden of Forgotten Dreams.
Its light was warm.
Not dazzling.
Not overwhelming.
It felt like the first sunrise after a long winter.
No one spoke.
Even the wind became quiet.
Aria looked toward the First Author.
"The Dream Gate has opened."
The First Author nodded.
"It has waited for someone who still believes that compassion is stronger than fear."
The golden light gathered before them.
Instead of a doorway, it formed a peaceful lake.
Its surface reflected not the sky...
But memories.
Linh looked into the water.
She saw children laughing beneath an old tree.
A mother reading a bedtime story.
An elderly man teaching his grandson how to plant a seed.
Ordinary moments.
Yet each carried a quiet beauty.
Professor Nguyen smiled.
"Th
