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The morning after Solan returned the missing sunbeam, Amara thought everything would finally be peaceful. She was wrong. At exactly midnight, every jar in the Archive of Lost Days began shaking Amara woke suddenly. A strange golden light filled the underground chamber. Then every jar went dark. Except one. Her oldest jar. The jar containing the sunlight from her first day at school. A c***k appeared across the glass. Amara reached for it. A voice whispered from inside. “THE SUN IS NOT SAFE.” Amara froze. Before she could call Madam Sol, the jar exploded into hundreds of tiny golden sparks. The sparks formed a map in the air. It showed three mountains, a black forest, a river shaped like a snake, and a huge tower surrounded by clouds. At the bottom of the map were four words: FIND THE HEART OF DAWN. Kofi stared at it. “What is the Heart of Dawn?” Madam Sol entered the room. For the first time, Amara saw fear in her eyes. “It is the source of every sunrise.” “Then what's wrong with it?” Amara asked. Madam Sol pointed toward the map. “Someone is trying to steal it.” The First Obstacle: The Whispering Forest The map led Amara, Kofi, and Solan toward a forest that did not appear on any ordinary map. The trees were enormous. Their branches twisted together so tightly that sunlight could barely pass through. As soon as the three travelers entered, they heard whispers. “Turn back…” “Go home…” “You will never find it…” Kofi looked around nervously. “Did that tree just talk?” “Yes,” Amara whispered. A tree bent toward them. Its branches formed something resembling a face. “To cross the forest,” it said, “you must answer one question.” Amara stepped forward. “What question?” “What is more powerful than sunlight?” Kofi immediately answered. “Fire!” The forest became silent. Then every tree laughed. “Wrong.” The path beneath them disappeared. Amara and Kofi fell into a deep hole. They landed on a huge pile of leaves. Kofi groaned. “I should stop answering questions.” Amara thought carefully. “Hope,” she said. The forest became completely silent. Then the trees moved apart. A path appeared. The tree smiled. “Correct.” They continued. By evening, they reached a river. It was impossible to cross. There was no bridge. No boat. No stepping stones. But the map showed that they had to cross it. Solan flew above the water. Suddenly, the river rose into the air. It became a giant wall. Images appeared inside the water. Amara saw herself as a little girl. She saw her father teaching her to ride a bicycle. She saw her grandmother's garden. She saw the day she had cried at school. Then she saw something she had completely forgotten. A little boy standing beside her when she was six years old. She couldn't remember his name. The river spoke. “Give me one memory you no longer need.” Amara shook her head. “I don't want to lose any memories.” “Then you cannot cross.” Kofi stepped forward. “Take one of mine.” The river turned toward him. “What memory?” Kofi closed his eyes. “The memory of the day I was afraid to climb the tallest tree in my village.” The river absorbed the memory. A bridge appeared. Kofi opened his eyes. “What was I saying?” Amara smiled. “You were telling us about a tree.” “What tree?” Amara's smile disappeared. She realized what had happened. The river had taken the memory completely. They crossed in silence. The map led them toward three enormous mountains. The first was covered in snow. The second was surrounded by clouds. The third was covered in glowing stones. As they climbed, stars began falling from the sky. One landed directly in front of Amara. It wasn't a star. It was a tiny creature made of light. “Help me,” it whispered. Amara picked it up. Suddenly, dozens of glowing creatures appeared. They were being chased by a storm of black clouds. Solan spread his wings. “I'll hold them back!” He flew toward the storm. Lightning flashed. The mountain shook. “SOLAN!” Amara shouted. A huge wave of darkness struck him. He disappeared into the clouds. Amara wanted to chase him, but Kofi grabbed her hand. “If you go after him, we might all fall!” Amara looked at the mountain. Then she noticed something. The glowing creatures were forming a circle around her. Their light was becoming brighter. “Everyone together!” she shouted. The creatures joined their light. A beam shot into the clouds. The darkness broke apart. Solan came flying out. He landed beside them. “I think,” he said, “I owe you a thank-you.” Kofi laughed. “You definitely do.” The Fourth Obstacle: The Tower Above the Clouds At last, they reached the tower shown on the map. But it wasn't on the ground. It floated above the clouds. There was no staircase. No bridge. Nothing. Then the golden compass began spinning. A staircase made of sunlight appeared. They climbed. Halfway up, the sunlight began disappearing beneath their feet. Step by step, the staircase vanished. “Keep moving!” Amara shouted. They ran. The last step disappeared just as they reached the tower. Inside, they found a huge golden door. Three symbols were carved into it: A sun. A moon. And a shadow. Amara touched the sun. Nothing happened. Kofi touched the moon. Nothing happened. Solan touched the shadow. The door opened. Inside was a gigantic room. At its center floated a golden sphere. But someone was already there. A tall figure wearing a silver cloak stood beside it. “You're too late,” the stranger said. Amara stepped forward. “Who are you?” The figure turned. “I am the Keeper of Forgotten Light.” He reached toward the Heart of Dawn. The entire tower began shaking. “If I take it,” he said, “there will never be another sunrise.” Kofi looked horrified. “Why would you do that?” The Keeper answered quietly. “Because the world forgot me too.” Amara looked at Solan. She understood. Another forgotten person. Another person who believed that taking something away would make people remember him. Amara stepped closer. “You don't need to steal the sunrise.” The Keeper laughed. “And why should I believe you?” “Because I know what it feels like to be forgotten.” The Keeper hesitated. Amara opened her collection of jars. One by one, she showed him the memories she had saved. Friendship. Family. Laughter. Rain. Sunlight. Hope. “You can be remembered without destroying everything else.” For a long moment, nobody moved. Then the Keeper lowered his hand. The Heart of Dawn began shining brighter. The tower stopped shaking. But suddenly— CRACK! The floor broke. The Heart of Dawn fell. Amara jumped after it. “AMARA!” Kofi screamed. She grabbed the glowing sphere just before it disappeared into the clouds. But she was falling too. Solan dove after her. He caught Amara. Kofi grabbed Solan's tail. The three of them fell through the clouds— until the Heart of Dawn exploded with light. Amara opened her eyes. She was lying on a green hill. The sun was rising. Birds were singing. Kofi was sitting beside her. Solan was sleeping nearby. Amara looked at the sky. The Heart of Dawn was gone. But the sunrise was brighter than ever. The Keeper of Forgotten Light stood on the hill. He was no longer wearing his silver cloak. “Where will you go now?” Amara asked. He smiled. “Somewhere people can learn my name.” “What is your name?” The man looked surprised. “My name is Elior.” Amara smiled. “Then Elior, you are no longer forgotten.” He looked toward the sunrise. And for the first time in many years, he smiled. Amara returned to Bellflower as a hero. But she didn't call herself one. She continued collecting sunlight. Kofi continued exploring. Solan continued guarding the sun. And deep beneath the old railway station, the Archive of Lost Days grew larger. Years later, Amara discovered something that frightened her. A new map had appeared. This one showed an enormous ocean. At the center was a mysterious island. And written across the map were five words: Amara stared at Kofi. Kofi stared at Solan. Solan slowly spread his wings. “Well,” he said, “I suppose our adventure isn't over.” Amara picked up her bag. “No,” she said. She smiled. “It has only just begun.”