The memory arrived without warning while Elara stood beneath the rain-soaked sky of the present, and the moment Eryndor whispered the name Giovanni Romano through their strange connection, something buried deep within her consciousness awakened like an old door slowly opening after years of silence. The world around her faded. The storm around her faded. Reality itself seemed to fade.
Ancient emotions moved through her heart while fragments of forgotten images emerged from darkness because memory often waited patiently until the soul became strong enough to face it, and suddenly she found herself standing inside a place she had never consciously remembered despite recognizing every detail. Candlelight illuminated stone walls. Shadows danced across old bookshelves. The scent of aged parchment filled the air.
