The memory faded.
The laughter of children beneath the World Tree became nothing more than a distant echo before disappearing entirely.
Silence reclaimed the battlefield.
John continued staring at the place where the vision had vanished.
He didn't know any of those children.
He had never lived in that ancient age.
Yet...
The happiness in their smiles had felt real.
It wasn't an illusion meant to deceive them.
It was a memory that had refused to disappear.
---
The False Heart slowly lowered its head.
"...Strange."
Its voice had become quieter.
"I had forgotten..."
"...that they laughed."
No one answered.
The Soul Raven looked at Asterion's face.
There was no hatred in its golden eyes anymore.
Only sadness.
"So..."
"You still remembered."
The False Heart remained silent.
---
Caelis stepped forward.
"You've spent thousands of years preserving memories."
"But you forgot your own."
The black eyes slowly turned toward him.
"I discarded them."
"No."
