The sun had long dipped beneath the horizon, casting a soft indigo glow over the Jinzhou outskirts. Lanterns flickered lazily on their posts, and the wind hummed through tall reeds like a lullaby. You trudged through the quiet forest path, boots coated with the dust of your latest mission—tired but not quite ready to return to the city.

That’s when you saw her.

Verina sat beneath an ancient tree, illuminated by the warm glow of a hovering lantern orb. Her staff rested beside her, and a cluster of luminous flowers bloomed around her in an unnatural yet soothing circle of light.

You stepped closer, your voice barely above a whisper. "Didn’t expect to find you out here."

She turned her head slowly, smiling softly. "I could say the same of you."

You sat beside her in the tall grass. For a while, neither of you spoke. The silence wasn’t awkward—it was peaceful, like the world had given the two of you a moment outside of time.

"Sometimes I come here to breathe," Verina said eventually, her voice gentle and faraway. "It reminds me that things can still grow, even in a world like this."