Two yeas in Jakar had changed Jonathan Joey more than the city of Shinshigan could ever imagine.
He was twenty five now, a little taller, quieter, steadier. Life in the mountain university had carved patience into him. His professors said he had a rare stillness, the kind that came from surviving something great and terrible.
Jonathan simply called it memory.
He returned to Shinshigan on a mild afternoon, the sky washed in soft light. The moment he stepped off the train, he felt something tug inside his chest. The city felt warm. Alive. A quiet voice seemed to welcome him home.
He smiled faintly. "I hear you," he whispered.
He had one hour before his conference session began, so he walked slowly through the new streets. Shinshigan looked different. Faster. Brighter. Yet, somehow, gentler.
The conference hall stood near the rebuilt river district. Large banners hung outside:
International Symposium of Light and Energy Studies
Jonathan passed through the glass doors and into a large open lobby where people in suits and lab coats moved from room to room, carrying laptops and folders.
He checked the schedule.
Main Speaker Session
Dr Kiran Lume: The Future of Clean Energy in Shinshigan
Jonathan knew that name. Her research had been referenced in his own papers. She was brilliant, confident, a scientist who spoke about light with the passion of a storyteller.
He entered the main hall and found a seat. The room dimmed, and a spotlight lit the stage.
Dr Kiran Lume stepped forward.
She was tall, confident, and carried herself like someone who was used to being the smartest person in any room. Her white coat shimmered under the stage lights.
When she began to speak, her voice filled the hall with calm strength.
"Two years ago," she said, "this city survived something no scientist can fully explain. Something that changed its very soil. Something that left a field of energy woven through every street."
She tapped her tablet, and a hologram of Shinshigan appeared behind her. Red veins lit the map, then softened into blue.
"We call it the residual field," she continued. "It has strange properties. It is clean. It is stable. And it seems to respond to human presence."
A murmuring wave passed through the audience.
Jonathan leaned forward, fascinated. She spoke not like a dry lecturer but like an explorer discovering new worlds.
"Our team believes we can convert this field," she said, "into renewable power. A new energy source. One that will change the future."
The hall erupted into applause.
But Jonathan's stomach twisted.
Something about her words felt wrong. Something tense. Something too eager.
He whispered under his breath, "It is not ours to use."
The session ended. People approached her immediately, asking questions. Jonathan stayed seated for a moment, sorting through his unsettled thoughts.
Then he stood and approached the front.
Kiran noticed him. "You are Jonathan Joey," she said before he even introduced himself. "The student who wrote the paper on harmonic resonance during the cleansing. I read it twice."
Jonathan blinked. "You did?"
"It was good," she said simply. "Very good. You wrote like someone who felt the event, not only observed it."
"I did," he said quietly.
"Walk with me," she said.
They moved toward a smaller discussion room. People walked through the hall around them, but Jonathan felt strangely outside of everything, like a quiet observer moving through a louder world.
He cleared his throat. "I really admired your presentation."
Kiran smiled. "What part?"
"The way you explained the field," he said. "It made sense. It was simple but deep."
She laughed softly. "Thank you. Most people only pretend to follow."
Jonathan hesitated, then asked, "How sure are you about converting it?"
She glanced at him. "You sound concerned."
"I am," he admitted. "I lived through the cleansing. And it changed us. It changed the city. It was not just energy. It was… purposeful."
Kiran studied him carefully.
"Jonathan," she said finally, "fear is natural after trauma. But we cannot let history stop progress."
"It is not fear," Jonathan said softly. "It is warning."
"A warning from who?"
Jonathan did not answer. He touched the pendant under his shirt. It was warm today.
Kiran placed her hands on the table and leaned closer. "Listen. I understand hesitation, but this field is safe. Clean. Powerful. We can honor the past while building the future. That is why I want you to join us."
"Join you?" Jonathan echoed.
"Yes," she said. "The city council approved your fellowship for a reason. You will work directly under me. Your insights could guide the project."
Jonathan exhaled slowly. It was an honor, yes. But it also felt like stepping into a place he was not meant to enter.
Still, he nodded. "I will help. I will watch."
Kiran smiled. "Good. That is all I ask."
But Jonathan's heart whispered a very different truth.
---
The next morning, the city gathered in the plaza for the unveiling of Kiran's first prototype.
Holographic screens floated above the crowd. Street lamps prepared for activation. Technicians moved quickly around the platform.
Jonathan stood near the back, hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the river. Something about the water bothered him this morning. It shimmered too brightly. It whispered too clearly.
He turned when a technician began counting down.
"Three. Two. One."
The street lamps flickered with blue light.
The crowd cheered.
Then something shifted.
The lamps brightened, then dimmed.
Every holographic billboard blinked.
The screens went black.
Silence.
Jonathan held his breath.
A soft hum filled the air.
The screens lit up again.
But they did not show advertisements.
They did not show the energy grid.
They showed a figure.
A woman of pure gold.
Walking across water.
Calm. Gentle. Familiar.
Gasps erupted through the crowd.
"What is that?"
"Is it part of the program?"
"No… no it cannot be…"
Jonathan's lips trembled.
He whispered the only name that made sense.
"Thecla…"
The figure looked straight at him.
The lights cut out.
The vision ended.
Kiran stared at the screens, her face pale.
Jonathan's heartbeat hammered in his chest.
"She is returning," he whispered.
And for the first time in two years, the city felt the light stirring again.