The sun was rising slowly over the Itezista forest, sending warm rays through the trees. Above the lake where Codrion had disappeared, the mist was slowly rising, like a breeze from the forest that is just waking up.
In the castle, Sofia opened her eyes before the first rays touched the windows. The medallion around her neck was still pulsing gently, warm and alive. She touched it, and a strange silence filled her soul – as if someone, far away, was watching over her.
"You are there, aren't you, Codrion?" she thought, looking at her sun-drenched palm.
She put on a thin coat and left the room, walking silently down the stone corridor. She went to her mother, wanting to see her.
The door to the room was ajar. The queen was leaning against the pillows, a thin blanket over her shoulders. Her face was tired, but her eyes – clear as ever.
— "Mom?" Sofia whispered, coming closer.
— "Ah, Sofia… good morning, my dear."
— "I wanted to see if you were feeling better."
The Queen touched her hand, smiling.
— "Better, yes. Last night I dreamed of something… a light. I don't know where it came from, but it seemed to embrace me. I woke up with a strange peace."
Sofia flinched, but hid her emotion.
— "Maybe this dream is a good sign, Mom. Maybe the hard days are over."
— "I think so too. And you… there's something different in your eyes, Sofi. As if you've seen something you can't say."
Sofia was silent, then smiled briefly.
— "Maybe I just saw how beautiful the world is when you believe in the light."
The Queen looked at her gently.
— "Remember, my child — the light is never lost. It only hides until hearts are ready to see it again."
Sofia hugged her and stayed like that for a moment, feeling that her mother's dream was not just a coincidence.
At the foot of the forest, the village was already alive. Roosters were crowing, people were carrying baskets full of apples, and smoke was rising above the wooden roofs.
Dragoş came out of the house, an axe on his shoulder. The air smelled of damp earth and freshly cut wood. His father was working near the stable, and his mother was preparing warm bread.
— "Good morning, father!"
— "With a kind heart, boy. Today we are going to the bridge, to repair it before the rain comes."
Dragoş nodded and set off alongside him. The village greeted him in silence—people looked at him with curiosity mixed with respect. He had changed since he had returned from the forest. His gaze had a new depth, as if he were carrying a secret.
The ring on his hand gleamed discreetly in the sun. When it touched the wood or the water, a silver wave stretched out briefly, barely visible.
— "There's something about you, Dragoș," his father told him, without turning around.
— "Something good. As if you had come with a different soul from the forest."
— "Maybe I've simply learned to listen better," the boy replied, looking at the clear-flowing stream.
Later, he stopped at the fountain, where the water sparkled like a mirror of the sky. In the reflection of the water, for a moment, he saw a luminous shadow—the sign of the Moon, shining like a memory. He put his hand over the ring.
"Codrion… you chose me for something, but I still don't know why."
His mother came with a basket of apples and looked at him carefully.
— "You've worked hard enough, Dragoș. Take a break."
— "Yes, mother. But tell me… don't you think the forest is quieter than usual?"
— "Quiet? Maybe. But I say it's listening. When nature is quiet, it means something big is coming."
Dragoș smiled slightly. He felt that his mother was right, even if he didn't know how true her words were.
Towards evening, Sofia was sitting on the castle terrace. Beyond the fields, the village could be seen. The smoke rose in thin lines, and the sunset light played on the castle walls.
At that moment, a light breeze touched her, and the locket around her neck began to pulse again, stronger. At the same time, down in the village, Dragoș's ring sparkled for a moment—as if their lights had recognized each other.
Sofia looked up at the sky. The moon was barely visible, pale, and the sun was slowly setting. For a moment, it seemed to her that the two of them were touching.
— "Dragoș..." she murmured. "And you feel it?"
The wind brought a faint murmur from the forest, like an old whisper, coming from deep within the leaves:
"The light is awakening again..."
Sofia closed her eyes. She knew that the connection had not been broken.
She knew that what they had experienced in the forest was only the beginning.