Chapter 20 A Memory That Would Not Fade

It began with sunlight.

Filtered through a canopy of fresh green leaves, it spilled like silk onto the dirt paths of a quiet village. Peaceful. Ordinary. Somewhere, a young couple laughed—their first child cradled in their arms.

The baby giggled. Round-faced. Dimpled. His mother lifted him up again and again, his joy ringing through the air like bells, each laugh echoing a small forever.

Time passed.