Chapter 73: Shadows of the Past

The air crackled with tension as Luke stared at Lily, his heart torn between joy and disbelief. Here she stood, a specter from his past, a memory he had buried deep in the recesses of his mind. She looked the same, yet different—more ethereal, as if she were not entirely of this world. Luke's chest tightened with the weight of questions, each one more pressing than the last.

"Lily, how are you here?" he finally managed to ask, his voice hoarse. "I thought… I thought I lost you."

Her expression shifted, sadness flickering across her features. "I know, Luke. I've watched you suffer, watched as you carried the burden of my loss. But now is not the time for sorrow. You have to listen to me."

His heart ached at her words, the wounds of the past raw and unhealed. "What do you mean? What do you want me to do?"