Dawn painted the capital's crystal spires in shades of rose and gold, but Celestia had been awake long before first light. In her study, she meticulously arranged proofs of their shared past—the Crawford Special recipe written in Elizabeth's hand, corporate protocols that only Alex would recognize, small details that bridged two lives.
The crystal lamps cast steady light over her preparations, their glow reminiscent of Manhattan's early morning sun through office windows. For this meeting, she remained in her true form—silver-blonde hair and Crawford-blue eyes ready to help trigger her brother's full memories.
"Young miss," Clara entered softly, her water magic carrying whispers of pre-dawn activity. "Sir Adrian arrived at the temple gates an hour early for morning prayers. He's been writing in his notebook since—the same way you described from your corporate days."
Through her window, Celestia could see the temple district stirring to life, crystal formations beginning their daily illumination. Somewhere in those sacred halls, her brother waited with a lifetime of memories hovering just beyond reach.
"The creatures are unusually quiet," James reported from his post, his vigilance sharpened by the morning's importance. "No shadows, no whispers. It's as if..."
"They're waiting," Celestia finished, remembering Elizabeth Crawford's instincts about moments before major corporate revelations. The crystal lamps seemed to pulse with anticipation, their light creating patterns that reminded her of Manhattan sunrise through skyscraper windows.
Footsteps in the corridor—measured, purposeful, exactly like Alex's approach to crucial meetings. The crystal formations responded to Adrian's presence before he even entered, their light shifting to accommodate the resonance between siblings' powers.
He paused in the doorway, temple knight uniform immaculate but his eyes carrying storms of half-formed memories. His notebook, clutched tightly, showed dog-eared pages and multiple underlines—Alex's exact habit during major financial projections.
"I dreamed of a car crash," he said without preamble, his voice tight with controlled emotion. "But it wasn't just a dream, was it... Elizabeth?"
The crystal lamps flickered as Celestia turned to face her brother fully, letting him see her true appearance for the first time. No more merchant's disguise, no more careful deflections. Just silver-blonde hair and Crawford-blue eyes that matched the memories fighting to surface in his mind.
"No, Alex," she said softly, using Elizabeth's voice at last. "It wasn't just a dream."
His breath caught. The notebook fell from suddenly trembling fingers, pages of scattered memories spilling across the floor. The crystal formations caught each subtle shift in his expression as recognition battled disbelief.
"Manhattan," he whispered, each word seeming to pain him as memories crashed through. "Crawford Enterprise. Uncle Charles's dinner party. The driver... he was paid to..." His legs buckled as the full force of their final moments hit him.
Celestia moved instantly, catching him just as she had that night—but this time, their hands met. The crystal lamps blazed with sudden brilliance as their powers resonated, holy light singing with the recognition of souls reunited across lives.
"I tried to reach you," Adrian choked out, Alex's memories now fully present in his voice. "In the car, at the end, I tried—"
"You did reach me," Celestia assured him, her voice carrying echoes of both lives. "You were protecting me until the very end, just like always." The crystal lamps cast gentle light over them both, highlighting how their silver-blonde hair—so different from their modern coloring—matched perfectly.
"The board meetings," he continued, memories flowing faster now. "The financial projections I'd prepare while you handled the board. Basketball strategies. The Crawford Special on Sundays. And now..." His eyes focused sharply on her, temple knight training merging with financial insight. "You've been helping Theodore, haven't you? Like how I always helped you restructure our subsidiary companies."
The crystal formations pulsed with shared memory as siblings stood together, two lives' worth of understanding passing between them. Clara and James had withdrawn discreetly, understanding the sanctity of this moment.
"The vessel and knight reunite," came the creatures' distant warning, their shadows pressing against windows like unwanted witnesses. "Memory defies shadow's decree."
But for once, Celestia paid the shadows no attention. "I missed you, little brother," she said softly, using the same tone that had once echoed through Crawford Enterprise's top floor.
"Same age in this life," Adrian corrected himself with a small laugh, so reminiscent of Alex's boardroom humor. "Though I suppose being a temple knight balances out your hidden saintess status."
The crystal lamps seemed to brighten at this flash of their old dynamic. Celestia guided him to seats arranged exactly as their Manhattan office had been, where morning light would fall just so across the polished surface.
"The evacuation protocols," he said suddenly, understanding dawning in his eyes. "You've been adapting our corporate strategies this whole time. The Rising Phoenix's layout—it's Crawford Enterprise's executive floor." His gaze swept the room with new awareness. "Even these crystal formations... they mirror our old security system."
"Yes," Celestia confirmed, watching recognition bloom across her brother's face. "Some patterns stay with us, even across lives. The crystal formations responded to my memories naturally, as if they understood what I was trying to recreate."
Adrian ran his fingers along the edge of the table, tracing patterns identical to how Alex had always tested new financial reports. The crystal lamps caught his expression—wonder mixed with growing certainty as two lives merged in understanding.
"The creatures," he said suddenly, temple knight training asserting itself. "They've been trying to prevent this, haven't they? All those attacks during our interactions, the way they chant about vessels and knights and memory..."
"The vessel and knight must not align," Celestia quoted their ominous warnings. "Memory serves shadow's purpose divided."
The crystal formations pulsed with protective light as shadows pressed more insistently against the windows, their darkness seeming to listen to siblings reunited.
"In this life, I'm a vessel for holy power," Celestia explained, her hands creating patterns that made the crystal lamps dance with responsive light. "And you're a knight who channels it. Together..."
"We're stronger," Adrian finished, his temple training merging with Alex's analytical mind. "Just like how Crawford Enterprise was strongest when we worked in tandem—you as CEO making the bold decisions, me as CFO making sure the numbers supported your vision. That's why they've been trying to keep us separated—or force a reunion that would break rather than strengthen."
The morning light caught their silver-blonde hair as they sat together, two lives' worth of understanding passing between them. Outside, temple bells began their call to morning prayers, but for once, duty seemed secondary to this moment of recognition.
"Uncle Charles," Adrian said suddenly, his voice hardening with remembered betrayal. "He arranged the accident, didn't he? After we discovered his embezzlement scheme in the quarterly reports."
"Yes," Celestia confirmed, Elizabeth's corporate memories perfectly clear on this point. "He couldn't risk us taking evidence to the board. But in this life..."
"We have a second chance," Adrian finished, temple knight determination merging with Alex's protective instincts. "And whatever these creatures are, whatever 'shadow king' they serve, they fear what we might accomplish together."
The crystal lamps brightened with their shared resolve, casting protective light that pushed back against the watching shadows. Clara's water magic rippled subtly at the edges of the room, maintaining privacy for this sacred reunion.
"Theodore," Adrian said suddenly, making connections with both lives' strategic thinking. "Your twin in this world. You've been helping him just like you guided our company."
"Yes," Celestia smiled, pleased at how quickly he grasped the parallels. "Different world, same patterns. Some things don't change across lives."
Adrian's expression shifted to the focused determination that had made Alex Crawford such a formidable CFO. "These creatures, this 'shadow king'—they're planning something bigger than just keeping us apart, aren't they?"
"The vessel's choice approaches," Celestia quoted their ominous chant. "Memory serves shadow or light, never both."
The crystal formations pulsed with shared understanding as siblings sat together, Manhattan strategies merging with temple training to form something new—something that transcended both lives.
"Well," Adrian said, his smile pure Alex despite the temple knight uniform, "they clearly don't remember what happened to the last people who tried to come between Crawford siblings."
The morning light caught their matching expressions—determination tempered by two lives' worth of hard-won wisdom. Outside, temple bells completed their call to prayer, but some reunions were worth being late for.
After all, some bonds transcended not just death, but entire worlds.
And now, finally, they would face whatever came next together.