The morning sunlight streamed through Elara’s apartment window, its warmth a sharp contrast to the cold dread that still clung to her from the night before. She hadn’t slept after waking from the dream. Every word, every image, played on a loop in her mind, demanding her attention.


    Her journal lay open on the table, its pages filled with frantic handwriting. She’d written everything she could remember, but it still felt like she was grasping at shadows.


    Her phone buzzed on the counter, breaking the silence. She glanced at the screen and saw Rina’s name flashing. For a moment, she debated ignoring it, but the thought of Rina showing up unannounced pushed her to answer.


    “Hey,” Elara said, trying to sound normal.


    “Finally!” Rina’s voice crackled through the line, bright and impatient. “I’ve been trying to reach you all morning. Are you okay? You didn’t answer my texts.”


    Elara hesitated. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… rough night.”


    Rina sighed, her tone softening. “Let me guess. More weird dreams?”


    Elara blinked. “How did you”


    “You’ve been off lately, El,” Rina said. “I know you don’t like to talk about it, but I can tell. Something’s going on, and I’m starting to worry about you.”


    Elara swallowed hard, the words catching in her throat. She wanted to tell Rina everything—the dreams, Kael, the impossible memories—but where would she even start?


    “It’s nothing,” Elara said finally, forcing a smile she knew Rina couldn’t see. “Just stress, I think.”


    “Uh-huh,” Rina said, clearly unconvinced. “Well, stress or not, you need to get out of that apartment. Meet me at the park in an hour. No excuses.”


    “Rina, I don’t think”


    “An hour,” Rina interrupted firmly. “Or I’m coming to drag you out myself.”This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Before Elara could protest, the line went dead.


    The park was alive with the sounds of laughter and rustling leaves, the crisp autumn air carrying the faint scent of earth and pine. Elara pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she scanned the crowd for Rina.


    She found her near the fountain, sitting cross-legged on a bench with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. Rina waved her over, her smile warm and familiar.


    “See? Fresh air already looks good on you,” Rina teased as Elara approached.


    Elara rolled her eyes but sat down beside her. “You’re relentless, you know that?”


    “It’s part of my charm,” Rina said with a wink. She handed Elara a second cup of coffee. “Here. Thought you could use this.”


    Elara took the cup, the warmth seeping into her hands. “Thanks.”


    For a while, they sat in companionable silence, watching the world move around them. Families strolled by, children chased each other through the grass, and the distant sound of a street performer’s violin added a melancholic note to the scene.


    “So,” Rina said eventually, her tone casual but her eyes sharp. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on?”


    Elara froze, her fingers tightening around the coffee cup. “I told you, it’s nothing.”


    “Liar,” Rina said lightly, though there was no malice in her voice. “Come on, El. You’ve been my best friend since forever. I know when you’re hiding something.”


    Elara looked down at the ground, her thoughts racing. She wanted to open up, but the weight of what she was carrying felt too heavy to share.


    “It’s complicated,” she said finally.


    “Good thing I’m great at untangling complicated,” Rina said with a grin.


    Elara couldn’t help but laugh, the sound surprising even herself. Rina always had a way of making things feel lighter, even when they weren’t.


    “It’s… these dreams,” Elara admitted, her voice hesitant. “They’ve been getting stronger. More vivid. And there’s this guy…”


    Rina raised an eyebrow. “A guy?”


    “It’s not like that,” Elara said quickly, though her cheeks flushed. “I don’t even know him, not really. But he keeps showing up—in the dreams, in real life. And every time, it feels like I’ve known him forever.”


    Rina’s playful expression softened into something more serious. “That’s… intense.”


    “You have no idea,” Elara murmured.


    Rina studied her for a moment, then reached out to squeeze her hand. “Hey. Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out, okay? You’re not alone in this.”


    Elara’s throat tightened, emotion threatening to spill over. She nodded, unable to speak, and squeezed Rina’s hand back.


    Later that evening, Elara sat at her desk, her journal open before her. She stared at the words she’d written earlier, her mind spinning with questions.


    What mistake did we make? What price are we still paying?


    The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She picked up her pen and began to write again, hoping that putting the pieces together on paper would somehow make the picture clearer.


    The sound of footsteps behind her made her freeze. She turned, her heart pounding, but the room was empty.


    “Elara.”


    The voice was soft, barely a whisper, but unmistakable.


    She stood slowly, her eyes scanning the room. “Kael?”


    The air around her seemed to shift, the shadows deepening. She felt a pull, as if the room itself was bending toward something unseen.


    “Elara, you need to be careful.”


    His voice was closer now, urgent and filled with a warning she didn’t understand.


    “Careful of what?” she asked, her voice trembling.


    “They’re watching you,” Kael said, his figure flickering into view for the briefest moment before disappearing again. “They know you’re starting to remember.”


    The shadows pressed in closer, the room growing colder. Elara’s breath came in shallow bursts as fear gripped her.


    “Who’s watching me?” she demanded.


    But the answer didn’t come.


    Instead, the shadows seemed to retreat, leaving her alone once more.


    Elara sank into her chair, her hands shaking. Whatever was happening, it was bigger than she’d realized.


    And she was running out of time to figure it out.