It all started with a dream.
In that dream, I found myself in a foreign land, chasing after someone I had never met. I didn't know his name, his face, or even why I needed to find him but something deep inside me pushed me forward, as if my very soul recognized him.
And when I finally saw him, everything stopped. For a moment there my heart stopped, as it went deep into his eyes.Then he ran. He ran so fast the world blurred around us. I didn't think, I just followed. Somehow, I caught up on him. He was hiding behind a cluster of thorny bushes, breathing heavily, hyperventilation I may say, while his white shirt was torn and stained with blood.His blood.
"How did you even find me?" he gasped, voice low and rough. "How do you know I'm here?"
"Isn't it obvious?" I said, trying to catch my breath. "My intuition led me to you."
He frowned, wary. "Intuition, huh? You're strange."
"Erina, at your service" I introduced myself, knowing knowing full well this stranger was still cautious of her. "And you're bleeding, Damian."
He stiffened. "You, how do you know my name?"
I hesitated. "I... just do."
For a moment there, silence struck between us. I couldn't stand seeing him in pain.
"Where do you live?" I asked quietly.
He looked away, shrugged, arms crossed. "Why would I tell you that?" he said in a harsh tone.
"Well," I said, crossing my arms, "I was going to stop by a nearby shop to get some medicine. But if you'd rather I treat you here, bleeding under the flaming sun, I'm fine with that too."
Damian let out a faint laugh, full of disbelief, half painful, half amused. "You're unbelievably insane."
"And yet," I replied softly, "you didn't run this time."
That's how it began our first meeting.
A dream that felt too vivid, too alive.
A bond that should never have existed.
And somehow, I knew... that was only the beginning.