Elara gasped as her knees hit soft earth. But this wasn't the forest anymore.
Gone were the trees, the crumbling ruins, the cool breeze. In their place was an endless twilight field, bathed in pale blue light. Ethereal flowers glowed faintly beneath her palms, and the sky overhead shimmered like glass—fragile and fractured, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
She stood slowly, eyes wide, heart pounding.
"Where... am I?" she whispered.
The pendant around her neck had cooled but still pulsed with a quiet rhythm, like a heartbeat. She clutched it, as if it were the only thing tethering her to reality.
"Elara."
That voice again.
She spun around.
There, at the edge of the glowing field, stood a figure. Tall. Still. Shrouded in shadows, yet unmistakably familiar. As he stepped closer, the light touched his face—and her breath caught.
Silver eyes.
The same ones that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember. But this time, they weren't distant or blurred by sleep. They were sharp, piercing, filled with something that sent chills down her spine.
Recognition.
Longing.
And pain.
"You..." she breathed.
His gaze softened. "You remember me."
Elara shook her head, even though part of her wanted to say yes. "I don't—I mean, I know you, but I don't know how. Who are you?"
The wind rustled the grass, whispering things she couldn't understand.
He took a slow step forward. "I am Kael. Guardian of the Threshold. Once bound to protect the veil between life and death." He paused, voice quiet. "And once... yours."
A silence stretched between them, heavy and charged.
"I don't understand," she said. "I've never met you. Not really. Just in dreams. Since I was a child."
Kael's eyes darkened. "Not dreams. Memories. Echoes from your past life. You found me once before... and your kiss saved me from the darkness."
Elara's heart stuttered. "That's not possible."
He lifted a hand but didn't touch her. "You died protecting me. And I was cursed—trapped between realms. I waited centuries, Elara. Until your soul returned. Until now."
She stumbled back, eyes wide with disbelief. "No. That can't be. I'm just a girl—I work at a bookstore, I've never saved anyone!"
Kael's expression was filled with quiet sorrow. "You don't remember yet. But you will. The curse is weakening. That's why you were able to reach me."
Elara's knees gave out, and she dropped into the soft grass, her thoughts spinning. This had to be a hallucination. A dream. Some kind of elaborate fantasy.
But then he knelt beside her, gently brushing her hair behind her ear. His fingers were cold, but his touch was tender. Her skin tingled where he touched it.
"You once told me," Kael said softly, "that no matter how many lives we live, no matter how far time scatters us, you would find me. And kiss me again. And free me."
Elara looked up at him, trembling. "And if I don't remember?"
His lips curled into a sad smile. "Then I will make you fall in love with me all over again."