ELIANA
I was unable to fall asleep.
It wasn't the sound — the house was quiet aside from the steady ticking of the clock near my window — it was the feeling. It surged through my veins as if I had ingested electricity.
Each time I shut my eyes, I saw him.
Not explicitly. Only pieces. A shadowy figure. A mouth I didn't expect to know yet somehow did. A voice that wasn't audible but rather an emotion — deep, silky, menacing.
You are awake, my queen.
That murmur once more.
I propped myself up, placing a hand on my chest. My heart was pounding, uneasy.
"This is crazy," I whispered. "I'm talking to illusions now."
The moonbeams glided through the drapes, gentle and glowing. My room appeared unchanged, but it felt different. The air had a denser scent, resembling rain and something else — a trace of smoke, musk, and a sweetness that caused my stomach to churn.
I got up and approached the window. The city sparkled far beneath, serene, unconcerned.
And afterwards—
A burst of light.
I staggered backward, breath stipping.
It was not a glimpse of the current time. It was distinct — a different memory that belonged to someone else and yet felt like my own.
I observed myself — or someone looking like me closely — positioned in a dim forest, her hair untamed, her eyes shimmering faint gold. Her palm rested on the torso of a man whose features I couldn't recognize.
"You gave your word," she murmured.
"I always keep my promises," replied the man's voice — deep, gritty, recognizable.
Then shoot. The echo of her scream. My yell.
I inhaled sharply and grasped the window sill, trembling.
"What— what was that about?"
The door flew open. "Eliana?"
It was my mother, half-awake in her bathrobe. "Sweetheart, what happened?" I heard you shout.
I attempted to calm my breath. "It's not a big deal." Just—a dream."
She moved nearer, worrying furrowing her forehead. "You've felt uneasy throughout the night." "Are you certain you're not coming down with something?"
"No, I'm okay," I replied swiftly, putting on a grin. "Go back to sleep, Mom." "Kindly."
She paused, then exhaled. "Okay." Just promise me you will take a break. "You have experienced a great deal."
"I will," I fibbed.
As she departed, I lowered myself to the ground, embracing my knees. My thoughts raced with glimpses — scenes that weren't mine yet felt etched into my very being.
A fortress engulfed in fire. A ring of luminous silver. A man with deep-set eyes murmuring something near my neck — phrases I couldn't comprehend, just the lingering warmth they left.
Then his voice once more, more distinct this time.
Find me.
I cupped my hands over my ears. "Who might you be?"
Silence....
Then an unusual warmth enveloped me — neither pain, nor fear. Something more profound. It sank deep in my belly, radiating like warmth through my bloodstream.
I stood up suddenly, attempting to brush it off. "No. I will not be doing this. "You aren't genuine."
Yet as I gazed into the mirror, my reflection seemed unconvinced. My cheeks were rosy. My eyes are wide.
I placed my hand on my throat, partly anticipating to sense a hand resting there. Nothing. Only skin.
Yet, I could nearly sense his breath — that unimaginable stranger from my dreams — whispering against my ear.
"Perhaps I ought to consult a doctor," I whispered the following morning while combing my hair.
Only I didn't appear ill. I appeared… luminous. As if sunlight had gently touched my lips.
The household staff continuously stole looks at me as I walked by. Even my dad stopped at the breakfast table, arching an eyebrow.
"You appear changed today," he remarked. "Radiant."
My mother gave a slight smile. "She certainly looks better. Eliminating that fiancé was the ultimate skincare remedy she could have hoped for apparently."
I chuckled quietly while drinking my coffee. "Perhaps."
However, the reality was that it wasn't relief affecting me. It was something different. Every noise appeared more distinct — the crackle of bacon, the gentle hum of the fridge, the pulse of the maid who served juice next to me.
It was both frightening and thrilling.
I was startled when my phone vibrated.
Joseph.
I fixed my gaze on the name, bile bubbling up in my throat. I flicked to decline the call.
My mom scowled. "Still no word from him?"
"It's not important," I said casually. "He belongs to the past now."
"Excellent." My dad folded his newspaper. "You are worthy of more."
"I plan to find something better" I whispered.
Yet as I spoke the words, a vision appeared — not of Joseph, but of a figure with onyx eyes and a grin that seemed both gentle and deadly.
My skin tingled.
That evening, I attempted once more to rest.
The full moon cast a silver glow over everything. I reclined in bed, gazing at the ceiling, tallying my breaths.
I floated — part dream, part reality — and the murmurs returned once more.
Do you remember me, Eliana?
I was in yet another dream, he was present this time. Positioned at the brink of a boundless, infinite lake, the surface mirroring the stars. His back faced me. His hair was deep in color, reaching down to his shoulders.
"Who are you?" I inquired.
He rotated gradually.
And my breath stopped.
He was… stunning. Not in a manner characteristic of humans. His features were chiseled, defined, his eyes shimmering softly like liquid gold. His presence was captivating, weighty, as if the world subtly shifted in his direction.
"I'm the one you cared for previously," he said gently. "Prior to this existence." "Before you died and forgot me."
My lips opened. "That is not possible."
He moved nearer, the earth shaking beneath him. "Is it not?"
The atmosphere surrounding us glimmered. My heartbeat faltered. "Why do you seem so familiar to me?"
His hand rose, halting just short of my cheek. " Your soul remembers me, even if your mind does not."
I ought to have taken a step back. I did not.
As his fingers grazed my skin, everything ignited — the world, my veins, my breath. I sensed that I was both plummeting and soaring simultaneously.
Pictures overwhelmed me — him next to me in a room of reflections, his lips forming words on my collarbone, laughter that wasn't mine yet resonated as if it were.
"Stop," I murmured. "Please, stop."
He smiled with sorrow. "You requested my presence."
"I did not."
"You did so when your soul came back to this body." You summoned me. "You consistently do."
I nodded my head in refusal. "Absolutely not—"
He stepped nearer, so that I could sense the warmth coming from him. His voice lowered, gentle as a whisper. "You believe this is your first death, young queen?"
"What are you trying to say?"
He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "You've experienced countless lives, and every time, you never remember me but finally your soul is here."
"Who is it that you are?"
He smiled gently. "Your downfall." Your mate.
The term resonated within me, weighty and timeless. "Mate?"
He leaned in, so near I could sense the warmth of his breath by my lips. "You belonged to me long before he ever laid a finger on you."
My heartbeat roared. The edges of the world faded into a blur.
After that, everything became white.
I awoke with a start, soaked in perspiration.
The sheets were wrapped around me. My body shook, breathing faint. My skin continued to tingle in the places he had touched — or in the places I imagined he had touched as I wrapped my arms around myself, yet deep inside, I understood it wasn't.
It seemed too genuine — his aroma, the timbre of his voice, the way he uttered my name as if it were his own.
I shoved my face into the pillow and sighed. "I'm going crazy."
There was a knock on the door.
"Eliana?" It was the maid, kind. "Are you up?" "Your mom mentioned that breakfast will be delayed."
"Yeah I'm coming," I responded. "Thank you."
Once the footsteps disappeared, I propped myself up, running my fingers through my hair. The curls shimmered in the morning sunlight, gentle and wild.
I saw my image in the mirror once more. My lips were tinted. My skin continued to radiate. My eyes — they were more radiant, nearly excessively radiant.
"What is happening to me?"
Just the distant echo of that voice within my thoughts.
Find me.
I hugged myself tightly, gazing at the distant horizon.
The city beneath remained unchanged, but I had transformed.
And somewhere out there — in this realm or another — someone was anticipating my return.
Someone who was aware of me before I had any self-awareness of who I even am now.