Bella had never been one to remember her dreams, but this one felt different. It was vivid, almost too real, as if she had been there in the dream, standing in a place she couldn’t recognize. The air was thick, heavy with the scent of something old and forgotten. She felt a presence—strong and commanding, yet gentle—hovering just beyond her reach.
And then she saw her.
A woman with long silver hair, flowing like silk in the wind. Her eyes were a piercing shade of blue, almost glowing with a kind of ethereal light. She stood in the shadows, her face a mixture of serenity and sorrow.
“Bella…” The woman’s voice was soft, almost melodic, but it resonated deep within Bella’s chest. The sound of her name being whispered by someone who seemed to know her so intimately sent shivers down her spine.
“Find Lira…” the woman said, her voice carrying an urgent, almost desperate tone.
Bella tried to speak, to ask who she was, but her mouth wouldn’t work. The words caught in her throat, and she felt herself being pulled toward the woman, drawn to her presence, her words.
“Find Lira,” the woman repeated, a final time, before fading away like mist in the wind.
Bella’s eyes snapped open, her breath coming in rapid, shallow gasps. The dream had felt so real, too real. She was still in her bed, the early morning light filtering through the windows, casting a soft glow over the room. But the feeling of the woman’s presence lingered, heavy and unsettling.
Bella sat up, her hands trembling as she wiped the sweat from her brow. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her mind racing with questions. Who was the woman? What did she mean by “find Lira”?
The name echoed in her mind, filling the empty space with a sense of urgency she couldn’t explain. Who was Lira? And why did the woman seem so insistent?
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, standing up shakily. Her body felt disoriented, as though she had just woken up from a deep sleep, but something more unsettling hung in the air. The dream had shaken her to her core, and now she felt an unshakable sense of unease, like something was coming.
Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the door.
Bella froze, her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected anyone, not so early. She hadn’t been expecting anything today—certainly not what she had just experienced in the dream.
The door creaked open slowly, and Bella’s heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was. Kael.
He stood there in the doorway, his figure tall and imposing, but there was something different in his expression today—something far less certain, more troubled. His usual confident demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
“Kael?” Bella said, her voice hoarse from the panic that still gripped her. “What’s wrong?”
Kael didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he stepped into the room, his eyes scanning her face with an intensity that made Bella’s stomach flutter.
“You were having a nightmare,” Kael said, his voice low. “I heard you…”
Bella blinked in confusion, her heart still racing. “How did you know?”
He hesitated for a moment before meeting her gaze. “I heard you whispering in your sleep… your name.”
Bella’s breath caught in her throat. Could he have heard her in the dream, too? Had he been standing outside her door, listening? The thought sent a jolt of discomfort through her chest.
“I—” Bella started, but her words trailed off as she realized just how strange everything felt. How strange he felt.
Kael wasn’t the same as he had been before. There was a vulnerability about him now, something raw that he had never shown before. But why now? Why today?
“You’ve been restless lately,” Kael continued, his tone softer now. “Something’s going on, and I don’t think you’re telling me everything.”
Bella swallowed hard, trying to focus, trying to make sense of the dream. She didn’t know what to say. The woman with silver hair, the message about finding Lira—it all felt so overwhelming.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” she finally whispered, her voice barely audible. “I don’t understand it. I don’t understand any of it.”
Kael’s expression softened, though his concern remained. He took a step closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. You’re not alone in this.”
His words should have comforted her, but they didn’t. Instead, they left her feeling more uncertain. She had spent so long trying to push the strange feelings, the weird dreams, the growing tension, out of her mind. But now, it was all coming to the surface, and she didn’t know how to stop it.
“I… I had a dream,” she confessed, her voice trembling. “A woman… silver hair, blue eyes. She kept saying, ‘Find Lira.’ I don’t understand.”
Kael’s brows furrowed, his eyes searching her face for any clue that might explain what she was talking about. “Lira?” he asked, his voice low. “That name means something. I don’t know what yet, but I can feel it too. We need to get to the bottom of this.”
Bella’s pulse quickened at his words. It was as though he knew something—something that she didn’t. His usual guarded nature was gone, replaced by something that felt like… shared knowledge.
Before Bella could say anything more, Kael’s face hardened, as if a thought had crossed his mind. He hesitated, then spoke again, this time his voice thick with urgency.
“You’re not safe, Bella,” Kael said, his eyes darkening. “Not from Esmera. Not from anyone. You need to stay close.”
Bella felt a cold shiver run down her spine.