THE STRANGER

The flower shop was abnormally quiet the following morning. Aiya worked quietly, her hands carefully arranging flowers into exquisite bouquets. But her thoughts were elsewhere, swirling around the man in the inn. His visage stuck in her mind—dark eyes, sharp features, and a subtle but unsettling sense of familiarity.

The bell above the door chimed, pulling her back to reality. She turned to see her grandmother entering, carrying a basket of herbs.

"Are you all right, child?" her grandmother asked, her voice soft yet probing.

Aiya forced a smile. "I'm fine, just tired."

Her grandmother studied her for a moment, then nodded, though the lines of worry on her face deepened

That night, Aiya tossed and turned in her bed. Sleep came reluctantly, and when it did, it brought a dream—a strange, vivid dream that left her breathless.

She stood in a vast, moonlit field. The air was thick with the scent of wildflowers and something else—something ancient and powerful. In the distance, a figure appeared, shrouded in shadows.

"Aiya," the figure called, the voice deep and resonant. It sent a shiver through her, not from fear, but from recognition.

She took a step forward, her heart pounding. "Who are you?"

But before the figure could answer, the dream shifted. She was surrounded by flames, the heat searing her skin. Voices whispered in her ears, unintelligible yet haunting.

And then she woke, gasping for air, her hands clutching the sheets.

The following afternoon, unable to ignore any longer, Aiya found herself at the inn. She hesitated outside Hemer's room, her hand hovering over the door handle. Taking a deep breath, she knocked.

"Come in," his voice called, smooth and calm.

She stepped inside, her heart pounding in her chest. Hemer was sitting by the window, the sunlight casting a golden glow over his dark hair. He looked up as she entered, his expression unreadable.

"You're back," he said simply.

"I… wanted to check on you," she replied, her voice softer than she intended.

He gestured for her to sit, and she hesitated before taking a chair across from him. His presence was unnerving, not because it was threatening, but because it felt… familiar.

"You seem restless," he observed, his dark eyes studying her intently.

Aiya hesitated, then nodded.

Hemer's gaze flickered, but he said nothing.

"What brings you to Seaside Village?" she asked, desperate to fill the silence.

His lips curved into a faint, almost wistful smile. "I'm not sure. I was… drawn here."

"Drawn?"

He leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. "Sometimes, we find ourselves in places we don't fully understand, guided by something beyond our control."

His words sent a chill down her spine, echoing the feelings she couldn't quite articulate.

"You seem familiar to me," she admitted, the words slipping out before she could stop them.

Hemer's eyes darkened slightly, and for a moment, he looked as though he might say something. But then he shook his head. "Perhaps we crossed paths in another life."

Aiya laughed nervously. "Do you believe in that sort of thing?"

"I've lived long enough to know that belief is irrelevant," he said cryptically.

She frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he said, his voice lowering, "that some truths exist whether we believe in them or not.

Hemer watched her closely, his heart a storm of emotions. He had recognized her the moment he saw her. Aiya—the woman who had appeared to him during his cultivation period, over two centuries ago.

To see her now, alive and tangible, shook him to his core. Yet he refused to let himself believe it.

It couldn't be her.

And even if it was, what did it mean for her to exist in this realm, so far removed from the world he had known?

As they talked, Aiya couldn't shake the feeling that Hemer was holding something back. His words were careful, measured, as though he was treading a line between truth and omission.

But she didn't press him. Her own thoughts were a tangled mess, and the strange pull she felt toward him only added to her confusion.

When she left the inn, the weight in her chest had only grown heavier.

And Hemer, alone in his room, stared out the window, his mind filled with questions.

If Aiya was truly the woman from his visions, then her existence here was no accident