Chapter 21: Echoes of the Forgotten

Elias staggered back, his breath caught in his throat. The woman before him was more than just a stranger—she was a memory, a fragment of a life he had lived and lost.

Lyra.

Her silver eyes held the weight of countless forgotten moments, and in that instant, Elias knew. He had known her before. He had loved her before.

"You remember, don't you?"

Her voice was soft, yet it sent tremors through his soul. Images flooded his mind—fleeting touches, whispered promises beneath a sky of endless stars, the bitter taste of parting.

Elias clenched his jaw.

"How is this possible?" His voice was hoarse. "You… You were gone. I—I lost you."

Lyra stepped forward, her expression unreadable.

"You never lost me," she whispered. "You only forgot."

The words cut through him, sharp as a blade. He wanted to deny it, to fight against the growing storm of realization. But the truth was there, waiting in the shadows of his mind.

He had lived this moment before.

Not once.

Not twice.

But countless times.

Each time, he had reached this point—standing before her, drowning in the weight of remembrance. And each time, something had torn them apart.

"Elias," Lyra's voice broke through his thoughts. "This time must be different."

A chill ran down his spine.

"Different?" His fingers trembled. "What do you mean?"

Lyra's gaze darkened, and for the first time, Elias saw it—the flicker of fear beneath the certainty in her eyes.

"The cycle is breaking."

The world around them shifted. The city trembled, its buildings bending like reflections in a rippling pond. The sky above bled into blackness, stars blinking in and out of existence.

Elias's heart pounded.

"What's happening?"

Lyra took his hands, her grip firm, grounding him.

"You have to wake up."

The words sent a shock through him.

"Wake up?" His voice cracked. "I—I am awake!"

Lyra shook her head.

"No. Not yet."

The world trembled again, and this time, Elias felt it—something pulling him away, as if unseen hands were dragging him back into the abyss.

"No!" He struggled, grasping at Lyra. "I can't leave you again!"

Tears glistened in her silver eyes.

"Find me."

The darkness swallowed him whole.

Elias gasped, his body jolting awake. He was no longer in the city, no longer in the dream.

He was lying in a dimly lit room, sweat clinging to his skin. His hands clenched the sheets beneath him, his breath ragged.

But in his chest, something new burned.

A name. A purpose.

Lyra.

And for the first time, Elias knew—

The dream was no longer just a dream.