A Step Toward the Past

Siren stood at the water's edge, the waves lapping at his feet. The night stretched endlessly before him, the city lights flickering in the distance. She was there. Aaria. Breathing, living, unaware of the past that bound them together.

A part of him wanted to storm into her life, to force her to remember, to shake her until she realized who she was—who she had once been to him. But that would be reckless. If she wasn't ready, he could lose her all over again.

Siren inhaled deeply, steadying himself. He had waited six hundred years. He would not let desperation ruin this moment.

The night was quiet, but his mind was restless. He needed to see her, to confirm that she was real—not just a cruel illusion woven by fate.

He stepped forward, the saltwater slipping off his skin as he let his form shift. His body changed effortlessly, seamlessly. He had done this countless times before, but tonight, it felt different. More deliberate. More dangerous.

Moments later, a man walked out of the waves.

Dressed in the clothes he had gathered from the modern world long ago, Siren made his way toward the city. The streets were alive with movement, glowing with artificial lights that flickered against the dark sky.

And then he saw her.

Aaria.

She was walking down the quiet street, her eyes lost in thought, her steps unhurried. The sight of her made something deep inside him ache—an ache that had never truly left.

She was so close. So painfully close.

His breath stilled as he followed her movements, his mind warring between approaching her and holding back. If he spoke now, would she recognize something in him? Would her soul stir at the sound of his voice?

Or would she look at him as nothing more than a stranger?

Siren clenched his fists. He had to know.

Taking a step forward, he closed the distance between them. Then, in a voice that was both steady and laced with centuries of longing, he finally spoke.

"Aaria."

She froze.

The air between them was heavy, charged with something ancient, unspoken. Slowly, she turned, her eyes meeting his.

Siren held his breath.

Would she remember? Would her heart recognize what her mind had forgotten?

For a brief moment, the world stood still.

And then, she blinked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Do I know you?"

Siren's chest tightened.

No recognition. No familiarity. Nothing.

But he refused to be shaken.

He had found her again. That alone was enough.

Now, it was only a matter of time before she found him too.