"One whispered, and forever begin."
Sleep never came easily for Esther. His
thoughts always carried him somewhere
between hope and fear — just like tonight.
My body refused to move — frozen, as if
bound by invisible chains.
A haze blurred my vision, twisting light and
shadow together until I could no longer tell
what was real. My mouth felt heavy, my throat tight — words couldn't escape.
The air buzzed with a low hum. Colors bled
together across the sky, painting a world that
shouldn't exist — too dark to be dawn, too
bright to be night.
My heart beat. My lungs drew in the strange,
heavy air.
Then why couldn't my mind understand what was happening? Was this reality... or a dream?
Panic clawed at my thoughts. I tried to
reason, to find a way out, but my mind felt
hollow — an empty space where answers
should be. My heartbeat quickened, not from fear exactly, but from the weight of
powerlessness.
Everything will be alright.
The phrase whispered itself inside me, faint
but persistent. I clung to it as I took a deep
breath and forced my feet to move. Ahead
stretched a narrow path swallowed in
shadow — the only way forward.
Step by step, I walked into the darkness. My
footsteps echoed softly, too loud in the
silence. When I reached the start of the road,
I stopped. Something shimmered ahead.
A single streetlamp flickered in the distance.
Beneath it stood a bench — and a man.
I froze. My pulse quickened. Was this another illusion? The lamps glow cast his figure in gold and shadow, but his face remained hidden, blurred beyond recognition. He sat calmly, as if the weight of this unreal world didn't touch him at all.
I hesitated. Should I approach... or wait for this dream to end?
My mind whispered caution — but my heart whispered curiosity.
Before I realized it, I was walking toward him.
Each step grew lighter until I stood beside him.
He didn't look up, didn't move, as though my presence meant nothing. Yet I couldn't look away. His white hair glinted faintly in the lamplight, his form almost ethereal. But his face... it was still blurred, like fog over glass.
I sat down beside him. The air thickened with silence. His face, though shapeless, felt familiar. I couldn't see his eyes, yet I could feel them — warm, gentle, like meeting someone I had once lost.
Who was he? Why did it feel like I know him?
Our eyes — if he had any — met in quiet understanding. I wanted to ask:
Who are you? What is this place? Why am I here?
But every question chocked before reaching my tongue. Fear, or something stronger, held me still.
Then he spoke. His mouth moved, but no sounds reached me — only a rising, endless buzz. I strained to listen, to read his lips, but his words vanished into static.
And then something changed.
Behind him, light began to gather — thin, white strands spreading like fire.
Wings.
They unfolded slowly, impossibly wide, every feather gleaming like crystal snow. Some drifted loose, floating around us like glowing petals.
The sight stole my breath. His skin, pale as light, his hair like frost — he looked like something divine.
An angel?
My fingers twitched. I wanted to reach out, to feel the warmth of those wings — but I didn't. Instead, I just watched, entranced.
Before I could speak, the world blazed with sudden light.
It swallowed everything — the streets, the air, even the sound my heartbeat. I shielded my eyes, but through the glow, I saw him begin to fade.
"No... Wait!"
Then I felt it — his hand closing gentle around mine.
His touch was warm, softer than air, grounding me in a world that was no longer stable. My heart pounded faster, every beat echoing in my ears.
His fingers brushed through my hair — a gesture tender and full of sorrow.
I wanted to stay like this, in that fleeting peace.
Time itself seemed to hold it's breath.
And then, his voice finally broke through the noise — gentle, aching, and full of promise:
"𝒲𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝒶𝑔𝒶𝒾𝓃, 𝐸𝓈𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇."
Before I could respond, his light consumed everything.
The warmth vanished. The world went — silent.
And then — nothing.
💫 End of Chapter 1💫