Chapter 77 Real or not

Chapter 77 Real or not

ELARA

I woke up screaming.

My body jerked upright so suddenly that my head spun.

For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to catch my breath. Sweat covered my forehead, and my hands were shaking beneath the sheets.

The dream.

It had felt too real.

I could still see the flames.

Still hear the screams.

Still feel the fear crawling through my body as I ran.

I looked around my room, desperately trying to convince myself that I was awake.

The familiar curtains.

The large bed.

The dim light coming from the bedside lamp.

Everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.

But something felt wrong.

I turned my head.

And nearly screamed again.

Kael was standing beside my bed.

He was so close that I could see the concern written all over his face.

"What happened?"

His voice was low, but there was something different about it.

Worry.

Real worry.

I stared at him, my heart still pounding.

"What are you doing here?"

His eyebrows pulled together.

"You were screaming."

I swallowed.

"I was?"

"Yes."

He took a step closer.

"I heard you from the other room."

I looked away from him, trying to calm myself.

Of course he had heard me.

The entire house probably had.

"I had a nightmare."

Kael was silent for a moment.

Then he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What kind of nightmare?"

I hesitated.

I didn't know why.

Maybe because saying it out loud would make it feel real.

Maybe because I wasn't even sure how to explain what I had seen.

"I was in a forest."

Kael waited.

"There was fire everywhere."

My voice came out quieter than I expected.

"I was running."

"From what?"

"I don't know."

I shook my head.

"There were people chasing me."

"People?"

"And wolves."

Kael's expression changed.

It was quick.

So quick that I almost missed it.

His jaw tightened.

"Wolves?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

I pulled the blanket closer around myself.

"They were everywhere. I could hear them behind me. I kept running, but they were getting closer."

I closed my eyes.

The memory flashed through my mind again.

The trees.

The smoke.

The howling.

The feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

"And there were people too," I continued. "People I knew."

"People you knew?"

"Yes."

I opened my eyes.

"But I couldn't see their faces."

Kael frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I knew them."

I rubbed my arms.

"I don't know how to explain it. In the dream, I knew exactly who they were. I knew their voices. I knew that they were people I had met before."

I paused.

"But when I looked at their faces, I couldn't recognize any of them."

Kael didn't say anything.

"They were chasing me," I whispered.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

My voice broke slightly.

"I think they wanted to kill me."

Something flickered in Kael's eyes.

He leaned forward.

"Did they catch you?"

"No."

I shook my head.

"Almost."

My fingers tightened around the blanket.

"I fell."

Kael's eyes remained fixed on me.

"I couldn't get up. They were coming closer, and I knew I was going to die."

I swallowed hard.

"I was so scared."

For some reason, admitting that made my eyes sting.

I had never felt fear like that.

Not even in real life.

It had been different from an ordinary nightmare.

It had felt like I had actually been there.

Like my life had depended on getting away.

"And then she appeared."

Kael's expression changed.

"Who?"

"The girl."

"What girl?"

I looked at him.

"The white-haired girl."

He stared at me.

I could tell he was waiting for me to explain.

"She just appeared."

I shook my head slowly.

"One second, I was alone. The next, she was standing in front of me."

"What did she look like?"

"I don't know."

I frowned.

"She had really long white hair."

"White?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

I tried to remember.

The girl's face had been strangely clear in the dream, yet now that I was awake, pieces of her seemed to be slipping away.

"She was young."

"How young?"

"About my age. Maybe a little older."

"Did you know her?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Did she say anything?"

I paused.

"Yes."

"What did she say?"

I looked down at my hands.

"She told me not to be afraid."

Kael's expression remained unreadable.

"And then?"

"She stood in front of me."

I could still see her.

The way she had stood there so calmly while everyone else was trying to kill me.

"She wasn't scared."

I whispered the words.

"Everyone was coming toward us, but she wasn't afraid at all."

"What happened next?"

"I don't know."

Kael's eyebrows drew together.

"You don't know?"

"I woke up."

He was silent.

I looked at him.

"She saved me."

"How?"

"I don't know."

I shook my head.

"She just appeared and somehow I knew she was going to save me."

Kael looked away.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.

I watched him carefully.

Something about his reaction was bothering me.

"You know something."

His eyes returned to mine.

"What?"

"You reacted when I mentioned the wolves."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't."

"You did."

I narrowed my eyes.

Kael sighed.

"Elara, it was a dream."

"I know."

"Dreams don't always make sense."

"I know that too."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're acting strange."

He stared at me for a moment.

Then he reached out and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.

The unexpected tenderness made me freeze.

"You were frightened," he said quietly.

I didn't answer.

His fingers lingered near my temple before he pulled his hand away.

"That's all that matters right now."

I looked at him.

"Why?"

"Because whatever you saw, it was only a dream."

I wasn't convinced.

"It didn't feel like one."

Kael's eyes darkened slightly.

"Sometimes dreams feel real."

"No."

I shook my head.

"This was different."

He didn't respond.

"I could feel everything," I continued. "The heat from the fire. The ground beneath my feet. The smoke. My heart beating."

I touched my chest.

"It felt like I was actually there."

Kael remained quiet.

"And the girl..."

I frowned.

"There's something about her."

"What?"

"I don't know."

I closed my eyes, trying to remember her face.

"She felt familiar."

Kael's body stiffened.

I opened my eyes.

"Did you know her?"

"No."

His answer came too quickly.

I stared at him.

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

"You didn't even think about it."

"Because there's nothing to think about."

I studied his face.

Kael was good at hiding things.

Very good.

But I was beginning to notice the little things.

The slight tightening of his jaw.

The way his eyes moved away from mine.

The silence that came whenever I mentioned something he didn't want to discuss.

"Kael."

He looked at me.

"Who was she?"

"I don't know."

"You don't believe me."

"I believe you."

"Then why do you look worried?"

His expression softened.

"I'm worried because you woke up terrified."

I stared at him.

He seemed sincere.

Maybe I was imagining things.

Maybe it really was just a nightmare.

Still, something inside me refused to accept that.

I pulled my knees toward my chest.

"She had the strangest eyes."

Kael's gaze sharpened.

"What color?"

I blinked.

"I don't remember."

That wasn't entirely true.

I remembered them.

But somehow, I couldn't describe them.

It was as though my mind wouldn't let me.

"I just remember looking at her and feeling safe."

Kael didn't say anything.

"And when she looked at me..."

I paused.

"It felt like she knew me."

A strange silence settled over the room.

I glanced at him.

"Do you think dreams can mean something?"

Kael looked at me for a long moment.

"Sometimes."

"Then what do you think this one means?"

He didn't answer.

"Kael?"

"I think you should forget about it."

I frowned.

"Forget it?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"It was a nightmare."

"But—"

"You were scared. Your mind created something frightening and then gave you someone to save you."

I stared at him.

"That's your explanation?"

"It's the simplest one."

I wasn't satisfied.

But before I could argue, Kael stood.

"I'll get you some water."

He turned toward the door.

"Kael."

He stopped.

I looked at his back.

"Will you stay?"

He slowly turned around.

I suddenly felt embarrassed.

"I mean..."

I looked down.

"I'm still a little scared."

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he walked back toward me.

"Of course."

He sat beside me again.

I didn't know why those two words made me feel better.

Maybe because I didn't want to be alone.

Maybe because, despite everything that had happened between us, Kael's presence made me feel safe.

I leaned back against the headboard.

He stayed beside me without saying anything.

The room was quiet.

But my mind wasn't.

I could still see the forest.

The flames.

The wolves.

The faceless people.

And her.

The mysterious girl with long white hair.

I didn't know who she was.

I didn't know why she had appeared in my dream.

And I didn't know why, despite being surrounded by people trying to hurt me, she had been the only person who didn't frighten me.

She had looked at me like she had been waiting for me.

Like she had known I would come.

Like she had been looking for me for a very long time.

I shivered.

Kael noticed.

"You're cold?"

"No."

I pulled the blanket tighter around myself.

"I'm just thinking."

"About the dream?"

I nodded.

"I can't shake the feeling that I've seen her before."

Kael's eyes stayed on me.

"You haven't."

The certainty in his voice made me look at him.

"How do you know?"

He hesitated.

"I just do."

I studied him.

There was something he wasn't telling me.

I was sure of it.

But before I could question him again, he reached for my hand.

His fingers wrapped gently around mine.

"Try to sleep."

I looked at our joined hands.

Then at him.

"What if I dream about her again?"

Kael's grip tightened slightly.

"Then wake me."

I smiled faintly.

"Even if it's in the middle of the night?"

"Especially then."

I nodded.

"Okay."

I lay back down, but I didn't let go of his hand.

Kael didn't let go either.

And as I slowly closed my eyes, one thought remained in my mind.

The white-haired girl.

Who was she?

And why did I have the feeling that my nightmare wasn't really a nightmare at all?If you want, I can also make the next scene more mysterious, where Kael secretly knows exactly who the white-haired girl is but refuses to tell Elara.

TBC