[Music recommendation: Yana Couto - Grey]

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Aliana subconsciously wrapped her own arms around him while trying to calm the panic rising within her. She had not even seen what had happened, but the moment she heard someone say accident, memories of her own deadly accident violently flashed through her mind.

In an instant, her body had been dragged back into that nightmare, trapping her in a fight-or-flight state she could not pull herself out of.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened against his clothes as her body trembled slightly.

But as she felt Gavriel’s arms firmly around her and his hand gently rubbing soothing circles along her back, the suffocating panic that had wrapped itself around her heart slowly began to loosen.

Little by little, her trembling body finally started to calm.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she repeated a frantic mantra in her head.

’It’s okay. We are okay. This isn’t that kind of accident again.’

She reassured herself repeatedly, clinging to him as if her very life depended on him.

Soon, the piercing wail of sirens cut through the air, followed by the harsh screech of tyres grinding to a halt. More chaotic voices erupted from the pavement. "Oh god! There are people trapped under the rubble!"

Aliana’s heart shuddered at the screams. Driven by sheer impulse, she forced her eyes open and turned her head to glimpse the devastation behind them, and her blood ran cold.

It had only been a brief glimpse.... just a second or two... but it was enough.

Something gigantic and heavy had collapsed, crushing half the street and sidewalk beneath its terrifying weight. Blood slowly seeped from underneath the wreckage while a bloodied hand protruded from within, lying there lifelessly.

Her pupils shrank, and she felt a tightness within her chest.

Before her mind could fully process the nightmare, a large, warm palm covered her eyes, blocking out the vision as Gavriel firmly guided her head back against his chest.

"Don’t look," he whispered close to her ear, his tone commanding yet protective.

She was too numb to realise that tears were spilling down her cheeks, or that Gavriel was already holding his phone to his ear, barking urgent orders to someone on the line. She barely registered the heavy footsteps of a first responder rushing toward them.

"Sir! Are you two okay? Are you injured? The medics are right here..."

The officer’s voice began to fade as a splitting headache roared to life, throbbing in full force behind her temples. Her vision blurred. With the last ounce of her fading strength, her trembling hand gripped the lapel of Gavriel’s coat.

"Gav... I..."

She tried to focus on him through the rapidly darkening shadows of her mind. His features were tightly knit, a rare look of pure tension crossing his face as he stared down at her.

The sensation of his hand cradling her cheek grew lighter, slipping away as if he were miles apart. The last sound she caught was his voice sharply calling her name before the darkness swallowed her whole.

.....

’It’s cold.’

That was the very first thought that drifted into her consciousness.

She stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering open only to be met with absolute darkness. Looking around the pitch-black abyss, she mumbled in confusion, "Where am I?"

Her brows furrowed as a sudden realisation hit her. "Wait. Have I been here before?"

She remembered this place.

She had been trapped in this exact same void before waking up from her month-long coma.

As the memory dawned on her, a familiar dread began to coil tightly in her chest, reminding her of the wailing woman she had encountered the last time she was here.

She stilled, straining her ears to catch any sound, but this time she picked up nothing but the hollow whistling of the wind.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and took a cautious step forward.

The moment she did, the darkness surrounding her dissolved like a veil of smoke, rapidly transforming into a thick, sprawling forest.

Her heart began to race as her eyes finally adjusted to the cool, soft light filtering down from above. Looking up, she saw a magnificent full moon shining in the dark sky, surrounded by more stars than she had ever seen in her entire life living in the city.

"Where am I?" she whispered to herself.

The wind picked up once more, carrying a heavy scent of roses that enveloped her senses.

Glancing down, she noticed she was now wearing a long black gown, and her brows knit in deep confusion.

Not knowing what to do or where to go, she began walking forward.

Her feet were bare, feeling the cool, damp texture of the grass beneath them. She lost track of how long she walked until she finally spotted a pristine river flowing calmly through the centre of the forest.

There was no one in sight, but the water seemed to call out to her soul.

"Is this the part where I’m supposed to accept that I’m finally going crazy?" she murmured under her breath, drawn toward the banks of the stream that continued to beckon her.

"Why does it feel like I’ve been here before?" she asked softly, keeping her gaze fixed on the gentle current.

The scent of roses grew even stronger, and her eyes inevitably drifted to her left, where a massive tree stood covered in red roses in full, magnificent bloom.

The sight stole the breath straight from her lungs.

It wasn’t just the sheer size of the tree that stunned her, but the fact that every single rose was glowing with a beautiful, ethereal light.

"What is this place? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a giant tree of roses. Is this even real?" Aliana spoke in utter awe.

As if responding to her words, the wind suddenly rose.

A soft gust became a stronger one, sweeping through the forest and rustling the glowing branches above her. Then, right before her eyes, thousands of crimson rose petals broke free from the tree.

For a moment, time itself seemed to slow.

The petals swirled around her like a crimson storm beneath the silver moonlight, dancing through the air before drifting past her face and brushing against her skin with featherlight touches.

Aliana stood frozen....completely spellbound.

Her wide eyes followed the petals as they spun around her before slowly descending towards the calm stream nearby. One by one, they touched the water’s surface, creating delicate ripples that spread beneath the moonlight.

Mesmerised by the sight, she drew closer to the water until she stood right at the very edge of the bank.

A beautiful smile touched her lips at the extraordinary phenomenon.

Unable to resist, she slowly bent forward and reached her hand out towards the crystal-clear water, wanting to feel it. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Just then, the wind stilled.

The falling rose petals were quickly washed away by the gentle flow of the stream, clearing the surface.

That was when Aliana’s eyes finally locked onto her own reflection in the water, and the serene expression on her face shattered into pure shock.

Her hair was jet-black, and her eyes were.... blood-red.

In her utter disbelief, her hand jerked downward, barely grazing the surface of the water. Without warning, a pale hand shot out from the depths, wrapping around her wrist in a vice-like grip before violently pulling her under.

"No!"

A scream tore from her lips as her body plunged into the freezing stream and....

Aliana’s eyes instantly flew open, the exact same scream tearing from her throat in real time.