***Sorry for the late post guys, I gotta a little... Sidetracked. Please accept my sincere apologies and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. Your support and comments are my motivation so don't hesitate. ***
Weeks rolled by for the two dreamers — both pushing forward, both changing in ways no child should.
Juliet's mom had fallen ill after the incident with Julie.
The doctors found nothing unusual. Test after test, and still nothing. In the end, they concluded it was extreme mental stress that led to the fever, prescribing rest and medication.
But she knew what she saw — what she felt.
That girl is a witch, she thought.
Yet no one believed her. Everyone dismissed it as fever-induced hallucinations.
With no one listening, she chose survival. She followed the instructions the little "witch" gave her — using the money she constantly liberated from her drunk husband as capital. She opened a shop. She spent some on luxury, but not too much. She couldn't risk catching the little devil's attention again.
Just remembering that emotional onslaught made her shudder. She made a mental note to avoid offending Julie, to keep interactions minimal.
Cowardly? Maybe. But she didn't care — not if it meant enjoying her newfound comfort without fear.
Julie watched from a distance as the woman she once called "mom" now avoided her like poison. It made sense. She wasn't her real mother anyway.
"I seriously can't believe this," Julie sighed. Hands folded, back against the wall. "Well, at least I somehow secured my return to the East."
Her brows tightened.
"What did I even do to her?" she whispered, staring at her hands. "Did I do anything? I know I can feel people's emotions but…"
She slid down the wall into a squat.
"At that moment, it felt like everything I ever felt just… left me. Like I poured it all out. Into something — or someone."
She blinked slowly.
"Well, on the bright side, the doctors didn't find anything weird, so I guess I'm okay for now."
She paused. The air thickened with quiet dread.
"But I'll have to be careful from now on. Otherwise, I might really hurt someone with this… curse of mine."
Julie stood and dusted off her clothes, eyes drifting toward the star-lit sky.
"I wonder where Kevin is right now. Is he also cursed? Is he going through a lot too?"
MEANWHILE — THE SAME NIGHT AT KEVIN'S HOUSE
Kevin had his hands wrapped behind his head, sweat dripping down and soaking his grey tank top as he hammered out squats relentlessly.
"26… 27… 28… 29… 30—"
He dropped flat onto his back, gasping as he stared up at the night sky. His breath came ragged, vapor swirling faintly in the cool air.
"It's not enough," he muttered. "I need to prepare more. I must push my body to the limit and become stronger. Strong enough to protect everyone I love — Nazy, and of course Julie, when we finally meet."
From the moment Kevin woke up from the dream, he began training every morning to build his body. But ever since that last vision, he cranked it up further — exercising morning and night, forcing his muscles to grow faster.
He shot up into a seated position. The future keeps getting more dangerous. I have to be prepared for anything. Physically and financially.
"Well, I guess I've got the physical part down, but financially…" He paused, collecting his thoughts.
(Originally, I just wanted to become unmatched — academically and with my hands. So that before I leave high school, I'd have jobs lined up or maybe get recognized in competitions.)
"Which was why I accelerated my friendship with Nazy, even though it wasn't supposed to happen that early. I needed a smart partner I could trust for competitions — I couldn't do it alone."
His eyes traced the heavy black gate in front of him.
"But look where that got me…" he whispered, regret trembling in his voice. "The more I meddle with fate, the more messed up it gets."
His brows tightened. Every event since the dream flashed through his mind — guilt, regret, and a swelling anger at himself.
If only he had stayed seated that day.
If only he had let things play out like normal.
Then Nazy wouldn't be in danger now.
And as if the universe wanted to mock his attempt to change fate—
"Mmm!" He gritted his teeth, barely stifling the pain.
The vision struck.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Flashes of a future he wished would never come true — Nazy on a tarred street, drowning and choking in her own blood. The portrait repeated again and again from different angles.
Tormenting. Terrifying.
Absolutely unbearable.
Kevin stood, teeth clenched, gaze hard despite the agony.
"I don't care," he whispered. "I'll save her no matter what!"
He shouted the last words into the quiet night.
He walked back toward the house.
(I need to find a faster way to make money — ASAP.)
But no matter how much he tried to push away the doom creeping in…
The dangers.
The dream.
These mysterious curses.
And the consequences that followed.
All were growing too fast.
Too sharp.
Too real.
Enough to keep both dreamers —
On Edge.
-To Be Continued.