In Zayne's Dream:
He was running.
Through endless corridors. Through the Tower of Thorns. Through timelines collapsing around him.
"Nana!" he shouted. "NANA!"
She was ahead of him—always just out of reach. Smiling. Waving. Then fading.
Like smoke.
Like ash.
Like she ALWAYS did.
"Don't go—" he gasped, reaching for her. "Please don't—"
She turned, eyes sad and knowing. "I have to. I always have to."
"NO!" He tried to grab her hand. "Not this time! NOT THIS TIME!"
But she was already disappearing. Becoming jasmine petals. Falling. Dying.
AGAIN.
"I love you," she whispered, voice fading. "Find me in the next life..."
"THERE IS NO NEXT LIFE!" he screamed. "I WANT THIS ONE! I WANT YOU NOW!"
But she was GONE.
Again.
Always again.
And he was ALONE in the tower, surrounded by jasmine flowers—each one a version of her he couldn't save.
Tears fell. Frozen tears. Ice spreading from his hands, his chest, his broken heart—
Nana woke up SHIVERING.
*Cold. SO cold. Why is it FREEZING? Did husband turn on air conditioning too high? But we don't HAVE air conditioning...*
She opened her eyes and GASPED.
The bedroom was FROZEN.
Ice crystals covered the CEILING like a winter wonderland.
Frost spread across the walls in intricate patterns.
The floor was a sheet of ice.
The nightstand was coated in white.
*Ice. EVERYWHERE. Like Elsa from Frozen but REAL. This is husband's ice! But WHY?*
She looked at Zayne.
He was still asleep, but CRYING. Actual tears running down his face, freezing on his cheeks. His expression ANGUISHED. Breathing harsh and uneven.
* Husband is CRYING! In sleep! Bad dream! Very bad dream! Must help!*
But first—
She looked at her nightstand where her PRECIOUS MACARON BOX sat.
It was completely COATED in thick ice.
"NOOO!" she whispered, scrambling out of bed carefully (the floor was SLIPPERY).
She grabbed the macaron box, examining it with HORROR.
* Macarons! FROZEN SOLID! Can't eat frozen macarons! They'll break teeth! This is EMERGENCY!*
She pouted, clutching the frozen box, then looked back at Zayne.
He was STILL crying. Ice still spreading.
* Macarons can wait. Husband CRYING. Must wake up!*
She set the box down carefully and crawled back onto the bed (slowly, because ICE).
She poked his cheek.
No response.
* Not working. More aggressive tactics needed.*
She kissed his lips. Soft. Gentle.
Nothing.
Kissed again. Longer.
Still nothing.
* What kind of dream is this?! Usually kiss works! Like in fairy tales! True love's kiss! But husband won't WAKE UP!*
More ice crystals fell from the ceiling like snow, landing on the bed, on her hair.
She YELPED, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
"Husband," she whispered desperately. "Wake UP! Please wake up!"
Zayne's eyes SNAPPED open.
Breathing hard. Heart racing. Ice EVERYWHERE.
And his wife clinging to him, small and warm against his frozen chest.
...
*The dream. The nightmare. She died. Again. But. But she's HERE. She's HERE. Warm. Alive. REAL.*
"Nana?" His voice cracked.
She looked up immediately, eyes big and worried. "You were CRYING! And ice EVERYWHERE! What happened?! Did you dream I got lost?! Or kidnapped?! Or ate too many macarons?!"
*She thinks. She thinks I dreamed about MACARONS. Sweet, innocent, completely missing the existential horror of my nightmare.*
He held her tighter, checking her over frantically—hands, arms, face, making sure she was REAL, WHOLE, UNHARMED.
"Are you okay?" he asked urgently. "Did the ice hurt you? Are you injured?"
"I'm FINE! But the macarons—" she pointed tragically at the frozen box, "—are SOLID ICE now! Can't eat! This is DISASTER!"
...
*She's. She's worried about MACARONS. While I'm having existential crisis about losing her across timelines. This WOMAN.*
He couldn't help it—he LAUGHED. A slightly hysterical laugh, but genuine.
"I'll buy you new ones," he promised, voice still shaky.
"Promise?!"
"Promise."
*Need to thaw the room. Before she freezes. Before the evidence of my complete loss of control is permanent.*
He concentrated, willing his Evol to REVERSE. To pull the ice back. To warm instead of freeze.
It took several minutes—longer than usual because his emotions were WRECKED—but slowly, the ice began to melt.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The ceiling. The walls. The floor. All returning to normal.
* Control. Maintain control. She's here. She's ALIVE. She's not dying. Not this time. Not this lifetime.*
"Why were you crying?" Nana asked softly, cupping his face. "Bad dream?"
"Yes. Very bad dream."
"About what?"
* About losing you. About watching you die. AGAIN. About the curse I can't escape. About fate taking you from me every single time. About being alone in that tower forever.*
"Just... a nightmare. Nothing important."
"But you were CRYING! That's VERY important!"
*She's right. It IS important. But I can't explain. Can't tell her she's died hundreds of times in other lifetimes. That I've held her as she faded. That every version of her I've loved has died in my arms.*
He pulled her closer, breathing in her scent—macarons and chaos and LIFE.
"I dreamed I lost you," he said quietly. Simple truth. Incomplete truth. But truth.
"Lost me?! How?!"
"You just... disappeared. Faded away. And I couldn't stop it."
Her eyes WELLED UP. "That's so SAD! But I'm HERE! I'm not going ANYWHERE!"
*She says that. They all said that. Every version. Every lifetime. "I'm not going anywhere." And then they DID. They always did.*
"I know, hamster. I know."
"I PROMISE I won't disappear! I'll stay RIGHT HERE! With you! FOREVER!"
* Forever. She promises forever. Like she has control over fate. Like she can fight destiny. Sweet. Naive. Heartbreaking.*
He kissed her forehead, her nose, her lips—confirming she was REAL.
"I'll hold you to that promise."
"GOOD!" She hugged him fiercely. "And you have to promise to WAKE UP next time! I kissed you TWICE and you didn't wake! That's not how fairy tales WORK!"
* Fairy tales. She thinks we're in a fairy tale. Where true love's kiss solves everything. Where happy endings are guaranteed. Where nightmares are just dreams, not memories of trauma across lifetimes.*
He smiled despite the lingering dread in his chest. "I'll try to wake up faster next time."
"GOOD! Because the ice was covering EVERYTHING! Even macarons! That's SERIOUS!"
*The macarons. Her priority. God, I love her.*
She insisted on going to the kitchen to assess the FULL macaron damage.
*She's conducting disaster assessment. On snacks. While I'm having existential crisis. This is healthy actually. Grounding. Normal. She makes everything NORMAL.*
The frozen macaron box sat on the counter.
She tried to open it. Couldn't.
Tried to pry it open with her fingers. Failed.
Got a SPOON and started ATTACKING the ice coating.
Tap tap tap tap tap.
Like a tiny determined woodpecker.
*She's. She's trying to break through ice with a SPOON. To rescue MACARONS. This is. This is the most her thing ever.*
He watched, anxiety slowly fading, replaced by FONDNESS and slight amusement.
* She's HERE. She's ALIVE. She's attacking frozen snacks with kitchen utensils. This is REAL. This is MY reality. My LIFE.*
"Husband!" she called, still attacking. "The ice is TOO STRONG! Need better weapon!"
"I can just thaw it—"
"NO! I want to DO IT! This is BATTLE! Me versus ICE! For MACARONS!"
*She's declaring war on frozen confections. This is normal. This is US.*
He leaned against the counter, watching her determination, feeling the nightmare slowly fade.
But the anxiety remained.
* The nightmare. The dream. It usually comes. Before.*
*Before I lose them.*
*Before she dies.*
*In every timeline, every lifetime—when the nightmare comes, she dies within days. Sometimes hours. It's a WARNING. A sign. Fate telling me: she's leaving soon.*
*But not this time. I won't LET fate take her. Not THIS time.*
He looked at her—tiny, fierce, completely absorbed in her battle against ice-covered macarons.
*Will I lose her too? This version? This lifetime? Is the dream a warning? Is fate coming for her AGAIN?*
His chest tightened.
* No. NO. I've changed things. I refused Astra's commands. I chose HER over duty. I broke the cycle. This is DIFFERENT. She's not going to die. She's NOT.*
*But what if—*
"VICTORY!" Nana held up the macaron box triumphantly. She'd broken through the ice. "I DID IT! I SAVED THEM!"
She opened the box.
The macarons inside were still frozen solid.
Her face FELL. "...They're still frozen."
*She saved the BOX. Not the macarons. Close enough.*
He couldn't help it—he laughed. Genuine. Warm. The anxiety fading slightly.
"Come here, hamster."
She walked over, pouting, still holding the box of frozen macarons.
He pulled her into his arms, breathing in her scent, feeling her warmth, her LIFE.
"I'll buy you fresh ones today. Unfrozen ones."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
She snuggled into his chest. "Why did you have bad dream? Do you have bad dreams a lot?"
*Yes. Since I was twelve. Since my powers went out of control. Since I nearly killed someone. Since I learned I'm cursed. Since I realized I'm trapped in an endless cycle of loving and losing the same soul across infinite timelines.*
"Sometimes," he said carefully.
"About what?"
* About losing you. About ice spreading uncontrollably. About hurting people I love. About being alone forever in a tower of thorns surrounded by flowers representing every version of you I failed to save.*
"Just... old fears. Nothing to worry about."
"But you were CRYING—"
"I'm okay now. You woke me up. You saved me."
* Truth. She DID save me. From the nightmare. From the despair. From the loneliness. She always saves me. Even when she doesn't know it.*
She looked up at him with those big, worried eyes. "Will you have bad dream again?"
*Yes. Probably. The nightmares have haunted me for fifteen years. They won't stop. Especially not now. Not when fate might be coming for her.*
"Maybe. But if I do, you'll wake me up again. Right?"
"YES! With kisses! And hugs! And AGGRESSIVE POKING!"
*Aggressive poking. My wife'smedical intervention strategy.*
He smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you, hamster."
"For what?"
"For being here. For being you."
*For existing. For loving me despite everything. For making this lifetime worth living. For being the spring that melts my winter.*
She beamed. "I'll ALWAYS be here! I promised! No disappearing!"
*She promised. She doesn't know she can't control fate. But maybe. Maybe THIS time. Maybe love is enough. Maybe breaking the cycle was enough. Maybe she gets to STAY.*
*Please. Please let her stay.*
He held her tighter, silently making his own promise.
* I'll protect you. From fate. From death. From anything that tries to take you. I'll fight the universe itself if I have to. This time, you DON'T die. This time, I WIN.*
They sat at breakfast. He made fresh food while she munched on toast (the macarons were unsalvageable).
She was chattering about something—Mr. Fluffytail's latest gossip probably—completely back to normal.
But he was WATCHING her.
Carefully. Constantly.
*Monitoring for signs. Symptoms. Anything wrong. Any indication fate is coming for her.*
*She looks healthy. Happy. Alive. Normal.*
*But so did all the others. Before they died.*
"Zayne?" She tilted her head. "You're STARING."
"Just... looking at you."
"That's STARING."
"You stare at sunflower every morning."
"That's DIFFERENT! Sunflower is FASCINATING!"
* Her logic is flawless. Sunflower inspection: normal. Wife monitoring: suspicious.*
He reached across the table, taking her hand.
Small. Warm. ALIVE.
"I love you," he said suddenly, intensely.
She BEAMED. "I love you too! Even though you froze my macarons!"
Even though I froze her macarons. She forgives ice-based snack destruction. This woman.*
"I'll buy you new ones today. The fancy ones from downtown."
"The EXPENSIVE ones?!"
"Yes."
"With the gold leaf?!"
"...If you want gold leaf macarons, yes."
She SQUEALED, launching herself at him for a hug.
*She's happy. Over macarons. Over GOLD LEAF macarons. Simple things make her happy. Keep her happy. Keep her ALIVE.*
*Please stay alive.*
*Please.*
Meanwhile - Mr. Fluffytail's Tree
Mr. Fluffytail had witnessed the ice storm at 3 AM.
"The tall human lost control. Bad dream. Very bad."
Mrs. Fluffytail looked worried. "Will she be safe? The tiny human?"
"Unknown. The ice was... frightened ice. Desperate ice."
"He's afraid of losing her."
"Very afraid. The kind of fear that freezes WORLDS."
They sat in silence, watching the window.
"Should we help?"
"How can SQUIRRELS help against FATE?"
"...Good point."
But they kept watching anyway.
Just in case.
.
.
.
.
.
🌻🌻🌻
To be continued.