(Eloise's POV)
The first few days after the dream were the hardest.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him.
Cauis—smiling, reaching for me, only to disappear like mist through my fingers.
But I couldn't keep breaking down like this.
I had to live.
I had to find a way to move forward, even if my heart still belonged to a world I could no longer reach.
And so, I picked up my pen.
At first, I hesitated, staring at the blank page in front of me. It felt like staring into a void, like if I started writing, I would be forced to accept that he was gone.
But then, an idea sparked in my mind.
What if I didn't let our story end?
My fingers tightened around the pen, my heart pounding with something I hadn't felt in a long time—determination.
I started writing.
Not just any story.
Our story.
I wrote down every memory, every stolen moment, every glance that made my heart race. I wrote about his warmth, his strength, the way he always stood by my side even when I doubted myself.
And then, I wrote something new.
I wrote about a love that transcended time.
A love so powerful that even the cruelest fate couldn't break it apart.
I wrote about second chances. About two souls finding their way back to each other, no matter how many worlds tried to keep them apart.
Without realizing it, I started writing everything I wanted.
I wished for Cauis to find happiness, to be free from the burdens that haunted him. I wished to see his golden eyes filled with joy again, to hear his laughter—not just in dreams, but in reality.
I wished for us.
My hand trembled as I finished the last sentence, my breath uneven.
I stared at the page, at the words that seemed to pulse with something more. Something real.
A shiver ran down my spine.
The room felt different—charged with an energy I couldn't quite explain.
The candle beside me flickered violently, and for a moment, I swore I felt a familiar presence lingering around me.
My heart pounded.
Was it just my imagination?
Or... had I just done something impossible?
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to take a deep breath.
Maybe it was just a story. Maybe it was just a wish.
But for the first time in a long time, I felt hope.
And somehow, deep in my heart, I knew—
Our story wasn't over yet.
The sky stretched endlessly above me, painted in hues of soft gold and gentle pinks, as if the universe itself had been waiting for this moment. My hands trembled, fingers clutching the worn pages of my journal.
I had written everything—every wish, every longing, every piece of my heart. And now, as I stood beneath the great oak tree in the quiet meadow, I felt it.
A shift in the air.
A pulse of something unbelievable.
Tears welled in my eyes as the wind carried whispers of a name I had thought I'd never hear again.
Cauis.
My heart pounded, my breath caught in my throat. No. It couldn't be. It's impossible.
But then, I heard it.
A voice—low, familiar, achingly real.
"...Eloise?"
I gasped, my knees almost giving out beneath me.
Slowly, afraid that any sudden movement might shatter this fragile reality, I turned.
And there he was.
Standing a few feet away, bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, looking at me like he, too, had seen a ghost.
But I wasn't a ghost. And neither was he.
Tears spilled freely down my cheeks as my lips parted, but no words came. I was too overwhelmed, too afraid that if I spoke, this beautiful dream would vanish.
Cauis took a shaky step forward, his golden eyes wide with disbelief, with hope.
"Is this real?" he whispered, his voice cracking.
I let out a sob, nodding furiously, my hands covering my mouth as the emotions crashed over me like a tidal wave.
He was here.
He was really here.
I barely had time to think before he closed the distance between us, pulling me into his arms with such desperation, such raw need, that I melted into him without hesitation.
His arms, strong and familiar, wrapped around me, holding me like he never intended to let go. His scent, the warmth of his skin, the way he trembled against me—it was all real.
"Eloise..." His voice broke as he buried his face into my hair. "I thought I lost you."
A fresh wave of tears streamed down my face as I clutched onto him. "I—I thought I'd never see you again," I choked out between sobs. "I tried—I wrote everything—I didn't know if—"
He pulled back just enough to cup my face, his thumb brushing away my tears with such tenderness it shattered me all over again.
"You brought me back," he murmured in awe, his golden eyes searching mine. "You never stopped believing, did you?"
I shook my head, unable to stop the fresh tears from falling. "I couldn't. I wouldn't."
His lips trembled, and then, without another word, he kissed me.
It was a kiss filled with every unsaid word, every longing, every promise we had thought was lost.
It was deep, slow, and overwhelming, as if he was memorizing me, as if he was making sure this moment would never slip away.
I poured my heart into that kiss, feeling the weight of all the pain and separation dissolve between us. My hands gripped onto him desperately, afraid that if I let go, the universe would tear us apart again.
But it didn't.
This time, fate was on our side.
When we finally pulled away, our breaths mingling, our foreheads pressed together, I let out a shaky laugh between my sobs. "I must have rewritten fate itself."
Cauis let out a soft chuckle, though his eyes were still filled with unshed tears. "Then I'll never let you hold a pen again."
I laughed, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt whole.
No matter what had happened before, no matter how cruel fate had been to us—
We had found each other again.
And I knew, without a doubt—
This time, we would never be apart again