Chapter 6

The darkness in Steven’s bedroom thickened as sleep finally claimed him, dragging him into its suffocating embrace. But this was no ordinary slumber. It wasn’t the fractured rest he’d endured the night before. This time, Steven was plunged headfirst into something deeper, something far stranger.

He was running again.

The rain poured in sheets, cold and relentless, drenching him as he sprinted through the forest. The ground beneath his feet was slick with mud, and the sharp scent of wet earth filled his nostrils. His lungs burned, his legs ached, but he couldn’t stop. The voices chased him, swirling in the air like phantom whispers.

“This is all your fault.”

“You let this happen.”

“Why didn’t you listen?”

Steven’s breath came in gasps, and his heart was beating like it was going to burst out of his chest. He stumbled, nearly falling, but managed to catch himself on the rough bark of a tree.

That’s when he saw her.

A figure stood ahead, partially obscured by the rain and mist. She was small, delicate, and eerily still, her silhouette barely visible against the gloom of the forest.

Steven hesitated, his instinct to flee warring with the magnetic pull of her presence. Something about her felt... familiar. As if she had always been there, waiting for him.

“Who’s there?” Steven called, his voice cracking with fear and exhaustion.

The figure stepped closer, her features coming into view. She was a young woman, no older than her twenties, with pale skin and wide, almond-shaped eyes that shimmered like gold. Her hair was long and white, flowing behind her like a river of moonlight.

“Hello, Steven,” she said softly, her voice as delicate as a breeze.

Steven’s breath caught in his throat. “How do you know my name?”

The woman tilted her head, a small smile curving her lips. “I’ve always known you. I’ve been waiting for you to find me.”

Steven’s legs trembled, his mind reeling. “What is this? Where am I? Who are you?”

“My name is Miso,” she said, stepping closer until she stood just a few feet away. Her presence was almost calming, but there was an unsettling edge to her serenity. “And you, Steven, are in the space between. A place where dreams and truths collide.”

Steven shook his head, backing away. “Wait, so you're the voice I kept hearing? No. This isn’t real. This can’t be real.”

Miso raised a hand, and the rain around them froze mid-fall, droplets suspended in the air like tiny crystals. The silence that followed was deafening.

“Does this feel real to you?” she asked, her golden eyes locking onto his.

Steven’s breath quickened, his panic rising. “What do you want from me?”

Miso’s expression softened, almost pitying. “I want to help you. You’re lost, Steven. You’ve been wandering through life, burdened by regret and fear, unsure of your purpose. I can guide you.”

Her words struck a chord deep within him, touching on truths he wasn’t ready to face. “Guide me where?”

“To clarity. To understanding. To a life where you don’t have to feel this way anymore.” Miso extended her hand, her voice gentle but firm. “But you have to trust me.”

Steven stared at her outstretched hand, his mind a whirlwind of doubt and longing. “Why should I trust you? I don’t even know you.”

Miso’s smile widened, and for a moment, something flickered in her golden eyes—something sharp, almost predatory. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“Because, Steven,” she said, her voice as smooth as silk, “what do you have to lose?”

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. She was right. He had nothing. No job. No direction. No hope.

Steven reached out and took her hand.

The moment their skin touched, the world around them shifted. The forest dissolved, replaced by a vast expanse of shimmering light and shadow. Steven felt weightless, as if he were floating in a sea of possibilities.

Miso’s voice echoed in his mind, soothing and commanding all at once. “This is only the beginning, Steven. Together, we will find what you’ve been searching for.”

But beneath her words, hidden in the depths of her golden eyes, was a promise of something far more complicated than guidance.