A/N: it's been so long since I wrote , actually this story lack dialogue and is narrated in first person.
I wanted you,who read this to imagine the dialogues and their communication 🖋️.
What Is Love, By Astrid Knight
This world wasn't normal. It never had been. But this fact was hidden from more than half of humanity. Beneath the surface lay a chaotic realm of demons, ghosts, and the warriors who fought them. In such a world, love was a luxury reserved for the gifted, while the ordinary were left abandoned.
I am Astrid Knight, a person abandoned while still living among my family. But what made my fate different was a secret I carried—a secret no one knew. I can glimpse parts of the future, fleeting outcomes of events from parallel worlds. Yet in every world, my fate is the same: death.
In every future, I am killed by my family. Sometimes it's my siblings, other times my parents, or someone else connected to them. My death is inevitable, a cruel constant. At least, that's what I thought—until I saw a future where everything changed.
My ability isn't a simple glimpse of fate; it's tied to me and my choices. I can imagine possible situations within reality and predict their outcomes. Over time, I've tried to create scenarios where I survive. Some futures grant me a chance to live, but the outcomes are often worse than death. I've even imagined aligning myself with powerful allies, but only ordinary people ever accept me. And yet, in every future, they abandon me, and I die miserably.
Perhaps death is in love with me.
Still, I long to find someone—anyone—who truly loves me. If enduring misery was love, then my family must love me most of all.
Today was no different: the same dull lectures in the same monotonous classroom. My target of curiosity was different this time, though. Not the handsome or popular ones, but the quiet, peculiar boy.
Atlas Merry Thomas.
With his messy hair and lifeless eyes, he could scare anyone. He rarely attended class—rumors said he was always sick—and the only person he ever spoke to was the librarian. He was a mystery, a ghost of a student.
Today, he was my focus.
"What will happen if Atlas Merry Thomas falls in love with me?"
I closed my eyes and focused. But the result was… nothing.
It was unexpected. I'm often compared to the college belle—my beauty rarely fails to capture attention. Yet, in every possible future, Atlas felt no love for me. Only those from powerful families or those who truly didn't care about me could resist. But Atlas wasn't powerful, nor indifferent—he was simply beyond my reach.
Intrigued, I reversed my question.
"What will happen if I, Astrid Knight, fall in love with Atlas Merry Thomas?"
My consciousness slipped away, drifting into a distant future. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a forest.
Had he locked me away in some dark, remote place?
"Go faster, Daddy! I wanna go home!"
The sound of a child's voice startled me. I turned to see a man carrying both a woman and a little girl on his back. They were laughing, their bond evident.
A loving family… one I'd never known.
I wanted to scoff at the sight—until I saw the man's face. Time had changed him, but I recognized him instantly: Atlas.
And the woman clinging to him like a monkey, her laughter pure and carefree… was me.
I froze, watching as they passed by without noticing me. From up close, I confirmed it. That woman was me—a version of me I couldn't imagine.
Was this a dream? A cruel trick?
Suddenly, the scene shifted. I was in a warm, inviting home. The little girl was asleep in Atlas's arms, her small body curled up against him. He held her with care, his scarred hands strong yet gentle. A book rested in his other hand, and I lay asleep on his chest, peaceful and content.
The void inside me ached. This place, this life, was everything I'd ever wanted.And now am i witnessing this?
Atlas set the book down, kissed us both on the forehead, and closed his eyes.
The vision changed again. Now, we were in the kitchen. Atlas was cooking, and I was clinging to him like a koala. He never forgot to feed me, even as he worked.
It was suffocating to watch. This life, so perfect, so unattainable—how could it be mine?
The "me" in the vision noticed my presence and walked toward me, her eyes shining with happiness. She cupped my face and wiped my tears away.
"Do you want to see more?" she asked gently.
I nodded frantically.
"Or would you rather experience it yourself?"
I couldn't answer to that question.She leaned closer, pressing her forehead to mine.
"Feel it," she whispered.
Suddenly, emotions poured into me—sweet, overwhelming, and pure. Love. True, unconditional love.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't in the vision. I was back in the classroom, and Atlas was asleep at his desk. For the first time, I truly saw him.
That same day, I spoke to him. About books, of all things.
To my surprise, he was easy to talk to. We kept talking, day after day. Slowly, I began to understand him—a man who had never been loved, who saw the world with indifference. And as I understood him, he began to understand me.
Over time, we grew closer. Seasons changed, and so did we. His eyes, once empty, were now full of me. And mine, of him.
It was enough. We were enough.
For the first time, I loved someone—and they loved me back. In all those other futures, I was loved unwillingly, abandoned without choice. But now, I willingly gave my heart, and he willingly gave me his.
If love is madness, then I welcomed it wholeheartedly.
**
A/N: This is not their end as for thier future. You readers are free to wove their story however you want