"We will meet again under the same star."
Those were Selene's last words before she passed away, leaving me forever. Her smile lingered as a constant memory in my thoughts.
I met her back when I was still in college, studying data science. I liked it, but I couldn't see myself doing it my whole life. I preferred adventures—heading out into nature, camping somewhere quiet, staring at the night sky for hours. I could spend the entire night just watching it.
On one of those adventures, hiking through some hills near my city, I spotted two girls in the distance; they looked lost, staring down at a map. They hadn't noticed me, so I hesitated to approach, thinking I might startle them or something.
"Well, I know this area well enough; maybe if I approach carefully, I won't scare them. Besides, I look like a legit adventurer—I'd invested in the right gear, so I didn't look sketchy, and I'd even put on deodorant, so I smelled decent. Only my hair was a little messy…" My muttering and thoughts were abruptly interrupted when their screams startled me.
A black bear was slowly approaching them. The girls, terrified, dropped the map and clung to each other, unsure of what to do.
I didn't hesitate for a second; I was on a hill above them, so I gathered my courage and launched myself down, sliding and struggling to keep my balance. I saw them slowly backing away in fear, their eyes fixed on the bear as it stared right back at them.
When I reached the bottom, I ran immediately, passing by them and positioning myself in front of them like a shield. I started yelling and waving my arms. The bear wasn't very big, and seeing my "grand performance," it started to back off a bit, unsure. I kept making noise as I got closer to the animal, and finally, the bear turned around and took off.
"Whew, that was intense, don't you think?" I said as I turned to the girls, who were still holding onto each other, but looking a little more at ease.
When I got a closer look, one of them completely captured my attention: she had golden, straight hair that fell to her shoulders, intense blue eyes, and a slender build. I was captivated for a few seconds and, without thinking, said aloud, "No wonder that bear couldn't stop staring at you." Realizing what I'd just blurted out, I immediately regretted saying it out loud.
"Huh? What did you say?" asked the other girl, her voice still a little shaky.
"Oh, nothing. Forget what I said. That was an American black bear; they can look a bit scary the first time you see one, but honestly, they're pretty shy and usually avoid humans. I guess it just got curious seeing you both there so calmly. Anyway, you're safe now."
I tried to keep my tone light to ease the tension since they still looked pretty shaken.
"Thank you, really. We had no idea what to do; it's our first time seeing one up close," said the girl who had caught my attention.
I must have looked like an idiot because I didn't catch everything she said; I was so captivated by her that my mind drifted.
"Are you okay?" her friend asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry, I got a bit distracted there. I'm Darius." I first extended my hand to the other girl as a greeting.
"I'm Laura," she said.
I let go of her hand and, a bit nervous, turned to the golden-haired girl. I held out my hand, and as she reached out, she said, "I'm Selene, nice to meet you."
If I hadn't been wearing sunglasses, I probably would've scared her with the way I was looking at her. I let go of her hand, realizing I might have held it a bit too long.
She chuckled softly, probably noticing my nervousness. And that only made me more nervous.
"Wow, what a day. Didn't see that coming, but anyway… I know the area well, so I can help you find your way to wherever you were headed."
Selene looked at me with a genuine smile, showing that the tension had finally lifted. I took off my sunglasses and smiled back at her.
From there, everything just fell into place naturally. I gathered the courage to ask her out that day, and surprisingly, she said yes. We started seeing each other more often, and soon a relationship blossomed between us. After almost a year together, we decided to move in.
We had both graduated from college and were working; she was a graphic designer, so she found a job in her field. I, on the other hand, was working for a tech company.
Everything was going well. Whenever we could, we'd go out on little adventures anywhere; we both had a shared love for getting out. But then, one day, Selene started feeling unwell. It was strange because it was a fatigue that seemed to grow day by day.
We visited several doctors in different specialties, and after examining her and running multiple tests, they couldn't find anything, so they attributed it to possible stress. But that was completely off; Selene was happy with her work, and our relationship was going great.
After a couple of months, Selene was bedridden; she could barely get up, and I began to panic, desperate to find out what was happening. I stopped going to work to stay by her side. She'd tell me to stay calm, that everything would be okay, but I couldn't be positive in a situation like that.
One Sunday, Selene was lying down, asleep, while I held her hand. She woke up suddenly, as if she'd had a bad dream. She looked at me, gave me that smile I loved so much, and said the words that would stay with me from that moment on.
"We will meet again under the same star…" She closed her eyes again, and, not understanding what was happening, I cried out in pain. I fell into an abyss of depression, unable to find a way out, cursing every day and pleading for help from anyone or anything that might hear me in this universe.
One of those nights, in sheer desperation, I collapsed onto my bed. My eyes closed, and immediately, I slipped into an endless dream. It was there that I saw him for the first time.
The dream was deep, surrounded by darkness that made me feel small and insignificant. Yet, despite knowing I was dreaming, something about this place made me feel strangely aware, as if I wasn't just an observer in my own mind.
In the middle of that darkness, a presence appeared—one I couldn't ignore. He wore a long, dark robe, his face hidden beneath a hood. A blue glow radiated from within the hood, a cold, piercing light that intrigued me and filled me with curiosity.
I couldn't see his face, but I could feel his power, his intensity. He spoke to me without words, yet I understood each thought clearly.
"I understand your anguish and despair," the voice said, echoing in my mind. "I have come to offer you an opportunity, a chance to reunite with Selene."
At first, I hesitated, trying to make sense of it all. "Who the hell are you? And how do you know about Selene?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"Your call was heard," the figure replied, his tone firm and almost menacing. "That desperate desire to give everything to understand her departure reached me."
"But make no mistake, Darius: this opportunity I offer you is unique. There won't be a second chance."
His words pierced me like a warning. For a moment, I wondered if any of this was real or just a dream, a figment of my exhausted mind. But if there was even the slightest chance that it was real, I couldn't refuse. My despair and hope intertwined, clouding my judgment.
"Alright," I murmured, barely aware of the consequences. "I accept."
Before I could ask any questions, the figure turned to one side and murmured, almost to himself:
"Your fate is already sealed, though you don't yet know it."
In that instant, I was transported to a vast, shadowy space, a place that seemed to exist outside of time. Before me stood three massive entrances, each glowing with a blue light, just like the one that emanated from the hooded figure.
Through these portals, I saw glimpses of different worlds, different eras, as if all of time was within reach.
"You can be reborn," the voice said. "You will be reborn eternally, but always in the same era where you fell, facing the consequences of your actions. You'll also have the ability to jump between eras. However, each time you do, your own power will consume you a bit more. You must study and understand this force before you can master it, or you will end up lost between the ages. So choose each jump carefully, as the risk increases with each misuse."
I didn't dwell on the conditions explained to me. My desperation and hope clouded my judgment, and the faint possibility of finding her again was all I could think about. I accepted, believing that somewhere, sometime, I might be able to find her again.
And so began my journey. A journey through lives and worlds, with the shadow of loss always pursuing me, but also with the promise of hope pushing me forward, and the belief that redemption might still be within reach.