Chapter 3: The Forgotten Melody
Klein's eyes remained fixed on his reflection, the mirror's surface rippling like water as his gaze seemed to pierce the glass. The face staring back at him was a stranger's, yet it was his own. The disconnect was jarring, like a discordant note in a familiar melody.
As he stood there, lost in thought, a faint hum began to resonate within his mind. It was a soft, lilting tune, one that seemed to awaken a deep sense of longing within him. Klein's eyes narrowed, his grip on the mirror's edge tightening as he struggled to recall the melody's origin.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a figure slipped inside. Klein's gaze shifted, his eyes locking onto the newcomer. It was a woman with piercing emerald eyes and raven hair, her features eerily familiar.
"Klein," she whispered, her voice husky and confident. "I've been searching for you."
Klein's grip on the mirror relaxed, his mind reeling as he tried to place the woman. There was something about her, something that stirred the ashes of his forgotten past.
"Who are you?" Klein asked, his voice low and cautious.
The woman smiled, her eyes glinting with a hint of mischief. "Someone who knows you better than you know yourself, Klein. My name is... Aria."
As she spoke, the melody within Klein's mind surged, the notes swelling into a crescendo. Aria's eyes seemed to gleam with an otherworldly intensity, as if she held the key to unlocking the secrets of his forgotten past.
Klein's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with questions. What did Aria want from him? And why did her presence stir the embers of a long-forgotten life?
As the silence between them stretched, Aria's smile grew wider, her eyes sparkling with an air of mystery. "Let's take a walk, Klein. The night is young, and the shadows are waiting."
With that, she turned and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Klein to follow her into the unknown. The melody within his mind continued to build, a siren's call that drew him deeper into the mystery of his forgotten past.