Mikel's heart raced as he stared at the woman sitting alone across the room. Her presence felt like an anchor, pulling him into something beyond his understanding. She was not just a dream anymore; she was real, sitting there with an air of quiet authority, as if she had been waiting for him all along.
The common room, filled with chatter and laughter, seemed to fade into the background. All Mikel could focus on was the woman's eyes—those dark, hollow eyes that had haunted his dreams. It was as if they held the answers to all the questions swirling in his mind. But there was also a strange heaviness to them, a burden that he couldn't explain.
He swallowed hard and took a step toward her, his feet moving almost of their own accord. His body was tense, every muscle coiled with anticipation, but his mind screamed for him to turn away. What if this is a mistake?
But the woman's gaze held him captive, and he couldn't tear himself away.
As he approached, she didn't move or acknowledge him, though Mikel could feel the weight of her attention on him. It was as if the very air around her was charged with an energy he couldn't quite grasp. The low murmur of the inn's guests seemed to grow distant, like the room itself was pulling back, allowing the two of them to exist in a world of their own.
When he reached her table, Mikel hesitated, his breath shallow. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. Something about the woman made him nervous, unsure of what to say or how to approach her.
But she spoke first, her voice smooth and calming, like the sound of a distant lullaby.
"You've come," she said simply, her voice soft but filled with a knowing that sent a shiver down Mikel's spine.
He nodded, unable to speak for a moment. There was something both terrifying and comforting about her, something that made him feel like he had known her for far longer than he actually had. It was as if their fates had been intertwined long before he ever stepped foot into the inn.
"I didn't know if I'd ever see you," Mikel finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've been dreaming of you… but I don't understand. Who are you? Why are you in my dreams?"
The woman's lips curved into a faint smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I am someone you have forgotten, Mikel. But I have not forgotten you. You and I are bound in ways you cannot yet comprehend."
Her words hung in the air like a challenge, an invitation to unravel the tangled web of his past. Mikel's mind raced, trying to process everything. The inn, the dreams, the haunting sense of familiarity he felt whenever he saw her. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing something he wasn't ready to face.
"You're the woman from my dreams," Mikel said, more to himself than to her, as if the realization was just now sinking in. "But why? Why am I dreaming of you?"
The woman's smile deepened, though it remained tinged with sadness. "Because you are meant to remember. You are meant to understand what has been lost. What has been hidden from you."
Mikel felt his stomach twist in a knot. "What's been hidden from me? What do you mean?"
She studied him for a long moment, as if weighing his worthiness for the truth. "The inn has brought you here because you are on the brink of remembering something important. Something you have forgotten for a reason. But now the time has come for you to face it."
Mikel's mind reeled with questions, but before he could ask another, she raised a hand to stop him.
"It is not yet time for me to reveal all," she said. "But you will come to understand in time. You must be patient. The inn will guide you."
"The inn?" Mikel echoed, his voice trembling. "Why me? Why did the inn bring me here?"
The woman's gaze softened, her eyes filled with a sorrow that almost broke his heart. "The inn does not choose its guests by chance, Mikel. It brings those who are lost, those who have unfinished business. And you, my dear, are more lost than you realize."
Her words struck him like a blow, and for a moment, Mikel felt a wave of dread wash over him. He wasn't just here to uncover the truth of his dreams—he was here to uncover something about himself, something buried so deep within him that even he couldn't remember it.
"What do you want from me?" Mikel asked, his voice strained, desperate for answers. "What is it that I have to do?"
The woman's eyes flickered with something akin to regret. "I do not want anything from you, Mikel. I only want you to remember what you have forgotten. But it is not an easy path. The inn will not show you the truth in simple terms. It will test you, push you to the very edge of what you are willing to face."
Mikel swallowed hard, trying to steady his racing heart. "But… what happens if I can't face it? What happens if I fail?"
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze piercing him with an intensity that made him feel like she could see every thought in his mind.
"You will not fail," she said, her voice low and full of conviction. "But be warned, Mikel. There are those who have tried to avoid the truth, who have run from it. They have left the inn, never to return. The path is not easy, but you must walk it. There is no other choice."
The finality in her tone made Mikel's blood run cold. He wanted to ask more, wanted to beg her for answers, but something told him that she wouldn't give him the clarity he sought. Not yet, at least.
As he stood there, struggling to come to terms with everything she had said, the woman's gaze softened.
"When the time is right," she said gently, "you will remember. And when you do, you will understand why the inn brought you here."
Before Mikel could say anything else, the woman stood up, her dark cloak trailing behind her like a shadow. She turned to walk away, disappearing into the crowd of guests in the common room.
Mikel stood frozen, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. The pieces were there, scattered in his mind like shards of a broken mirror. But he didn't know how to put them together. Not yet.
The woman was gone, but her presence lingered in the air, heavy and real. She had given him no answers, only more questions. But one thing was certain: the inn had a purpose for him, one he couldn't escape, no matter how much he tried.
And as he stood there, lost in thought, he couldn't shake the feeling that his life was about to change in ways he couldn't yet understand.
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