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The night was thick with shadows, the wind howling through the cracks of the old wooden house. Inside her room, Dechen's body trembled, her breath shallow as she clutched her blanket. The storm outside mirrored the one raging in her mind.
The dream.
No, not a dream—a vision.
She had seen it so clearly. Sange, her daughter, standing at the edge of an abyss. Darkness swirled around her, twisting like serpents, ready to consume. A masked figure loomed in the distance, his presence overwhelming—neither friend nor foe, yet deeply intertwined with her fate.
Then came the hand. A strong, firm grip pulling Sange away just as the shadows closed in. Safety. Danger. The lines between them blurred.
And then—
The voice. Deep, unshaken, echoing through the void:
"When the two paths cross, fate will be awakened."
Dechen jolted awake, gasping. The words still rang in her ears, as if they had been spoken in this world, not just the dream.
Her instincts screamed. She needed to warn Sange.
---
The Warning
"Sange! Come here!"
A groggy, muffled voice groaned from the other room. "Mom, if this is about my 'energy' being weird again, I'm going back to sleep."
Dechen exhaled sharply. "Just come."
After a lot of grumbling and what sounded like a very dramatic fall from bed, Sange finally appeared, wrapped in her oversized blanket like a sleep-deprived dumpling. Her hair was a mess, and her expression screamed, why am I awake?
"This better be important." She yawned. "I was dreaming about winning the lottery and buying an island."
Dechen didn't humor her. "I had a dream too."
Sange, still half-asleep, blinked. "Okay? Cool? Not exactly breaking news."
"This one was different."
That got her attention.
Sange narrowed her eyes. "How different?"
Dechen took a deep breath. "I saw you. And someone else. A man. His face was hidden, but you were in danger."
Sange raised an eyebrow. "Define 'danger.' Like 'stepped on a Lego' danger or 'being chased by an axe murderer' danger?"
"I don't know." Dechen's fingers twitched. "There was a storm. Shadows closing in. And then—"
She hesitated.
"A hand pulling you away."
Something about those words sent a shiver down Sange's spine. But she forced a smirk. "Sounds dramatic. Do I at least look cool in the vision?"
Dechen wasn't amused. "Then a voice said: 'When the two paths cross, fate will be awakened.'"
Sange frowned. "…What does that even mean?"
"I don't know." Dechen admitted. "But it felt real."
Silence.
For a moment, the wind outside picked up, rattling the window.
Sange shifted uncomfortably, then forced a laugh. "Mom, I love you, but let's be real. If fate had something planned for me, wouldn't it have sent, I don't know, a warning email?"
Dechen sighed. "Just be careful, Sange."
"Noted. Avoid masked men and ominous hands. Got it."
Before Dechen could respond, a loud THUD echoed from the living room, followed by—
"AAAHH! MY TOE!"
Sange sighed deeply. "And there it is."
From the hallway, Sampa's voice wailed in agony. "THE CHAIR MOVED! I SWEAR IT WASN'T THERE BEFORE!"
Their father, Tandin, groaned. "Sampa, the chair is not your enemy. Your eyesight is."
Before Sange could react, another voice joined in—loud, excited, and definitely not from their family.
"Wait, wait, wait! Nobody move! I NEED TO RECORD THIS!"
Sange groaned. "Oh no. She's here."
In the doorway stood Hiraya, her best friend, already holding up her phone. Originally from the Philippines, Hiraya had somehow wormed her way into their family dynamic years ago and refused to leave. She had an unhealthy obsession with romance novels, loved inserting herself into drama, and could make anything feel like a telenovela.
And right now, she was fully invested in Sampa's suffering.
"Sampa, you have to redo it! I missed the good part!"
Sampa glared at her. "I HOPE YOUR FUTURE CHILDREN INHERIT MY CLUMSINESS!"
Hiraya gasped dramatically. "How dare you curse my bloodline?!"
Sange pinched the bridge of her nose. "Hiraya, why are you here this early?"
Hiraya grinned. "Because your mom let me in. Also, I had a vision."
Dechen actually looked intrigued. "You did?"
Hiraya nodded seriously. "Yes. I dreamed that fate was finally sending you a hot, mysterious stranger."
Sange scowled. "Return to sender."
Hiraya gasped. "How dare you reject fate's romance arc?! I should disown you as my best friend."
Their father walked in, yawning. "What is all this noise?"
Sampa pointed at Hiraya. "She's harassing me."
Hiraya flipped her hair. "I was documenting history."
Tandin sighed. "Can I get one morning without chaos?"
Before anyone could answer, a slipper flew across the room, barely missing Sampa's head.
"WHO THREW THAT?!" he screeched.
"Justice," their father muttered.
Sange burst out laughing, shaking her head. This. This was her life. No masked men. No storms. Just a household full of dramatic weirdos and a best friend with too much free time.
She turned back to Dechen, forcing a grin. "See? If fate was after me, I'd already be dead from secondhand embarrassment."
Dechen said nothing.
Because deep inside, she knew—
Fate had already begun its work.
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