It was a week later when I saw him again.
I was at the park near my apartment, sitting on a bench with a half-eaten sandwich in my hands.
It was one of the only places I could go to clear my head. The wind was gentle, the late afternoon sun casting golden light over the pavement. It should have been peaceful.
But all I could think about was that night.
The way the shadows moved. The way my body froze like something inside me recognized the danger before my mind could catch up.
And the way Axel had stopped it—like it was nothing new to him.
"Thinking too hard about it won't change what happened." I jumped at the voice.
Turning fast, I found Axel standing a few steps away, hands in his jacket pockets. His silver hair caught the sunlight, strands shifting in the breeze.
My grip tightened around my sandwich.
"How long have you been there?"
Axel shrugged, stepping closer.
"Long enough." I glared at him.
"Creepy." His lips twitched, almost like he was holding back a smirk. But he didn't deny it.
With a sigh, I turned my attention back to my sandwich.
"So, are you gonna tell me what the hell happened that night?" Axel was quiet for a moment. Then he sat down beside me.
I expected him to brush it off again, to say "not yet" like he always did. But this time, he exhaled, running a hand through his hair.
"That thing," he said finally.
"It's called Dark Matter. It's not supposed to exist in this world."
I frowned.
"You must be joking ha-."
"it's true." I studied his face, searching for any sign that he was joking. There was none.
His usual calm was there, but underneath it, there was something else.
A heaviness.
I licked my lips, trying to ignore the way my pulse had picked up.
"And what? You just happened to know how to stop it?" Axel's gaze flickered to me.
"Yes." A chill ran down my spine.
"Who are you?" I whispered.
Silence.
Then, Axel looked away, his fingers tightening around the fabric of his jacket.
"I can't tell you everything yet," he said, his voice quieter this time.
"But you're in danger, Selene. That wasn't the first time Dark Matter has appeared, and it won't be the last."
I stared at him.
There was a weight to his words—one that told me he wasn't lying.
I should have felt scared. Maybe a part of me was scared. But more than that, I was frustrated.
I hated not knowing what was going on.
I hated that he did know—and still wouldn't tell me.
I clenched my hands into fists.
"Why does this have anything to do with me?" Axel hesitated.
I saw the flicker of conflict in his eyes before he finally said,
"Because you're the reason it's here."
My heart stopped.
The world around me seemed to blur for a moment. The quiet rustling of the wind, the distant sound of birds—it all faded into the background.
"What?"
Axel turned fully to face me, his expression unreadable.
"Dark Matter isn't just appearing at random. It's looking for something. And that something..." He held my gaze.
"Is you."
I couldn't breathe.
My chest felt tight, my head spinning as his words sank in.
"No," I muttered, shaking my head.
"That's ridiculous. I'm just—just normal. I work a crap job, I take the bus, I—"
I stopped.
The dreams.
The visions of a world falling apart. The feeling that something terrible was coming.
Deep down, hadn't I always known I wasn't normal?
I swallowed hard, gripping the edge of the bench.
"You're saying that thing came after me on purpose."
Axel nodded.
"Why?"
His expression darkened.
"Because you don't belong here either."
I froze.
A chill crept down my spine, my body going rigid.
"What do you mean?" My voice came out quieter than I wanted.
Axel didn't answer right away. His fingers twitched, like he was debating something. Then, after what felt like an eternity, he said,
"This world isn't the only one that exists."
My stomach turned.
"I don't—I don't understand."
Axel exhaled.
"You're not from here, Selene. You're from another world." I laughed. A short, shaky thing.
"Okay," I said, rubbing a hand down my face.
"Sure. Right. That makes sense. I'm some random girl from another world and didn't even know it?"
"Yes."
His unwavering certainty sent another wave of nausea rolling through me.
I shook my head.
I exhaled sharply. "This is insane."
"I know."
"No, really," I snapped, standing up.
"You're telling me I'm from another world? Like some sci-fi movie?"
Axel didn't deny it. He just tilted his head slightly.
"You don't believe me." I let out a hollow laugh.
"Of course I don't believe you! That's ridiculous." But deep down, the unease in my chest told me otherwise.
I wasn't normal. I never had been. The dreams, the visions—they weren't normal either. And the way I always felt like I didn't belong, like something was missing...
Was this why?
Axel stood slowly, his sharp blue eyes locked onto mine.
"I know this is hard to accept. But you've felt it, haven't you? That sense of... wrongness. That your life here doesn't quite fit."
I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out.
Because he was right.
Axel took a small step closer.
"Your dreams. They're not just dreams, are they?" My breath caught.
"You see things. A world breaking apart. Stars falling." His voice softened.
"Don't you?" My head was spinning. I squeezed my eyes shut, gripping my arms tightly.
"Stop."
"I can't," Axel said.
"Because this is the truth." I shook my head.
"No. No, this is crazy. I—I have a life here. I have memories. I—"
"Memories that don't feel real?" Axel cut in.
I froze.
He had hit something deep. Something I had never dared to voice.
My childhood memories were... fuzzy. Blurred around the edges. I could recall places, faces—but they never felt real. Like they belonged to someone else.
And my dreams... they always felt more vivid than my reality.
I slowly lowered myself back onto the bench, my body trembling.
"If—if this is true..." My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Then who am I?"
Axel hesitated.
Then, finally, he said,
"You're the key to everything."
"Key to what?"
My voice wavered, betraying the panic bubbling beneath my skin. I wanted to brush it off, to call him insane, but something in my chest twisted violently—like a puzzle piece snapping into place.
But there was no time.
To be continued.