Reflections of past lives

Lena

The pain was deeper than I ever imagined possible. The sight before me—of a young Kael, holding that woman—was more than just a memory of the past. It was an echo of something I felt deep in my soul, something ancient and already experienced. As I watched, everything within me trembled, as if the scene were connected to a part of my forgotten self.

They were together in the garden, he younger, more vulnerable, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. And she… she looked hauntingly like me. Her skin, her gaze, the way her fingers rested on his face. Every detail brought an unsettling sense of déjà vu.

I knew they couldn't see me, but that didn’t lessen the impact of what was happening. The scene unfolded like an open wound, and every gesture of his, every word whispered in the wind between them, cut like a blade. The expression of love in his eyes, the same expression I longed to see in his gaze, was meant for another—the woman who looked like me, but wasn’t.

For a moment, I didn’t care about why I was there, or what this vision meant. I only knew that it was real, that this pain was true, and that I felt every fragment of it.

Then, something began to change. The sky, once blue, turned gray, and a cutting wind swept through the garden. Kael's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing, and he held the woman closer, as if sensing danger. She looked at him, her lips trembling, and for a brief moment she whispered something I couldn’t hear. But somehow, I understood: it was a promise, a farewell. Death was near, and she knew it.

Suddenly, they were torn apart. Soldiers appeared, their voices thundering around us like storm clouds. Kael tried to fight, tried to reach his beloved, but he was held back, powerless. She screamed for him, and every scream felt like a punch to my chest. I felt her pain, as if it were my own. And, maybe, it was.

I watched, paralyzed, as the soldiers dragged her away. Kael fought with all his strength, but he could do nothing. He fell to his knees as she disappeared into the distance, his body crumbling as a cry of despair erupted from his throat. That pain he felt, that emptiness… I recognized it, as if it were part of me.

That’s when I understood the truth, as clear as the darkened sky above us: that woman was me. In another life, another time, another existence, I had been by Kael's side. I was the one he had held so tenderly, the woman he had tried desperately to protect, and who, in the end, died in his arms.

The scene around me began to dissolve, fading into shadows and ashes, while fragmented memories flooded my mind. I could feel Kael’s last caress, his tear-streaked face as he held me, the whisper of my own voice promising that we would always be together, somehow, some way. The images were fleeting but intense, as if each detail were engraved on my soul, waiting to be rediscovered.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a dark void, just me and the hooded figure in front of me.

“Now you understand,” they said, their voice echoing like an ancient murmur. “You are not just someone he met. You are someone he loved, someone he lost. And he sees her in you, even without knowing why.”

A profound sadness enveloped me, the weight of past lives and forgotten promises. I had returned for him, but he didn’t know it. And maybe, deep down, I too had to learn to love again, to rediscover who I was in that life, in order to heal the scars we left on each other.

“But why now?” I asked, my voice breaking. “Why was I brought back?”

The hooded figure hesitated, their presence shrouded in mystery. “Because the cycle is incomplete. You were separated before you could fulfill the destiny assigned to you. But remember: not every memory needs to be relived, and not every wound needs to be reopened. It is up to you to choose.”

And then, the figure vanished, leaving me alone in the dark.

I closed my eyes, letting the memories of another life settle in my mind. I knew that my journey with Kael was not yet complete.

As a final wave of memories washed over me, I felt a mixture of loss and resilience anchoring within. I could almost hear his voice calling to me from beyond time, a whisper that cut through the silence of my soul. The weight of our shared past was both a burden and a strange comfort, as if knowing the depth of what we once were gave new purpose to my steps.

When I opened my eyes, the darkness began to recede, replaced by a faint glow, guiding me back. I wasn’t just here to heal a wound, but to finish a story left unwritten. And this time, I wouldn’t let us be torn apart so easily.