Tobi stood in his house, a shadow looming over him as he walked, confusion clouding his mind. Where was she, his wife? And why couldn't he remember her name?
He made his way to the washroom to freshen up, but when he looked in the mirror, his breath hitched. There, in the mirror, stood the shadow with two blank, staring eyes. Chains coiled around its arms, binding it, preventing it from reaching him. Yet, even restrained, its presence was suffocating. His heart pounded; no, it stopped. The sheer weight of its existence was unbearable.
What the hell was he looking at? How powerful! How divine it was! No man could withstand this presence. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, groaning in agony. Before he could grasp what was happening, the world shifted, and he was somewhere else far away from the shadow.
Mist stretched endlessly around him. A figure approached, laughter echoing in the fog. Tobi couldn't see him clearly, but he knew somehow someone was there.
"It's been a while, a good while, friend," the mysterious man greeted. He was like the mist itself, yet human, it seemed.
"D-Do I know you?" Tobi asked, disoriented.
"You do, you do. Hopefully, you'll remember. I imagine you will," the man said with a grin. "But for now, my name is John. And you should remember your wife's name is Eliora."
Tobi stiffened. "H-How do you know that?"
"I'm your best friend. You'll get it; don't worry. Just enjoy," John said simply, his tone casual yet knowing.
Tobi barely had time to process his words before the world blurred again. A voice called to him, soft, melodic, angelic.
His eyes fluttered open.
He was lying in a field of flowers beneath a sky full of stars. Beside him, Eliora giggled, her warmth pressed against him.
"You fell asleep. Was it that nice here?" she asked playfully.
"How long was I out?" he murmured, still dazed.
"I don't know. I fell asleep too," she admitted.
"It looks like it's already night," he noted, glancing at the sky.
"Really?" she laughed.
"Yeah," he said with a small smile. "We fell asleep for a while, Eliora."
"That we did," she giggled as they lay together in comfortable silence, the stars shining above them.
"Hey, what did you dream about?" he asked her, curiosity in his voice.
She smiled warmly. "I dreamed of us. We had a child, and your mother and my parents came to see him. He had my hair and your eyes."
"Do you want a child?" he asked softly.
She blushed. "Hmm… maybe," she murmured.
"Then do you want to start?" he asked, smirking as her face turned a deep shade of red.
"That's rather sudden," she said, flustered by his boldness.
"Well, it's just an option," he said, pulling her closer.
"We can… later," she whispered, nestling against him.
"Okay," he agreed.
"What about you? What did you dream of, Tobi?"
"I… huh. I can't remember," he admitted.
She laughed. "Are you not telling me on purpose?"
"Maybe I forgot because I was thinking of something else," he said lightly.
"Worry about that later. We should eat first," she suggested, sitting up and holding out a hand.
"Okay." He took her hand, guiding her back to their house.
Once inside, he headed to the washroom to freshen up. Looking in the mirror, he studied himself. He looked the same, right? Yet something felt… off. He didn't know what, but the feeling gnawed at him.
His thoughts were interrupted by Eliora's voice.
"Can you help me shower?" she asked coyly.
"I can," he said honestly, turning toward her.
Tobi helped Eliora. Oh, how beautiful she was; with her ivory skin and golden hair, she was stunningly gorgeous. She was his. As they washed, he watched her hum softly, the warm water cascading down her skin. He was at peace. He was content. Yet, beneath that contentment, a sliver of paranoia gnawed at him.
Why was he paranoid? He wasn't sure.
The steam curled around them, wrapping the room in a comforting haze. Everything was perfect. Everything was right. And yet, his gut told him otherwise. He glanced around, scanning the bathroom for anything out of place, but everything was as it should be. Then why does it feel so wrong?
"Tobi, have you been feeling alright?" Eliora asked, her voice gentle and concerned.
He chuckled lightly, pushing the thought away. "Yeah, why?"
"Don't lie to me now." She pouted, wrapping her arms around him in a soft embrace.
"Alright, alright," he relented. "Just weird dreams, that's all."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Hmph, okay. In that case, let's watch a comedy today. You must've gotten scared by the horror movie yesterday," she teased.
He laughed. "Maybe I did."
"Or," she added playfully, "we could just eat."
"That sounds nice," he agreed.
They made their way down to the dining area, and Tobi opened the fridge, scanning its contents. "Do you want eggs?"
"Yes, that would be nice," she said happily.
"Sunny-side up or scrambled?"
"Sunny-side up," she answered without hesitation.
Tobi grabbed five eggs: two for her and three for him. He cracked them into separate pans, cooking hers gently while scrambling his own. As the eggs sizzled, he added a pinch of seasoning and a handful of spinach, preparing a small side of fruit to go with the meal. It wasn't anything fancy, just something simple and comforting.
He set the plate in front of her. "Here you go."
"Thank you, Tobi."
"No problem, Eliora," he said with a smile, the warmth of their life together settling over him. Everything was smooth. Everything was perfect.
Yet deep down, something still felt off.
Tobi sighed, pushing aside the lingering unease as they finished their dinner. It was best not to dwell on it right now, he told himself. Everything was fine.
But as he stood up to clear the table, his gaze drifted toward the wall and he stopped.
Something was missing.
A portrait. He wasn't sure which one, but the empty space on the wall told him that something had been there before. The more he stared, the clearer it became: a picture had definitely been removed. But why? And more importantly... who had been in it?
"Hey, Eliora," he asked, keeping his voice casual, "did you take any portraits down recently?"
"Nope," she replied without hesitation. "Why? Is something wrong?"
He hesitated, glancing back at the empty spot. "No… It's just weird. I could've sworn there was a picture of me and someone else here."
"A friend?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Yeah… something like that."
The answer felt hollow, like something just out of reach, something his mind refused to grasp. The nagging sensation clawed at the edges of his thoughts, but no matter how hard he tried, the memory wouldn't come.
In the end, he sighed and let it go.
For now.