The dream came again.
But this time, the door wasn’t far away or hidden behind riddles and mist.
It was there—clear, glowing faintly, its surface carved with the same swirling symbol that had appeared on their map.
Almond stood before it, her heart thudding loud in her ears. She reached out, fingertips grazing the handle.
And then—
Glory was beside her, breathing steady, his hand gently covering hers.
They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to.
Together, they pushed the door open.
She woke with her breath caught in her throat.
The attic was dark, the moon casting silver shadows across the room, and her heart felt too big for her chest. On the wall, the map shimmered slightly, as if something had shifted in the ink.
And there—at the edge of the map—the door symbol had changed.
No longer closed.
Now it stood open.
That afternoon, Almond and Glory returned to the orchard. But they didn’t bring paper or pencils this time. No sketchbooks. No books.
Just themselves.
They walked between the rows of trees until the world began to feel... thin. Like one breath in the right direction would pull back a curtain.
“I think this is where it happens,” Almond whispered.
Glory looked at her, the light catching in his eyes like dusk had settled behind them.
“What does?”
She turned to face him, heart racing for a different reason now.
“The moment we’ve been remembering before it ever happened.”
They stood there in silence, the leaves whispering above them, the scent of apricots wrapping around them like a spell. Glory stepped closer, and Almond didn’t move back.
“I’ve kissed you before,” he said softly, his voice thick with memory. “A hundred times, in a hundred lives.”
She nodded. “I’ve always known how it felt. Even before I felt it.”
His hands cupped her face gently, thumbs brushing her cheeks. “But this is the first time we get to choose it.”
And she did.
Without hesitation, Almond leaned in—and the space between them vanished like it had never been there at all.
The kiss was soft. Deep. Familiar in a way that made her knees weaken.
It wasn’t just a kiss.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHLRwzyHpO
It was a key.
The moment their lips met, the air shimmered around them. The orchard glowed faintly, like light had spilled through from another place. The wind stilled. The world went quiet.
And deep inside both of them, something clicked into place.
Like the lock had finally opened.
They pulled apart slowly, breathing each other in.
Almond’s voice was barely a whisper. “Did you feel that?”
Glory nodded, eyes locked on hers. “The door.”
And she smiled through tears she didn’t know she’d been holding. “We opened it.”
That night, Almond lay in bed wide awake, heart still buzzing from the kiss. From everything.
And then—on the ceiling above her, the shadows shifted.
A shape formed.
A map. Their map.
Glowing gently.
But now, it was alive. The symbols pulsed. The paths moved like rivers. And the open door glowed brightest of all.
Behind it—something waited.
Not a threat.
A memory.
A truth.
A life.
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