Fate walked closer, their steps unsteady. The air felt colder now, as if the memory itself carried a chill.

The blurry shapes finally settled.

They were standing on a sidewalk at night. Cars passed by. Streetlights glowed a harsh white. Everything felt loud and distant at the same time.

Fate stared, confused. "This is… my world. Before the forest."

Older Fate nodded. "Yes."

The scene moved like a slow replay.

Fate saw their past self standing near the edge of the road, holding a phone, eyes tired and unfocused. People walked by without noticing them.

The Dreamer whispered, "You look… lost."

Fate swallowed. "I remember feeling like that… sometimes."

"Keep watching," Older Fate said.

The memory shifted again.

A bright light.

A sudden horn.

A car swerving.

Fate's heart dropped.

Their past self stepped backward too late.

Then—impact.

Everything went white.

Fate froze. Their whole body felt numb. "I… died?"

Older Fate shook their head. "Not exactly. Your body did not survive that moment. But your mind… your soul… slipped away. You didn't want to face what happened, so you pushed the memory down and found yourself in the forest instead."

The Dreamer placed a gentle hand on Fate's arm. "You fell into this world because you had nowhere else to go."

Fate's eyes trembled. "I didn't know. I didn't want to know."

"I know," Older Fate said softly. "That's why I stayed here—to keep this moment hidden until you were ready."

The street faded again, the cold dissolving into the soft dark of the room.

Fate stepped back, shaking. "So… the forest wasn't a dream. It was where I ended up after… everything."

The Dreamer nodded quietly. "And now that you've remembered, your journey can move forward. No more running from the truth."

Fate wiped their eyes. "What happens now?"

Older Fate slowly smiled—small, tired, but peaceful. "Now… you choose what comes next. The past isn't chasing you anymore."

The room grew lighter.

The shadows softened.

The chair began to fade.

Fate took a deep breath.

And for the first time since arriving in the forest,

they felt something lift—

a heavy weight they didn't even know they carried—

finally letting go.

As the last of the shadows dissolved, the room around them gently crumbled into light, like dust turning into morning.

Fate blinked, and suddenly they were standing back on the quiet forest path—no darkness, no chair, no echoes of the past. Just the soft rustle of leaves and the cool breeze brushing their face.

The Dreamer stood beside them, watching with calm eyes. "How do you feel?"

Fate looked down at their hands. They still trembled a little, but… lighter. "Different," they murmured. "Like I can breathe again."

The Dreamer nodded. "The past didn't disappear. But it doesn't hold you anymore."

Fate took another breath, this one steadier. The forest air felt warmer now, more alive.

They looked around. The trees seemed brighter. The path seemed clearer. Even the sky looked more open.

"Is this why I came here?" Fate asked quietly. "To remember?"

"Partly," the Dreamer said. "And partly to decide what kind of life you want now."

Fate hesitated. "Can I stay? In this world?"

The Dreamer smiled, gentle and sure. "You can stay as long as your heart wishes to. This world didn't pull you in to punish you or trap you. It gave you a place to land when everything ended."

Fate looked forward along the path. It stretched far into the trees, peaceful and inviting.

"So… what do I do now?" they asked.

"Walk," the Dreamer replied simply. "See where the path leads. You're not lost anymore."

Fate let out a small, shaky laugh. "That sounds almost too simple."

"Sometimes simple is what we need most," the Dreamer said.

Fate nodded slowly.

Then, for the first time, they stepped forward on the path not because they were escaping something…

…but because they were choosing to move on.

The Dreamer followed beside them.

And together, they walked deeper into the forest—

not running from the past,

but moving toward whatever the future wanted to show.

They walked in silence for a while, letting the calm settle around them. The forest felt different now—not strange, not mysterious, but welcoming, like it had been waiting for this moment.

Fate's steps grew steadier with each breath. Their shoulders loosened. Their mind no longer felt heavy.

Eventually, the trees opened into a small clearing. Sunlight spilled across a round patch of grass, bright and warm. In the center lay something new—small, simple, and unexpected.

A second ribbon.

This one was light blue, tied neatly into a loop.

Fate stopped. "Another one…?"

The Dreamer walked to their side. "It seems the path still has things to show you."

Fate crouched and picked up the ribbon. It felt cool and soft, like the first one. "Someone left this for us again."

"Not for us," the Dreamer said softly. "For you."

Fate looked down at the blue loop resting in their hand. "But why? What does it mean?"

The Dreamer shook their head. "We don't know yet. Not everything reveals itself at once. Sometimes you learn the meaning piece by piece."

Fate slipped the ribbon into their pocket beside the first one. "Then I guess… I'll keep going."

"Good," the Dreamer said. "That's all anyone can do."

They moved forward again, leaving the clearing behind.

The path curved gently now, no longer perfectly straight. It twisted between trees, winding like it wanted them to slow down and look around.

Birds fluttered through the branches.

Light danced across the leaves.

The air smelled fresh and clean.

For the first time, Fate wasn't worrying about where they were going.

They were simply walking.

After a while, they spoke quietly. "Do you think I'll find out who left these? The box… the ribbon… all of it?"

"Yes," the Dreamer said. "When you're ready."

"And if I'm not?"

The Dreamer smiled a little. "Then the path will wait. It always has."

Fate let out a small breath—half laugh, half sigh. "I never thought anything would wait for me."

"It's waiting," the Dreamer said. "And now… you're walking toward it."

The trees around them shimmered as the sunlight shifted, and the trail ahead opened just a little more.

Whatever lay further down the path—

answers,

new memories,

or something entirely unexpected—

Fate was ready to meet it.

One step at a time.

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