Selene's POV
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 gold over the pavement. It should have felt peaceful.
But all I could think about was that night.
The way the shadows moved. The way my body had frozen 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.
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 a smirk. But he didn't deny it.
I turned back to my sandwich with a sigh. "So. Are you going to tell me what the hell happened that night?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then he sat down beside me.
I expected the usual deflection. Not yet. But instead, he exhaled and ran 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."
"It's true."
I studied his face, searching for any crack in his expression. There was none. His calm was intact, the way it always was — but underneath it sat something heavier than usual.
I licked my lips, trying to ignore the way my pulse had picked up. "And what — you just happen to know how to stop it?"
His gaze flickered to me. "Yes."
A chill ran down my spine. "Who are you?" I whispered.
Silence.
Axel looked away, his fingers tightening around the fabric of his jacket. "I can't tell you everything yet," he said, quieter now.
"But you're in danger, Selene. That wasn't the first time Dark Matter has appeared near you. And it won't be the last."
I stared at him. There was a weight to his words that told me he wasn't lying.
I should have been scared. Maybe part of me was. But more than that, I was frustrated. I hated not knowing what was going on. I hated that he clearly did know — and still wouldn't tell me.
I clenched my hands into fists. "Why does any of this have anything to do with me?"
Axel hesitated. I caught 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 blurred for a moment. The rustling wind, the distant sound of birds — all of it faded.
"What?"
Axel turned to face me fully, his expression unreadable. "Dark Matter isn't appearing at random. It's looking for something." He held my gaze. "And that something is you."
I couldn't breathe. My chest felt tight, my head spinning as his words settled in.
"No," I muttered, shaking my head. "That's ridiculous. I'm just — I work a dead-end job, I take the bus, I—"
I stopped.
The dreams.
The visions of a world tearing itself apart. The feeling that something terrible was on its way. 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 went still.
"What do you mean?" My voice came out smaller than I intended.
He didn't answer right away. His fingers twitched at his side, like he was fighting some internal debate. Then, after what felt like a very long silence, he said, "This world isn't the only one that exists."
My stomach turned. "I don't — I don't understand."
"You're not from here, Selene." He said it quietly, like he'd been carrying those words for a long time. "You're from another world."
I laughed. A short, shaky thing that didn't sound like me. "Okay," I said, rubbing a hand down my face. "Sure. Right. I'm some random girl from another world and just didn't know it?"
"Yes."
The certainty in that single word sent a fresh wave of nausea through me.
I shook my head. "This is insane."
"I know."
"No, really," I snapped, standing up. "You're telling me I'm from another world? Like some kind of movie?"
Axel didn't flinch. He just tilted his head slightly. "You don't believe me."
"Of course I don't!" But even as I said it, the unease in my chest told a different story.
I wasn't normal. I never had been. The dreams, the visions — none of it was normal. And that feeling I'd carried my whole life, like something was missing, like I never quite fit—
Was this why?
Axel stood slowly, his blue eyes steady on mine. "I know this is hard. 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. Nothing came out.
Because he was right.
He took a small step closer. "Your dreams — they're not just dreams, are they?" His voice was softer now. "You see things. A world breaking apart. Stars falling." He paused. "Don't you?"
My head was spinning. I squeezed my eyes shut and wrapped my arms around myself. "Stop."
"I can't," Axel said. "Because this is the truth."
"No." I shook my head hard. "No, this is crazy. I have a life here. I have memories. I—"
"Memories that don't feel real?"
I froze.
He'd hit something deep. Something I had never dared to say out loud.
My childhood memories had always been fuzzy — blurred at the edges. I could remember places, faces — but they never felt like mine. Like they belonged to someone else's life. And my dreams had always felt more vivid, more real, than anything I actually lived.
I sank slowly back onto the bench, my body trembling.
"If this is true..." My voice was barely above a whisper. "Then who am I?"
Axel was quiet for a long moment.
Then — "You're the key to everything."
"Key to what?"
My voice wavered, the panic underneath breaking through before I could stop it. I wanted to dismiss it. Call him insane and walk away. But something in my chest twisted sharply — like a piece of something long broken finally clicking into place.
There was no time to push further.
To be continued.