That night, Sade struggled to sleep.
Not because she was scared…
But because her heart wouldn't stop remembering Tunde.
She turned on her bed.
Closed her eyes.
Opened them.
Closed them again.
But suddenly—
A cold wind brushed her cheek.
Sade sat up, startled.
Her room was dark, but it felt crowded, like someone was standing there with her.
Then she blinked…
And the world around her began to change.
The bedroom walls dissolved, melting into silver mist.
Her bed disappeared.
The floor faded.
Suddenly—
She was standing barefoot in a wide, glowing field.
Blue fireflies.
Soft wind.
Moonlight dripping like water.
A calm river in the distance.
Sade gasped.
She knew this place.
The spirit realm.
But… she wasn't dead.
"How… how am I here?"
A familiar voice answered behind her.
"Because I called you."
Sade spun around.
Tunde.
Dressed in the same white spirit cloth.
Glowing faintly.
Smiling at her with eyes that held both sadness and excitement.
She swallowed.
"Tunde… this is a dream?"
He shook his head gently.
"No.
This is a meeting place.
Between your world and mine."
She stepped closer without meaning to.
"Why did you call me?"
His voice softened.
"Because you kept thinking about me.
Your thoughts… opened a doorway."
Sade felt her cheeks warm.
But before she could answer—
Thunder rumbled far away.
The ground trembled faintly, like something huge had awakened.
Tunde's smile faded.
His eyes sharpened.
"We don't have much time."
"Time for what?" Sade asked.
"For me to warn you."
She froze.
"Warn me… about what?"
Tunde's expression became serious—something she rarely saw on him.
"There are spirits who are not happy you survived.
They think you cheated death."
Sade felt her stomach twist.
"What do they want?"
His answer chilled her.
"They want to take you back."
A rush of cold wind hit them.
The fireflies scattered.
A shadow moved across the sky, huge and silent.
Tunde grabbed her hand immediately.
"Sade, listen to me.
Your return disrupted something in the realm.
A balance.
A rule."
"But I didn't ask to return!" she cried.
"I know," Tunde whispered, holding her fingers tighter.
"But rules don't care about emotions."
The sky flickered again.
Lightning—black lightning— tore through the horizon.
Tunde pulled her closer.
"You need protection.
And you need someone who understands both worlds."
Sade blinked slowly.
"Who?
You?"
He didn't smile.
He didn't tease.
He didn't look away.
He simply said:
"Yes.
Me."
The wind around them roared suddenly, and shadows rushed toward them like a stampede.
Tunde stepped in front of Sade, shielding her.
"Wake up, Sade!" he shouted.
"What??"
"WAKE UP!!"
The shadow slammed into them—
And Sade's eyes burst open.
She was back in her bedroom.
Sweating.
Heart racing.
Shaking.
But her hand…
Her right hand…
It was glowing faintly.
And her palm was warm.
Like someone had been holding it.
Someone real.
The next morning, Sade rushed to the living room where her mother was peeling beans.
"Mummy! Something happened. Something strange—"
Her mother frowned.
"Sade, calm down. What is it?"
"I… I saw the spirit realm again."
Mama paused.
Not shocked.
Not scared.
Just… quiet.
"Sade," her mother said slowly, "this is not the first time someone in this family has walked between worlds."
Sade froze.
"What do you mean?"
Mama dropped the knife.
Turned to her.
Sighed deeply.
"Your grandmother… before she died… could see spirits.
Speak to them.
Sometimes even call them."
Sade's blood ran cold.
"So you're saying… this is hereditary?"
Mama nodded once.
"You were chosen the moment you survived that accident."
Sade stepped back, overwhelmed.
Chosen.
To see spirits.
To talk to Tunde.
To be hunted by the ones who wanted her back.
Before she could process it all, Mama added:
"You must be careful, Sade.
The boundary between the living and the dead is thin around you now."
Sade swallowed hard.
But there was something her mother didn't know.
The boundary wasn't just thin.
It had a name.
Tunde.
Sade went out to buy something from a nearby shop later that afternoon.
The sun was hot.
The streets noisy.
Normal, everyday life.
But as she crossed the road—
SHE SAW HIM.
Standing under a mango tree.
Back turned.
Hands in pocket.
Dressed in simple jeans and a white shirt.
Tunde.
In the real world.
Her breath caught.
She blinked rapidly.
This couldn't be real.
"Tunde…?"
He turned slowly.
Smiled softly.
Like he'd been waiting for her.
Sade felt her legs turn weak.
"You… you're here?"
"Yes," he answered.
"For you."
"Tunde, how? You're dead."
He shrugged slightly.
"Dead… but not gone.
I found a way to cross.
But it won't last long."
Sade stepped closer, tears burning her eyes.
"What do you want from me?"
His expression softened.
"Not what I want.
What I need to tell you."
He leaned in slightly.
"There's a spirit following you."
She gasped.
"Why?"
"Because you are still connected to the realm… through me."
Sade felt everything freeze inside her.
"Through you… because we held hands?"
Tunde shook his head slowly.
"Not just that."
He looked into her eyes, serious and deep.
"You formed a bond with me.
A rare one.
A life-and-death bond."
Sade's pulse raced.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," he whispered, "your heart hears mine… even across worlds."
Before she could respond—
A cold wind swept through the street.
Goats bleated.
Children ran.
A woman screamed.
Sade felt something icy brush her back.
Tunde stepped forward instantly, grabbing her wrist.
"It has found you."
Sade trembled.
"What has?"
Tunde's voice dropped to a warning whisper.
"A spirit that wants to replace you in the world of the living."