Dreams of the deep
The minute my head hit the pillow, I felt the exhaustion catch up with me. My mind was still racing, but my body was weighed down, every muscle heavy. I shut my eyes, willing myself to forget the events of the night, to leave the strange creature and its unsettling stillness behind.
But as I drifted off, I could feel a strange tug, like a current pulling me into deeper water.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in my bunk.
I was in the lab.
The room was dark, cast in shadows that twisted along the walls. I stood by the tank, but something was different. I couldn’t see the creature clearly. The water was black, thicker than before, with tendrils of shadow curling out from its depths. And there, at the center, his silhouette was waiting, his body swaying slightly as if caught in an unseen current.
I wanted to look away, to step back, but I was rooted to the spot. My heart hammered in my chest as I forced myself to inch closer to the glass, my gaze fixed on his figure. Slowly, as if sensing my presence, he shifted. His head tilted, and the dark waves of his hair drifted around his face, framing the pale blue of his skin. His eyes remained closed, but his mouth—just barely—curved into a smile.
That same haunting smile. The one that felt almost human, yet… wrong.
Then, he opened his eyes.
They were a color I couldn’t name, something between the deepest green and darkest blue, like the ocean itself. But there was something far more terrifying than the color, something I could feel—a power, an age that made me feel as if I were nothing but a drop of water in an endless sea. I could barely breathe as I stared back, caught in that gaze, trapped by something I couldn’t even begin to understand.
He reached out, his hand pressing against the glass.
I didn’t want to move. Every part of my mind screamed at me to run, to turn away from those eyes that seemed to look right through me, but my body betrayed me. Slowly, my hand rose and pressed against the glass, matching his. The cold seeped into my skin, so real that I could feel it piercing through my bones.
His eyes held mine, and then he spoke.
“Lila.”
My name slipped from his lips like silk, dark and smooth, the kind of voice that could lull someone into a dream or a nightmare. It was beautiful, and it terrified me. The way he said it, the way my name seemed to curl around his tongue—it was as if he had known it forever. As if he had been waiting to say it all this time.
“You’re… real?” I whispered, barely able to find my voice.
His lips curved slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. “As real as you want me to be.”
I swallowed, my heart pounding in my chest. His voice—oh God, his voice. It was so rich, so deep, and yet soft enough to send shivers down my spine. Every word was a note in a melody that was almost hypnotic, pulling me closer even though I knew I should turn away. There was a darkness in it, something ancient and all-consuming, but it was wrapped in a beauty that was almost impossible to resist.
“You came to find me,” he murmured, his gaze piercing through me, holding me in place. “You looked for me, brought me here. And now… here we are.”
I tried to tear my hand away from the glass, but I couldn’t move. His eyes were locked on mine, so close and so intense that it felt like they were searing into my mind. The air felt thick, charged with something I didn’t understand, and I realized I was holding my breath, waiting for something… something I couldn’t name.
“What… what are you?” I forced the words out, my voice barely a whisper.
His smile widened, just a fraction, and the light in his eyes darkened, like a storm gathering. “I am what you fear. And what you desire.”
The words slid through me, hitting something deep in my chest that I didn’t even know existed. My throat was dry, my thoughts tangled, every nerve in my body on edge. I felt myself leaning forward, my forehead just inches from the glass, as if he were pulling me in, drawing me closer to him.
I tried to look away, tried to break free of his gaze, but he reached out, pressing his palm harder against the glass. It was almost as if I could feel his touch, even through the cold barrier. His voice softened, growing darker, filling every part of me.
“You belong here,” he whispered. “With me.”
I wanted to scream, to push him away, to demand why he was doing this. But the way he looked at me, the way his voice slid over my skin, wrapped around me, it was as if he already knew me. As if he knew every thought, every fear, every desire I’d ever had. And it terrified me, because in that moment, I realized… I wanted him to know.
The shadows around him seemed to pulse, shifting, reaching out like tendrils, wrapping around his form. He moved closer to the glass, so close I could see every detail of his face, the dark lashes that framed those strange, ancient eyes, the faint shimmer of scales along his jawline.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he asked, his voice so low it was barely a whisper. “This pull between us. This connection.”
I opened my mouth to deny it, to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. Because I did feel it. Something deep, something dark, like the pull of the ocean itself, as if he were the tide and I was helpless to resist.
“You brought me here,” he said, his tone both gentle and unyielding. “And now you’re part of me, as I am part of you.”
His words sank into me, heavy and unbreakable, like chains wrapping around my mind. I wanted to look away, to push him out of my thoughts, but his presence was everywhere, filling the room, pressing down on me like the weight of the ocean.
“Why me?” I managed, my voice shaky, barely a whisper.
He tilted his head, as if considering my question. “Because you are more than what you think you are, Lila. You are drawn to what lies beneath, to the darkness. And I… I am that darkness.”
A shiver ran through me, cold and sharp, cutting through the strange warmth his voice had wrapped around me. His words were both a promise and a warning, and yet… I felt an undeniable pull toward him, a part of me that was both afraid and captivated.
“You’re not… real,” I whispered, as if saying it could make him disappear.
His gaze darkened, his expression almost… amused. “If that’s what you want to believe.”
And then, as if to prove me wrong, he leaned forward, his face just inches from the glass. I could see his breath fogging up the surface, could almost feel his warmth through the cold barrier. His voice was a murmur, a dark lullaby wrapping around my senses.
“Come closer, Lila. Just a little closer.”
I didn’t move. Couldn’t move. But the shadows around him seemed to reach out, winding around my hand, my arm, pulling me closer to the glass. I felt the cold seeping into my skin, felt his presence pressing against me, surrounding me. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, only feel.
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered, barely able to speak.
His eyes softened, just for a moment, and I saw something there—something ancient and endless, a depth that was both beautiful and horrifying. “Because you came to find me. And now… you are mine.”
The words sank into me, echoing in my mind, and I felt myself falling, pulled deeper into those eyes, into that darkness. It was like sinking, like drowning, but there was a strange, terrifying beauty in it, a part of me that wanted to give in, to let go.
And then, just as I felt myself slipping, his face faded, dissolving into the shadows, leaving nothing but the cold glass beneath my hand. The room was empty, silent, as if he had never been there at all.
I jolted awake, my heart pounding, my body drenched in sweat. My hands were shaking, and I could still feel the weight of his gaze, the chill of the glass, the dark warmth of his voice lingering in my mind.
It was just a dream. But it had felt so real, so terrifyingly real, that I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was still there, watching me, waiting.
I sat up, trying to calm my racing heart, but the image of his face, his eyes, was burned into my mind. I could still hear his voice, dark and smooth, echoing in my thoughts.
You are mine.
The words made my skin crawl, but there was something else there, too. A thrill, a pull, a desire that I couldn’t explain. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling both hot and cold, both terrified and… strangely drawn to the memory.
I closed my eyes, trying to push it away, but the sensation lingered, like a shadow that refused to disappear.
I didn’t know what was happening to me, but I knew one thing.
This was only the beginning.