Bound by Fire: A Love Rewritten by Fate

Chapter 1 – Episode 1 The Dream That Burned The dream always began the same way— with fire. It wasn’t the kind of fire that destroyed things. It was beautiful, almost sacred. Golden flames swirled around me, painting the air with light, but I couldn’t feel the heat. I could only hear her voice. > “Amara…” The whisper came through the smoke like a breath against my neck. Every time I heard it, my heart stuttered and I turned, desperate to see her face. This time I saw more than before—silver eyes, fierce and alive, cutting through the fire like moonlight. The girl reached out her hand, a single spark burning in her palm, and for a moment I thought I could touch her. But then the world cracked. The flames roared louder. My skin glowed with light, veins lit with molten fire. And her eyes—those silver eyes—filled with fear. > “Wake up,” she said, before the fire swallowed everything. --- I woke gasping, drenched in sweat. My sheets were tangled like I’d fought someone in my sleep. The room smelled faintly of smoke, and when I looked down, the birthmark on my wrist—the one shaped like a crescent—was glowing faintly. The glow faded in seconds, leaving only the echo of her voice in my mind. Aeris. I didn’t know how I knew that name, but I did. It felt older than language, like a word carved into my soul. I sat up, rubbing my wrist. “You’re losing it, Amara,” I whispered to myself. “It’s just a dream.” But the dream never felt like just a dream. It felt like a memory that didn’t belong to me. --- By the time I left for class, the morning sky had turned silver-gray. The air was heavy, like the world was waiting for something to happen. I walked fast, head down, trying to shake off the unease. Campus was alive as usual—students laughing, music playing, the smell of coffee drifting from the café near the gates. But beneath it all, there was a strange hum, like the ground itself was breathing. I paused near the fountain at the center of campus. The water shimmered oddly—tiny sparks of light flickering across the surface. When I blinked, they were gone. That’s when I saw her. Standing by the old library steps, hands in her pockets, black hoodie, silver ring on her finger— and eyes like molten metal. My heart forgot how to beat. She turned, and for a split second, our eyes locked. The hum under my feet turned into a pulse. She froze too, her jaw tightening, like she recognized me just as much as I recognized her. --- “Hey, Amara, you okay?” my friend Calla asked, snapping me out of it. When I looked back, the girl was gone—vanished, like smoke fading into air. But the pulse in my wrist was still there, thudding in time with my heart. --- That night, I dreamed again. But this time, she spoke. > “You weren’t supposed to remember me.” And when I woke up, there was a mark on my pillow—black ash shaped like a wing.