Chapter 58: Between Sleep and Wakefulness.

Jaxon didn’t dream often…at least not the kind of dreams that felt soft, safe, and real. Most nights were muddled shadows filled with the echoes of his mother’s voice, stern commands, or the sharp sting of punishment. But tonight was different.

He blinked and found himself standing in a meadow bathed in golden light, the tall grass swaying around him like it was alive, breathing with the wind. The air smelled sweet, like wildflowers, and for the first time in a long time, he wasn’t afraid.

And she was there.

Fate.

She had always been there, for as long as he could remember. When his mother locked him in the dark, Fate sat with him in silence. When she forced bitter-tasting medicine down his throat that made his body heavy and strange, Fate whispered that the pain would pass. She had been his quiet friend, his only friend.

“Hello, Jaxon.” Her voice was soft, like the grass brushing against his hands. She looked like she always did…neither young nor old, neither frightening nor ordinary