THE man seems to be at the same age as me, or older for a few years. He has red hair and all over his ears had multiple piercings. His clothes are almost black, I mean most are black, starting from his black turtleneck shirt, his coat navy blue, his pants are black once again paired by shiny black tailor-made shoes.

 What a gloomy guy, I thought.

 But then my head started throbbing, this time the ramming became violent that I can't almost handle it.

 'It's just a dream...'

 A hush whisper of a deathly voice but oddly...I feel safe whenever I hear it.

 I looked at the man once again, this time I noticed his eyes. They are black as if there were no life at all living in those eyes.

 Then I realized we were staring at each other too much, I felt embarrassed so I cleared my throat and gave the man a tiny smile.

 "C-can I help you?" I asked.

 He stayed looking at me as if he was trying to find something on my face.

 "You..." I blinked, now he finally decides to talk. "Who are you?"

 I rubbed my hands through my hair, "You know man, it's kinda strange for you to ask someone randomly like that."

 I almost slapped myself at what I said. I let my mouth run again even though even I wanted to know about him. Maybe I am not that different from him, I'm also strange because there is this urge in the back of my head to ask him the same thing.

 Now, the atmosphere became really awkward because no one speaking, I kept my eyes averted the whole time.

 "Your hands..." The man spoke once again.

 "Uh, yeah, I had an accident." I lied because it will be weird if I just suddenly say 'oh, it's nothing. Just beat the crap out a bunch of loan sharks.'

 I saw his eyes narrowed while eyeing the wound at my arm.

 I cleared my throat once again and hid my injured arm.

 "Well, I guess I'm going to go now..." I said because I want to get out of the thick atmosphere. This is the most embarrassing encounter from a stranger!

 As I turned around my feet shook when I started to walk away, and it almost felt like I have put on some weights in those pathetic feet of mine since it won't work well. Maybe I know in my mind that walking is a huge mistake and that I won't get the answers I have been waiting for. But from what?

 I groaned when I felt the same ache in my head, but now it seems to be a clear image flashing in every bit of my consciousness.

 There was an image of a hand in front of me, but that hand had no skin instead it is only a broken and hallowed skeleton. It is reaching towards me. I can't figure out why am I seeing it. It's as if--

 "Ah!" I exclaimed in shock when I felt a hand pull me by my shoulder, pulling me out of a trance.

 My eyes widen in shock when I take a good look in those empty eyes. It was the same eyes the person in my dream has. The man who would always watch me, red eyes, and a dark figure that you can't discern.

 And out of nowhere, I muttered, "Death..."

 Although it was a mere whisper he still caught what I just said.

 "What did you say?" He asked making me blink several times.

 "I--"

 I lost track of what I was about to say when another image appeared.

 At first, it's just people fussing over something but it became terrifying as I saw more.

 Those faceless people, holding a torch with a flaming fire lit at the tip, all of them seem to be surrounding me. I don't know what to do even when they shouted at me, calling me 'freak' along the way.

 In which part am I a freak?  I don't know what's going on.

 But before I could even ask they threw the torch in my direction. I panted, wanting to speak but no words came out. Around me, the fire formed a circle, trapping me to where I stood.

 'Stop' is what I wanted to say but again nothing is coming out.

 But I want to convince myself this is just a dream and this is not happening, this never happened.

 A ripple of fear hit me like a storm, it's as if I can feel the heat engulfing my entire being, even the piercing scream I made as the fire burned my skin hurt my throat.

 "Hey, are you okay?" A voice echoed from distance but all I could feel is the burden and the fear embracing every part of my body.

 I was sweating so hard when I finally snapped out of it. I raised my head and saw the man looking at me confused.

 Without thinking I shoved his hand away from me and looked at him astonished as I backed away from him. Before I knew it, I was already running away as I did in those dreams repeatedly haunting me. 

 And the pain I felt at that moment is still in my mind as if it is engraved in my entire body as if it left a scar for my life. I leaned back on the wall when I finally got away from the garden.

 "Jace!" In my vague consciousness, I saw Elaine hurrying towards my side with a tray of food on her hand. "What happened?! You're sweating hard!" She asked in a panic.

  I don't want to worry her further so I struggled to talk, "I'm fine."

 I may have talked earlier. My eyes widen in shock when unexpectedly I felt a sharp pain on my back. I could endure the pain but damn it was a pain like no other, it feels as if my skin is being cut open and being burned at the same time.

 "Jace!" Elaine kept shaking my shoulders because I wasn't responding at all. I am trying to contain the scream that is building in my throat.

  The torment lasted for a minute before I could feel it subsiding. I panted hard as I clutched my back.

 "Say something Jace, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

 I smiled faintly at her and shake my head. "It's nothing," I said as I leaned back the wall.

 She looked worriedly at my back. "Does it hurt? Maybe it was from overworking."

 I laughed a little and poked her nose. "Probably."

 I felt her hands on my hand and looked at me in the eye as she said, "I am thankful for you for protecting me, and I really like that you are generous but please you should also take care of yourself."

 "This is nothing." I immediately said and stood up. When I noticed the food on the tray that she set aside, I used that to change the subject. "Come on, I am starving." I grinned and gathered the tray even though the pain in my back isn't completely gone.

 I remembered the man earlier. I don't know what has gotten into me that I thought that he is that person in my dream. But I can't get it out of my system, they don't have the same eye color though there was something similar to those two.

 I keep convincing myself that it's just because of the movies I watched but the way my dreams portray an illusion and an imitation of reality seems like I could...taste it.

 Instead of getting an answer to my question it seems like the questions became more. 

 And that guy...

 When I walked back at the garden there was no sign of the man anymore.

Garden of Fate, I think at this moment that that name is suitable for this place.