Kaelen got up and immediately went to the bathroom to turn on the lights. Sure enough, the cut was still there. Blood ran from his knee down his shin. It looked like a scrape.

Thousands of expletives ran through Kaelen's mind, but the one he settled on was "Fuck." He opened the medicine cabinet, grabbed his first aid kit, and got to work on treating it. He poured alcohol on the cut, not hissing from the sting but realizing just how real it felt.

Thoughts ran through his head. There was no TBI or concussion to worry about here. So either he was having a traumatic dream and didn't notice himself cutting his own leg before going to bed, or it was real.

It was real.

It was real.

It was real.

Kaelen couldn't even get the bandage onto his knee before collapsing on the floor and staring into the void. Did he tell Rain? No, she had a modeling gig tomorrow. He couldn't bother her. Did he tell his parents? They were too busy with Jude's treatment. Who did he tell about this? Did he even try to go to bed again after that? What if he fell asleep and woke up in that world again?

He still could feel the roots clawing at his throat, choking him from the inside.

Whatever his decision was, it wasn't going to happen on his bathroom floor. Kaelen stood up and washed his hands before putting the kit away. He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, his sea-green eyes looking duller than before.

He decided to make his way down to the kitchen. Surprisingly, his mother was still downstairs, working on her laptop.

"Hey Mom," he said from across the kitchen.

Venera jumped up slightly. "Oh, Kaelen, I didn't hear you come in."

"I couldn't sleep." Not really a lie. He sat down with his mom. "Anything interesting?"

"Working on a redevelopment project in NoVa." Venera turned her laptop to show Kaelen a diagram of a city street for an area near Arlington, with sections marked for parks, shops, condos, and recycling. "We were hoping to get this done in the next four years, but the civic engineer is worried about the displacement of the current residents. The client wants to get started on demolition, but...I wanted to see what I could do."

Kaelen nodded. His mother was a master of making sure her architectural ethics were palatable for her clients. "What do you think the plan is going to be?"

"Luckily, the client bought most of the apartment buildings already. I'm going to work out the approximate cost of refurbishing the buildings. That way, the neighborhood will look more cohesive but very few people will have to move. We'll also start with the commercial redevelopment first, to make sure we're bringing jobs to the area."

"You think that the client will go for it?"

Venera smiled. "You thinking of moving into architecture or still sticking with botany?"

Kaelen shrugged. "I'm just curious." Kaelen wanted to work in academia more than anything, much to the chagrin of his stepfather. His stepfather regularly expressed concern about Kaelen's career prospects, but the truth was Kaelen wanted to do science more than he wanted to breathe.

"Actually, I could use your opinion on something." Venera flipped to a diagram of a local park and a scrollable list of trees. "Do you know of any evergreen trees that would work in a space like this?"

"Isn't that the landscaper's job?"

"Yes, but I want some ideas when I go into the meeting tomorrow. Best to be prepared."

"Well..." Kaelen peered at the screen quietly. "You want something that can survive in the heat of this area. Probably a magnolia? This is if you don't want to go for pine. Magnolias are super fragrant though."

"I like the idea of fragrant, honestly. It will set the mood for spring." She smiled and hugged Kaelen. Kaelen didn't hug back, but rested his head on her shoulder. "Thank you."

Kaelen nodded. "You're welcome." He glanced at the trees once again, and his heart stopped. "Mom...can you show me that one?" he asked, pointing to a specific tree.

"Of course!" Venera clicked it, and an image of the tree filled the screen

Kaelen could feel the roots writhing in his throat as he gazed upon the tree. It had red fruit instead of coins, but it was unmistakable.

"The strawberry tree!"* Venera said, smiling. "What a fun name! It says it's best for dry climates though, not ideal for this area."

Kaelen blinked. He looked at the details.

Strawberry Tree
Arbutus unedo
Thrives in dry climates

Kaelen looked up at his mother. "Mom, could I go to a bookstore tomorrow?" He always preferred libraries and bookstores to internet research, and he knew at this point he'd have to research.

"Of course, love. I'll drop you off before work." Venera gave her a kiss on the head. "What makes you want to go?"

"I think it'd be a fun idea to research some evergreens."

Kaelen didn't dream again that night.

The air was so dense that snowflakes stayed suspended in the air.

A cloaked figure ran their iridescent purple fingers through a wolf's fur. Their eyes were glowing white. "You were a very good boy, Ymir," the Light whispered in a voice clear as day. "You did a good job. Thank you for finding him."

The wolf, Ymir, whined happily, rolling over onto his back and panting. The Light laughed and scratched behind his ears.

Another figure approached them from behind, clad in a similar cloak. She stood silently, smiling at the one kneeling with the wolf, her eyes a similar white color that contrasted with her tan face. Her eyes were not glowing, but her smile was. Her lace dress billowed around her, turning to shadows as it approached the ground.

The Light turned to the woman and smiled warmly at her. Though she was cloaked in darkness, a Shadow, she was their light. "The Bird has been found. Shall we begin hunting?"

The Shadow nodded and took their hand, lifting them. Both of their expressions turned somber.

"I will miss you," The Light said. "I will miss you more than you know."

The Shadow pointed to herself, then tapped the side of her head twice with the tips of her fingers.

I know.

The Light cupped The Shadow's cheeks, tears falling down their face. Cracks in their violet skin pulsed with light. The glow faded from their eyes, revealing human, hazel irises. They shivered slightly at the feeling of cold on their neck, a feeling that they hadn't felt in a very long time. At their side, Ymir began to whimper.

"I will find you again."

The Shadow smiled and flicked her thumb from the base of her chin out to The Light. She tapped her finger to her eyebrow twice, then motioned her thumb toward her chest. She plucked the air in The Light's direction, which made The Light smile in spite of themselves. She tapped her thumb with her index before crossing her arms in front of her, fists over her chest, and holding it like an embrace for a long time.

Not if I find you first, my love.

As The Light was about to close the distance between them, the Shadow pulled their hand away from her cheek. They guided it towards her chest and moved it through the shadows, into her heart. Her hand turned to shadows and entered theirs. Their cores, their essences, became one.

The darkness move, configuring into something akin to the signs she had been using previously but stretching outwards and penetrating the Light's skin.

The Light's eyes turned black, and shadows came out of their sockets, infiltrating their tears.

"So that was your name..."

The Shadow smiled, before vanishing into the fog. The Light was consumed by the darkness before vanishing entirely.

The snow began to fall again, and Ymir howled longingly.

A tear turned to snow as it fell.