Echoes of you

The Path to Truth

The days after Riven's words weighed heavily on Sophie's mind. We start by going back to where it all began. She knew he was right; they had to understand the origin of their bond if they were ever going to truly move forward. But the thought of unearthing whatever cosmic force had linked their worlds terrified her.

One afternoon, as the autumn light filtered through the apartment windows, Sophie found herself staring at the notebook that had played such a crucial part in their ritual. Its worn cover seemed almost ordinary now, sitting on the coffee table between them, but Sophie knew better. This notebook had been the anchor that had pulled Riven into her world, a symbol of the connection that had bound them.

Riven, sitting next to her on the couch, was quiet. His dark eyes traced the lines of her face, as though searching for the right moment to speak. He could feel the tension in her, the hesitation.

"I know you're scared," Riven said softly, his voice pulling her from her thoughts.

Sophie let out a shaky breath, her fingers tracing the edge of the notebook. "I just don't know what we'll find," she admitted. "What if the answers are more dangerous than we think? What if..." She trailed off, unable to put her deepest fear into words—what if discovering the truth meant losing him?

Riven's hand covered hers, grounding her. "Whatever we find, we'll face it together. I'm not going anywhere, Sophie. But we need to know. We need to understand why this happened and why we were drawn to each other. And what that means for us."

Sophie nodded, her throat tight. She didn't want to be afraid, but the unknown loomed large. Still, Riven was right. They couldn't keep living in the uncertainty, waiting for something to go wrong. They had to be proactive.

"We need to talk to Lia," Sophie said after a moment of silence. "She was the one who guided me through the ritual, and she knows more about this kind of thing than anyone. If anyone can help us, it's her."

Riven nodded in agreement. "Do you think she'll have more answers?"

"I think she might know where to look," Sophie replied, her voice steadying. "She mentioned before that 'dimensional bleeding' wasn't unheard of. If there's more to our connection, she'll know where to start."

Riven's gaze softened. "Then let's do it. Let's find the truth."

The next morning, Sophie sent an email to Lia, asking to meet as soon as possible. Within hours, Lia had replied, suggesting they meet at her office—an old converted house in a quieter part of the city. Sophie hadn't known Lia had an office at all; when they'd first met, it had been in a café, casual and low-key. This felt more formal, more... serious.

As they walked through the narrow streets toward Lia's office, Sophie couldn't help but feel a sense of impending discovery. She clutched Riven's hand as they approached the door; her pulse quickened. The house was unassuming, tucked between two taller buildings, its exterior painted a soft gray. It looked perfectly ordinary. But Sophie knew the answers inside could change everything.

Lia greeted them at the door, her expression neutral but warm. She wore a dark green scarf and had her hair pulled back into a loose bun, her sharp eyes flicking between Sophie and Riven.

"I'm glad you reached out," Lia said as she led them into the house. "I've been doing some research since we last met. There's a lot we still don't understand about the connection between dimensions, but I've found something... interesting."

Sophie's stomach tightened with anticipation. "What did you find?"

Lia gestured for them to sit at a small wooden table in the center of the room. The house's interior was cozy and lined with bookshelves, filled to the brim with old, leather-bound volumes. It felt more like a study than an office, the air thick with the scent of old paper and something slightly herbal. Lia sat across from them, her hands folded neatly on the table.

"Your case is unique," Lia began, her tone measured. "Dimensional bleeding has been recorded in the past, but rarely with such intensity. Usually, the connection between worlds is brief—an encounter, a flash of something otherworldly, and then it fades. But your bond with Riven is something different. It's sustained."

Sophie glanced at Riven, who was watching Lia closely. "What does that mean?" Sophie asked, her voice a little shaky.

"It means there's more at work here than just an accidental crossing of realities," Lia said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I believe your connection was created—not by chance, but by design. Someone, or something, intended for you and Riven to find each other."

Sophie's breath caught in her throat. "But... who would do that? Why would they?"

Lia leaned back in her chair, her gaze sharp. "That's what we need to figure out. I have a theory—one that ties into ancient practices involving soul bonds."

"Soul bonds?" Riven asked, his voice low.

Lia nodded. "There are old legends, long dismissed by most scholars, about certain people being linked across time and space. Their souls were destined to find each other, no matter how far apart they were. The legends speak of bonds that transcend physical worlds, a connection that draws two people together no matter the barriers between them."

Sophie felt a shiver run down her spine. "Are you saying that... we were meant to find each other?"

"I'm saying it's possible," Lia replied, her voice steady. "There are forces in the universe that we don't fully understand—energies that connect souls, fates that bind them together. If you and Riven are connected by one of these bonds, it would explain why your worlds collided and why the connection between you two was so strong that it pulled him into your reality."

Riven's jaw tightened, his hand gripping Sophie's more firmly. "But who controls these bonds? Who or what would have done this?"

"That's the part we don't know," Lia admitted. "But there are places we can look for answers. There are ancient texts—obscure, but they exist—that discuss the nature of soul bonds and dimensional crossing. If you're willing to take the time, I believe we can find out what brought you together."

Sophie's mind whirled with the possibilities. Soul bonds. Fates intertwined across realities. It sounded impossible, yet everything about her connection with Riven had defied logic from the start. Could this really be their truth? Could they have been destined to find each other, pulled together by forces neither of them could comprehend?

But even as the idea began to take shape in her mind, another thought crept in.

"If this bond was created," Sophie said slowly, "does that mean... someone could take it away? Could it be undone?"

Lia's expression darkened slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line. "That's another question we need to answer. If this bond was made intentionally, then yes, it's possible that it could be unmade. But we're not there yet. We need more information."

Sophie's chest tightened. The thought of losing Riven—of their bond being severed by something or someone unknown—sent a wave of panic through her.

Riven, sensing her fear, squeezed her hand gently. "We'll figure it out, Sophie. Whatever it takes."

Lia stood, walking over to one of the bookshelves and pulling down a thick, worn volume. "This is where we start," she said, setting the book on the table in front of them. "It's one of the few surviving texts that references soul bonds and dimensional crossing. We'll need to study it, see if there's any mention of how these bonds are formed—and more importantly, how they can be protected."

Sophie nodded, though her mind was spinning. The idea of soul bonds, of fates connected across realities, felt too big to grasp. But if it were true, if she and Riven were truly meant to find each other, then maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to protect what they had.

But the path ahead wasn't clear. And whatever they discovered next could change everything.