A Matter Split into Five of Us

Born from the Same Light

Preeti drifted into the kind of sleep that felt like sinking. It was the kind of slumber where the boundaries of reality blurred, and the grounding sounds of her world—rustling leaves outside, the hum of city life—faded into nothingness. She was weightless, floating in an expanse of nothing, until a light, impossibly bright, pulled her in.

In the dream, she stood in a place that didn't look like Earth. A foreign, otherworldly landscape stretched before her—dark, vast, and unknown. She couldn't feel the ground beneath her feet, and yet she moved, drawn by a tiny glowing object in the distance.

As she reached it, the object pulsed, then exploded into five fragments. Shimmering pieces of light flew in every direction, each taking on a distinct glow. She didn't know why, but she could feel their presence like a part of her own being. The lights were... alive.

She tried to follow their movements, but before she could make sense of what was happening, everything went blindingly bright.

"What the hell was that?" Preeti jolted awake, the question escaping her lips before she could stop herself. Her heart pounded in her chest as the remnants of the dream clung to her, refusing to dissolve with the morning light. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. The room around her was the same—dim, familiar, safe. But her mind raced, trying to grasp the meaning of the vision she'd just witnessed.

"What just happened, Preeti?" she muttered again, feeling the surreal intensity of the dream course through her. She leaned back against her pillows, eyes fixed on the ceiling, her thoughts swirling in a chaotic dance. It felt like a message—something deeper than just a dream. But why?

She could still feel the energy of the five fragments, their names coming to her in flashes. "Preeti." One of them was her, as if a part of her own soul had split from the rest. She could still feel it, the warmth of its glow. The other lights, however, felt foreign but connected. They were... waiting.

The names drifted through her mind, uninvited but so clear, as if the universe itself whispered them into her consciousness: Gentleman, Heart of Gold, Starry Eyes, Secret Admirer.

Preeti's breath caught in her throat. "Who are they?" she wondered aloud, voice small in the stillness of the room. And why did it feel like she already knew them, as if they had always been a part of her?

She threw off the covers, her body restless with too many questions. Could all five of them be born from the same light? Was this cosmic connection more than just a strange dream?

Her thoughts grew louder, more erratic, as if the dream was seeping into her reality. "Universe, are you trying to tell me something? Am I... connected to them because we share the same frequency?" She glanced at the window, staring up at the sky as though waiting for an answer from the stars.

Her mind continued to spiral. If she was connected to these four, were they meant to be soulmates? The thought seemed ludicrous. "No, no, no," she shook her head, pacing now. "Soulmates come in all forms—friends, brothers, family. It doesn't have to be romantic." But still, the question lingered: "What if one of them is meant to be more than that?"

She paused, standing still in the middle of her room, feeling like she was teetering on the edge of some great realization or disaster. "What if," she whispered, almost afraid of the thought, "what if none of them are meant to be anything more? Maybe... it's not about love at all."

Preeti stood there, searching the depths of her mind for answers that wouldn't come. "Universe, just give me a sign that I'm on the right track. Please." Her voice was barely a breath now, as though the universe itself was listening.

But only silence greeted her.

The clock on the wall ticked, the world outside continued, indifferent to her internal unraveling. She sighed and collapsed back onto her bed. Her fingers brushed the cool fabric of the blanket, grounding her momentarily. Whatever this dream was, whatever it meant—it had left a mark. It had changed something inside her, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be the same.