BONDED

Chapter 3

Dan opened his eyes to a feeling. A sweet and fragrant feeling that he had sensed some time past. The one that had given him a sense of being. It started in his chest as it did before, and spread all across his body, giving him a feel in his nerves and limbs. But unlike before, everything hadn’t abruptly ended. He hadn’t lost his sense of consciousness before opening his eyes.

With his eyes opened, all he could see was darkness in the far distance and a blurry shape hovering over him, to his left side.  The light emanating from what he laid on, made it possible to see this head-like shape that was fixated on him. He looked to his left and to his right but was only met with the darkness. The only source of light seemed to come from an imaginary boundary that housed the soft white cloud on which he laid. This was a strange place. He had no idea where he was or who he was. He only remembered his name, Dan.

He brought his gaze back to the image that hovered above him, the image that seemed to gaze at him. With his head slightly lifted off the cloud, he looked down the blurry head and noticed its blurry left arm on his chest, and its blurry torso and what seemed to be legs. It seemed to be body of a person.

Why he could not see the person? He had no idea. Maybe this was a dream, and that he was lying off somewhere thinking of an imaginary lover, feeling lovey-dovey. A familiar feeling that was emitting from this blurry person. He needed to see who this person was. Maybe that would help remember who he was. So he looked back at what he presumed to be the face of the blurry person, and stared.

As he stared, the image became clearer and more focused. Revealing the face of a brown skinned man with light brown eyes and high cheek bones. He wore his curly hair in an Afro that covered his forehead. His light brown eyes cut deep into Dan’s blue eyes.

As Dan stared into his eyes,  he remembered a name, “Michael.” With the thought of his name, the memories came flashing back.

“Michael.”
It was the name Dan had called to a thousand times over. Though Dan was never conscious during those moment, he remembered it all too well. It seemed his mouth had a mind of its own.

As the memories kept flooding in, Dan remembered who he was , the life he had lived and where he laid. He knew where this story was going and the steps to get there.

Though Dan was in too much pain as of the time, he still remembered the words the sorcerer had said, when he trapped Dan in the coffin.

“Only until you’ve completed these steps will your mind be free."
"Only until your heart has loved like I have, will you be free."
"Only then, will you know.”

The immense hurt by which the sorcerer had spoken  those words had escaped Dan. He was too focused on trying to escape the fate that had befallen him to notice.

As Dan stared up at Michael, his blank expression turned into a crafty one. His freedom was nigh.

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Michael stared down at this man who had a cunning smile on his face. Maybe that was his resting face but Michael could have swore that there were mischievous intentions behind it.

Irregardless, this wasn’t the face he had expected. He had hoped to see the gray eyes and the butterfly smile that he saw whenever he was around his crush. Instead here laid who he assumed to be Enigma.

How the dream felt like a reality, he had no idea but it made him a little anxious. Michael had rehearsed many times on how he would tell off Enigma if he ever had the chance to see or meet him. But all he could do in the moment, was stared at his diamond shaped face. As thought he wanted to remember it forever.

“Are you just going to stare?” Michael heard Enigma’s voice speak directly from the thick lips of the beautiful man. His protruding Adam’s apple relaxing as he finished the sentence.