"Leo…"
A voice floated through the void. Soft. Warm. Like sunlight pressing through morning fog. Not a command. Not a cry for help. Just… a call. Gentle and inviting.
"Leo."
The voice again—closer this time. Feminine. Familiar. As though she were standing right beside him, brushing strands of hair from her face with a shy smile.
"My mom used to play it to me when I was young," she whispered.
And then came the sound. A flute, gentle and wistful, played in the background. Its melody wrapped around Leo like a breeze on a quiet spring night, pulling him inward. It was beautiful. Wistful. It clung to his ribs and stirred something he couldn't quite name.
I love it, Leo thought… or maybe he said it. It was hard to tell.
Then the world changed.
Darkness. Blazing, suffocating fire.
It roared to life around him—ripping through the silence like an inferno set loose in a world of paper. Flames coiled and screamed. Shadows twisted and stretched, and Leo was caught in the middle of it. His mouth moved, forming desperate words, but no sound came out. Only a choking silence.
He screamed louder.
Still, nothing.
The world around him cracked and shattered—ash falling like snow. A figure. A silhouette through the fire. Was it someone he knew? Someone he lost?
Then again, that voice.
"Leo… Leo…"
It was close now, breath close.
"Leo!"
With a gasp, he sat up.
"Leo!" Matthew's voice came again, pulling him from the dream like a hook dragging him out of deep water. The room was dim—sunlight bleeding through the wooden window shutters. Warm morning light filtered in, bathing the wooden floors in soft gold.
Leo blinked. His skin was slick with sweat.
"You overslept again," Matthew said, tugging a boot on and tightening the strap. "Come on. We need to go."
Leo rubbed his eyes and groaned. "Where… where are we going again?"
Matthew gave him a blank look. "Seriously? The clinic? The doctor probably finished treating El already. We need to check on her."
"Right," Leo mumbled.
Matthew raised a brow, then smirked. "You're really into that dreamland, huh? You were even talking in your sleep."
Leo paused. "What did I say?"
Matthew grinned like a fox. "Sandya."
That name. It hit Leo in the gut like a punch. His breath caught for a moment.
Matthew leaned forward, brows wiggled. "So… Who is she? A girlfriend I don't know about? Secret lover? Imaginary wife?"
"No," Leo said, brushing it off too quickly.
"Then who's Sandya?"
Leo looked down, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know."
Matthew looked at him for a moment longer, his playful expression softening. Then he shrugged and stood. "Well. Mystery girl or not, we've got places to be. Get dressed."
The innkeeper invited them to stay for breakfast—it was part of the stay, after all—but the boys politely declined. They had other plans. They wanted to eat with El.
The streets were quieter in the early hours. Smoke curled from chimneys, merchants were just opening their stalls, and the occasional mercenary passed them by, some with half-lidded eyes from drinking the night before.
The clinic's small wooden door chimed as it opened.
"Yo, El. We brought breakfast!" Matthew called, holding up a brown paper bag that smelled faintly of soup and grilled bread.
Inside, El was already sitting up on her bed, a blanket wrapped around her legs. Her hair was messily tied back, and she was mid-conversation with a man standing at her bedside. A nurse stood beside him, arms crossed.
The man turned, adjusting the small eyeglass perched on his right eye. He had a short but thick beard and wore a vest full of tiny vials, scrolls, and a ridiculously large silver brooch shaped like a serpent.
"Ah, these must be your companions," he said, smiling.
El gave a soft nod and smirked. "Took them long enough."
Leo stepped forward. "You must be the doctor," he said, offering a hand.
"I am indeed, Doctor Melrik at your service!" the man said, shaking it firmly. "And I'm pleased to report your friend here is in excellent condition. Stronger than yesterday. Ready to go out and slay a dragon or two, if she likes."
"Wait—what?" Leo blinked. "She was nearly torn apart just yesterday. We thought she'd be out for weeks."
Melrik puffed his chest out proudly. "Yes, well, most would. But not under my care. I happen to be the best physician in the world, give or take a kingdom or two." He struck a pose, as if expecting applause.
Thunk!
A firm smack landed on the back of his head, courtesy of the nurse.
"Don't let him fool you," she said dryly, arms still crossed. "He made the potion, yes. But if the healing happened, it's because the potion worked. Not because of his smug face floating around the room like a god."
"Ow! Nurse Rima, must you assault me in front of our guests?" Melrik whined, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yes," she said simply. "Especially when you start talking like a walking poster for yourself."
Leo stifled a laugh.
Matthew was openly chuckling. "I like her."
"I do too, but she hits harder than most monsters," Melrik muttered, still rubbing his scalp. "Anyway, you should thank your friend here. Not many people survive whatever that monster gave her that injury"
"Can I go now?" El asked, swinging her legs over the bed.
Nurse Rima immediately shoved her back onto the mattress with a single finger. "Absolutely not. You're cleared, yes, but you're not leaving until you eat and drink your tonic. I didn't drag you back from death's door just to watch you trip on the way out."
El pouted but didn't argue.
"We brought food!" Matthew chimed in, raising the noodle bags again. "Warm and a little soggy—just the way you like it."
"That's not how I like it," El said, accepting the food anyway with a small smile.
They passed bowls around, borrowing ceramic ones from the clinic's cabinet. Soon enough, they were all sitting in the quiet room together, the steam of the broth warming their faces and fingers. The morning outside bustled with noise, but in here, it felt slow and calm.
For a moment, it was just the three of them again.
Eating together like nothing had changed.
But Leo felt it—something had. The dream still clung to the edges of his mind like smoke. The tune. The fire. The name.
Sandya.
"Leo," El said, tilting her head. "You okay?"
He blinked, snapping out of the haze. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Matthew, of course, decided to pounce. "He's just thinking about his mystery girlfriend."
El raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend?"
Leo sighed. "There's no girlfriend."
"Her name's Sandya," Matthew added helpfully, shoveling noodles into his mouth.
El blinked. Then frowned. "Sandya?"
Leo looked up. Something in her tone was different.
"Yeah," he said slowly. "You know her?"
El shook her head. "No. But… that name is quite common"
They finished their breakfast in relative silence after that. It wasn't awkward—just pensive. Something had stirred between them. A name they shouldn't have known. A melody that wasn't theirs.
When the bowls were cleaned and stacked, and El had finally finished her tonic under the watchful glare of Nurse Rima, they gathered their things and prepared to leave.
"Thanks again, Doctor," Leo said.
"Don't mention it," Melrik replied, then struck a dramatic pose. "You've just been treated by the legendary Doctor Melrik! Please tell your friends, enemies, and any monsters you meet."
Thunk!
Another smack from Nurse Rima.
"Stop it."
El limped toward the door with Leo on one side and Matthew on the other.
Outside, the world was waking.
But Leo couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere, in the winds of another dream—someone was still calling his name.
Sandya.