Prologue: Zero
I dream. I dream of what could have been. I dream of the infinite possibilities that might've been mine. I dream of strength and power, respect and wide-eyed longing.
I dream of the world that lies inside my heart. The world that was once mine.
—
You see his eyes open. You remember the past, back when those eyes were full of vitality and hope for the future. The contrast is amazing. The deep longing and sadness that now lies within them shatters your heart. You begin to cry. He turns towards you and musters up a weak smile.
"Don't cry, love," he says. "Don't cry for me." His entire torso turns in your direction, and your sobbing increases.
"None of this matters if you're still here with me," he says quietly.
Yet you still cry, for his arms still hang limply at his sides.
You always thought that your life would have a happy ending. When you think back, when you remember how life used to be, you still believe that. Yet when you turn your eyes back to the present, your future seems bleak once again.
—
When I see her cry, I try to comfort her, but she cannot be comforted. So, instead, I dream again. I fall back into the lives we should've had.