"That was beautiful" you said, standing behind him and wrapping your arms over his shoulders. "You really wrote that for me?"

"I did" he said. "I started writing it when I first realized I loved you but between work and other things I never finished it." He closed the notebook, putting the lyrics away. He caressed your arm over his chest "When you disappeared the first time I went back to it and the last verse came out... but I am not sure I am done with it yet" He turned around on the stool and had you stand between his legs, your arms still over his shoulders, his arms around you. He looked at you with a longing in his eyes and took a deep breath. "We need to talk"

"I know…" you murmured, shying away from words that might hurt him. That might hurt you.

"I'm still not sure what is going on" he started, looking away from you. "Let me rephrase that, I have no idea what is going on."

"I can't tell you I know either" you said. "Part of me thinks I am here because I can feel you, I can smell you, I can talk to you… but part of me keeps saying this is insane and I've lost my fucking mind." He nodded.

"Well… I feel pretty real" he said, putting one of your hands against his cheek. "And you feel pretty real to me too"

"How do we even start trying to understand what is going on?" you asked him rhetorically. It was really a question you were trying to ask yourself.

"Explain to me exactly what you feel is going on." Zen said. "I know you told me before but I was upset, and I made you upset, and there may be details we may have missed"

"Okay" you nodded, racking your brain for information. You went over every detail again, you explained how you knew "of him" through a game app where your answers were choices but you had fallen for him anyways. How on his birthday his strange dream had really gotten to you and had kept you up at night. How you wished upon a star to be with him and that's how it first happened but you still thought it was a dream.

"You wished on a shooting star?" he asked, incredulously.

"Yeah... I know it sounds... I saw the star and the thought just went into my head, it was a subconscious wish, honestly"

"Uh… I did that also" he said, staring at you.

"What?"

"I had had this dream that you were on a different dimension… but in reality I kinda thought you were a bot Seven had coded into the app, I wasn't sure you were real at all and I was too scared to admit Seven might have catfished me. A few days after my birthday I went to the rooftop to stare at the sky and… I just wished for you to be here. The next morning your call woke me up"

"So… we might have wished on the same star?" You stared at him skeptically… it was quite a stretch of reasoning and you felt you were grasping at straws. Your logical mind screaming at you this had to be a dream, it was just impossible. "Before I showed up here this time, I wished for it again. Did you?"

"No, I didn't. Only the first time" he admitted while softly running his fingers through your back. You thought this through. It is theorized that there are infinite alternate universes and while it was a stretch of the imagination to think that characters from a game could be real in another dimension, it was the only answer. That, or this was just a dream and you were thinking too much about it.

"So… If this is just a dream then you're a figment of my imagination… " you said, trying to clarify things. You touched the ends of his hair and laced your fingers in it gently "If I'm somehow traveling to another dimension where you are in then… then I need to figure out how to stay" you said, simply. "I don't even… how do I even research that? I don't know how I'm even getting here"

"I might know someone we can ask" Zen said "but it is kind of a stretch"

"At this point, anything would help" you added.

"When I was younger, I went to see this psychic. She had a reputation for being able to read people's futures and having prophetic dreams, like mine."

"A psychic?"

"Yeah, a psychic." Zen mentioned. "I'm not proud of it. I went to see her a few years ago after I had run away from home and was doubting my decisions. I was struggling and I guess I needed some reassurance. " he confessed "She advised me to master the piano and that got me one of my first few roles. I can't say if she saw it in my future or what but I have always been glad I took her advice."

"I guess it can't hurt" you say, frankly unconvinced but trying to keep an open mind. You never really believed in psychics but you never believed you'd see Zen so if there was a time to have an open mind about anything, this was it. You agreed to go see her in the morning since it was roughly 2:00 am at this point.

You spend the rest of the night talking to Zen. You sat on the couch with your limbs intertwined in different positions, rotating around every half an hour or so. You munched on fish-shaped bread, drank beer, and talked about your hopes and dreams. You chatted about yourselves, your feelings, your family, your friends. He told you about his struggles to become an actor, about his favorite plays, and hilarious stories of things you'd see behind in theater. He talked about his family and the RFA. The hours flew by between words, kisses, and caresses and before you knew it you were getting coffee and getting ready to ride his bike to the psychic's house. You were promptly there at around 8 am.

An elderly woman with ornate clothes opened the door and let you in. She said nothing of the early hours despite the sign outside indicating she was only open in the evenings. She talked about Zen as if she had known him all her life and called him Hyun. She was polite to you and introduced herself as "Madame Stella", but her attention stayed on him. You appreciated this as you had little to say, the whole idea still seem rather absurd to you. Her entire house was decorated with beads and statues of the gods of the sun, moon, and stars. You only knew this because the statues were either plainly labeled or they symbolized what they were very clearly. The entire place hued from violet to crimson with splashes of blue. Despite this, the place felt very warm and cozy.

"Are you here for more career advice?" Madame Stella asked, her voice like crumbled paper.

"No, I am here for love this time" he said, squeezing your hand. Madame Stella led you to a table and asked you to have a seat. You both complied.

"Ah, usually men that come for love advice do not bring the woman they love." she added, giving you a look. She squinted her eyes as she eyed you up and down. You turned to look at Zen slightly wide-eyed. "I'll start with some cards and I'll let ask some questions later" you turned your attention back to her while grabbing a pack of tarot cards from somewhere under the table.

She shuffled the cards expertly and set them face down, spreading them on a pattern that you didn't recognize. She asked Zen to point to a card and you to point to another. You both did. She took those cards and put them to the sides. Then she began flipping the rest.

"You have a long road ahead of you and it will not be an easy one." Madame Stella said, her hands over the first few cards. "The Ace of Wands in this position tells me something happened that had led you to take this road. It tells me there is a course of action which may lead you to the path you both desire so this union is not impossible. The Judgement card here says this is a great union but there are some… inner conflicts. I would advise you to trust yourselves and let go of your past. You must open yourself to manifest your gift and have your soul transcend and manifest as a multi-dimensional being…"

"What?" you interrupted. Multi-dimensional being?

"Shh" Madame Stella shushed you immediately and gave you a stern look. "It's a metaphor for advising you to grow and forget fruitless endeavors. Do not interrupt me during a reading" She put her attention back to the cards, unveiling the next one. "The Hierophant suggest there is some skill involved that must be mastered. This card doesn't usually come up in relationship readings. For Hyun it meant mastering the piano to succeed in his goal to become an actor. I will get back to this once I reveal more." She continued flipping the cards and gave you some generic advice that made you want to roll your eyes. The Lovers card, you were very compatible, and things of such nature. Then she finally took out the card Zen had picked. "Ah, the strength card." She pulled your card next. "The Two of Wands…" she thought about this, tapping her finger on the table. "The Two of Wands says you are at a crossroads" Madame Stella said. "There is a situation where you have a difficult choice and you have doubt… are you married or is there another man in your life?" she said, giving you a disapproval look.

"No!" you answered, immediately.

"Well, whatever it is that is holding you back, do not forget to take in the full implications of your situation. You must deal with your real concerns before they become regrets." she warned you. Then, she turned to Zen "You are the Strength. You must nurture and help her on this path and it will help you both. Separate self interest from wisdom. You know better than to be selfish." She turned the last card. "Ah, this is interesting. The Star" she said, with a thoughtful look. "The Star is about reconnecting one's soul to the spiritual plane. It is in the advice position, so it means you should dedicate some time to cultivate your spirit, or your relationship to the spiritual plane. I suppose that's what the Hierophant means, this is the skill you must master" Madame Stella added. "It is an interesting reading, I will admit. I more often see the death card on relationship readings than I see the Star and the Hierophant together". She leaned back on her chair and crossed her arms, as if thinking about what she had just said. "Give me your hand" Madame Stella asked, extending her arm towards you. You looked at Zen, inquisitively, but gave her your right hand nonetheless. She looked at your palm and almost traced the lines with her own fingers. "Your life line is forked to the Mount of Moon, that indicates traveling to far off places, but it is also a double line which is typical of the security offered by a loved one of the opposite sex" She smiled when she said that and it made you blush. "That said, where your life line is doubled, it is broken, which means you will come across struggles with your partner." she stared at your hand and turned her head from one side to the other. "You have a very distinct Millieu line that stops before your head line lies and it is distinctively parallel to your life line." she stopped and looked at you with concern in her eyes "It means health may prevent you from achieving your desired fate."

"Health?" you asked

"It can mean making unhealthy decisions, an illness, or any variation of those. It can also mean mental health." she said, tapping her own temple softly.

"Ah..." you said in comprehension. So I am losing it.

"Now that I have given you these answers, do you still have questions for me?" she said, letting go of your hand. You took your hand back and placed it on your lap. You thought about all the questions you had and they seemed absolutely absurd. You didn't even know where to start.

"Am I dreaming?" you blurted out after a minute of some awkward silence.

"Dreaming?" Madame Stella repeated, but then thought of the question. "Give me your left hand" she demanded, stretching her arm again across the table. You had been holding onto Zen's hand with your left but you let go and gave her your hand. She stared at it in detail. "Let me see your right hand again." You placed your other arm faced up on the table. "Is she who you dreamed of, Hyun?" she asked, expecting him to know what she was talking about, despite the vagueness of her question.

"Yes" he admitted.

"Were you able to reach her in your dreams? Through the glass?" you turned to look at Zen. How much did this woman know?

"No, not in my dreams"

"But you wanted to reach her" she said, almost accusingly.

"Yes, of course"

"And you" she said, looking in your direction, still holding onto both your hands. "Did you dream of him?"

"I… I don't know. Am I dreaming now?" She still hadn't answered your question. She let go of your hands and you retracted them, almost hiding them under the table. She stood and walked away from you. You looked at Zen with an inquisitive look and he raised his shoulders to signal he was unsure of what was happening as well. She returned with a book that looked old and worn. She plopped it open on the table.

"This is no dream" Madame Stella said. "But it may be that you're not really here. I've heard of this before".

"What does that mean? How can I not be here?" you said, starting to feel infuriated with her cryptic answers.

"Do you feel different? Do you look different?" she asked you, eyeing you again.

"I… I feel the same" you said, your hand traveling to your chest. "What do you mean you've heard of this before? What is this?"

Madame Stella pulled a small mirror and placed it on the table. "Look at yourself. Is this what you look like?"

You grabbed the mirror and stared at yourself. "Of course it is me, who else…" but you stopped mid-sentence. This wasn't you. You were looking at a girl with fair skin, bright yellow eyes, and long brown hair with bangs over her forehead. You had [color] hair and [color] eyes, this wasn't you at all. But when you saw yourself in the mirror, you couldn't deny that was you. You identified as this persona, with these looks. "...how did I not notice it before" When you really looked, everything suddenly had a plain texture. You looked at Zen and he looked… like he did in the pictures you always saw of him. He looked perfect… but he didn't look real. You didn't look real. You stood up and pushed the chair back. "What is going on?" you asked Madame Stella. If you weren't freaking out before, you were freaking out now.

"Sit back down. I will do my best to explain" she said. You sat back down but felt fidgety. You were feeling uncomfortable with what was going on. Madame Stella continued. "You come from a dimension where you can see things in three planes. This is a dimension that has two. Hyun often dreamt of you in your dimension but he could not travel there as he would not materialize. He does not exist on more than two planes. But you, you exist in three. You can leave your body in your dimension and your soul, the essence of your being, can travel here"

You frowned. Your spirit was traveling to a dimension with less planes and leaving your body behind… okay.

"Let's say I believe this. How do I travel here? How do I stay here?" you asked.

"You must disconnect your conscious mind from your body." she answered.

"How do I do that?"

"You become unconscious" Zen said. "When you fall asleep you come here"

"But it doesn't always happen. I slept before I came the second time and it was just normal sleep" this felt like nonsense. How could you believe any of these things? You had never heard of anything like this before.

"You must master the skill" Madame Stella said. "That's what the cards were talking about"

You took your hands to your head and buried your face in them, bending over to hide your frustration. You couldn't think of anything to say. This was impossible. You felt Zen's hand on your back, just a sign of gentle support, and it was as if your heart was beating again.

"Are you saying that me being here, that me traveling here, is a skill that I have? How come I've never heard of anyone doing this?" You asked, still refusing to believe anything the woman said.

"If you had heard about it, would you believe it?" Madame Stella said.

"Probably not" you admitted. Madame Stella made a gesture to prove her point.

"Most people with this skill likely only think they are dreaming and don't think much of it. I expect it drove some of them crazy. Some others might have been smart enough to enjoy it quietly."

"What about the star?" Zen asked. "It seems we both made a wish to a star around the same time and that's when she first came here. Does that have anything to do with this?"

"No more than both of you trying to find each other at the same time." she said. "I don't expect the stars to start granting wishes. I believe more in the spiritual powers of one's own self. You know what I speak of, Hyun, you've been experiencing prophetic dreams since you were a child."

Zen nodded. You sat there, leaning towards him. This was too much to take.

"Well, if you have no more questions, I would like to start my day as I normally do." Said Madame Stella standing up and closing the book. "I don't have a lot more answers on this, it is not very common, and it is not very documented." she answered, frankly.

You and Zen nodded and stood up. He thanked her and paid her for her services. As you walked out you thought of something else and you turned to her again. "How do I stay here?"

"I do not think you can. Your blood binds your soul to your body in another plane. You have no blood or body here, even if your soul materializes in this plane, it is not really here. Think that you are… a solid astral projection" She looked at you and looked at Zen. You thanked her again, said goodbye and walked out of her house.

"Wait for me a sec, babe" Zen said, and walked back into her house. You looked down at your hands and turned them around, trying to figure out what was wrong with them. They looked… different but somehow you could still identify them as your hands. They felt like your hands. You moved your fingers and touched your hair. It felt real, it felt yours. This was incredibly frustrating in so many levels.

Zen walked out of her house a few minutes later. "So… let's go grab a proper breakfast babe and we'll talk some about this. I don't want you skipping meals" he said, putting his arm around you. You chuckled at his comment. "What's so funny about that?" he asked, but that only made you laugh harder. You thought about the absurdity of the situation and him just being… him. He was magical. He was perfect, and you loved him. You'd be willing to believe anything to stay by his side and not skip any meals ever again.

Author's note:

Finally a complete chapter for fanfiction! the last two chapters were getting cut off because of explicit content.

So, I know nothing of Tarot card readings or palm readings, and short of giving Madame Stella a magic crystal ball... well, let's just say I tried my best to make it seem "realistic" to a certain extent. I did research tarot cards and palm readings and I feel it came out okay, but if I got anything wrong... please excuse my lack of knowledge about these practices. I used it as a tool to give you some answers. Please let me know what you think of this chapter, this was a lot of exposition and I'm not used to writing this kind of thing. Feedback is highly appreciated!