Glowing Mark

Dr. Arden served Elsa's favorite roast beef for dinner and chicken tikka masala but noticed that his only daughter was not in the mood to eat. She has been staring at it and playing with the side veggies with her fork.

"Is the food not what you expected?" Ambros asked. 'My poor daughter, she must have been shocked about the accident,' he thought.

Elsa looked at her right wrist before answering her father's question, "Dad, you said you knew my mom, that's why you looked for me when you found out that she was dead and she had me," Ambros nodded while still eating and waited for Elsa to continue, knowing that she has more to say, "Do you know who my real father is?" Elsa asked causing Ambros to pause and breathe in deeply.

Elsa saw the hesitation on his father's face and added, "I know we've talked about this before but maybe at least you have a hint of who he was since you and Mom have been friends for a long time."

"And you know my answer to that, Elsa. Your mom and I lost contact when I went to medical school overseas. I have no idea who your father is. Am I not enough for you? I think I have been more of a father to you than he was. I don't even think he knows t you exist," Ambros said in an annoyed tone.

"I know… I'm sorry Dad, it's just that I have questions that he might be able to answer," Elsa sighed and finally started eating.

Ambros put down his fork and looked at Elsa with obvious irritation at her questions, "And what is that?"

"I told you already… My wrist was glowing," Elsa pouted as she sliced the roast beef on her plate.

"Honey, you were just probably tired. You haven't slept since your last shift and you told me that you just had a complicated operation so it's only natural for you to experience something like that. But I am happy that you came home, you will be able to rest here completely. So after you eat, go to your room and sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow, you'll see..." Ambros urged, hoping for Elsa to stop with her inquiry.

'I'm sorry Elsa, this is for the best,' Ambros mentally said to himself. He can never let her doubt her identity. Her mom made a great sacrifice just to keep her safe and he will not allow all of that to go to waste especially now that she is starting to experience and question things that are happening to her.

"Okay, Dad. I will rest after dinner," Elsa responded just to appease her father. She doesn't believe a word that he said at all. She can feel that he knows something and just hiding it. Her gut feeling said so, just like the dreams that she kept on having over the years.

Elsa offered to clean up the dishes since his father still needed to close up the clinic and do some paperwork afterward. She kept on looking at her right wrist as she washed the plates, trying to make sense of what happened to her.

In her dreams, there were times that her wrist would hurt, but it never glowed. It only happened before she hit the naked man and she wasn't even dreaming that time, or was she? 'Perhaps, Dad was right, I was too tired today and maybe, just maybe I may have fallen asleep while driving, that's why I didn't see that man cross the road,' Elsa uttered to herself. 

"I wonder how he is. I hope he doesn't file a case against me," she murmured before checking the time. She counted the time that had passed on her fingers and estimated that the man would wake up in about an hour or so. 

She took a tray and put some food for the naked man to eat once he was awake. She also picked up some of her medical books before heading to the room where the naked man was to check up on him.

She checked his vitals and thankfully everything was normal. She decided to sit beside him and study as she waited. She wanted to immediately ask for forgiveness and persuade him to not report her to the authorities. 

Reckless driving could make her lose both her driving license and medical license if charged guilty. She already set her mind to do everything just to convince the man to not sue her. She is even ready to kneel before him and beg if she has to.

Elsa kept on yawning while reading her medical book. She was really tired and needed some sleep so she eventually dozed off.

It was the middle of the night, and Elsa opened her eyes to some stifling heat before she noticed that she was in a different place. She stared into the heart of the bonfire, wondering when she arrived at that place. Her recollections were limited to the memory of running from the man in black leather armor, and she held the belief that her consciousness had slipped away soon after, leaving her wondering what happened after she fainted.

'Right, I am in the same dream again. I am so tired of this…' Elsa uttered inwardly.

However, she is also sure that wherever she is right now, is not the place where she has lost consciousness in her previous dreams. Besides the burning wood in front of her, there was also a variety of different fruits beside her. 

She looked around and widened her eyes after seeing the dark rocks surrounding her. She found herself in a dark cave, alone, with no sign of anyone but her.

Her eyes shifted back to the fire. The warmth radiating from the flames caressed her skin, and she felt herself drawn in, her feet carrying her forward almost of their own will.

But just as her fingers reached out to touch the edge of the fire's ethereal light, a sensation of searing pain rippled through her wrist. She gasped and recoiled, clutching her wrist to her chest, her breath catching in her throat. The agony was real, a sharp reminder that this realm of dreams was not immune to the sting of reality. 

Her heart raced, and she looked down at her wrist to find glowing swirling marks forming a shape against her pale skin. A bead of blood welled up from the wound, and Elsa watched in a mixture of fascination and dread as it trickled down her arm.

As the pain intensified, fear gripped Elsa's chest, and her surroundings began to twist and warp. With each heartbeat, the dream grew more fragmented, reality seeping in through the cracks.

Elsa's vision blurred, the edges of the dream melting away like mist in the morning sun. The pain in her wrist became more intense, a sharp ache that seemed to pulse in time with her racing heart.

A distant sound reached her ears—a familiar voice, trying to wake her up. The dream's grip on her weakened, and Elsa felt herself being pulled back, inch by inch, from the embrace of the dream world.

"Hera! Hera! Wake up! There's a glowing mark on your wrist!"