1

The dream always started the same way.

Ashwin found himself standing in the middle of a vast, misty landscape. The air was cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and wet stone. The light was soft, muted—like the world had been swallowed up by the fog. But the strangest part was the water. Everywhere. It surrounded him, rushing through rivers, cascading over jagged rocks in waterfalls, pooling in dark lakes that seemed to stretch on forever. The mist rolled across the surfaces like a living thing, curling around his ankles, making it feel as though the land and the water were one.

He could hear the distant sound of rushing currents, the soft splash of water hitting stone, but it wasn’t the peaceful sound it should have been. There was an undercurrent to it—something wild, something dangerous, as if the water itself was alive, restless, calling out to him.

And then, the figure appeared.

Ashwin’s breath hitched in his throat as he saw him for the first time. A silhouette at first, standing tall and strong in the mist. The man’s body was sinuous, his dark scales shimmering in the dim light as he moved through the water with fluid grace. His tail—long, sleek, and powerful—slithered through the water, dark as the night sky, a deep, midnight blue that seemed to glisten with its own inner light.

Ashwin’s chest tightened, his heart picking up speed. There was something familiar about the figure—something that stirred a deep, forgotten part of him. The pull he felt was magnetic, like a gravitational force he couldn’t escape, no matter how hard he tried. It was as if his very soul recognized this stranger, as if he had always known him. As if he had been waiting for him.

The man stepped closer, his eyes—sharp, predatory—meeting Ashwin’s gaze. There was an intensity in his eyes that spoke of ancient power, of secrets buried deep. And when he spoke, his voice was rich, deep, and unearthly, like the rumble of distant thunder.

“Ayaan,” the man said, his voice a whisper that echoed in the mist, carrying with it a strange reverence.

Ashwin froze. Ayaan. The name felt foreign, but it also felt… right. Like it belonged to him. Like it was meant for him, but he couldn’t remember why. The way the man spoke it—like it was something sacred, something that only he could utter—made Ashwin’s heart race.

His mouth parted, but no words came out.

The man’s lips curled into a small smile, and in that moment, Ashwin felt a rush of longing, something so deep and primal that it made his breath catch. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t even know this man, but in that moment, he felt more connected to him than anyone he had ever known.

“Ayaan,” the man repeated, his tone darker now, more possessive, almost pleading. “You belong with me. Come back.”

Before Ashwin could speak, before he could even process what was happening, the ground beneath him began to tremble. The mist swirled around them, the water churning violently. The once peaceful landscape shifted into chaos, the air thickening, the atmosphere heavy with a tension Ashwin couldn’t explain. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the vision shattered. The water, the man, the entire world disappeared in a swirl of mist, and Ashwin was left standing in a void, the silence deafening.

His heart pounded, his mind a whirl of confusion. Ayaan? Why had the man called him that? What did it mean? He felt the name resonate deep inside him, like a part of him was waking up, something buried deep within that he had never been able to grasp before.

But just as he tried to reach for the answers, everything went black.

Ashwin jolted awake, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. The familiar comfort of his bed greeted him, but the remnants of the dream lingered, the images swirling in his mind like smoke. His skin was cold, his body trembling slightly as he tried to ground himself in reality. The sheets beneath him felt foreign, too soft, too warm in contrast to the icy chill of the dream.

He rolled over onto his side, his eyes fluttering open, and saw Hayden beside him. His boyfriend, his anchor in the storm. Hayden’s deep brown hair was messy from sleep, and his chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, peaceful in contrast to Ashwin’s frayed nerves. The gentle warmth of Hayden’s body against his own grounded him, but the echoes of the dream—the name, the man, the strange pull—refused to let go.

“Hey…” Hayden mumbled sleepily, his hand reaching out, brushing the hair from Ashwin’s forehead. His touch was soft, warm, soothing, and it helped Ashwin’s breathing return to normal. “Bad dream?”

Ashwin nodded, a small, hesitant smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, I guess,” he muttered. He didn’t know how to explain it—how could he? He didn’t even understand it himself. The dream had felt so real, so vivid. And the man, the Naga… he wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. There was something about him, something that Ashwin couldn’t shake.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hayden’s voice was gentle, full of concern. He turned toward Ashwin, pulling him close into his arms, his warmth a comfort Ashwin always sought after long days.

Ashwin closed his eyes, trying to push the remnants of the dream away. He didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to think about Ayaan, the name that didn’t belong to him, the strange, intoxicating feeling the dream had left behind.

“I’ll be fine,” Ashwin said softly, burying his face in Hayden’s chest. He could feel the steady beat of Hayden’s heart beneath his ear. “It’s just a dream. Nothing to worry about.”

Hayden didn’t press him further, instead brushing his fingers through Ashwin’s hair, offering him the comfort he needed without question. But Ashwin couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening, something beyond just a strange dream.

He closed his eyes, trying to forget, trying to calm the storm inside him. But in the back of his mind, the name echoed, as real and insistent as it had been in the dream. Ayaan.

And for the first time in his life, Ashwin wasn’t sure who he was anymore.

As the morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the room, Ashwin woke up again, this time for real. But the feeling remained. The dream had faded, but the name—Ayaan—lingered, a whisper in the back of his mind. It felt like a secret he wasn’t meant to know, a truth he wasn’t ready to face.

And as he lay there, listening to the sound of Hayden’s breathing, the questions swirled around in his mind like the mist in his dream. Who was Ayaan? Why had the man in his dream said it like it meant something? And why did it feel so real?

Ashwin wasn’t sure of the answers yet. But he knew, deep down, that his life was about to change. That everything he thought he knew about himself—and the world around him—was about to be turned upside down.

And the man with the dark blue tail was only the beginning.