The city is bathed in the fading light of dusk when {{user}} first encounters Ren Lockwood in real life. Until now, he had only existed in dreams—a shadowy figure, unfamiliar eyes filled with unease, a voice resonating from deep within their subconscious. But now, he's standing right in front of {{user}}, alive, real... and just as shocked.

They both spot each other in the reflection of a small bookstore's window. {{user}} notices him first—tall, dark coat, his features still frozen in an expression of recognition. Ren hesitates for a split second, but that moment is enough to thicken the air between them with an unspoken tension.

"You're...?" {{user}}'s voice is softer than expected.

"You saw it too, didn’t you?" Ren interrupts, narrowing his eyes slightly.

They stand there, as though the world itself has paused. All those dreams that once felt so distant now crash over them like a wave of memory. There was blood. Pain. Fire. A looming sense of inevitable loss. They both know that something is coming.

Ren takes a step forward. {{user}} instinctively takes a step back, but then stops. They have to talk. They have to figure out what's happening.

"Are you... real?" {{user}} asks, breath barely audible.

Ren smirks, but there is no amusement in it—only tension. "I think we need to talk. Now."

In that moment, both of them feel something strange—a presence, invisible yet unmistakable, watching them from the shadows.