In the distance, a figure materialized. As Lisa approached, her heart pounded with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. It was Luka, standing amidst the flowers, his familiar smile warming her soul.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she broke into a run, desperate to embrace him. But her arms passed right through him, a phantom touch leaving a chill in its wake. Confusion clouded her mind.

"Luka?" she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can see you! You're not dead but I can’t touch you confused ! Still we can tell everyone, and you can come back with me!"

Luka's smile faltered slightly. "Lisa," he said gently, his voice carrying a hint of sadness, "I am dead. Your doctor and everyone else are right. But here, in your hallucinations, I am very much alive."

Lisa's world tilted on its axis. "What are you talking about?" she stammered. "You're right here! Look, I can touch you!"

Luka shook his head sadly. "No, Lisa. This is all a product of your mind. Remember when I asked you how you would react if someone close to you disappeared?"

A memory flickered in Lisa's mind, a conversation she'd shared with Luka during one of their imagined walks in the park.

Luka continued, a hint of pride in his voice, "I never knew you'd react so strongly. I'm sorry, Lisa. It was all because of me."

"Luka..." Lisa choked back a sob, tears streaming down her face.

"Don't cry, Lisa," Luka said softly. "Look at your finger."

He pointed, and Lisa noticed a thin, crimson string tied around her pinkie finger. Curiosity piqued, she followed the string's path, her heart skipping a beat as she saw it attached to Luka's own finger.

"We're connected, Lisa," he explained. "Fated, you might say. It was a blessing to spend time with you, even if only in your mind. That's why you felt you could touch me – the string, a manifestation of our bond."

Lisa remembered the conversation with the innkeeper, Kiera. "But what about her?" she asked, a flicker of doubt creeping back in. "You talked to her."

Luka's smile turned wistful. "Yes, Lisa," he admitted. "But it was my wish. Remember your visit to the temple? You wished for something, and I wished for something too. My disappearance from the mortal world and the chance to spend a single day with you in this...corporeal form."

He paused, then continued. "There's a contract, Lisa. With the god of fate. My existence is remembered only by you. That's why no one else has any record of me."

Lisa felt overwhelmed by a wave of emotions – grief, confusion, a sense of responsibility. "I can't take this, Luka," she whispered, her voice choked with tears. "It's all too much. I can't lose you again."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Luka stepped forward, his form shimmering faintly. He cupped her face in his hands, a warmth radiating from his touch, even though she knew it was just another manifestation of her hallucination. "This is the last of my strength, Lisa," he said softly. "Just enough to see you through this until next time."

He squeezed her hand gently. "I have one last request. Kiera is actually my mother. Take my remains back to her. You know the place, where you watched the fireflies below the biggest marked tree with an X. Dig there, and you'll find a necklace. Give it to her. She'll understand."

A tear escaped Luka's eye, a shimmering droplet that seemed to hang suspended in the air. "I'm truly happy she's doing well," he whispered.

Then, with a soft smile, Luka began to fade. "Goodbye, Lisa," he murmured, his voice tinged with a bittersweet longing. "Until we meet again. Even though I was an illusion in your memory I lived it with happiness."

Lisa reached out desperately, but her hand grasped at empty air. Luka was gone, his form dissolving into glowing particles that drifted amongst the flowers. Lisa collapsed onto the soft grass, sobs wracking her body.

As the last echoes of her cries faded, a sense of acceptance settled over her. Luka, a figment of her imagination, a product of her loneliness, was no more.

Disoriented and adrift, Lisa woke with a start. The vibrant field of flowers, the memory of Luka's touch – all gone. She found herself back in the sterile hospital room, the harsh reality washing over her like a cold wave.

But something had shifted within her. The raw grief of losing Luka was still present, but a seed of acceptance had been planted. She understood now that Luka was a product of her illness, a coping mechanism for her loneliness.

The next morning, a newfound determination shone in Lisa's eyes. She actively participated in her therapy sessions with Dr. Marsh, diligently taking her medication. The progress was remarkable. Within a month, Dr. Marsh deemed Lisa stable enough to return home.

Selene, overjoyed at her friend's recovery, threw a small party to celebrate Lisa's homecoming. The atmosphere was light and cheerful, filled with laughter and well wishes. In a quiet corner, Lisa approached Mia.

"Mia," she began, her voice soft, "do you have it?"

Mia understood immediately. Reaching into her bag, she retrieved a small box. "Yes, Lisa," she confirmed. "You ordered me to keep it safe a month ago."

Lisa nodded, a flicker of sadness crossing her face. "What are you going to do with it?" Mia asked gently.

"I'm going to return it to the rightful owner," Lisa replied, her voice firm.

The next morning, Lisa set out for the inn. The drive was filled with a mix of emotions – grief, closure, and the faint hope of finding some solace for Luka's mother, Kiera.

Entering the familiar inn, she spotted Kiera behind the counter. A wave of sadness washed over her as she remembered the fabricated conversation she'd had with the innkeeper about Luka.

Approaching the counter, Lisa cleared her throat. "Kiera," she said gently, "I have something for you."

Kiera's eyes widened in surprise. "Ms. Lisa," she greeted, a hint of suspicion lingering in her voice. "What is it?"

Lisa took a deep breath, her heart pounding against her ribs. "It's Luka's remains," she confessed, placing the box on the counter. "And this..." she added, handing Kiera a small necklace. “I found it where Luka told me to search for."

Kiera's eyes welled up with tears. "Thank you, Ms. Lisa," she whispered, her voice trembling. "For bringing him back to me."

Lisa shook her head. "Don't thank me, Kiera," she replied softly. "

Kiera do you really believe it is authentic asks Lisa. Don’t you doubt me?

Kiera reached out, placing a hand on Lisa's. "No, Ms. Lisa," she interrupted gently. ". I dreamt, my son came to me. He told me someone would bring him back, with a necklace of mine, a necklace with a picture of our family."

A wave of guilt washed over Lisa, but Kiera's words carried a strange sense of peace. Perhaps, in a way, her hallucinations had brought Kiera some comfort. They talked for a while, Lisa sharing snippets of the Luka she'd created, Kiera listening intently. As Lisa prepared to leave, she turned back to Kiera.

"May I have a picture of Luka, the real Luka?" she asked hesitantly.

Kiera disappeared into the back room and returned with a worn photograph. It was a picture of a young Luka, his smile mirroring the one Lisa had conjured in her mind. A bittersweet pang of longing struck her.

"Thank you, Kiera," she whispered, taking the picture.

Driving back home, Lisa felt a strange lightness in her heart. She stopped by the place where she had first "met" Luka, a figment of her imagination born out of loneliness. Placing a single flower at the base of the cave, she whispered,

"Your absence is a silent ache, but your love remains an enduring presence, a whisper in the wind, a memory etched in my soul. See you next life…my love."

The wind rustled through the leaves, carrying her words away. Lisa turned and walked away, carrying the weight of grief and acceptance, and a flicker of hope for a future free from hallucinations.