Everything had turned dark. There was nothing there. Only her body in a rested state of sleep, dressed with a white shinning garment.

Luna came to herself short moments after hearing footsteps towards her location.

- Where am I?

She was still there, in the endless dark that had engulfed her after passing out.

"Am I dead?" - she thought with no way of knowing for sure.

Her senses were active but it wasn't cold nor warm, she simply existed in the nowhere that was that endless void. She couldn't see anything, feel nothing nor smell a thing.

The sounds of footsteps had finally awakened her but there was no one there. Only a shallow dimension. She could hear them coming from every direction possible, coming closer and closer to where she stood.

She was getting nervous, being alone in the dark was always one of her biggest fears, one that kept her up at night. And now, the infinite darkness was giving her even more pressure on her chest, making it more difficult to breath.

Her lungs were crying for help as the stepping sounds that had no living seeing creature behind their creation were coming even further. She was breathing so anxiously to the point that her ear drums were collapsing to the frenetic beating of her heart.

She started running, trying to outmaneuver the her non-existing stalkers until the sweat that was coursing from her legs went to the soles of her feet, causing her to fall to the invisible floor, hands first onto the ground as a reflex. The impact bruised the palm of her hands, covering them in tiny portions of her blood. And yet, she didn't feel neither the crash nor the normal fiery sensation that comes from wounds, only the fear in her soul.

The sounds wouldn't stop, they were there and not there, they were coming towards her from all directions and she couldn't get up. Her body was no longer reacting to her commands. Not even shouting could get it to do what the mind was thinking.

There was no possible escape. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, breathing in and out slowly, trying to go through her self taught defense mechanism. Music. She started to move her hands in the air, her fingers going up and down so articulated, so disciplined. The notes in her head were coming to life from the imaginary keyboard, bonding into a marvelous composition that reminded her of home. Her family, her love, and… the past that she was trying to forget.

Seeing his face at the auditorium, brought back the memories of old. The joy that she felt with him, the laughs, the cries. It almost felt like she was truly happy until the end, when she left him for Micael. Only then did she feel true happiness.

"Yes… I felt so happy…"

Those were words of conviction, at least to her mind but to her heart it almost seemed like she was trying to make it sound real.

The sight of her past made her doubt if that was the right choice, to give it no chance to bore fruits, to stay put in a locked box that she would never open again.

Was her fiánce really the one? She had never made that question. She was always so sure of it after what had happened. But now… now she couldn't answer that question without a shred of hesitation.

The noises had stopped. She could almost determine where they had finished. Reluctantly, she slowly opened her eyes to see two people in front of her. After close examination, she came across the oni masked man kneeling in front of her fainted self.

The fog had become more dispersed, revealing Micael's body just a few meters of them. He was unconscious as well after being hit which in turn made her remember of the masked figure that had attacked them.

She looked around for him but she couldn't seem to find him. Only a residue of some sort lied in the air next to the collapsed wall of the building. Somehow she was worried for him, it almost reminded her of someone very close to her but she couldn't give a name to that particular person.

"Why were we attacked? Is it because…"

Her train of thought was interrupted by the voice of their protector.

- What could you have possibly found to make yourself a target? You were always so distracted towards your surroundings but to think that you have been caught in such a thing…

"Who is this guy, and why do I think I know him?"

- Even being battered around like trash doesn't erase the fact that you were always so very beautiful.

He reached for her face, gently caressing the part that wasn't swollen.

"Why is he…?"

- And to think that you aren't walking around with your wedding ring in your finger… I don't know why you are so uncertain of yourself.

It was true. She wasn't carrying her wedding ring with her, but why? Even after the proposal she had kept it lying in her night stand, to witness her future every time she got out of bed. She never thought about it like the stranger was saying. She simply didn't want to lose it like she always does with her dad's necklace or her glasses. It was too much important to her. Or was it just like he was saying. That she wasn't sure about the wedding. She loved Micael like no man ever before but now… now she was second guessing everything. Was it her guilt that tormented her or some other kind of feelings?

- You will found out eventually what you want. That's what you normally do. - he sighed - Now, better get you two to a hospital, don't want you to catch a cold.

She smirked, finding that remark funny. She was already pretty beat up but after the thought of catching a cold was said out loud, she found it quite funny.

Stray suddenly turned his head straight to her direction, almost like he was staring at her from inside the unknown dimension.

Her heart started beating rather oddly, feeling quite timid looking at the stranger's deep blue eyes. It was if he was gazing straight into her soul.

A shout came from the direction to which he was staring but she was caught  in an intense moment, she couldn't stop looking at him, trying to analyze his entire being to find the answer to its identity.

Needing to blink after being with her eyes wide open to capture as much information as she could from the individual that had saved her made her miss the mysterious character's exit from the scene of the attack.

The next thing  she saw before everything turned dark again was a couple next to her calling for an ambulance.

********

It was already afternoon when she was lying asleep in a hospital bed with a couple of bandages around her head. It seems that the back of the head wasn't as damaged as it was to be expected from the brutal impact.

Micael was sitting beside her with a cast in his right arm and bandages compressing his upper torso. He was quite worried for her, asking for her nearly a second after he had awakened.

He had reached out to her family already and they were on the move to Covilhã, sparing no thought to the decision.

- Why would anyone do this to us?

They were simple scientists, living normals lives while trying to figure out the cure for neurological diseases. It was a dream shared by the both of them and it ultimately was one of the reasons for why that had fallen for each other.

The lecture that they had given was simply a way to find funds for their investigations, which couldn't make any progress due to the lack of money.

The university couldn't give them anymore attention after not getting any results from their investigations, making it more stressful and more important to get the help of the wealthy.

And yesterday was not a good day for them either. None of the visitors showed any particular interest towards their work, focusing primarily on the other university's scientists.

If they continued with this streak of bad luck they would have to stop their investigations and find work somewhere else. At the thought of that made him even more worried for Luna, whom had worked even harder over the years due to her mother's illness.

Whilst frustrated by his life's obstacles Luna began to open her eyes very slowly, adapting to the bright light coming from the window.

- Micael… - she mumbled, looking around in hopes of finding him.

He stood up at the sound of her voice, grabbing her hand to show he was right beside her.

- Honey, I'm here. - he said with a tender look in his face.

- Where are we?

- We are in the hospital, sweetie.

- The hospital?

- Yes, a couple found us after we were attacked.

- That's right, we were attacked by someone… Do they know who the aggressor was?

- No, they only found us there lying on the ground, he must have ran off. The police say nothing of value was stolen so they are still investigating the place.

She had no recollection regarding the rest of the night after closing fainting, but she did remember the masked figures and that a wall was shattered into a million bricks by their assailant.

- Was one of the walls broken?

- No, why do you ask?

- I thought… nevermind, I guess I'm a bit lost. - she said, confused.

- Yeah, they said you banged your head pretty hard, but it didn't crack or anything. Nevertheless, we are now fine. You family is coming to see you so you gotta look good.

- Okay…

He gave her a gentle kiss, leaving the room afterwards.

- That's weird, I… I remember that there was another person there and he saved us. - she said whilst looking at the window. - I guess it is just my imagination…

Suddenly, Stray's face came to mind, remind her of her frustrations that she felt the afternoon the attack.

- Wait, could it have been… No, he wouldn't, even if he was still angry at me he wouldn't do such a thing.

The thought of it was almost impossible to imagine, he had been such a good person in her life and he was always so thoughtful and caring towards her, even when times got rough in their relationship, even when she mistreated him during their couple fights. No… it couldn't be him.

Her head was starting to hurt due to all that guessing but the thought of her family coming over to see her made her relax. Her mother was one, if not the most important person in her life. She dedicated her life in order to find a cure to her pain and she sacrificed so much in order for her dream to come true. Her father was a good, honest to work man that sometimes couldn't be there for her, but it didn't make her feel angry at him. No, in fact her big brother was more of a father figure than her actual father. He could count on him for everything, even for the things that she didn't tell her soon to be husband. Oh, she couldn't wait for them to get there.

Excited about the visit from her family, she was finally feeling cheerful after all the mess that had happened in the past day.

A knock on the door made her jump a little as she was relaxed in the silence of the room.

- Hey girl, I see that you are holding up.

It was Seda, coming to see her.

Then she remembered about the attacker. And the plan behind her abduction.

- Seda…

- I hope you are ready for what comes next because I am stocked.

What more was in stored for Luna?