Bewildered, Alec stood in the open field, gazing at the sky as purple and pink painted the horizon. It was always dark where he stayed, with hot balls of gas shooting across the abyss, and occasional light flickering from above. Generally, on days like this, he would work in his field until dusk. But today was no ordinary day. He felt disheveled, his mind in disarray as he thought intently about the girl he had just met.

Damn, those eyes, he thought to himself, reminiscing about their escapade together. How did she even get into my world? Who is she, and what's her name?

Alec had obsessed over her since that day. To say he was starstruck by her would be an understatement. He was enthralled by her, his thoughts entangled within the depths of her charm as he smiled faintly, thinking about the way her lips etched into his.

"Damn, she was beautiful," Alec whispered to himself, his heart throbbing with passion and desire. "Damn, she made me feel so alive again."

Alec knew he was moving too fast, but it had been years since he felt like himself. Years since he walked in his earthly body or kissed a girl again. It had been years since he felt any semblance of normalcy after that fateful night he was banished to the Dreamworld, exiled from the Land of the Living for his selfish desires.

Glimpses of his wife and his daughter flashed in his mind again, a distant memory of what he had before in his fleshly appearance.

"Damn," he spat, raking his fingers through his luminous hair as hot tears welled in his eyes. "I'm such a stupid prick. Damn,"

In that brief moment of despair, Alec fell to his knees in the field as purple dust wafted in the air around him. Broken sobs escaped his being as he lifted his shaking hand and cuffed it over his mouth as he cried uncontrollably. After all these years, he still ached for his family, wishing he could turn back the hands of time and take his addiction back; wishing desperately he had just heeded his wife's words and stuck with the AA meetings when she told him he had a problem.

But it was all too late now, because his fate had already been sealed: Exiled, the Reaper spoke at the other end of the gate. Exiled, for you are no longer permitted to join your family in the Land of the Living.

Curled into the fetal position on the ground, Alec cursed under his breath again as he stared at his dilapidated shack. He often wondered why he still felt emotions as a ghost, and why his world still resembled that of the living. Was the Reaper torturing him? Did the Reaper really sign off on his death sentence? Did he fully transition?

Alec only saw the Reaper once, so he couldn't ask any further questions. But all he knew was that he missed his family, he missed how his baby girl sang his name, and he missed how his wife drank in his sight and how his heart leapt with joy whenever she touched him.

Still, in the ebb and flow of his emotional stupor, he thought about that girl again and how she shared in his pain and spoke to him gently.

I promised her to take away all her pain, he thought to himself. But we both have pain. Damn, so much pain... I felt hers. She showed me. So how can I be there for her when I can't even be there for myself?

Alec's thoughts tumbled over each other as he stayed curled on the ground. No matter how hard he tried, the girl's image danced before him like a flame, reigniting a fire he had longed to be extinguished. He didn't know if it was fate or pure stupidity coupled with loneliness and lust bringing them together.

Whatever the reason, Alec was bound to find out. Only one thought remained: How do I get her back into my world?