In his dreams, he cannot speak. He can only stand there, dazed, as Lin Sen slowly approaches through the hazy background. She looks just as she did when he first met her, a girl of about ten. He is the same age too, back several years in the past. At first, she smiles at him, her smile sweet and a little playful. He looks at her, and the corners of his mouth lift slightly in response. Lin Sen's bell-like laughter grows fainter and fainter, then gradually fades away. The air around him seems to thin all at once, and waves of pain begin to pound through his head again. She draws closer and closer, close enough for him to see her curved eyelashes and the two distinct tear tracks on her fair cheeks. He starts to panic. He wants to go to her, but finds that he cannot move his feet. He tries to raise his hand to wipe away the tears still streaming down her face. His hand rises with ease, as if it is unaffected by gravity. But no matter how far he reaches, he cannot touch her. She is clearly so close, yet it is as if an invisible barrier separates them. She is inside it, and he is outside. They can both see each other clearly, but neither can reach the other.
