Collide: The Memory of Stars

Aldric's gaze lingered on Selene for a moment longer, as if ensuring that his words had taken root.

Then, with a quiet hum, he turned his attention to Khael. The shift was subtle but deliberate, like the turning of a tide. 

"And you, young one," Aldric mused, his voice still light but carrying a weight beneath it,

"you've been watching, listening. Perhaps even understanding more than you let on."

Khael stiffened slightly under the scrutiny, his small fingers curling against his side. He had felt Aldric's presence pressing around him ever since they arrived, as if the old scholar could see something within him that no one else could. 

Aldric chuckled knowingly. "Ah, yes. You remind me of someone. Someone I met long ago, though I can't quite place where. Strange, isn't it? How familiar a face can be, even when the mind says otherwise?" 

Khael frowned. "You… you think you know me?" His voice was quiet, hesitant. 

"I know of you," Aldric corrected, stepping closer, his gaze sharp yet unreadable.

"Or rather, I know of another who walked a path similar to yours. A man who carried burdens that were not his own, yet bore them without question. A man who stood at the threshold of something vast and unfathomable." He studied Khael for a long moment, then sighed.

"But we are not here to dwell on ghosts, are we?" Khael's heart pounded. There was something unsettling about the way Aldric spoke, as if he were skirting the edge of a truth too deep to voice.

His fragmented memories flickered in the back of his mind—glimpses of a place shrouded in mist, of hands reaching for him, of voices calling his name, though none he could place. 

"I don't remember much," Khael admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "Just pieces. Just… feelings." Aldric nodded slowly.

"That is the nature of forgotten things. They return in fragments, in echoes. Some come back to us when we are ready. Others… remain hidden until we have the strength to face them." His tone softened.

"And you, young one, are standing at that threshold. You are closer than you know."

Khael swallowed hard.

"Then… who am I?" Aldric smiled, but there was something sorrowful in it.

"Ah, now that is the question, isn't it? And one that only you can answer. But tell me, Khael—when you dream, do you see them? The others? The ones who wait for you?" Khael's breath caught. He had never told anyone about the dreams.

The hazy figures standing at the edges of his mind, the sense of belonging and loss twisted into one. He didn't have an answer, but somehow, Aldric already knew.

"We will speak again, little one," Aldric said, resting a hand on Khael's shoulder.

"But for now, hold onto those pieces. The puzzle will complete itself when the time is right." Khael could only nod, though unease curled in his chest. He wasn't sure he was ready for the answers waiting ahead.

Khael sat alone, his fingers curled into the fabric of his cloak as he stared into the dim firelight. The quiet flicker of the flames did little to settle the unease twisting inside him. Aldric's words refused to leave his mind, circling like a relentless storm.

There was something beneath the surface of his memories, something just out of reach, and the more he tried to grasp it, the more it slipped through his fingers like water.

Selene's quiet steps drew his attention.

Though her sight was gone, she moved with a certainty that made it easy to forget. She settled beside him, pulling her blanket tighter around her shoulders, her expression thoughtful.

"You're thinking too much," she murmured after a long silence. Khael let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"I could say the same to you." A ghost of a smile played on Selene's lips, but it didn't last.

"I don't think I've ever stopped thinking since all of this started." Khael looked down at his hands, fingers tightening unconsciously. "Selene… do you ever feel like you're supposed to be something more than what you are?" She tilted her head slightly, sensing the weight behind his words.

"All the time." He exhaled, relieved to hear it from someone else.

"Lately, I've been having these dreams… but they don't feel like dreams. They feel like something I should remember." Selene turned toward him, her brows furrowing.

"What do you see?"

"Figures," Khael admitted.

"People I don't recognize, but… I feel like I know them. And there's something about the way they look at me, like they're expecting something." Selene was quiet for a moment before she spoke again.

"Maybe they are."

Khael hesitated. "What if I'm not who I think I am?"

Selene sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"I think we're all figuring that out in some way."

The weight of the day's revelations settled heavily upon Selene as she sat in quiet contemplation.

Aldric's words, Khael's questions, the ever-present uncertainty—everything clashed within her mind, stirring a storm she could not quell.

The dim glow of the lantern beside her cast flickering shadows on the walls, and though she could not see them, she could feel their movement, restless and unsteady, like the thoughts that refused to leave her be.

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of the blanket draped over her shoulders. The fatigue tugged at her, yet sleep remained just beyond reach. She inhaled deeply, letting the cool night air fill her lungs before exhaling slowly, willing herself to relax.

Her body ached, not from battle or exhaustion, but from the sheer weight of being caught between the past, present, and an uncertain future.

"Rest, Selene," Axel's voice came softly from across the room. His presence, steady and familiar, was a small anchor in the chaos of her thoughts.

"You've been pushing yourself too much."

"I know," she murmured, though even to herself, it did not sound convincing. Her fingers traced absent patterns along the fabric of the bedroll beneath her.

"But every time I close my eyes, I feel like I'm missing something. Like the moment I let go, everything will slip away."

"You won't lose yourself," Axel reassured her.

"Not while I'm here."

She offered a small nod, though hesitation lingered in her chest. Still, she could not deny the exhaustion pressing upon her limbs. With a final exhale, she settled against the bedding, allowing the warmth to lull her deeper into stillness.

The last thing she heard before the world faded was Axel's quiet, steady breathing, grounding her in the present.

Then, the darkness shifted.

Selene found herself standing on an expanse of endless water, the surface smooth like glass, reflecting the starless sky above. A cold wind whispered across her skin, carrying a voice—one that she had heard before, yet could never quite grasp.

You have wandered too long in the dark.

Selene turned sharply, her heart pounding. The voice was familiar, and as she moved, the air itself shimmered, bending like light through crystal. Then, emerging from the distortion, a figure took shape—a girl, radiant and untouchable. Her golden hair cascaded like liquid sunlight, and her piercing eyes, the color of the sky before a storm, bore into Selene with an intensity that left her breathless.

Selene's voice caught in her throat. She had seen this girl before, in fragmented dreams and fleeting moments that never made sense. But now, the vision was clear, sharper than ever. The girl stood before her, solemn yet unwavering.

"It is time you understand." The words were spoken in Eldorian, but to Selene, their meaning was as clear as the wind against her skin.

"You are not merely the key to destruction. You are the key to restoration. The world does not know this truth, and so it rejects you."

Selene swallowed hard.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

The girl tilted her head slightly, as though measuring her response.

"You must learn to balance what you are. The power within you has always been unstable, because the world itself cannot decide your fate. If you cannot master it, it will tear you apart. If you do not act, it will consume everything." A chill ran down Selene's spine.

"But… I don't know how."

The girl stepped closer, her bare feet making no sound upon the watery surface.

"That is why you must seek control. To exist as you are now is unnatural—an anomaly that fate has yet to correct. If you do not find a way to command the power within you, the world will decide for you." And it will not be kind.

Selene clenched her fists.

"Then tell me how."

The girl's gaze softened, just slightly.

"I cannot. I can only show you the door. You must walk through it." Before Selene could demand more, the world around her trembled.

The glassy water beneath her feet rippled, the air cracked like fragile ice, and the golden-haired girl's form began to blur, slipping away like grains of sand through fingers.

"Find the path before it finds you." Her voice echoed, distant yet resounding.

"And do not let the shadows guide your steps." Then, the world shattered.

Selene gasped as she jolted awake, her breath ragged, her body drenched in cold sweat.

The room was quiet, the warmth of reality stark against the remnants of the dream. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and though her sightless eyes could not see, she felt as though she had glimpsed something profound—something that had been waiting for her all along.

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, steadying her breath. The vision had given her no clear answer, but it had left her with a certainty she could no longer ignore.

She had to find a way to control the power within her.

Before it was too late. Axel then tended right away to Selene who just woke up from her dream.

"You saw her again, didn't you?"

Selene stiffened at the directness of the question. "…Yes."

His jaw clenched. "And?"

"She told me more about my role," Selene admitted, wrapping her arms around herself.

"She said I'm not just the key to destruction… but also to restoration."

Axel's expression darkened. "That's dangerous, Selene."

She swallowed. "I know."

"No," Axel said sharply, his voice laced with frustration.

"I don't think you do. The more you learn, the more you unlock, the closer you get to something I've been trying to keep you away from." Selene's fingers tightened against her sleeves.

"I can't just ignore it, Axel. If I don't learn to control this power, the world will reject me."

Axel looked away, his jaw tight.

"The world already has."

Silence stretched between them, heavy and unyielding. Selene's heart ached, but she couldn't back down. Not from this.

"I have to find a way to control it," she said softly. "Before it's too late."

Axel's shoulders tensed, and for a moment, she thought he would argue. But instead, he let out a heavy sigh and nodded.

"Then we'll do it together."

That morning, Aldric gathered them once more. His usual jolly demeanor was tempered with something unreadable as he leaned against his staff, surveying the group with knowing eyes.

"Well, well," he said, voice light, yet carrying weight beneath it.

"It seems we're standing on the edge of something big." Selene shifted. "You know something, don't you?"

Aldric chuckled. "I always know something, dear girl. The question is, are you ready to hear it?"

She hesitated, but then nodded. "I need to know."

Aldric's gaze flickered toward Khael. "And you? Are you ready to remember?"

Khael's breath caught in his throat.

"…Remember?"

Aldric's grin widened, but his eyes were sharp.

"Oh yes. I do believe the time for riddles is coming to an end, my boy." A cold feeling settled in Khael's chest. He wasn't sure he was ready for what was coming.

But he knew there was no turning back now.

To be continued.