Collide: The Memory of Stars

Axel's POV 

The scent of damp stone filled my lungs as I stood in the grand chamber of Eldoria's sanctum.

It was vast, endless, with walls of carved celestial script glowing faintly in the dim light. It was a place I had not stepped into for what felt like a lifetime.

Yet, here I was, my past self, standing before the god who had once bestowed upon me the power to protect what I yearned to protect.

The god sat atop his usual throne, made of ever-shifting light, his form both undefined and yet strangely familiar.

He was playful in nature, his voice like an ever-changing melody. A being who never took things too seriously—except for when it truly mattered.

"You look different," he mused, tilting his head as if studying me like a fascinating puzzle.

"No, that's not quite right. You look exactly the same. But something's missing." I exhaled, already expecting his usual riddles.

"You know why I'm here."

"Oh, I always know why you're here," the god chuckled, stretching his arms.

"But that doesn't mean I'll make it easy for you." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

"You already took back a fraction of what was once yours. Why the sudden rush to claim it all?" I met his gaze, unwavering.

"Because the world no longer allows me to be without it." The god hummed in amusement.

"Ah, duty. Such a heavy word for someone who once lived so freely." Memories surged—a battlefield, a promise, the burning desire to protect. The power I had once wielded was not just for myself. It had been for them.

The god studied my silence before sighing dramatically.

"Fine, fine. Let's skip the usual trials since you seem so serious this time. Ask your real question."

I clenched my fist. "Vherezoth."

For the first time, the god stilled. The usual glint of amusement in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something unreadable.

"So, you've finally started to remember."

"I need to know." My voice was firm.

"The Cursed One—Vherezoth—Aldric spoke of her. She's about to be unsealed, isn't she?"

The god slowly leaned back, the light around him shifting restlessly.

"Ah, so the little storyteller spilled some of the truth. How interesting."

"Don't play games with me," I warned.

"You granted me your power once before, to protect what mattered most. If Vherezoth is truly returning, I need that strength again."

The god smiled, but it was not the usual playful smirk. It was knowing, almost… sad.

"You always did bear too much weight on your shoulders." He stood, the chamber darkening as his presence grew more vast.

"Fine, Axel. Take it back. But know this—power alone will not be enough this time."

A surge of light engulfed me. The weight of my lost strength, my past, my duty—it all returned in an instant. But with it came something else.

A whisper. A name. A warning.

Vherezoth is waking.

And this time, I may not be strong enough to stop her.

The world pulled me back, and as I opened

my eyes, I was no longer in the sanctum.

I was back in reality. But this time, I was ready.

Khael's POV

The scent of burning wood filled my lungs, yet it did not suffocate me. Flames danced around my feet, flickering and curling like old friends welcoming me home. I was not afraid.

No, I felt something else—something I had not felt in a long time. Familiarity.

I stood in the middle of a village, its once-thriving streets now consumed by fire.

Shadows of figures moved in the distance, their faces blurred, their voices distant echoes of a forgotten past. I knew this place, yet I did not. I had been here before, and yet it felt like the first time I was stepping into this memory.

And then, I heard them.

"Flame Lord!" a voice called, laced with desperation and admiration.

I turned sharply. A man was kneeling before me, his clothes tattered, his face streaked with soot. His eyes, wide with something I could not yet name, looked at me as though I were salvation itself.

"Please, help us!" another voice cried. A woman this time, clutching a child to her chest, shielding them from the falling embers.

Flame Lord.

The title felt heavy, yet right. A long-forgotten name etched into my soul, a role I had once embraced.

The moment the realization struck, fire surged around me, coiling up my arms like a serpent, but it did not burn—it embraced me.

The flames crackled with something alive, something that had always been a part of me.

And then, I saw him.

My former self—taller, stronger, standing amidst the chaos, red eyes glowing like molten embers. His stance was unwavering, his expression calm yet fierce.

He was no ordinary warrior—he was a guardian, a protector of this village, the very embodiment of fire itself.

I had been a hero.

I had been loved.

I had fought, not just for myself, but for them—for the people who now stood frozen in my mind, mere ghosts of a past I could barely grasp.

I reached out toward the older me, but just as my fingertips brushed his, the memory twisted. The once-thriving village turned to ashes, the people fading into nothingness. I felt something shift—something unnatural.

A force, unseen yet powerful, pulling the memory away from me like it did not want me to remember.

"No," I muttered, clenching my fists. "Not this time."

The flames flared, responding to my will. The past would not slip away so easily this time. I let the fire consume me, wrapping around my body, reforming me. And then, when the light faded—I was no longer the man I once saw. I was something new.

I looked down, finding myself smaller—no longer the towering warrior, but a child once more. My hands were tiny, my feet unsteady, but the fire did not leave me. It curled around me protectively, as if I had never lost it in the first place.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the warmth in my chest. The fire had returned.

And this time, I would not lose it again.

Selene's POV

Silence.

There was no light, no sound, no warmth. Just an endless stretch of white. The walls around me stretched infinitely in every direction, smooth and unyielding, yet strangely formless.

There was no door, no ceiling, no way forward or back. Only silence. I stood in the center, or maybe I was floating—there was no way to tell. My breath did not echo, nor did my footsteps when I took a step forward. I felt weightless, untethered, lost.

"What is this place?" I whispered, my own voice sounding distant, like it barely belonged to me.

No answer.

I tried again, louder this time. "Where am I?"

Still nothing.

Panic curled inside me, a slow, creeping fear that I was trapped in a place where time did not exist. My memories felt sluggish, slipping through my fingers like water. I knew who I was—Selene.

I knew my name. I knew the faces of those I traveled with. And yet… everything else felt distant, unclear, like I was watching my own life through fogged glass.

I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering despite the absence of cold. The emptiness was suffocating, pressing down on me like a heavy weight.

"What am I missing?" I murmured to myself.

"What is it that I know but cannot remember?"

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to focus. If this place refused to give me answers, then I would find them within myself. I had done it before, hadn't I? I had peered into the abyss of my own mind and drawn forth knowledge hidden beneath layers of fear and doubt.

So I did it again.

Darkness replaced the white void behind my eyelids, and for a moment, there was nothing. Then—a flicker. A faint glow. Like a single

ember in the vast night.

And then, I saw it.

A city. No, not just any city—Eldoria.

It was alive with light, with voices, with laughter.

People bustled about, their faces blurred yet familiar. The towering castle stood proud against the sky, its golden spires reaching for the heavens. Merchants called out from their stalls, children ran through the streets, and the scent of fresh bread and blooming flowers filled the air.

A memory. My memory.

I reached out, desperate to grasp it, to hold onto it before it could slip away.

But then—

The laughter turned to screams.

The streets, once vibrant and filled with life, cracked open as flames erupted, devouring everything in their path. Shadows spread like ink, engulfing the sky, drowning the golden castle in darkness.

People ran, their faces twisted in terror, their voices crying out for salvation that would never come.

The castle crumbled. The city burned. The world was being consumed, swallowed by something vast and merciless.

And standing in the center of it all, untouched by the fire, was me.

Not the me of now—but another version. A me that existed in this memory. My expression was unreadable as I stood amid the destruction, watching as the flames danced around me. I should have run, I should have fought, I should have done something—

But I didn't. The memory trembled, the vision flickering like a dying candle.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it vanished.

I gasped, stumbling back into the white void, my breath coming in ragged gulps. My hands trembled at my sides, my heart hammering against my ribs.

"What was that?" I whispered, shaken. "What did I just see?"

The answer was right there, lingering just beyond my reach. I knew something about Eldoria's fall. I had seen something.

Something important. And yet… the memory refused to settle, like it was being pulled away by invisible hands.

I clenched my fists, frustration burning beneath my skin. I was tired of being kept in the dark. Tired of these half-truths and fleeting glimpses of a past I couldn't fully grasp.

I had to remember. I had to understand.

Because if I didn't—

Then everything would happen again.

And this time, there would be no stopping it.

To be continued.