Collide: The Memory of Stars

Third Person's POV

The battle raged on, an endless dance between light and darkness. Selene's body trembled with exhaustion, her breaths shallow, yet she pressed on, her now twin blades of radiant energy slicing through the void, holding her ground against Vherezoth's unrelenting onslaught.

Each strike from the dark queen brought with it a wave of oppressive energy, pushing Selene back, forcing her to retreat.

The weight of the void's power was suffocating, and with every step, Selene felt her resolve falter.

Vherezoth's laughter echoed through the battlefield, cold and triumphant.

"Is this all you have, Selene? Pathetic."

Selene's arms ached, the radiant blades in her hands flickering as the light within her began to dim.

The energy was draining faster than she could replenish it. Every time she clashed against Vherezoth's void, her light grew weaker, the dark queen's power relentless and all-consuming.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she desperately tried to summon more strength, but it was slipping away.

"You were never meant to win," Vherezoth hissed, her eyes glowing like twin blood moons.

"You are nothing but a fleeting spark in the vastness of eternity. I am the void, and you are nothing more than a flicker in the dark."

Selene's vision blurred as she staggered back, barely able to stay on her feet.

She could feel her connection to her power slipping, fading into the blackness that threatened to engulf her. With each movement, Vherezoth's dark tendrils seemed to strike harder, faster, more vicious, until finally, one of them wrapped around her leg, pulling her down to the ground with a sickening crack.

The force of the impact sent a jolt of pain through her body, her breath caught in her throat as the tendrils of void wrapped around her arms, pinning her in place. Her blades fell from her hands, the light flickering one last time before going out entirely.

The ground beneath her seemed to dissolve, as though reality itself was crumbling.

Vherezoth's laughter reverberated through Selene's mind, sharp and victorious.

She could feel the cold tendrils of the void seeping into every part of her, overwhelming her body with an invasive, crushing presence. The sensation was like a thousand icy fingers digging into her soul, twisting and clawing until every inch of her being was drenched in darkness.

"No…" Selene gasped, her voice barely a whisper, but it felt as if the words were being ripped away from her.

She struggled to breathe, her chest tightening with the pressure of the void's suffocating grip. The radiant light that had once filled her veins began to flicker, faltering in the face of Vherezoth's relentless onslaught.

Vherezoth's figure stood before her, eyes glowing with malicious delight as she watched Selene falter, her strength slipping through her fingers like sand.

"It's over, Selene. You will never be able to stop me. I've already claimed you."

The void queen's fingers curled, and Selene's body trembled under the weight of the dark force pushing its way deeper into her.

It was like an unstoppable tide crashing into her, washing away her defenses, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

Selene could feel the coldness spreading, crawling beneath her skin, filling the very core of her being with an insatiable hunger.

"You were always mine," Vherezoth purred, her voice a sweet, poisonous melody.

"Your light was a fleeting illusion. You were destined to join me, to become what you truly are. A part of the void." Selene's body shook uncontrollably as the last of her light flickered out, extinguished by the darkness that consumed her.

She could no longer feel her blades, no longer feel the power that had once flowed through her. She was a shell, a hollow vessel, and the void was filling every inch of her, taking root deep inside.

With a final, cruel smile, Vherezoth extended her hand, her fingers gently brushing

Selene's forehead. A pulse of dark energy surged through her touch, and Selene's vision blurred, her thoughts becoming disjointed and fragmented.

The queen's presence swirled inside her like an unstoppable storm, and Selene felt herself being pulled, her very soul torn asunder.

"Let go," Vherezoth whispered, her voice now inside Selene's mind, as if they were one.

"Give yourself to me. I'll make the pain stop. You'll be whole again, together." And just like that, Selene's resistance crumbled. Her body, her soul, her very essence—everything—was consumed by the void.

She felt herself slipping, falling into the dark abyss where Vherezoth's power reigned supreme.

The last thing she heard was Vherezoth's mocking laughter, echoing through the emptiness, as the darkness finally swallowed her whole.

Vherezoth's POV

The void stretched endlessly, twisting and turning, a place where even time and space bent to my will. I could feel the essence of Selene—fragile, broken, scattered like a thousand shards of glass.

But there was one shard that resisted. One shard that refused to be consumed. I could feel it, an ancient presence, lingering at the very core of her soul.

It was then that I sensed her—the guardian. The one who stood in Selene's defense, the piece of her that had never given in to the darkness.

A flicker of light broke through the endless void, sharp and cold, and there she stood—Selene's mirror image, but far darker, more intense, her presence both an echo and an extension of Selene's true power.

I tilted my head, my gaze narrowing as I studied her, a smirk pulling at my lips.

"So, you're the one who thinks she can protect her, hm?" My voice dripped with mockery, thick with disdain as I took a slow, deliberate step toward her.

She didn't move, but I could sense the faint shiver of energy surrounding her, the faintest quiver of resistance.

"You are nothing," I continued, circling her slowly, my voice a venomous hiss, "Just a fragment, a broken piece of a woman too weak to embrace what she truly is. You can try to protect her all you want, but it's already too late. Selene is lost. And now, I'm going to claim her. You will be nothing more than dust in my wake."

She was still silent, watching me, her eyes dark and unblinking, but I could feel her power—the raw potential of it—spinning, coiling like a living thing.

It was only a fraction of what Selene could become, but even that small fraction was enough to make me feel a twinge of uncertainty. Her strength was real.

"You speak of 'nothing' as if you've ever known what it truly means." The guardian's voice cut through the air, calm, composed—yet I could hear the weight of her words, the gravity of her belief.

I sneered. "And what would you know of nothing? You're nothing but a leftover. A fragment. A hollow imitation of Selene. She was never meant to be like you, but I will fix that. I will make her what she was always meant to be."

I could feel her power stirring, the very air vibrating with her will, and it sent a shiver down my spine. But I pressed on, determined to show her her place.

"You were nothing but a means to an end," I spat, "Selene never needed you. She needed to be free from the shackles of her weakness."

I watched her closely, hoping to see some crack in her resolve, some sign of fear. But instead, her eyes seemed to grow lighter.

"You think you're stronger than me?" The guardian spoke, her words slow, deliberate.

"You think you can take what isn't yours? Selene was never meant for you. You are nothing compared to her."

For the first time, a flicker of hesitation washed over me. I felt the air grow colder. The way she spoke, as if she truly believed it—there was something about her presence that made me feel... insignificant, as though I was merely an insect beneath her gaze.

"You dare mock me?" I hissed, my hand crackling with void energy, the power surging through my fingers as I unleashed a pulse of dark force toward her.

But she stood unfazed, her eyes glowing faintly as she raised her hand. A barrier of light shot up between us, shimmering with an intensity that made the void itself tremble.

"You may have all the power of the void," she said softly, almost too softly for me to hear, "But that's all you are. Power without purpose. Power without heart. You were never meant to be her equal." The barrier was unyielding, and I felt my frustration grow. This fragment, this insignificant piece of Selene's soul, was challenging me.

"You dare defy me?" I snarled, my voice filled with venom. "You think you can stand against the void itself? Against me?"

Her eyes narrowed, a flicker of something ancient—something far older than either of us—burning in her gaze.

"I am not afraid of you," she replied calmly, her voice laced with an unspoken truth.

"You have no idea what you're truly up against."

I took a step back, momentarily caught off guard. My eyes narrowed as I studied her again. Her aura was shifting, growing, like a storm cloud gathering strength. And yet, it was not the power that unsettled me—it was the presence of it, the way it looked at me. It was as though, for the first time, I was no longer the predator. I was the prey.

She was looking at me, not with anger, but with the calm certainty of someone who had seen the end and still stood.

The way her form shimmered with power, as if the light itself bent to her will, made me feel like a mere speck in her presence, an insignificant grain of sand beneath her steady gaze.

I shuddered—not in fear, but in realization. I wasn't just facing a fragment of Selene—I was facing the guardian of her power. The part of her that had remained untarnished, untouchable, unlike the void I had become.

And suddenly, the certainty I had felt earlier—the belief that I could consume everything—seemed to shatter in the face of her quiet, relentless force.

"Do you feel it?" she whispered, her voice soft but so laden with meaning.

"Do you feel the weight of your own insignificance? You are nothing here. This place, this soul—it is Selene's. Not yours. You can never have her."

Her words hit me like a blow to the chest, and for the first time in an eternity, I felt something I hadn't in a long time: doubt.

I struggled to hold my ground, but I could feel the power within me beginning to crumble.

My body—the body of the void—felt so small, so weak, in comparison to the power standing before me.

The void within me was twisting, writhing, trying to escape, but it couldn't. Not now.

"I will not let you take her," the guardian said, her voice firm, unwavering.

"Then come," I spat, gathering the last of my strength, "Show me what you're really made of."

And that's when she moved.

In one fluid motion, her hand reached out, and the void beneath my feet cracked open. The air itself seemed to pulse with energy, and I felt myself falling, spiraling downward. The very essence of her power was consuming me, dragging me into a place I couldn't comprehend.

I gasped, my senses swirling, as the darkness closed in around me. Her light, once a flicker, now blazed so brightly I could no longer bear to look at it.

Her energy enveloped me, pulling me deeper into a space I couldn't control.

As I plummeted into the heart of Selene's soul, the light enveloped me, too bright, too powerful to ignore.

I fought against it, tried to twist and tear myself free from the pull of its gravity, but there was no escape.

The moment I fully entered her inner realm, the very essence of her being surrounded me, suffocating, blinding.

It was beautiful.

A radiant light that seemed to cut through the darkness of my existence, sharp and unforgiving.

It was not the same as the void I had come to know and love. No. This was something different. Alive. Something that I could never touch.

I stumbled, my senses overwhelmed by the intensity of it, and looked up, my heart pounding in my chest.

There, standing before me, was the figure that had haunted my every thought—the fragment of Selene's soul, her true essence. Her power radiated out from her like a beacon, so bright that it felt as if it was looking at me, seeing every flaw, every weakness. It was overwhelming.

The light was alive with a presence that felt... untouchable. The sensation made my blood run cold, and I felt myself shrinking beneath its gaze, like an ant beneath the foot of something far greater than myself. It was then that the reality of my mistake crashed down upon me.

I should never have angered her.

I had thought her weak, I had thought her power was fragile, something that could be broken and twisted to my will.

But here, in this space, I realized the depth of my foolishness. Selene's power wasn't just strength—it was an elemental force, a well of light and darkness, both coexisting within her, in perfect balance. Something I could never understand, let alone control.

I felt her essence, pure and untainted, and I knew, deep down, that I had never been more wrong.

I began to back away, the weight of the realization suffocating me. But before I could move, the light shifted, and I was pulled into a new realm entirely.

In an instant, I was ripped from the core of Selene's soul, back to a place where everything felt cold, lifeless.

My body, now a hollow vessel made of void, stood in stark contrast to the brightness I had just felt.

I felt the change immediately—something was different. The very air around me was heavy, pressing down on me, almost as if Selene's soul was awake, watching me, her power stirring and coiling around my every move.

And then, I felt it—the surge of power from within her body. She was awakening.

Selene's eyes fluttered open, her body jerking upright, as though some force beyond her control had taken hold of her. For a split second, there was nothing but silence. And then, her eyes—those white piercing eyes—locked onto me.

But they were different. Not the Selene I had fought. Not the one who had stood her ground against me. This was something more.

Her power, I realized. It had fully awoken within her.

Before I could react, her hand shot forward, and the power surged from her, a stream of light and darkness merging into a single destructive force.

It was impossible to describe—the force of it was beyond anything I had ever felt.

With a single slash of her hand, the world around me seemed to fracture, tearing at the seams.

The void I had once mastered was now useless, consumed by her. I could only watch in horror as the light surrounded me, burning through every last vestige of my existence.

I tried to fight, tried to call on my own power, but it was too late.

"Selene, please!" I begged, my voice raw, desperate. "Don't—don't do this! I... I was wrong! I... I can't..."

But there was no mercy in her eyes, no sign of the woman I had once seen as weak. Instead, all I saw was the reflection of the immense, pure power that had always been there, hidden beneath the surface.

Her will was unshakable, and with a final, brutal motion, she slashed—and everything around me was torn apart.

The void I had once controlled could not protect me anymore. The light that surrounded me had shattered my defenses, my very essence.

My body crumbled into nothingness, leaving me with only a fleeting image of myself—a young girl crying, lost, and broken.

In that last moment, I realized I was no longer looking at Selene or her power. I was looking at myself.

I was no longer the void queen. I was no longer the cursed one. I was simply me. The girl who had been betrayed. The girl who had been abandoned and cast aside.

The girl who had once dreamed of being more.

As the light enveloped me, a sudden flash of memory tore through my mind, as if I had been yanked into another place entirely.

My consciousness was forced back, and I was no longer in Selene's world. I was somewhere else.

I found myself standing in a barren landscape, but it was not the void. It was a place that felt too real.

A place I had left behind, forgotten... yet never fully erased.

A small child. Me. I saw myself again, but this time, it wasn't the queen of void—no, it was the girl I had once been. The girl I had tried to bury.

She was crying. Her small body trembling, curled up in the corner of a schoolyard.

I remembered. I remembered every cruel taunt, every harsh word.

The whispers behind my back. The cold laughter that echoed in my ears, making me feel smaller, weaker, as if I didn't belong. I remembered them, the other children, pointing, laughing at me for being different, for being alone.

I watched her, my younger self, as she clutched her knees to her chest, her tiny shoulders heaving with sobs.

I wanted to reach out. I wanted to hold her, to tell her it was okay, that things would get better. But I couldn't. I was trapped. A prisoner of my own making.

I had been so alone. The pain, the suffering that I had endured as a child, came rushing back. It was overwhelming. Is this who I really am?

The wind howled around me, carrying the whispers of my past.

The little girl looked up, and for a moment, her tear-streaked face seemed to acknowledge me. She gazed at me with eyes full of sorrow and confusion, as if asking me why I had become what I had.

And then, without warning, I felt something. A strange, tender warmth radiated from my chest, like a flicker of light in the depths of my soul. I reached out, my hand trembling, and slowly, the little girl turned toward me.

"Please... don't cry," I whispered, my voice barely audible, but in that instant, it felt as though the universe itself held its breath.

I knelt down beside her, my form shifting, my heart breaking for the child I had once been. I placed my hand on her trembling shoulder, and for the first time in so long, I felt something other than rage. I felt... compassion.

"It's okay," I murmured, my voice shaking with the weight of all I had never been able to say.

"You were never worthless. You are not alone. You don't have to carry this pain anymore."

The little girl looked up at me, her big eyes full of confusion, and for a brief moment, I saw the tiniest glimmer of hope flicker in her expression.

But before I could say more, the world around me began to dissolve. The image of the child, the warmth of the moment, all faded into the darkness.

The light from Selene—the light that had consumed me—pulled me back, away from my younger self, away from the fragile memory of comfort.

I was losing her again.

And then, just as quickly as it had come,

everything went dark.

To be continued.