Collide: The Memory of Stars

Third Person's Pov

The dust settled around them as the echoes of the entity's scream faded into the void. The ruins were eerily still, as if even the shadows held their breath.

The oppressive weight that had loomed over them since they arrived had finally lifted, but a new unease settled in its place.

Selene turned to Axel. "If that thing was protecting something, then we need to find out what."

Axel nodded, his grip on his sword tightening.

"There has to be a reason it tried to deceive us for so long." Khael took a slow breath, his flames crackling faintly at his fingertips.

"Then we go deeper."

The group moved cautiously through the ruins, stepping over shattered stone and avoiding unstable ground.

The battle had left them drained, but the possibility of finding real survivors fueled their resolve.

The path ahead was treacherous—walls barely standing, deep fissures in the ground, and eerie silence pressing in from all sides.

It was Tyra who spotted it first. "Look."

She pointed toward a section of the ruins where the ground seemed unnaturally intact. The stones there were different, less weathered. More recent.

Selene frowned. "That doesn't fit. Everything else here is ancient." Axel knelt, running his fingers over the stone.

It was solid, but there were faint scratches—marks of something being moved. "This is a passage."

Khael's eyes lit up. "If it's covered up, then someone had to have done it."

Hope flickered in Selene's chest. "Then let's find out what's underneath."

With effort, they pried at the edges of the stone, using weapons and raw strength to wedge it loose.

The moment it shifted, a rush of stale air hit them, carrying the scent of earth and something faintly human. A hidden staircase spiraled down into darkness.

Tyra let out a breath. "If this is a trap, we're walking right into it."

Axel gave a half-smirk. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Selene glanced at Khael, who nodded, his flames flaring to life to light the way. "Then let's not keep them waiting."

One by one, they descended. The air grew colder the deeper they went, the walls narrowing, pressing in around them. The silence was thick, interrupted only by the faintest sounds of movement—breathing, shuffling feet.

Then, at the bottom, they saw them.

Huddled in the dim light were people—men, women, and children, their faces gaunt, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

Some recoiled at the sight of them, while others simply stared, as if unsure whether to believe what they were seeing.

A frail voice broke the silence. "Are you real?"

Selene stepped forward, her voice steady but gentle. "Yes. We're real. And we're here to help."

A collective murmur spread through the survivors. Some wept, others clung to each other. A man, older and weathered, stepped forward cautiously.

"You're not like the shadows."

Axel shook his head. "No. The creature above is gone. It won't deceive you anymore."

The man's face crumpled, relief washing over him. "We thought we'd never see the sky again."

Selene looked at them—these were the lives they had fought for, the truth hidden beneath layers of illusion and despair. But this was only the beginning.

She turned to her companions. "We found them. Now, we bring them home."

----

Selene's POV

The weight of the moment settled on my shoulders as I looked at the weary faces before me.

They were real. No more illusions, no more tricks. These people had been hiding in the depths of Eldoria's ruins for who knows how long, surviving in the darkness while the world above crumbled.

And now, we were standing in front of them, the first outsiders they had seen in what might have been years.

A frail woman clutched her child close, her eyes darting between me and Axel.

"Are you… truly here to help?" Her voice wavered, caught between hope and disbelief.

I took a slow step forward, careful not to startle them.

"Yes. We came searching for survivors, for people like you." My throat felt dry, my emotions tightening around my words.

"You don't have to hide anymore."

A man, older with lines of hardship etched deep into his face, stepped forward.

"We thought everyone had forgotten about us."

Axel exhaled slowly. "We didn't know anyone was still here. But now that we do, we won't abandon you."

A ripple of hushed voices spread through the crowd. Some still held onto fear, but others… others allowed themselves a flicker of belief.

Khael crouched beside a young boy, no older than seven, who peered at us with wide, unblinking eyes.

"How long have you been down here?" Khael asked, his voice gentle.

The boy hesitated, glancing at the older man

.

"Since the war," the man answered. "Since Eldoria fell."

Tyra sucked in a breath. "Years."

The air in the underground chamber was thick with the weight of despair and fading hope. Even though we had just freed these people from the entity's deception, the burden they carried in their eyes was heavier than I could have imagined.

I took a slow breath and turned to the old man who had first spoken to us.

"We found you. Now, we bring you home."

But instead of relief, his face darkened. "We can't just leave."

A frown formed on my lips. "Why?"

A woman stepped forward, her dark hair streaked with silver, her expression weary but resolute.

"The land is still cursed. Those who tried to leave before… they never returned."

A cold chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean?"

The woman glanced at the others, their silence speaking volumes. Finally, she sighed, voice hushed but firm.

"There are still things out there. Things that hunt us when we step beyond these walls."

Axel's jaw tightened. "Shadows?"

She shook her head. "No. Worse."

"Worse than shadows?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The woman, her tired eyes holding more sorrow than I could fathom, nodded.

"Yes. The shadows deceived, they tricked us into believing we were safe. But these creatures… they hunt. They devour."

Axel folded his arms, his expression grim.

"What are they?"

The old man who had first spoken took a slow breath, his frail hands tightening into fists.

"They call them the Forgotten."

A shiver crawled down my spine. "The Forgotten?"

Tyra frowned. "Never heard of them."

The woman looked at me, then at Axel. "They weren't always monsters. Once, they were like us—survivors trying to escape. But the curse of this land does not let go so easily. Those who step too far into the ruins, those who try to leave without caution… they change."

Khael shifted uncomfortably. "Into what?"

"Into something inhuman," the old man said.

"Their bodies twist. Their minds fade. They forget who they were, and all that remains is hunger."

The silence that followed was suffocating. I felt the weight of the revelation press down on my chest. How many had been lost this way?.How many had tried to escape, only to become part of the nightmare that haunted these ruins?

Axel exhaled slowly. "If we leave, we have to be prepared. We're not just leading these people out—we're walking into a battlefield."

Tyra nodded. "We need a plan. Supplies, weapons, a secure route. We can't just run blindly."

Khael looked at me. "And we need to know what we're up against. If the Forgotten are still human underneath… is there a way to save them?"

The woman hesitated. "No one has ever come back."

I swallowed hard. "Then we have to be the first."

A murmur rippled through the survivors, their uncertainty battling with the fragile hope we had given them. Some clung to each other, others bowed their heads, unwilling to believe in salvation after so many years in darkness.

The old man studied me. "You speak like someone who has faced the impossible before."

I met his gaze. "I have. And I don't intend to fail now."

Axel nodded, placing a hand on his sword hilt.

"Then we start preparing now. We'll need rest, but by sunrise, we begin our fight. We're not leaving anyone behind."

The old man exhaled, his shoulders slumping. "Then may the gods watch over us. For this will be the hardest battle yet."

I didn't doubt his words. But I had already made up my mind.

We had come to find survivors. Now, we would have to fight to keep them alive.

To be continued.