Collide: The Memory of Stars

Third Person's POV

The road west was long and uncertain. The deeper they ventured into the ruins of Eldoria, the more the weight of its history pressed upon them.

Crumbled buildings swallowed by nature, abandoned roads cracked by time, and the eerie silence that clung to the land told stories of lives lost and worlds undone.

Selene walked ahead, her gaze scanning the horizon. The last remnants of the sanctuary had faded behind them, replaced by the unknown.

Axel strode beside her, his presence steady and reassuring, while Khael and Tyra followed closely, their weapons ever ready.

Their first stop was a ruined village, its skeletal remains standing against the winds like forgotten sentinels.

Once, it might have been a lively settlement, but now, it was nothing more than broken wood, scattered stone, and remnants of a past too distant to grasp.

"Looks abandoned," Tyra murmured, stepping over a fallen beam. "Maybe there's something left behind?"

Khael kicked aside a charred piece of furniture. "Doubt it. Anything useful was probably scavenged long ago."

Axel's sharp gaze settled on a half-standing structure near the village center. "We'll check it out. There might be something they overlooked."

The air was thick with dust as they stepped inside what seemed to have once been a gathering hall.

Rotten banners clung to the walls, their symbols faded beyond recognition. Shelves stood mostly bare, except for a few scrolls too damaged to read. Selene knelt beside a broken table, running her fingers along the surface.

"It's hard to believe so much was lost," she murmured.

Axel stood beside her, his voice low. "We'll rebuild it. Piece by piece."

She nodded, pushing herself to her feet. As they searched, Tyra found an old map half-buried under rubble. Though torn and faded, it depicted an ancient coastline—one that no longer existed in their time.

"This might help," she said, dusting it off. "It shows a large body of water in the west, but… it's not where the maps in the sanctuary said it should be."

Khael frowned, arms crossed. "So, either the landscape changed, or something happened that no one recorded."

Selene took the map, studying it closely. If the Bastion had sunk beneath the waves, then this map was the closest clue they had to its original location.

They pressed on, stopping only when necessary. Travel was exhausting, especially with the uncertainty of what lay ahead. They made camp in the remains of another village, one even more desolate than the last. Selene sat by the fire, staring into the flames.

The others rested nearby, but Axel remained awake, his gaze fixed on the sky.

"You should get some sleep," he said quietly.

"I will," Selene replied. "I just… I feel like we're close to something. But I don't know what."

Axel's expression softened. "We'll find it. We always do."

A small smile tugged at her lips. "You sound so sure."

He leaned back, arms crossed. "That's because I am."

The warmth of the fire flickered between them, the silence stretching comfortably. Selene let herself relax, just for a moment, before closing her eyes.

Morning came too soon, and with it, another stretch of travel. More ruins, more signs of a past lost to time.

But as the days passed, the land began to shift. The air grew saltier, the wind carried a distant chill, and the sound of waves—faint yet unmistakable—whispered through the air.

They were getting closer.

Then, finally, they found it. Not the ocean itself, but a cliffside overlooking an expanse of ruins. And beyond it, on the farthest edge of the world, a vast body of water stretched beneath the gray sky.

The Sunken Bastion lay somewhere beneath those waves.

Selene exhaled, gripping the map tightly. "We made it."

Selene's POV

The salty breeze carried a faint chill as we finally reached the seaside. It stretched endlessly before us, the deep blue waves crashing gently against the shore.

It was strange—seeing the ocean still alive despite the devastation of Eldoria. There was something comforting about it, something hopeful.

Khael was the first to sigh dramatically, flopping onto a large rock. "Finally, a break! I swear if I had to walk another hour without food, I'd have just eaten Axel."

Axel, standing beside me, rolled his eyes. "I'd taste awful."

Tyra smirked as she dropped her pack onto the ground. "That's assuming Selene wouldn't stop you before you even got close."

I chuckled, brushing some of the sand off a nearby fallen log before sitting down. "Don't worry, Khael. I'll cook for everyone this time."

His eyes lit up like a child's on a festival day. "Wait—are you serious? You're actually going to cook?"

He turned to Axel with a wicked grin. "Not like last time, right? Y'know, when Axel completely obliterated the rice and destroyed the pan?"

Axel groaned, rubbing his temple. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope," Khael said cheerfully. "That pan died a warrior's death."

Tyra sat down next to me, shaking her head with a smirk. "Alright, let's see if Selene is better than our resident disaster. What are you making?"

I hummed, tapping my fingers against my knee. "If we can get some fish, I'll cook something good."

Axel immediately straightened. "I'll catch some."

Khael burst into laughter before he could even take a step. "You? Catch fish? Oh, this I have to see."

Axel shot him a glare but didn't argue as he stepped toward the shoreline. I watched him carefully as he crouched by the water, hands hovering just above the surface.

He was trying to sense movement, control the energy flowing through him. But after a few minutes of staring intensely at the water, the fish remained unbothered by his presence.

Tyra snorted. "Amazing technique, truly."

Axel scowled. "I just need a little more time."

"Uh-huh," Khael drawled, grinning. "Or maybe you just suck at fishing? Come on, 'oh great guardian leader,' if you can't even catch one fish, how are we supposed to trust you to save the world?"

Axel tensed, clearly annoyed now. "You want to do it instead?"

Khael held up his hands in surrender. "Nah, I'd rather just sit here and watch you struggle."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back a laugh as Axel tried again, dipping his hands into the water and sending a weak pulse through it. A small fish swam close—then immediately darted away.

Khael wheezed. "This is painful."

Axel gritted his teeth, but before he could try again, Tyra rolled up her sleeves. "Alright, I can't take this anymore."

She waded into the shallows, stance steady. "Move over, Axel."

In one swift motion, she speared a fish with her sword and lifted it out of the water. She turned to Axel, smirking. "That's how you do it."

Khael fell onto his back laughing. "Pathetic! Absolutely pathetic!"

Axel sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I don't like you all very much right now."

"But we love you, don't worry," I teased, standing up.

"Alright, let's get started."

Once we had gathered enough, I set up a small firepit, carefully placing the stones to ensure it wouldn't spread.

I worked efficiently, preparing the fish with practiced ease. Even though I had only regained my sight recently, cooking had been something I learned to do even in darkness.

There was a strange comfort in it now, doing something so normal despite everything we had been through.

As I seasoned the fish and set them over the fire, the warm scent of roasting food filled the air. Khael practically drooled over my shoulder. "I take back every insult I've ever thrown at you."

I smirked. "Only for food? That's disappointing."

Axel leaned against a rock beside me, watching with quiet admiration. "It smells amazing."

I glanced up at him, a teasing glint in my eyes. "You don't get to talk. You murdered a pan, remember?"

He groaned, shaking his head. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope," Khael and Tyra said in unison.

Laughter echoed between us as we sat by the fire, waiting for the food to finish.

Even though we were always prepared for an attack, for a moment, just this moment, we let ourselves enjoy the peace.

The sound of waves, the flickering flames, and the warmth of companionship—it was something worth holding onto.

As I handed Axel a freshly cooked skewer, his fingers brushed against mine. His touch lingered, and when I looked up, his blue eyes softened, a quiet kind of warmth in them.

"Thank you, Selene," he murmured, just for me to hear.

I smiled. "You can thank me by not burning the next meal."

Khael gagged loudly. "Ugh, stop being cute. You're making my food taste weird."

Tyra nudged him. "Just be happy they're feeding you."

He sighed dramatically, stuffing his face with a bite. "Fine. But if they start whispering sweet nothings to each other, I'm walking into the sea."

Axel chuckled, and I just shook my head, warmth bubbling in my chest as we all enjoyed our meal. It was rare to have moments like these, to just be... normal.

But we'd take what we could get, even if the world was still waiting to challenge us at every turn.

And for now, that was enough.

The fire crackled softly, casting a warm glow over our small camp.

The remnants of our meal lingered in the air, and for the first time in what felt like forever, there was a sense of peace, however fleeting it might be. I leaned back, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle into my bones, but before I could fully relax, Tyra suddenly sat up straighter.

Her golden eyes flickered in the firelight, sharp with resolve. "Selene. I need to say this."

I blinked, straightening. "What is it?"

She hesitated, then exhaled sharply, like she'd been holding this in for too long. "I swear my loyalty to you."

Her voice was unwavering. "I don't fully understand it, but ever since we met, I've felt like I was meant to protect you. It's not just duty—it's something deeper, something I can't explain. Like it was always meant to be."

Khael scoffed, but it wasn't mocking this time. He crossed his arms and looked at me as well.

"I won't put it as dramatically as she did, but... I feel the same way. I wasn't supposed to be here, yet somehow, I ended up in your path. And now, there's no turning back."

Their words settled heavily in my chest, and I wasn't sure how to respond. I swallowed, shifting slightly.

"I... appreciate it, really, but I don't want to bind anyone to me like that. You have your own lives, your own purpose."

Tyra shook her head. "I thought my only purpose was guarding the hidden portal back on Earth, waiting for those destined to return to Eldoria. But then I met you. And after Aldric's death..." Her voice faltered for a moment, and I saw the sadness flash in her expression.

"I thought my time with him would last longer, but it was so short. He gave us everything he had, and he didn't die for nothing. If anything, his sacrifice made things clearer for me. You're the reason I'm still moving forward."

Aldric. The great mage, the scholar, the old man who had guided us, taught us, and in the end, given his life so we could return.

I still carried the weight of his loss, but hearing Tyra speak of him like that, I knew she did too. He had been a beacon, and though he was gone, his wisdom and strength remained with us.

Khael sighed, shaking his head. "Look, just take it. It's not like we're asking you to accept some grand destiny. We just chose to follow you, that's all."

I huffed, running a hand through my hair.

"Fine. But don't expect me to start giving orders like some commander."

Tyra smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Axel, who had been quietly watching, suddenly leaned forward with an exaggerated frown. "And what about me?"

Tyra and Khael turned to him blankly.

Axel pointed at himself. "Where's my heartfelt loyalty speech?"

Khael snorted. "You? Please. You'd follow Selene off a cliff, no questions asked. There's no need to say it out loud."

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. Tyra gave a lazy shrug. "Yeah, we already assumed."

Axel scoffed, throwing his hands up.

"Unbelievable. No respect."

The camp filled with laughter, lightening the weight in my chest. For a moment, we weren't warriors or survivors—we were just people sharing a moment of peace.

But even as the warmth of companionship surrounded me, I knew the road ahead would only get harder.

One by one, we took turns resting, keeping our guard up as the night stretched on. The journey wasn't over. Not yet.

To be continued.