Collide: The Memory of Stars

Selene's POV

Tyra took a deep breath, the salty breeze pulling at her cloak as she gazed at the restless ocean.

The night sky above was clouded, the stars hidden as if even they feared the waters below. Her voice, when she spoke, carried the weight of ages past.

"Long before the first kingdom of Eldoria stood, before the first stone castle touched the sky, the ocean was ruled by its own sovereign—a mermaid whose voice could summon the tides, whose heart pulsed with the rhythm of the sea itself."

The waves lapped at the shore, almost as if listening. I shivered, the presence I felt earlier lingering like an echo at the edges of my mind.

Tyra continued, her voice weaving through the air like a song.

"She was not just any mermaid. She was the Ocean's Chosen, a being crafted by the sea itself, neither mortal nor divine, but something in between. The ocean loved her, its currents bending to her will, its creatures singing in her presence. But love is not without its dangers."

The tide swelled, reaching hungrily toward our feet before receding.

"A man—no, a king—heard of her beauty, of her power. He sought her not for love, but for conquest. To command the sea, he needed to own her heart. And so, with the greed of mortals, he took what was never meant to be his."

Axel's jaw tightened. Khael listened intently, arms crossed but his expression unreadable.

"Bound in golden chains, the mermaid wept. The ocean raged, yet it could not break the magic of the king's greed. She was caged, her voice stolen, her magic fading. But she did not beg. She did not curse. She simply… loved. Even as she was taken from the waves, she loved the sea, and in return, the sea never forgot."

Tyra's voice dropped lower, like a secret carried on the wind.

"The king thought he had won. But a love so pure does not die, nor does an ocean so vast forgive. The day the mermaid's heart finally ceased beating, the ocean screamed. The waves swallowed the kingdom whole, burying it beneath the tides, never to be seen again. But the ocean did not stop there. In its sorrow, it took her back, claiming her completely. She became one with it, and in doing so, the ocean lost something it could never regain."

A hush settled over our group. I swallowed, a strange ache in my chest.

"It is said," Tyra murmured, "that the ocean never forgave itself. That it still searches for what it lost, still listens for her song. And those who wish to claim the blessing of the mermaids must prove themselves—not to the sea, but to the mermaid's heart. Only those the ocean deems worthy may be granted its favor."

The moment she finished speaking, the air shifted.

A sound—soft, distant—carried through the night. A melody, neither human nor beast, rising and falling like waves against the shore. It was not a voice I recognized, yet it filled me with a strange longing, a pull toward the water's edge.

The ocean was listening. And now, it was calling.

Third Person's POV

Selene unconsciously stood up and slowly walked heading to the ocean water.

Selene stood still, her bare feet sinking slightly into the wet sand as the waves whispered at her ankles.

The night stretched endlessly above her, the moonlight casting a silver glow over the restless ocean.

A voice deep inside her—one that she had not known until now—called out to the sea, yearning to be heard.

She took a step forward. Then another. The ocean did not pull away. It welcomed her.

Axel, Khael, and Tyra watched in silent awe, sensing the shift in the air.

The moment was sacred, untouched by time. The waves no longer roared—they swayed, as if listening, as if waiting.

Selene closed her eyes, inhaling the salt-tinged breeze. And then, she began to sing.

Her voice was soft at first, like a ripple on still water, then stronger, echoing across the shore with haunting beauty.

The language she spoke was both familiar and foreign, something deeper, something eternal.

"Elthéa maris, lianthos véra, Veyara solith, esh mariel aél. Natha lysorien, thea veyanor, Atra velmora, lioréthan suél."

(O Ocean's heart, lost in sorrow, A song forgotten, yet never gone. I seek the truth, I seek the past, Let me walk the path once more.)

The sea responded. The tide curled around her, mirroring her movements as if enchanted by her voice. The wind carried her song, weaving it into the fabric of the night, and for a moment, the world stood still.

She twirled, arms raised, as the water followed her motions, rising in elegant arcs around her.

And then, as if hearing her plea, the ocean granted her a gift—an ethereal transformation. Water shimmered around her form, shifting and weaving into flowing fabric, wrapping her in a gown of liquid silver and deep blue, reflecting the endless depths of the sea. It was not just clothing; it was the ocean's recognition, its acceptance of her as one of its own.

Axel could only stare. He had seen her strength, her stubbornness, her quiet resilience—but this? This was something else entirely. She was luminous, otherworldly. She was meant for this moment, meant for the ocean's embrace.

Then, as the final note of her song faded into the night, the sea answered.

A soft glow shimmered beneath the waves, and from the water rose a single seashell, cradled gently upon the surface. Its iridescent surface gleamed under the moonlight, its shape perfect, untouched by time. It drifted toward Selene, as if the ocean itself was offering it to her.

She reached out, her fingertips barely grazing the shell's surface before it settled into her palm. A warmth spread through her chest—not overwhelming, but familiar, like something she had always known but forgotten.

"The second task," Tyra whispered in reverence. "To retrieve what was lost."

Selene held the shell close, feeling the pulse of something ancient within it. But she knew it was not enough. The ocean had given her its gift, but she had yet to return one in kind.

She closed her eyes and reached deep within herself, summoning the pure essence of her power. A soft glow emerged from her hands, tendrils of light drifting from her fingertips like golden threads.

It was not a grand sacrifice, not a loss, but a gift—a piece of herself offered freely to the ocean, just as the ocean had given to her.

The moment the light touched the water, a rush of energy surged around them.

The air shimmered, the waves sparkled, and suddenly, an overwhelming sense of weightlessness settled over them.

Axel gasped as the magic took hold. His body felt lighter, the pull of the ocean no longer a force to resist but an embrace to accept.

"The blessing…" Khael murmured, his eyes wide.

They could feel it now—the ocean's acceptance. It no longer pushed against them but welcomed them as its own.

They could step into the water without fear, swim as though they were part of the sea itself. And, most importantly, they could hear it—the voice of the ocean, whispering its secrets.

Selene turned back to Axel, her silver eyes gleaming under the moonlight. "The ocean has given us its blessing."

Axel exhaled, still in awe. He had always known Selene was special, but tonight, under the moonlit sky, dancing with the sea itself, she was something beyond even his understanding.

To be continued.