Moonlit Echoes

The night stretched on, silent yet restless, as if the very air carried whispers of what had just transpired.

Selene's pulse was still erratic, her body trembling from the aftershocks of the encounter at the clock tower. The shadowed figure, the thirteen chimes, and the memories that had crashed into her like a tidal wave—it was too much.

But there was no time to process.

Orion led the way through the dimly lit streets, his pace urgent yet measured. Cassius flanked Selene's side, his hand never straying far from the dagger at his belt. His presence was steady, grounding her in the present even as her mind warred with fragments of the past.

They moved through the labyrinthine alleys until they reached a secluded courtyard. A single lantern flickered outside an old stone building—The Hollow Archive.

Selene stopped short. "Wait… this place—"

"You remember?" Orion's gaze sharpened.

A flicker of something familiar danced at the edge of her consciousness. A vision surfaced—dusty tomes stacked haphazardly, candlelight illuminating pages filled with forgotten lore, and the sound of whispered conversations echoing through the chambers.

"You used to come here."

Her stomach twisted. "I… I think so."

Orion didn't press her. Instead, he pushed open the heavy wooden door. The scent of old parchment and aged wood washed over them.

Inside, the Archive was vast, stretching into shadowed corners. Shelves lined the walls, packed with scrolls and books that bore the weight of centuries.

Cassius exhaled. "Why here?"

Orion strode toward the farthest wall, where a large, ornate mirror stood between two towering bookshelves. Its glass was tarnished, the surface warped slightly as if reality itself struggled to reflect back properly.

"Because," Orion murmured, "this is where it all began."

Selene felt an inexplicable pull toward the mirror. As she stepped closer, her own reflection seemed… wrong. The woman staring back at her looked like her, yet the flickering lamplight revealed something else beneath the surface—shadows curling at the edges of her form, as if she were both here and somewhere else.

Cassius narrowed his eyes. "What are we looking at?"

Orion pressed a hand against the mirror's frame. The silver surface rippled like water.

"A Rift," he said.

Selene's breath hitched.

Orion continued, his voice quiet but resolute. "This isn't just an archive. It's a place where time folds. Where things that were lost can sometimes be found."

Cassius crossed his arms. "And what exactly are we trying to find?"

Orion's gaze met Selene's. "Her missing past."

A silence stretched between them. The weight of it settled on Selene's chest.

She had spent so long not knowing, so long questioning the gaps in her memories. And now, standing before something that might hold answers, she wasn't sure she was ready.

Orion seemed to sense her hesitation. "You don't have to do this tonight," he said gently. "But the Rift is unstable. It won't stay open forever."

Selene swallowed hard. She glanced at Cassius, who gave her a small, reassuring nod. "Whatever's in there," he said, "you won't face it alone."

A deep breath steadied her. Then, with a final look at the two of them, she stepped forward.

The mirror shattered outward, not in shards, but in liquid silver tendrils that wrapped around her, pulling her through.

The world twisted.

For a moment, Selene was falling—not in a physical sense, but as if she were tumbling through layers of existence.

And then—stillness.

She stood in the same courtyard… yet not the same.

The sky above was wrong—a deep indigo, streaked with pale silver lines that pulsed like veins. The Archive was still there, but its walls looked newer, untouched by time.

She wasn't alone.

Ahead, standing with his back to her, was Orion. But not the Orion she knew. This one was dressed differently—his cloak heavier, the edges frayed from battle. He stood before the Rift, his hands raised, as if trying to seal it shut.

Selene's breath caught. Was this a memory?

As if sensing her, Orion turned.

And the moment his gaze met hers, something inside her snapped.

More memories—rushing back like floodwaters breaking through a dam.

A battlefield bathed in silver moonlight.

Orion reaching for her, blood on his hands. "Selene, don't—"

The Rift surging open between them. The force tearing them apart.

Her own voice, filled with heartbreak. "You promised!"

Selene's knees buckled. The Orion before her—the past Orion—stepped forward, confusion and recognition warring in his eyes.

"Selene?" His voice was different—less guarded, more raw.

Her heart pounded. This wasn't just a memory.

She had stepped into the past.