Selene's heart pounded in her chest, the ghostly image of the moonlit figure still lingering in her mind like an imprint left behind by a dream that refused to fade. The echoes of his voice—Orion's voice—reverberated through her, sending a chill down her spine. It wasn't just a memory. It was a call, a beckoning. And she could feel it, deep within her bones.
She was still kneeling on the shop's wooden floor, her breath uneven as she clutched Cassius's sleeve. The world around her wavered, caught between the past and present. The dim glow of candlelight flickered across Cassius's concerned face, his sharp features contorted with unease. He had asked her something, but the words barely registered. The weight of what she had just seen—the intensity of it—made everything else feel distant, muffled.
"Selene?" Cassius's voice was softer this time, cautious. "You saw him, didn't you?"
She swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Cassius exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Orion..." he murmured. "You remember him."
The name tasted strange on her tongue—foreign, yet deeply familiar. Orion. The silver-eyed man from her dreams. The one who had been calling to her, leading her here. But this wasn't just a dream anymore. This was real.
"I don't just remember him," she said, forcing herself to meet Cassius's gaze. "I felt him. Like he was here. Like he's still waiting for me."
Cassius's expression darkened. He stepped back, running a hand through his tousled hair. The movement stirred the dust in the small shop, making the air feel heavier, suffocating. "This isn't right," he muttered. "None of this is right. You shouldn't be remembering him. Not like this. Not all at once."
Selene's fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve. "Cassius, I need to find him."
His eyes snapped up to hers. "No," he said sharply. "That's exactly what you shouldn't do."
Silence hung between them, thick and charged. The only sound was the faint rustling of the wind outside, rattling the shutters as if something unseen was pressing against them, desperate to get in.
Selene squared her shoulders. "You don't understand," she said. "He's trying to tell me something. I know it."
Cassius sighed, his jaw tightening. He turned away for a moment, as if debating something internally. Then, with a reluctant exhale, he motioned for her to follow him. "If you're set on this path, then there's something you need to see first."
He led her toward the back of the shop, past rows of dust-covered trinkets and forgotten relics. The floor creaked beneath their footsteps as they reached a small, weathered door. It was slightly ajar, revealing a dimly lit room beyond.
Selene hesitated before stepping inside. The space smelled of old parchment and candle wax. Shelves lined the walls, stacked high with brittle scrolls and books whose spines had long since faded. In the center of the room sat a wooden chest, its brass hinges tarnished with age.
Cassius knelt beside it and pulled out a rusted key. "This belonged to my grandmother," he said as he unlocked the chest. The lid creaked open, revealing an assortment of aged documents. He sifted through them before retrieving a large, leather-bound book. Its cover was adorned with strange symbols, embossed into the darkened leather as though they held some long-forgotten power.
"What is this?" Selene asked, stepping closer.
Cassius flipped open the book, his fingers careful as they turned the delicate pages. "Her journal," he murmured. "She recorded everything she knew about the Second Moon, the lost time, and…" His voice trailed off as he stopped on a specific page.
Selene leaned in. The words, scrawled in ancient ink, sent a shiver through her.
"The Second Moon returns when the chosen one awakens. A time of reckoning, a return of the lost. The one who remembers the forgotten will be the key to everything, but the price of the truth is steep. Only in darkness will the path be revealed, and the one who walks it must face what was lost. Time is no longer their ally. The clock will strike thirteen, and when it does, the veil will tear."
The air in the room grew still. Selene could feel it—the weight of the words settling deep into her chest, resonating with something inside her.
Cassius closed the book, his fingers lingering on the cover. "This isn't a coincidence," he said, looking at her intently. "You remembering Orion, the clock striking thirteen—it's all part of something bigger. Something dangerous."
Selene's heart pounded. She didn't need him to tell her that. She could feel it. But she also knew one thing for certain.
"I have to go to the clock tower," she said firmly. "He'll be there. I know it."
Cassius clenched his jaw. "Selene—"
"I have to," she insisted.
For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, with a reluctant sigh, he nodded. "Then I'm going with you."
The night air was cold as they stepped outside. The town square was eerily quiet, the cobblestone streets slick with mist. Selene could see the silhouette of the clock tower in the distance, its ancient frame standing against the moonlit sky like a sentinel guarding its secrets.
As they moved through the deserted streets, a sudden gust of wind howled through the alleyways. The gas lamps flickered wildly before dimming, casting long, shifting shadows along the walls.
A chill ran down Selene's spine. Something wasn't right.
Then, footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate. Approaching from behind.
Selene and Cassius froze. The air grew thick with tension. She turned, her breath catching as a figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Cloaked in the silver glow of the moon.
Her pulse stuttered. It was him.
Orion.
His silver eyes locked onto hers, intense and unreadable. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The world around them faded into nothingness as the weight of the moment pressed down on her.
"You've come," Orion said, his voice low, edged with something unreadable.
Selene took a shaky step forward. "I need answers," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
A ghost of a smile flickered across Orion's lips. "The truth is darker than you think, Selene," he said. "Are you sure you want to know?"
She hesitated. The night felt alive around them, the wind carrying whispered secrets in the air.
But there was no turning back.
"I have to know," she said.
Orion's expression hardened. "Then follow me," he said, his voice an invitation laced with warning.
He turned toward the clock tower. The ancient building loomed over them, its massive clock face frozen at an impossible time.
Thirteen o'clock.
Selene swallowed hard and stepped forward, the echoes of the past whispering in her ears.
And then, the clock began to chime.