The chamber shook violently. Dust and loose debris rained down from the high stone ceiling as the archway's glow intensified. The guttural growl reverberated through the ancient walls, sending chills down Selene's spine.
She tightened her grip on the pendant, its strange warmth pulsing against her skin.
"What did you do?" Cassius demanded, stepping in front of her as the tremors grew stronger.
Selene's heart pounded. "I—" She hesitated. The memories had come so fast, so vividly, she barely had time to process them. "I think… I activated something."
"No kidding," Cassius muttered.
Orion's gaze remained locked on the archway. His posture was rigid, but his expression was unreadable. "We need to move. Now."
But it was too late.
The archway shuddered, and a dark mist began to seep through its glowing threshold. The light within the portal warped, twisting into an ominous storm of shadows.
Then—it stepped through.
A colossal figure, clad in armor so black it seemed to swallow the dim torchlight. The metal was jagged, adorned with ancient sigils that pulsed with the same eerie glow as the pendant. Its face was hidden behind a helm of onyx and silver, and in its grasp was a massive blade, its edge wreathed in flickering violet energy.
Selene's breath caught. She knew this warrior.
Not from books. Not from stories. From memory.
The figure's voice echoed through the chamber, deep and layered, as if multiple voices spoke at once.
"The heir has returned."
Cassius swore under his breath. "That's… probably not good."
Orion didn't move. His hand hovered over the hilt of his sword, but he made no aggressive motion. He was waiting. Watching.
Selene forced herself to step forward, her pulse hammering in her ears. "Who are you?"
The warrior's head tilted slightly, as if surprised by the question. "You do not remember?"
Selene swallowed hard. "I remember… pieces."
The warrior let out a sound that was almost a sigh. "Then you have forgotten your oath."
Something in the way he said it made Selene's stomach twist. "What oath?"
The warrior lifted his blade, pointing it directly at her. The violet energy along its edge crackled in the air.
"To reclaim the throne of the Second Moon."
The words sent a shockwave through Selene's mind.
Visions flashed before her—herself standing at the foot of a grand throne, surrounded by kneeling figures in similar dark armor. A crown of silver and obsidian resting atop her head. The weight of an ancient promise pressing against her chest.
The pendant around her neck burned with recognition.
Cassius glanced between them. "I don't like where this is going."
Orion's voice was calm but firm. "Selene, step back."
Selene didn't move. Her hands clenched into fists as she fought the storm in her mind.
"What throne?" she demanded. "What does this have to do with me?"
The warrior took a slow step forward. "Everything."
The chamber trembled again. The energy from the portal surged outward, sending gusts of arcane wind through the room. The pendant pulsed wildly against Selene's chest, syncing with the force around them.
And in that moment, Selene made a choice.
She wasn't going to run.
She wasn't going to hide.
She was going to get answers.
Selene reached out with her power—the same force she had felt when she pushed back the Order's pursuers. The air around her crackled, and the silver light within her flared.
The warrior stopped.
For a long moment, the chamber was silent.
Then—slowly—the figure lowered his sword.
"Perhaps," he murmured, "all is not lost."
Selene exhaled shakily.
Cassius let out a breath. "That's… probably the best reaction we could've hoped for."
Orion, however, didn't relax. "Why were you waiting here?"
The warrior's glowing eyes flickered toward him. "To protect the Riftgate. And to ensure the heir's return."
Selene's throat was dry. "And now that I've returned?"
The warrior hesitated. Then, with slow deliberation, he knelt.
Cassius made a choked noise. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
The warrior placed his fist against the stone floor. "My blade is yours to command, my queen."
The words hit Selene like a thunderclap.
Orion's expression darkened. "Selene—don't."
Selene barely heard him.
The memories, the visions, the pendant—it all made sense now.
She wasn't just anyone.
She wasn't just some lost girl with fragmented memories.
She was the heir to a forgotten throne.
And the war that had begun in the past?
It wasn't over.
It had just been waiting for her return.