The first light of dawn stretched across the sky, casting long shadows over the sanctuary's worn stone walls. The air was crisp with the lingering chill of night, but Selene barely noticed. Her thoughts churned like a storm, the weight of her decision pressing against her ribs.
They were leaving. Heading toward the ruins. Toward the last remnants of her people.
Selene adjusted the strap of her satchel, her fingers tightening around the pendant at her chest. The warmth that pulsed from it was steady, as if reassuring her—or reminding her of the responsibility now resting on her shoulders.
Orion stood at her side, quiet but watchful. Cassius, as usual, was muttering to himself as he double-checked his supplies.
The warrior—who had yet to offer them his name—was already waiting at the entrance. His posture was rigid, disciplined. He had sworn his loyalty to her, but Selene could still feel the weight of his judgment in every glance.
She wasn't the queen he remembered.
And she wasn't sure she ever would be.
But she would try.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to her companions. "Let's go."
The journey east was not an easy one. The land had long since been reclaimed by nature, the paths overgrown, the cliffs treacherous.
The further they traveled, the quieter the world became—as if the land itself had forgotten what it once was.
Cassius exhaled sharply as he pulled himself up a steep incline. "I'd just like to point out that, historically, ruins tend to mean one of three things: ghosts, curses, or traps."
Selene shot him a look. "Not helping."
Cassius grinned. "I like to be prepared."
Orion moved ahead, his sharp gaze scanning the terrain. "We're close."
Selene could feel it too. The pendant at her chest hummed, responding to something unseen.
And then—
The ruins came into view.
The remains of the city stretched before them, its stone towers reduced to jagged remnants, its streets overtaken by nature. The air felt charged, thick with the echoes of a forgotten past.
Selene's chest tightened.
This had once been hers.
Now, it was nothing more than a graveyard.
Orion stepped forward cautiously. "Stay close. We don't know what's waiting for us."
The warrior moved ahead, his steps purposeful. "They are here."
Selene's pulse quickened. She could feel it too—a presence, watching.
A whisper of movement stirred in the shadows.
Then, from the ruins, figures emerged.
Eyes wary. Hands hovering near weapons.
Survivors.