The crown felt heavier than it should.
Selene stood in the fading light, the metal cool in her hands, its intricate engravings catching the dim glow of the setting sun. Around her, the survivors knelt in silence—a people waiting for a queen who had been lost to time.
She was supposed to feel victorious.
Instead, she felt like an imposter.
The memories from the chamber still swirled in her mind—fragmented visions of a kingdom at war, of faces she didn't recognize but somehow knew. A part of her had expected that claiming the crown would give her the answers she needed.
But all it had given her was more questions.
Orion stepped beside her, voice low. "They believe in you now."
Selene swallowed. "I'm not sure I believe in myself."
His gaze didn't waver. "You don't have to—not yet."
She looked at him then, searching for doubt in his expression. But Orion had never been one to waste words. If he thought she wasn't ready, he would have said so.
Cassius, however, had no such restraint.
"Well, congratulations," he said, stepping closer and giving the crown an appraising look. "You've got yourself a very fancy headpiece. What's next?"
Selene exhaled, her fingers tightening around the metal. That was the question, wasn't it?
The Order was still out there. The kingdom—what remained of it—was scattered. And something deep inside her told her that the past she had seen was only a fraction of the truth.
The silver-haired elder finally rose from her kneeling position, the others following suit. She studied Selene with a gaze that felt ancient, knowing.
"Come," she said. "There is still much to understand."
The survivors led Selene and her companions deeper into the ruins, past shattered archways and stone pathways overtaken by vines. Eventually, they reached a hall—or what remained of one.
Faded murals covered the walls, their colors dulled by time but still discernible. Scenes of warriors, of rulers, of battles fought and lost.
And at the center of it all—
Selene stopped, her breath catching in her throat.
There, carved into the stone, was her face.
Not just a resemblance. Not just a vague figure. It was her.
Orion's sharp intake of breath confirmed that he saw it too.
Cassius, ever the skeptic, ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but this? This is unsettling."
The elder stepped forward, her voice softer now. "You were our queen once," she said. "And you have returned because history is not yet done with you."
Selene could barely breathe. "I don't remember."
The elder nodded, as if she had expected that. "The Order took your past from you." Her gaze darkened. "But they did not erase it. You will remember in time."
Selene's fingers curled into fists.
She wanted to believe that.
She needed to.
But time was not on her side.
The Order would know she had come this far. And they would not wait for her to remember who she was.
She turned back to the elder, her voice steadier than she felt.
"Then we don't have time to waste."
The elder's lips curved into something almost like a smile.
"No," she agreed. "We do not."