The Burden of the Forgotten

Chapter 6: The Burden of the Forgotten

The ruins stood silent, but Kael’s mind was anything but. His vision had shown him the truth—he had defied the Keepers of Time. He had rebelled against their control, and for that, he had been erased. But the question still remained: Why?

Selene’s gaze lingered on him, unreadable. “Now you understand,” she said softly. “You weren’t merely a man stripped of his past. You were a threat.”

Kael exhaled, his pulse steadying. “If I fought them once, I can do it again.”

Selene’s expression hardened. “You assume you’re still the same man. But time changes everything, Kael. Even you.”

Her words stung, but Kael refused to believe them. He had lost his memories, not his purpose.

The wind howled through the ruins as Selene stepped forward. “There’s something else you need to see.”

She led him deeper into the ruins, down a crumbling stairway. The air grew colder, heavy with the scent of dust and forgotten time. At the bottom lay a massive stone door, etched with symbols that pulsed faintly.

Kael ran his fingers over them, feeling an unnatural warmth beneath his touch. “What is this place?”

“The last known archive of the Keepers,” Selene replied. “If the answers you seek still exist, they are in here.”

Kael nodded, pushing against the heavy stone. It groaned in protest before slowly yielding, revealing a vast chamber lined with ancient texts and glowing relics. The air felt different here—charged, alive.

Selene walked to the center of the chamber, where a pedestal held a single, aged book. She hesitated before picking it up. “This was written by one of the last Keepers before they vanished. It speaks of the one who defied them… and the war he nearly started.”

She opened the book, her fingers trailing down the brittle pages. Then, she stopped.

Kael stepped closer. “What is it?”

Selene turned the book toward him, revealing a sketch—his face, exactly as it was now.

His stomach twisted. “How is that possible?”

Selene’s voice was grave. “Because you weren’t just erased from history, Kael. You were meant to die.”

A silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.

Kael’s fingers tightened into fists. “Then why am I still here?”

Selene looked at him, hesitation flickering in her eyes. “Because someone… or something… defied fate to bring you back.”

The words settled over him like a shadow. If he was meant to die, yet still lived, then something had intervened. But what? And why?

Before he could speak, a distant sound echoed through the ruins. Footsteps. Not theirs.

Selene’s expression darkened. “We need to leave. Now.”

Kael turned toward the entrance, his instincts sharpening. They were no longer alone. And whoever was coming… they already knew his secret.

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