A Symphony of Blades and Broken Stars

The air was colder now.

They camped near the edge of the ruins, using part of a crumbled wall for shelter. Lys kept the fire low, afraid of drawing attention. Kaela cleaned her blade in silence. Elion sat alone, watching the stars drift above the broken arch.

He had not spoken since they left the gate.

What he saw inside would not leave him.

Lys finally broke the silence.

"You were gone for only a moment, but your eyes looked older when you came back."

Kaela added, "You saw something you were not ready for."

Elion nodded. "It was me. Or a part of me. The version I became before I erased my memories. He wore a crown and looked at me like I had betrayed him."

Kaela stood. "Because you did. That version of you carried a burden alone for too long. He chose to forget so that the weight could be passed to a future self. You."

Lys shook her head. "That is a cruel gift to give someone."

Kaela replied, "It was the only way to survive."

Elion looked up at the stars. "He said I opened the gate again. That the seal was breaking."

Lys frowned. "Seal? As in magic?"

Kaela's voice dropped. "Yes. There was a seal placed on the gate, and more importantly, on Elion himself. He locked away a part of his power, maybe even part of his soul."

"And now it's coming back," Elion said quietly.

A howl echoed from the cliffs above.

They all stood.

From the shadows stepped a man dressed in rags and armor scraps. His eyes glowed faintly red. His skin looked cracked, like stone breaking apart. But he walked like someone who once stood tall.

He did not raise a weapon.

He just looked at Elion.

"I waited for you," the man said.

Elion stepped forward slowly. "Do I know you?"

"You did," the man said. "When you still remembered your oath."

Lys summoned fire to her hands. Kaela drew her sword.

Elion raised a hand. "Wait."

The man continued. "You made me your shield. You told me I would be the last to fall. I held that gate until my blood turned cold. And when I died, I thought you would come for me."

He reached into his cloak and pulled out a broken medallion.

Elion's eyes widened. "That was mine."

"You gave it to me before the final battle. To show you believed in me. I held onto it even after death."

Kaela stepped forward. "You are not alive, are you?"

The man smiled faintly. "Not fully. The gate kept part of me here. Just like it kept a part of him."

Elion swallowed hard. "What do you want from me?"

The man dropped the medallion at Elion's feet.

"To remember me."

Then the man faded into dust, carried away by the wind.