The world tilted.
Ellie's breath hitched as she stared at the face in front of her.
It was impossible.
Yet, there he was.
A man she had seen only in fragments of dreams his face blurred, his voice distant.
But now, he was real.
And the worst part?
Somewhere deep inside, she knew him.
"…No," Ellie whispered, shaking her head. "This—this doesn't make sense."
The man no longer just the masked figure watched her with an expression that was painfully familiar.
"You remember, don't you?"
Ellie staggered back, her mind racing.
This wasn't just some trick. This wasn't some illusion.
Her soul knew him.
But how?
Memories flashed behind her eyes
Two figures standing side by side as the world burned.
A promise whispered in the dark.
A hand reaching for hers as the End came crashing down.
Ellie's pulse pounded in her ears.
No.
No, it wasn't possible.
But the ache in her chest told her otherwise.
"…Who are you?" she finally choked out.
His golden eyes darkened.
"I am the one you left behind."
Ellie froze.
"I am the one you swore to protect."
Her throat went dry.
"I am the one you abandoned."
The weight of his words slammed into her like a tidal wave.
Because in that moment she did remember.
Not everything. Not fully.
But just enough.
Enough to know that he was telling the truth.
And enough to know that her past her real past was far more complicated than she had ever imagined.
The Buried Truth
Malcolm's voice cut through the silence.
"Ellie… who is he?"
She couldn't answer.
Because how did she explain something she didn't even understand?
Sam shifted uneasily. "This some kind of trick?"
The man's gaze snapped to them and for the first time, Ellie saw something like anger flash across his face.
"You think I would lie?" His voice was quiet but dangerous.
Malcolm stepped forward, tense. "I don't know. But I do know that Ellie doesn't owe you a damn thing."
A long silence stretched between them.
Then, the man sighed.
"You still don't understand, do you?" His gaze flicked back to Ellie. "This was never about owing. It was about choice."
Ellie's hands tightened into fists.
"What do you mean?"
"You made a choice once."
His eyes burned into hers.
"And now, you must make it again."
The air grew heavy.
The ruins shuddered.
And Ellie knew whatever came next would change everything.
The Second Choice
The ruins trembled beneath Ellie's feet. The air was thick charged as if the world itself was waiting for her answer.
She wasn't ready.
She wasn't sure she'd ever be.
But the man in front of her the one she once knew but couldn't remember was staring at her with an intensity that made it impossible to ignore.
"You must choose, Ellie."
His voice was softer this time. Less a demand, more a plea.
Ellie's fingers twitched. "Choose what?"
"To finish what we started."
A chill crawled down her spine.
"What did we start?" she whispered.
The man's golden eyes darkened.
"The war."
A War That Never Ended
Sam and Malcolm exchanged uneasy glances.
Malcolm's voice was edged with suspicion. "War? What the hell are you talking about?"
The man barely acknowledged him. His focus was solely on Ellie.
"We were meant to end this, you and I. Together."
Ellie felt like the ground was slipping beneath her.
"I don't remember any of this."
"But I do."
The wind howled through the ruins.
"You were the one who swore to end the cycle. You were the one who fought beside me. And you were the one who"
He hesitated.
"who betrayed me."
The words hit her like a blade to the gut.
Ellie staggered back.
"No," she breathed. "I wouldn't…"
Would she?
She didn't even know who she was anymore.
Her past the truth was still a fragmented puzzle.
But one thing was clear.
This man whoever he truly was believed every word.
And worse?
Some part of her did too.
The Ultimatum
The man stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Ellie, listen to me."
She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
"This world is caught in an endless loop. The same battles, the same mistakes, over and over again. You knew that. That's why you chose to act."
His fingers curled into fists.
"But something went wrong. And you… forgot."
Her head spun.
Was that why she had always felt like something was missing? Like there was a hole inside her that nothing could fill?
She swallowed hard. "And you? Why do you remember?"
The man exhaled.
"Because I never had the luxury of forgetting."
Silence stretched between them.
Then, his golden gaze hardened.
"I won't force you to believe me, Ellie."
His voice was low serious.
"But the choice remains."
She tensed.
"Join me."
Malcolm immediately drew his weapon. "Like hell she will."
The man ignored him.
"Help me finish what we started."
Ellie's hands trembled. "And if I refuse?"
His expression didn't change.
"Then you will stand against me."
A chill settled in her bones.
Because he wasn't threatening her.
He was simply stating a fact.
No anger. No hatred.
Just inevitability.
The earth shook beneath them.
The ruins groaned.
Time was running out.
And Ellie had to decide.
The Breaking Point
Ellie's heart pounded as silence stretched between them.
She wasn't ready to decide.
But the world wasn't waiting.
The ruins around them trembled, dust and debris raining down as the wind carried a distant, inhuman screech.
Sam and Malcolm tensed.
"…That's not good," Sam muttered, gripping his dagger.
The golden-eyed man remained still, his gaze locked onto Ellie.
"Time is running out."
Ellie clenched her fists.
"Then tell me the truth."
His brow furrowed. "I have."
"No." Her voice was sharp. Demanding. "Not half-truths. Not cryptic riddles. I want everything."
The golden-eyed man exhaled, studying her.
Then
He lifted his hand.
And the ruins vanished.
Visions of the Past
Ellie gasped as the world around her shifted.
Gone were the crumbling ruins. Gone were Malcolm and Sam.
Instead, she stood in a city of towering spires and golden light.
The air hummed with power, and people in dark robes walked the streets, their gazes sharp, their steps purposeful.
She knew this place.
Even if she couldn't remember it, she knew.
"Where are we?" she whispered.
The golden-eyed man stood beside her.
"The capital of the Hollow Order."
Ellie's breath caught.
The Hollow Order.
A name she had only heard in fragments, spoken in fear, buried in myths.
And yet she had once walked these streets.
She turned, heart racing.
"This… this was our home?"
"No."
She frowned.
"It was your kingdom."
The words hit her like a blade.
"No," she whispered. "That's not possible."
The man turned to her, golden eyes unreadable.
"You were its queen, Ellie. Its ruler. Its savior."
Her head spun.
She wasn't just a part of the Hollow Order.
She had led it.
And that meant
"If I was the queen…" Her throat tightened. "Then what were you?"
The man held her gaze.
"Your right hand."
A flood of emotions memories, half-formed feelings threatened to drown her.
She had trusted him.
She had fought beside him.
She had
Betrayed him.
Her breath hitched.
"…What did I do?"
He was silent for a long time.
Then
"You broke the cycle."
The Truth Unveiled
Ellie shook her head. "What cycle?"
"The war between the Hollow Ones and the world beyond."
She froze.
"For centuries, we fought. We conquered. We fell. And then it would start again." His voice was calm, but there was an edge of something dangerous beneath it. "You wanted to end it. You believed the only way was to destroy the Order itself."
Ellie's stomach twisted.
"That… that doesn't sound like me."
The man's lips curled.
"Are you sure?"
The vision shattered.
And Ellie was back in the ruins back in the present but everything had changed.
The weight of her past pressed down on her.
Sam and Malcolm were watching her, wary.
And the golden-eyed man?
He was waiting.
"Now do you understand?"
Ellie's hands shook.
She had been a queen. A ruler.
And she had destroyed everything.
But if she had done it once…
Could she do it again?
The Choice Before Her
The golden-eyed man's voice was quiet.
"You swore to end the cycle, Ellie."
Her pulse raced.
"Will you stand by that oath?"
Malcolm stepped forward. "Ellie, you don't have to do anything he says."
Sam nodded. "Yeah, whatever this is, it's not your problem anymore."
Ellie looked between them her friends, the only people she had trusted for so long.
And then at the man who had once been her closest ally.
The ruins groaned, the wind carrying distant screams.
She was out of time.
She had to choose.