Path of the Forgotten

Chapter 35: The Path of the Forgotten

The ruins stretched before them like the bones of a long-dead civilization, swallowed by time and decay. Cracked cobblestone streets wound through shattered buildings, their skeletal remains barely standing against the whispering wind. The Templars moved with silent precision, their gleaming silver armor untouched by the grime and dust of the city's corpse.

Luna forced herself to keep pace, her heart a steady drum against her ribs.

Beside her, Eris kept a hand on the hilt of her sword, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Asuna walked silently behind them, her dagger hidden beneath the folds of her cloak, her presence barely noticeable. Kaelith, the only one who didn't seem outwardly tense, walked at a measured pace, her gaze shifting between the ruins and their silent escorts.

Luna stole another glance at the Templar leading them. He walked with the confidence of someone who had never doubted his place in the world. The others followed in perfect formation, their synchronized movements almost unnatural.

Something wasn't right about them.

The Templars had claimed to have always been here. But how could that be? The city had been abandoned for centuries, left to rot like the rest of the world. No records spoke of knights remaining, no survivors had ever mentioned them. And yet, they walked as if they had never left.

Luna exhaled through her nose, turning her attention to the path ahead. The buildings loomed higher, their crumbling forms casting deep, shifting shadows. The air grew colder, heavier, pressing against her skin like unseen hands.

Then she felt it.

A presence.

She wasn't sure if it was watching from the rooftops, the alleyways, or something hidden beneath the cracked stones of the city itself. But it was there—silent, patient.

She glanced at Kaelith, whose lips pressed into a thin line. She felt it too.

Eris tightened her grip on her sword.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" she finally asked.

The lead Templar did not stop walking. "To the Cathedral."

Luna frowned. "Cathedral? There's a cathedral here?"

"It is not a place you would have found on your own," he replied.

His answer only raised more questions.

Kaelith finally broke her silence. "Why are you still here?"

The knight tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. "Because duty is eternal."

Kaelith's eyes narrowed. "Duty to what?"

The Templar did not answer.

The air grew colder.

Luna shivered, her breath curling in the night air. Then she noticed something—there was no sound beyond their footsteps. No distant echoes, no wind howling through the ruins, no insects, no movement. It was as if the entire city had stopped breathing.

Then, the feeling sharpened.

The presence watching them grew heavier.

Luna stiffened. It was close.

Eris must have felt it too because she subtly shifted her stance.

Kaelith slowed her pace, her grip tightening around her staff. "We're being watched."

The lead Templar finally halted. The others followed in perfect unison.

"Yes," he said simply.

Luna's skin prickled.

He knew.

Eris took a cautious step forward. "You said the Watcher was a remnant of the past. A guardian—or a curse." Her voice was steady, but there was a challenge in it. "If it's still here, why hasn't it come for us?"

"It is not time."

Kaelith's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "And when is the time?"

The knight turned to face her fully.

"When it decides."

A sudden gust of wind tore through the ruins, rattling loose stone and dust. The silence shattered.

Then came the sound.

A low, distant hum.

Luna's pulse quickened. It wasn't coming from any of them. It was beneath them.

Kaelith's eyes widened slightly, her gaze snapping to the cracked street. The hum grew louder, vibrating through her boots, through the air, through her bones.

The Templars did not react.

Eris' grip tightened on her sword. "What the hell is that?"

The knight's voice was calm.

"The past awakening."

The moment he spoke, the ground shifted.

A deep, grinding noise filled the air as dust and debris crumbled from the buildings around them. The cobblestone beneath their feet cracked, splitting apart like veins of old stone awakening from centuries of slumber.

Luna's breath hitched.

And then—

A shape moved in the distance.

A figure, barely visible, standing at the far end of the ruins.

It was tall—impossibly tall—its body shrouded in shifting darkness. Its face was wrong, a hollow void where features should be, only two ember-like eyes flickering from within the abyss of its form.

The Watcher.

It stood there, unmoving, yet its presence pressed down on them like an ocean wave.

Luna's breath hitched.

Asuna barely whispered, "It's real."

The Templars did not move.

Kaelith clenched her staff. "What does it want?"

The lead Templar exhaled slowly.

"It does not want," he said. "It only sees."

The Watcher took a step forward.

The ground beneath it did not shake, but the air around them trembled.

Kaelith inhaled sharply.

The knight finally turned to them. "Move."

He did not need to say it twice.

They broke into a run.

Luna's heart slammed against her ribs as they raced through the ruins, the Templars moving in synchronized formation. The heavy hum beneath them continued, the air thick with something unseen, something ancient.

The Watcher did not pursue. But its eyes followed.

Luna dared to glance back.

The ember-like glow of its gaze burned into her vision.

But it did not move.

Even as they ran, it remained in place, watching.

They turned a sharp corner, entering a wide, open courtyard where the ruins gave way to something else—something untouched by decay.

And then, Luna saw it.

The Cathedral.

Unlike the rest of the city, it stood pristine, untouched by time. Massive stone towers stretched toward the sky, stained glass windows glowing faintly with light that should not exist.

The Templars did not hesitate. They moved toward the entrance, the massive wooden doors already opening on their own.

Luna hesitated only for a second before following.

The moment they stepped inside, the doors slammed shut behind them.

The silence returned.

Luna's breath came in short, uneven gasps. Her muscles burned from the sudden sprint.

Kaelith steadied herself, looking around.

The Cathedral's interior was grand, an impossible contrast to the ruined city outside. Tall pillars stretched to an arched ceiling, candlelight flickering along the walls. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment and something faintly metallic.

The lead Templar finally turned to face them.

"You are safe here," he said.

Luna swallowed, still trying to shake the feeling of those burning eyes.

Kaelith exhaled. "Safe from what?"

The knight was silent for a moment. Then he finally spoke.

"From what the world has long forgotten."

Luna's pulse was still racing. Her mind reeled with everything that had happened—the Watcher, the ruins, the hum beneath the ground.

Eris sheathed her sword, but her posture remained tense. "You knew that thing was there."

The knight's gaze did not waver.

"It is always there."

A cold weight settled in Luna's stomach.

The Templar turned, walking toward the grand altar at the end of the Cathedral. The other knights remained by the entrance, standing as motionless as statues.

"You have stepped onto a path you do not yet understand," he said, his voice carrying through the vast chamber. "But now that you have seen, you cannot turn back."

Luna exhaled slowly.

The Watcher was still out there.

Waiting.

Watching.

And something told her this was only the beginning.