And All Was Quiet.

The Isles [5/5]

The stories that The Collector returns with never disappoints.

He tells you everything.

How welcoming the Titans were, how adorable the babies are, all the games that they would play together; he even made friends with the other species living there.

"It's this huuuge place filled with islands and isles! There's this one big guy, he has an egg with him right now! He said it's his son, and that I can play with him when he hatches!"

"Even my siblings have been coming down a lot more! But they play with the witches more than they do the Titans."

And you notice that it's true. The Archivists have been absent from the stars for quite a while now. You wonder if they're observing the planet in-person to try and prove that it's safe to the Elders. If that does happen, then you'll finally be able to go down there and play too.

The Collector likes to hear stories from you as well.

Other planets that you've seen during your own time collecting while he's away, new creatures that you've discovered, funny incidents between the adults.

And when you've both shared everything you hug each other and bid a farewell. And The Collector goes back to that world of the Titans and you go back to collecting.

The next time The Collector returns, they look upset.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" You ask.

You hold their hand and they squeeze back, "One of my friends are missing." He says, "We were playing hide and seek. I found all of them except him. We searched everywhere but we couldn't find him."

"Oh no... do you think he got lost somewhere?"

"Maybe?... Ugh, I don't know..." They huff and bring their knees up to their chest, burying their head in their arms, "I'm scared... what if he got hurt?"

You immediately hug your friend, doing your best to comfort them.

"I'm sure he'll pop up somewhere..."

And when you've both shared everything you hug each other and bid a farewell. And The Collector goes back to that world of the Titans and you go back to collecting.

The Collector returns less and less. But this makes the time that you spend together all the more valuable. The next time The Collector returns, four moon cycles have passed. He is eager to see you, but you can see the agitation that he tries to hide for the sake of a happy reunion.

After you gently prod him, he shares the recent events that have taken place.

"More of my friends are gone. And those trapped jerks have been acting really weird." They say. The Collector opens their mouth and closes it a few times, looking as if they're uncertain about their next words, "I think... I, I think The Archivists have been taking them..."

Perplexed, you ask, "What? Do you know why?"

But The Collector shakes their head, "I tried asking them... but they just ignore me and tell me to go back to playing." Your eyes catch sight of small movement and you look down. The Collector is wringing their hands together, they're anxious.

They sigh, but give a small smile, "I don't really feel like talking about it... right now, I just wanna spend time with my best friend."

You smile sympathetically, "Yeah. Of course." You hold their hand out of habit, and they squeeze, "Oh! Let me tell you about this crazy thing that happened back in the Archives!"

You both play together. You laugh together. And it's like you haven't been apart at all.

And when you've both concluded the visit, you hug each other and bid a farewell. And The Collector goes back to that world of the Titans and you go back to collecting.

One day you feel that something is wrong.

The Archivists come back after one moon cycle. Something is wrong.

Among the collective of siblings, one is missing. Something is wrong.

"Um... excuse me?"
Something is wrong.

Normally, you would never dare to approach them. But you just can't shake the feeling of something being terribly, terribly wrong.

One of the cloaked figures, much to your surprise, pauses to acknowledge you.

Meekly, you ask, "Where is The Collector?"

You try your best to ignore the fact that you can't feel their presence. To ignore that it feels like they've disappeared completely.

But to your dismay, The Archivist does not answer you, and instead continues forward to the stars. The harrowing feeling only increases, and it gnaws on your insides painfully. Impulsively, desperately, you turn to the planet and prepare to make your way to the atmosphere.

"Your search will be futile." One of the archivists say. Their voice is hollow and unfeeling. Nothing like the exuberance The Collector possessed.

You freeze at their words.

"...Why?"

You're only met with silence. You spin around to face them, but they're gone. And you're left alone with the horrifying realization slowly settling into your bones.

And for a moment everything feels surreal. And the space around you spins and everything becomes blurry. There's a horrible feeling in your gut, and you feel sick.

You finally come to when you notice something in your vision.

A small droplet of water.

And only then does it occur to you that your breathing is heavy and ragged, and that there are tears profusely spilling from your eyes.

You don't think you've ever felt such pain before. This is worse than bleeding. Worse than anything you've ever felt. It feels like you're dying.

The space around you continues to spin, and in your blurry vision you can see the fuzzy lights of distant stars.

And all of a sudden, everything stills. The sight of the stars bring you comfort, and you feel very tired.

Very, very tired.

And all was quiet.