Story 962: The Hollow Man’s Domain

The air beyond the Hollow Gates was thick with the scent of rot and ruin. The fortress loomed over them, its spires twisting like skeletal fingers toward the swollen moon. The walls, etched with ancient sigils, pulsed with an eerie, flesh-like texture, as if the stone itself was breathing.

Draven ran a hand over the carvings, his expression grim. “This place ain’t just cursed. It’s alive.”

Mira’s fingers trembled as she clutched the Cursed Book, the ink on its pages writhing like black veins under her skin. “He’s watching us.”

Elias exhaled, taking a sip from his flask. “Then let’s give him a show.”

A low, inhuman whisper slithered through the corridors ahead, growing into an eerie chorus of voices, each layered atop another in a sound that was neither entirely human nor beast.

Then came the laughter.