Chapter 18: Battle against the Hollowed

The desolate warehouse district stretched ahead, its broken windows and decaying walls standing as silent witnesses to the impending conflict. The Lantern team stepped cautiously, their breath visible in the cold air. The pervasive Veil energy made the atmosphere feel dense, like wading through an invisible swamp.

"Eyes open. Stay sharp," Captain Lirian commanded, his voice low yet firm.

A faint wisp of light, summoned by Lirian using Minor Binding, floated ahead of the group, weaving between abandoned crates and derelict machinery. It pulsed faintly, reacting to the increasing concentration of Veil energy.

"That wisp," Elias said, curiosity edging his tone. "How does it work?"

"It's a fragment of Veil energy bound to me," Lirian explained without turning. "It senses disturbances in the Veil. Focus on your surroundings. Questions later."

Elias nodded, gripping his revolver tightly. He had yet to fully grasp the depths of Veil magic, but the oppressive aura around him hinted at the stakes.

The team followed the wisp through a narrow alley. Shadows seemed to shift unnaturally, curling along the edges of their vision.

"It's close," Lenya whispered, her hand brushing against the wall. Her shadow manipulation extended into the nearby darkness, forming subtle distortions that cloaked the team's approach.

"Stay back," Lirian ordered. "Let the wisp lead."

The wisp dimmed as they reached a clearing where crates were haphazardly piled. In the center stood the Hollowed. It was gaunt and unnaturally tall, its hollow eyes leaking a mist that coiled like smoke. Its body flickered, semi-corporeal, as if struggling to fully exist in the material world.

Elias felt a chill run down his spine. The whispers of Veil Fraying surged in his mind, incomprehensible yet malevolent.

"Steady," Adrienne murmured. "It hasn't seen us yet."

The Hollowed turned suddenly, sensing their presence. Its hollow eyes flared with light, and an oppressive aura swept over the team.

Elias staggered as the Despair Aura struck him. A flood of fragmented images clouded his vision—failures he couldn't place, regrets he didn't remember. His knees buckled.

"Don't give in!" Lirian shouted, his voice cutting through the fog. He moved forward, using Shadowcraft to form a barrier of darkness around the team, lessening the aura's effects.

The Hollowed shrieked silently, its form rippling as it unleashed tendrils of shadow. One lashed toward Lenya, who darted to the side, extending her own shadows to deflect the attack.

Lirian took the lead, stepping forward with practiced precision. He conjured a spear of shadows using Shadowcraft, its edges sharp and pulsing with faint Veil energy. With a swift motion, he hurled it at the Hollowed's chest, aiming to disrupt the creature's focus.

The spear struck true, momentarily staggering the creature.

"Dorian, flank it! Adrienne, prepare the sigils!" Lirian barked, his voice cutting through the tension.

Adrienne retreated a few steps, pulling out a parchment lined with intricate sigils inscribed in Arcaenic. She chanted under her breath, the words resonating with power. The runes began to glow faintly, their light casting eerie patterns on the walls of the warehouse.

"I need time to activate this," she warned, her focus unwavering.

"Lenya, keep it occupied!" Lirian ordered.

Lenya stepped into action, her hands weaving patterns in the air. Shadows from the warehouse stretched unnaturally, twisting and coiling toward the Hollowed.

The creature lashed out with tendrils of its own, but Lenya's shadows intercepted, creating a chaotic clash of darkness. She directed the shadows to form flickering illusions—duplicates of the team that darted around the Hollowed, confusing it further.

The Hollowed swung its tendrils wildly, striking at phantoms while Lenya deftly kept out of its reach.

Using the distraction, Dorian charged forward, his Veil-infused warhammer glowing faintly. He swung with controlled force, aiming for the Hollowed's legs. The impact sent a ripple of Veil energy through the creature, causing it to stagger backward.

The Hollowed retaliated, a tendril whipping toward Dorian's midsection. He grunted, raising his warhammer to block the attack. The Veil energy in his weapon pulsed, deflecting the tendril's force.

"Keep it coming!" Dorian shouted, his voice strained but determined.

Elias, stationed at the perimeter as planned, kept his revolver at the ready. Despite Adrienne's earlier warnings, he reached for his brass monocle, sliding it over his eye.

The world shifted. Through the monocle, Elias saw the creature's Veil threads, faintly glowing and pulsating. The threads converged at its chest, a chaotic knot of energy that seemed to pulse in time with its attacks.

"It's drawing strength from those threads!" Elias called out. "Focus on its chest—it's its core!"

Lirian nodded sharply. "Good work! Everyone, target the core!"

Lirian conjured another spear of shadows, this time aiming directly for the Hollowed's core. The creature shrieked soundlessly as the spear struck, its form flickering erratically.

Lenya intensified her efforts, her shadows wrapping around the Hollowed's limbs to restrict its movements.

Adrienne's sigils flared brighter, the runes lifting off the parchment and forming a glowing circle around the creature. The air grew heavy with Veil energy as the trap activated.

"It's ready!" Adrienne shouted. "Now, hit it hard!"

Dorian seized the opportunity, charging forward with his warhammer raised high. The weapon glowed brighter, the Veil energy within it responding to the intensity of the moment. He brought it down with a resounding crack, striking the Hollowed's chest.

The impact shattered the threads visible through Elias's monocle, causing the creature to collapse to its knees.

"Lenya, keep it contained!" Lirian ordered.

Lenya reinforced her shadow bindings, anchoring the Hollowed in place as Adrienne's sigils closed in. The runes formed a web of light that pressed against the creature, suppressing its aura and reducing its strength.

Elias saw the Hollowed attempting to regenerate its threads, the core flickering faintly. Taking a deep breath, he raised his revolver and fired. The enchanted bullet struck the core directly, causing the creature to convulse violently.

"It's destabilizing!" Adrienne shouted. "Hold your ground!"

The Hollowed let out one final, silent scream before its form disintegrated into motes of light.

As the Hollowed disintegrated, a shard of Veil energy remained. It coalesced into a cracked locket embedded with a shimmering Veil shard.

Lirian approached cautiously, picking up the artifact with a cloth.

"Hollowed Relic," Adrienne said, her tone wary. "A powerful tool, but cursed."

"What does it do?" Elias asked.

"It can manipulate memories," Lenya explained, her voice tight. "But it takes something in return. Whoever uses it will lose pieces of themselves."

Elias stared at the locket, unease prickling at his thoughts.

As the team caught their breath, Lirian inspected faint sigils etched into the ground where the Hollowed had stood.

"These marks," he murmured, "they're deliberate. Someone created this Hollowed."

"The Syndicate?" Adrienne asked, stepping closer.

"Likely," Lirian replied. "seems like they're experimenting with creating Aberrations."

Elias felt a pang of dread. The Syndicate's plans were more dangerous than he had imagined.

---

The team began their journey back to the Lanterns' base, their minds heavy with the implications of the battle.

Elias glanced back at the now-empty clearing, the Hollowed's remnants still fresh in his mind. The artifact, the Syndicate, the Veil—it was all becoming too tangled.

"Blessing and a curse, huh?" Elias murmured, his voice barely audible, "sounds fitting."