Chapter 25: The Hollowing Deepens

Leo's heart hammered in his chest, the voices swirling louder in his mind. It was like they were inside him, gnawing at the edges of his sanity. He could feel the coldness creeping deeper, spreading through his veins, and no matter how tightly he gripped the staff, the darkness clung to him.

The others had slowed, noticing Leo's strained pace. Kaelara turned back toward him, her brow furrowed with concern. "Leo, you're not yourself. Talk to us. What's happening?"

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. What's happening? His own thoughts felt foreign to him. What's happening is that I'm losing myself... I'm becoming part of this curse.

The staff pulsed in his grip again, sending a shock of cold straight to his bones. The whispers swelled, rising in volume as if feeding off his fear. He could feel them trying to take root, pulling at his thoughts, urging him to let go.

Give in, Leo. Give in to me.

Leo took a stumbling step forward, his body moving of its own accord. Kaelara's voice cut through the haze, sharper now, demanding. "Leo! Stop! This isn't you!"

But it wasn't him anymore, was it? The whispers had become his reality, and as they wove their way through his mind, he couldn't tell where they ended and he began. He was no longer sure of his own thoughts, his own desires. The curse had woven itself into his very soul, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fight it anymore.

He collapsed to his knees, the staff slipping from his hand and clattering against the rocks. The world around him blurred, the voices and the shadowy tendrils closing in. Every fiber of his being screamed for release, for an end to the torment.

Kaelara rushed to him, her hands gripping his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. Her eyes were full of fear—fear for him, fear for what he was becoming. "Leo! Stay with us! We're not giving up on you!"

His vision swam. But the darkness is already here, Kaelara. There's nothing left of me to save.

A cold laugh echoed in his mind, twisted and cruel. That's right, Leo. There's nothing left. You were mine from the start. Your curse, your fate—they were sealed long ago. You just didn't know it.

Kaelara shook him, her voice trembling with desperation. "Leo, please! Fight it! You have to fight!"

Marcus, ever the skeptic, scowled. "Don't just stand there! We need to do something!"

Eris stepped forward, her expression grim. "We don't have much time. If this goes on, Leo's gone. Completely." She glanced down at the staff, still glowing faintly in the dirt. "That staff... we need to destroy it."

Leo's head snapped up, his eyes wide with horror. "No! You can't—"

Kaelara's grip tightened. "I know what it's doing to you, Leo. But you can't keep carrying it. It's a weapon—one that's turning against you."

"No! You don't understand!" Leo gasped, his voice ragged. "If you destroy the staff, it'll take everything with it! It's not just the curse—it's the key. The last chance I have to get out of this alive!"

Eris stepped back, her face hardening. "You're not yourself anymore. If we don't destroy the staff, it'll destroy you."

Leo's head reeled, a surge of panic pushing through him. "I won't let you!" he shouted, even as the voice inside his mind whispered: No, Leo. You can't stop it. You can't even stop yourself.

The staff surged with power, an overwhelming wave that sent him crashing to the ground. His hands clawed at his head, trying to block out the voices that were suffocating him. His body shook violently. The ground beneath him trembled.

And then—

A sharp, jarring sound echoed through the stillness.

It wasn't the staff. It was something else.

A crack—deep and thunderous—ripped through the air. The sky above them darkened further, as if the heavens themselves were responding to the disruption.

The others froze, their gazes turning upward. In the distance, they saw it—an enormous black cloud, swirling unnaturally, as though it were alive. It stretched out like a great hand, reaching down toward them, the darkness swirling with a malevolent energy.

"What the hell is that?" Marcus asked, his voice hoarse.

Leo, his vision spinning, barely had time to process what was happening. The staff trembled in his grasp once again, as though it were alive—alive and eager to claim the darkness above.

"It's the Heart of the Hollowing," Eris said, her voice trembling with recognition. "It's the source. The final fragment's power—it's been calling to us."

The ground shook violently, and a powerful wind whipped through the air. The cloud overhead grew larger, darker, its swirling mass casting an eerie glow over the landscape. It was as though the world itself was being consumed.

Leo felt the weight of the curse pressing in on him again, the voices louder, sharper. He was being pulled into it—the Hollowing. The final act.

And then, from the darkness, something stepped forward.

A figure. Tall, cloaked in shadow, its presence emanating a chilling cold. Its eyes were two burning red orbs, glowing with an unearthly hunger. The shape moved with unnatural grace, the sound of its footsteps echoing like distant thunder.

The Whispering Dark.

It was here.

Leo's body went cold, his soul trembling under the weight of the creature's gaze. The staff pulsed with an energy that felt almost like a heartbeat. The whispers in his mind were louder now, drowning out everything else. You are mine, Leo. You have always been mine.

The creature stepped forward, its voice echoing in the air like a thousand whispers. "You are the one who has awakened the Heart. You are the one who will bring about the end."

Kaelara drew her sword, her eyes hard with determination. "We won't let you do this."

The creature laughed—a sound like a thousand tortured souls crying out in agony. "You cannot stop what has already begun. It is your fate. It is inevitable."

Marcus gripped his axe tighter, his eyes narrowed. "We'll see about that."

The ground beneath their feet trembled, the force of the Heart's power drawing closer. The wind howled, and the temperature dropped sharply, the very air becoming suffocating.

Leo could feel it—the Hollowing was upon them. And this time, there would be no escaping it.

"No one can escape fate," the creature whispered again, its voice a guttural hiss.

And then, with a final, devastating roar, the Heart of the Hollowing descended.

Leo's scream was drowned out by the crushing force of darkness that swallowed everything whole.