Chapter 36: The Fractured Mind

The battlefield was eerily silent. The Hollowing had vanished along with Dante, but its presence lingered—like a stain on reality itself.

Leo felt it in his bones, in his breath, in the lingering whispers scratching at the edges of his mind.

"You are already ours."

He shuddered.

Eris knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she touched his shoulder. "Leo, are you—"

"I'm fine." His voice was hoarse, but steady. A lie, and he knew Eris could see through it.

She hesitated but didn't press. Instead, she helped him to his feet.

Marcus groaned from where he lay sprawled against a fallen pillar, his greatsword half-buried in the dirt. "What the hell was that?"

Kaelara stood a few feet away, wiping blood from her lip. She hadn't spoken since she was thrown aside by Dante. Now, she finally looked up, her sharp gaze settling on Leo.

"Did he say something to you?"

Leo stiffened. "What?"

"When he held his blade to your throat." She narrowed her eyes. "He hesitated."

Eris glanced at Leo. "She's right. He could've killed you."

Leo looked away. He didn't want to answer.

Because the truth was—Dante had spoken to him.

And not just Dante.

The Hollowing.

The whisper had been too real to be just his imagination. He could still feel its touch, lurking just beneath his skin.

The others didn't press, but the unspoken tension weighed heavily between them.

Finally, Marcus grunted and pushed himself upright. "Doesn't matter. He got away, and we're still alive. What now?"

Leo exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts to focus. Dante had left for a reason.

And Leo had a terrible feeling he'd see him again sooner than he wanted.

"We need answers," he said. "And I think I know where to find them."

---

The Forsaken Archives

The journey was brutal.

The ruins of the old world stretched endlessly before them—decayed buildings half-buried in sand, remnants of a civilization swallowed by time and something far worse.

The Forsaken Archives lay at the heart of it. An ancient library that had once held knowledge from a time before the Hollowing. Now, it was little more than a graveyard of broken stone and forgotten history.

And yet, if there was any place that could offer answers about Dante's transformation—it was here.

Leo led the way, his grip tight on his weapon. The closer they got, the more wrong everything felt.

The air was heavy. The silence was too perfect.

Like something was watching them.

Eris glanced around uneasily. "Anyone else feel like we're walking into a trap?"

Marcus scoffed. "Everything's a trap these days."

Leo didn't respond. Because deep down, he agreed with Eris.

Something was waiting for them.

The entrance to the Archives loomed ahead—a massive stone doorway, its edges cracked with age. Beyond it, darkness stretched into an unknown abyss.

Leo stepped forward, and the second his boot crossed the threshold—

The shadows moved.

A sickening sound slithered through the air—like flesh peeling away from bone.

Then—they appeared.

Figures emerged from the darkness. Too many to count.

They were human once.

Now, they were something else.

Their skin was pale and stretched too tightly over their bones. Their eyes were hollow voids, their mouths twisted into permanent screams.

Hollowed Ones.

Corrupted souls that had been claimed by the Hollowing but refused to die.

And they were hungry.

Marcus cursed. "I knew it was a trap!"

The first Hollowed lunged.

Leo moved on instinct. His blade sliced through its chest, but the creature barely reacted.

It kept coming.

Kaelara vanished in a blur, her daggers flashing as she cut down two more. "They don't feel pain. Aim for the head."

Marcus roared, his greatsword carving through three at once. Eris summoned her magic, sending streaks of violet fire into the swarm, burning them alive.

But for every Hollowed that fell, two more took its place.

Leo gritted his teeth. "There's too many!"

The creatures pressed closer. Their whispers filled the air, crawling into Leo's skull.

"You are already ours."

The voice was the same as before.

The same as when Dante had almost killed him.

Leo's heart pounded. The shadows flickered around him.

Something inside him was changing.

And then—

A scream.

Leo turned just in time to see Eris go down.

A Hollowed had wrapped its claws around her throat.

She struggled, fire burning at her fingertips, but the creature wasn't letting go.

Leo didn't think.

He reacted.

With a snarl, he drove his sword through its skull.

The Hollowed collapsed, releasing Eris. She gasped, coughing as she stumbled back.

Leo grabbed her. "You okay?"

She nodded shakily. "Yeah. Thanks."

The battle wasn't over. More Hollowed were swarming toward them. If they didn't move now, they'd be overwhelmed.

"We need to get inside the Archives!" Leo shouted.

Marcus swung his blade, clearing a path. "Then let's move!"

They ran.

The Hollowed shrieked, clawing after them, but as soon as Leo and his team crossed the threshold of the library's inner chamber—

The creatures stopped.

Leo turned, panting. The Hollowed stood at the entrance, staring.

But they didn't follow.

They simply… watched.

And then—they whispered.

"You are already ours."

Leo's blood ran cold.

But before he could react, Eris pointed ahead.

"Leo. Look."

At the center of the chamber stood a single pedestal.

And resting atop it—a book.

Old. Bound in black leather. Its cover marked with symbols Leo didn't recognize.

But the moment he saw it, he knew.

This book held the answers they needed.

The air felt heavier as Leo stepped closer. His fingers brushed the cover.

And the moment he touched it—

The world shattered.

Darkness engulfed him, and the whispers became screams.

And Leo fell.