Chapter 38: The Gathering Storm

The moment Leo laid his hand on the book, the oppressive atmosphere in the chamber seemed to shift. The air, which had once felt heavy and suffocating, now felt electric, alive with the tension of something just beyond the threshold of comprehension. The whispers, once far-off and barely discernible, now echoed in his mind, a constant, gnawing presence he couldn't escape.

Leo's fingers trembled against the ancient leather of the book's cover. He knew that what lay within these pages wasn't just knowledge—it was danger. The book was a gateway to something darker, something older than even the Hollowing.

Yet, they had no choice. They couldn't stay here forever.

"What are we going to do?" Kaelara asked, her voice laced with uncertainty. She stood beside him, her eyes flicking nervously toward the entrance. "We can't keep running. The Hollowing's grip is only getting stronger."

Leo closed his eyes for a moment, his mind still reeling from the images, the whispers, the faces. He could still feel the weight of Dante's words—the promise that he would be the one to end it all. The one to bring the world crashing down.

No.

He wouldn't let that happen. He couldn't let that happen.

"We take the book," Leo said quietly, his voice hardening with resolve. "It holds the answers we need."

"But do we know what's inside?" Marcus asked, his brow furrowing in suspicion. "What if it's a trap? A lure to pull us in deeper?"

Leo clenched his jaw. He didn't know what to expect. But they didn't have time to hesitate. If they stayed here too long, they would be overwhelmed by the Hollowing. By whatever dark force had set its sights on them.

"We don't have a choice," Leo said, his tone steely. "We need to know what we're up against."

He turned back to the book and opened it. The moment the pages flipped open, the room seemed to darken even further. Shadows twisted, curling around the edges of his vision like phantoms, and the whispers grew louder—so loud it was almost deafening.

Leo's fingers hovered over the ancient script, the writing unfamiliar and yet somehow alive. The symbols seemed to pulse with an energy he couldn't quite comprehend, as though they were waiting for him to decipher them.

A cold breath ran down his spine.

And then, without warning, the book shifted.

The pages flickered like flames, spinning too fast for him to follow, the ink shifting and changing before his eyes. Suddenly, the book stopped—and an image appeared.

Leo's heart stopped. He wasn't sure if it was the book or his own mind, but what he saw on those pages wasn't just a picture—it was real.

A city, ancient and sprawling, lay sprawled beneath a sky blackened with smoke. The ground was cracked, buildings broken, and a red moon hung over the horizon.

This was no ordinary place.

This was the end. The final battleground.

The book opened wider, and the pages revealed a portal, swirling with darkness and energy. It called to him, pulling at his very soul. Leo could feel his heart race, a strange pull in his chest. He had seen this before—the vision, the place. It was the world after the Hollowing had consumed it.

"This is it," Leo whispered. "The place where everything ends."

The room fell silent. The images on the page flickered again, the red moon growing larger, the city falling into ruin. He could see the silhouettes of creatures—monsters, twisted and vile—emerging from the darkness, their eyes gleaming with hunger.

"We have to stop this," Eris said, her voice shaking, but filled with determination. "We can't let the Hollowing win."

Leo looked up from the book, his eyes meeting his friends'. There was a fire in their eyes now—a shared understanding that this was more than just a fight for survival. This was a fight for everything.

"We will," Leo said. "But first, we need to find the source. The book has shown us the end—now we need to find the way to stop it."

Marcus gripped his sword tighter, his jaw set. "Then we fight. Together."

The shadows in the room began to shift again, the whispers growing louder, more desperate. It was as if the very room itself was alive, reacting to their presence. The darkness seemed to coil around the walls, swirling like a storm about to break.

"We need to leave," Kaelara said, her voice urgent. "The Hollowing knows we're here."

Leo nodded. "We don't have much time."

The book was still open, the pages fluttering wildly as if something was trying to pull them in. Leo slammed it shut, his heart pounding. The last thing they needed was for the book to consume them—or worse, for it to drag them into its own hellish world.

"We move out," Leo commanded. "Stay close."

As they made their way out of the chamber, the shadows followed them. Every step was an effort. The air felt thick, and the weight of the Hollowing's presence pressed down on them from all sides. But Leo pushed forward. He didn't have time to stop. Didn't have time to think.

They passed through the ancient halls, the whispers growing louder with every step. The coldness in the air felt like ice against his skin, and Leo knew that time was running out. The Hollowing's tendrils were closing in on them. They had to make it out—before the darkness consumed them completely.

Then, suddenly, the ground beneath their feet shook. A deep rumble echoed through the walls, and Leo's heart skipped a beat. This wasn't just a tremor. It was something worse.

The walls began to crack, fissures spreading across the stone like a web, and the temperature dropped even further.

"Move!" Leo shouted, urgency in his voice.

But it was too late.

The walls exploded inward.

From the shattered remains of the stone, creatures crawled out—nightmarish, twisted things, half-human, half-shadow. Their bodies were malformed, their faces devoid of features, save for the empty eyes that glowed with an eerie, sickly light. They were the Hollowing's soldiers, the very embodiment of darkness.

There were too many of them.

Leo's mind raced as he drew his weapon, his body already moving instinctively, his every muscle primed for the fight. The creatures charged at them with terrifying speed, their mouths gaping open, ready to devour anything in their path.

The first one lunged at him. Leo didn't hesitate. He swung his blade with precision, cleaving through its body as if it were made of paper. The creature's form collapsed into black smoke, dissolving into nothingness.

But more were coming. More were always coming.

"Get back!" Leo yelled as he pushed forward, cutting down another creature. But they kept coming, relentless, unstoppable.

Eris and Marcus fought at his side, their weapons flashing through the air as they tore into the monsters. Kaelara, moving with the fluid grace of a predator, struck with deadly accuracy, each blow landing with the weight of finality.

But for every one they killed, two more seemed to take its place.

Leo gritted his teeth. There had to be a way out. There had to be something they could do.

"The portal!" Kaelara screamed, pointing toward the center of the room. The very air around it seemed to ripple with dark energy, like a tear in reality itself.

Leo's eyes locked onto the portal. This was it. The final choice.

"We go through the portal," Leo shouted over the chaos. "It's the only way to stop them!"

Without another word, he charged forward, leaping toward the swirling energy.

But the creatures weren't far behind.