Chapter 14: The Hollow Pact
The moment Kael crossed the threshold of the ruined temple, an unnatural silence swallowed the air around him. The only sound was the faint hum of his breathing, muffled as though the walls themselves were listening. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword, every instinct screaming that something unnatural lurked ahead.
The corridor was lined with ancient murals, their faded etchings depicting scenes of war, betrayal, and eerie ceremonies. Some of the figures in the carvings appeared to bow before monstrous beings with too many eyes and elongated limbs, while others were shown sacrificing what looked like pieces of themselves—memories, perhaps, or something more abstract. Kael's gaze narrowed.
This place doesn't just hold secrets. It devours them.
A low vibration rumbled beneath his feet as he stepped deeper inside. The deeper he went, the colder the air became—not the crisp chill of winter, but a deep, gnawing cold that sank into the bones, stealing warmth like a predator consuming its prey.
At the end of the corridor, an open chamber revealed itself. The space was dominated by a massive stone pedestal at the center, upon which rested a crystalline sphere. It pulsed with a sickly green light, the glow seeping into the cracks of the floor like veins of corruption.
Kael took a step forward—and immediately froze.
From the shadows, a figure materialized.
A woman stood before the pedestal, draped in tattered robes that whispered as she moved. Her face was obscured, shrouded in darkness as though light refused to touch her.
"You have come far," she said, her voice layered—an echo upon an echo. "But do you seek truth, or only power?"
Kael remained still, assessing her. Her presence reeked of something old. Something forgotten.
"Both," he finally answered.
The woman chuckled, though there was no warmth in it. "Then you must make a choice."
She gestured toward the crystalline sphere. "The Hollow Pact. A contract bound by sacrifice. Take it, and you will gain knowledge beyond mortal reach—but at a cost."
Kael's fingers twitched. "What cost?"
"A memory," she murmured, taking a step closer. "A piece of your soul. A fragment of what makes you… you."
The shard embedded in Kael's palm pulsed violently. "Do not trust her!"
His gut twisted. "And if I refuse?"
The woman's form shimmered, the darkness around her deepening. "Then you leave as you came—ignorant."
---
Kael studied the glowing sphere, his mind racing. He needed answers. But giving up part of himself? That wasn't a price he was willing to pay—not yet.
The shard's voice cut through his thoughts. "She offers temptation, not truth. The Hollow Pact binds one to forces beyond understanding. This is no mere bargain—it is enslavement."
Kael exhaled, stepping back. "I don't make deals with the unknown."
The woman's laughter echoed like breaking glass. "Then you shall be denied the knowledge you seek."
She raised her hands, and the chamber trembled. The walls cracked, shadows bleeding from them like ink. They surged toward Kael, twisting into monstrous shapes—grotesque wraiths with gaping mouths, skeletal limbs stretching unnaturally as they rushed forward.
Kael didn't hesitate.
His sword lashed out, slicing through the first wraith—but the creature reformed instantly, its body shifting like liquid darkness. Another wraith clawed at his side, the contact searing cold, like ice burrowing into his skin.
The woman's voice rang out. "You cannot fight the darkness, only embrace it."
Kael gritted his teeth. "Watch me."
The shard pulsed again, and suddenly, Kael saw them—not just formless wraiths, but flickering images. Faces. People.
Lost souls.
Realization slammed into him. These weren't mere constructs. They were the remnants of those who had accepted the Hollow Pact.
They had given up memories—pieces of themselves—until nothing remained.
His grip on his sword tightened. "I won't be another victim."
Kael pressed forward, dodging and weaving through the onslaught. The shard flared brighter, and for the first time, the shadows recoiled.
The woman hissed, her form flickering. "Fool. You reject salvation."
Kael ignored her. He surged forward, blade raised. Instead of attacking her, he drove his weapon into the crystalline sphere, shattering it.
A deafening scream filled the chamber.
The woman's form unraveled, her darkness peeling away like smoke caught in the wind. The wraiths shrieked as the energy that bound them was severed, their forms collapsing into the void.
When the echoes faded, only silence remained. The oppressive weight of the chamber had lifted.
The shard pulsed one final time. "Well done. But this was only the beginning."
Kael sheathed his blade, glancing at the ruins of the shattered pact. He had denied its power, but in doing so, had he lost the only chance at true answers?
No. He would find another way.
As he stepped forward, the temple collapsed behind him, sealing the path.
There was no turning back now.
Only the road ahead remained.
---
The temple had once been a sanctuary. Now, it was a tomb.
As Kael moved through the ruins, he couldn't shake the feeling that the walls were watching him. The stone was ancient, worn by time, but the markings on them still pulsed faintly—as if the temple itself remembered its purpose.
Who had built this place?
What had they worshiped?
The carvings told a story in fragmented pieces. A civilization that had sought knowledge beyond mortal reach. They had succeeded. And in doing so, they had doomed themselves.
Kael traced one of the symbols with his fingers. The shape was familiar—an emblem he had seen before, buried deep within another ruin.
This wasn't the first temple of its kind.
And it wouldn't be the last.
The realization chilled him.
How many others had been drawn to this place? How many had taken the Pact and lost themselves?
The woman's words echoed in his mind.
"A piece of your soul."
Kael clenched his fists. He had already lost too much.
But the knowledge… the power…
No.
He pushed the temptation aside. There were other ways. He just had to survive long enough to find them.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
The temple was falling apart.
Kael sprinted forward, dodging as the ceiling cracked and pieces of debris crashed around him. The air filled with dust and the scent of ancient stone breaking apart.
By the time he emerged into the open air, the temple had sealed itself behind him, the entrance nothing more than a solid wall of rock.
He exhaled, steadying his breath.
His journey wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
---
End of Chapter 14