Chapter 30: Into the Hollow

The entrance to the Hollow loomed before them like a gaping wound in the earth, swallowing the last rays of sunlight. A thick mist curled around the jagged stones, whispering through the air as though it were alive. The very ground beneath their feet pulsed with an unnatural energy, sending chills up Selena's spine.

She tightened her grip on the hilt of her blade.

"This place feels… wrong," Liora murmured, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead.

Kael exhaled sharply. "That's because it is wrong. The Veil is weakest here. This isn't just a passage—it's a doorway."

Selena stepped forward, her pulse steady despite the unease clawing at her chest. "Then we walk through it. Together."

No one argued. They had come too far to turn back now.

With one last glance at the world they were leaving behind, Selena crossed the threshold.

And the Hollow swallowed them whole.

---

A Realm Between Worlds

The moment they stepped inside, the air changed.

The light dimmed, replaced by a strange, pulsing glow that seemed to come from the very walls of the Hollow. Twisted roots snaked across the ground, their veins glowing with eerie blue light. The air hummed with whispers, distant and unintelligible.

Garrik turned in a slow circle, one hand resting on his axe. "I don't like this."

Liora shivered. "It's like the forest is alive."

Selena kept her gaze forward, her instincts screaming at her to stay alert. "Stay close. If this place can shift, we don't want to get separated."

They moved carefully, each step muffled by the thick, spongy earth beneath their boots. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became, pressing down on them like unseen hands.

Kael suddenly halted, his expression tense. "Did you hear that?"

Everyone froze.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then—

A whisper, just behind them.

"Selena…"

Her breath caught.

She knew that voice.

Spinning around, her eyes scanned the shadows. "Riven?"

Nothing.

Just the shifting mist, curling like fingers around the trees.

But she knew what she had heard.

Liora touched her arm. "Selena… we need to keep moving."

Selena swallowed hard, nodding. But doubt had begun to creep into her mind.

What if Riven wasn't just inside the Hollow?

What if she was the Hollow?

---

The First Trial

They walked for what felt like hours, though time had lost its meaning. The deeper they went, the more the Hollow seemed to close in around them.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath Selena's feet vanished.

She barely had time to cry out before she was falling, her body plunging into the darkness below.

Cold air whipped past her, her heart pounding in her chest—

Then she hit something solid.

Pain exploded through her limbs as she tumbled forward, rolling to a stop on an uneven stone floor. She gasped, sucking in air, her pulse racing.

Dim light flickered around her. She wasn't alone.

Kael, Liora, and Garrik landed one by one, each of them groaning as they recovered from the fall.

"Well," Garrik muttered, rubbing his shoulder. "That could've gone better."

Selena pushed herself to her feet, her gaze sweeping the chamber they had fallen into. The walls were lined with ancient carvings, depicting figures with hollow eyes and outstretched hands.

At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal.

And on top of it, a blade.

It was unlike anything Selena had ever seen. Black as the void, its edges shimmered with an otherworldly energy.

The moment her eyes landed on it, her breath hitched.

"I know this blade."

It was the one Riven had wielded.

Kael stepped beside her, his expression grim. "That's not just a weapon. That's a piece of the Hollow itself."

Selena swallowed. "Then why is it here?"

A voice answered.

"Because you must choose."

The air rippled, and suddenly, the shadows shifted—forming into a figure.

Riven.

Or at least… something that looked like her.

Her face was half-hidden by the darkness, her eyes burning with an unnatural glow. "You came all this way, sister. But are you truly ready to face what's ahead?"

Selena's heart clenched. "Riven… is it really you?"

The figure tilted its head. "I was once. But the Hollow changes you."

Selena took a step forward. "Then let me help you. Let me bring you back."

Riven smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "If you want to save me, then prove it."

She gestured to the blade.

"Take it. Wield its power. Only then will you understand what I've become."

Selena hesitated.

The blade pulsed, as if alive, its energy calling to her.

Liora's voice was tense. "Selena, don't."

Garrik shifted his stance. "This feels like a trap."

But Selena couldn't tear her eyes away from the weapon.

She could feel it, just beyond her reach—power, unlike anything she had ever known. If she took it, maybe she could finally understand Riven. Maybe she could finally find a way to stop her.

Or maybe… it would consume her, just as it had consumed her sister.

Kael stepped closer, his voice low. "This isn't the way."

Selena clenched her fists.

Then, she made her choice.

---

A Different Path

She turned away from the blade.

"No," she said firmly.

Riven's expression didn't change, but the air around her did. The darkness rippled, shifting unnaturally. "You refuse me?"

"I refuse this," Selena said. "I don't need the Hollow's power to stop you. I don't need to become you."

Riven's eyes narrowed. "Then you'll fail."

Selena met her gaze. "We'll see."

For a long moment, silence stretched between them.

Then Riven stepped back, the shadows curling around her like a cloak.

"Very well," she murmured. "Let's see how long you can survive without it."

With that, she disappeared.

And the Hollow began to move.

---

The Escape

The walls groaned, the very air trembling as the chamber shifted.

Liora grabbed Selena's arm. "We need to get out of here now."

The ground cracked beneath them, darkness seeping through the stone.

Kael cursed. "Move!"

They ran.

The Hollow roared around them, the walls warping, the ceiling collapsing in chunks of stone. Selena's pulse pounded in her ears as she sprinted, dodging falling debris.

Then—light.

A sliver of an opening ahead.

She pushed forward, lungs burning, legs aching.

With one final leap, she threw herself through the gap—

And crashed onto solid ground.

The others tumbled out behind her, coughing and gasping for air.

Then, silence.

The Hollow had sealed itself shut.

Selena lay there for a moment, staring up at the sky.

She had faced Riven.

And she had walked away.

But this was far from over.

She sat up, breathing heavily. "We need to find another way in."

Kael groaned. "Of course we do."

Liora sighed. "Next time, let's not anger an ancient darkness before breakfast."

Garrik chuckled. "You say that like we have a choice."

Selena glanced back at the Hollow's entrance, determination burning in her chest.

"I'll save you, Riven."

"No matter what it takes."