Chapter 12: The Threshold

Seraphine sat frozen in the dim candlelight, Valen's words hanging heavy in the air.

The Hollow One has marked you.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.

It couldn't be true. It shouldn't be true.

And yet, deep down, she knew it was.

The nightmares. The whispers. The way her markings pulsed as if something inside her was trying to wake up.

She forced herself to speak. "You said I could face it." Her voice came out steadier than she felt. "What does that mean?"

Valen studied her for a long moment before answering. "It means understanding what you are before it claims you completely."

Seraphine's fingers curled into her palms. "And if I don't?"

Valen exhaled. "Then eventually, you will belong to it."

She shuddered.

No. She wouldn't accept that.

She had spent too many years fighting, running, surviving. She would not become something else's puppet.

Seraphine clenched her jaw. "What do I have to do?"

Valen leaned back in his chair. "There's a ritual," he said. "A way to look inward. To see the Hollow One's claim on you."

Seraphine narrowed her eyes. "And what's the cost?"

Valen's lips curled slightly. "There is always a cost."

Of course there was. There always was.

Seraphine inhaled deeply, weighing her options.

The Inquisition wanted her dead. The gods had forsaken her. If she ran, she would eventually be caught.

But if she faced this… if she could understand what was inside her…

Maybe she could fight it.

She made her decision.

"Fine," she said. "Let's do it."

The ritual chamber was deep beneath the city, hidden beneath layers of stone and shadow.

Valen led her through a narrow tunnel, past ancient carvings that pulsed faintly with magic. The air was thick with something unnatural something watching.

Seraphine ignored the chill down her spine.

At the center of the chamber lay a circular basin filled with dark liquid. It wasn't water. It wasn't anything natural. It was too still, too deep.

Valen gestured to it. "This will show you what you need to see."

Seraphine frowned. "And if I don't like what I see?"

Valen met her gaze. "Then at least you'll know the truth."

Seraphine exhaled, stepping forward. She crouched beside the basin, staring at her reflection in the black surface.

Her pulse quickened.

This was it.

With a steadying breath, she plunged her hand into the liquid.

Cold shot up her arm.

Then…

Darkness.

When Seraphine opened her eyes, she was somewhere else.

The chamber was gone. Valen was gone.

She stood in a void endless, vast, stretching forever.

And in the distance, something stirred.

A presence.

It was vast. Endless. Hollow.

It wasn't a voice, but it spoke.

You are mine.

Seraphine clenched her fists. "No," she whispered.

The presence moved closer. Shadows swirled around her, pulling at the edges of her mind.

You bear my mark.

Seraphine's pulse raced.

She lifted her arm, staring at the markings on her skin. They were glowing, shifting, as if something inside them was waking up.

The Hollow One loomed over her, unseen but felt.

It wasn't just inside her.

It was her.

Seraphine squeezed her eyes shut. "I am not yours," she hissed.

The darkness curled around her like smoke.

Then prove it.

Pain shot through her skull. Images flashed in her mind memories, visions, possibilities.

A city in flames. A body on the ground. A reflection that wasn't hers.

Seraphine gasped, falling to her knees.

No.

This wasn't her future.

She refused to let it be.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stand.

The Hollow One watched.

Waited.

Seraphine exhaled shakily. "You do not own me," she whispered.

The darkness trembled.

For the first time, something in the presence hesitated.

Seraphine clenched her fists. "I will find another way."

She braced herself for an attack. A whisper. A pull.

But instead…

The darkness laughed.

Not loud. Not cruel. But soft. Almost knowing.

We shall see.

Light.

Seraphine gasped, snapping back to reality.

She was on the floor of the chamber, Valen crouched beside her. His eyes were sharp, searching.

"What did you see?" he asked.

Seraphine swallowed hard.

She looked down at her hands. The markings had stopped glowing, but she could still feel them.

The Hollow One hadn't disappeared.

But it had acknowledged her.

And that meant she had a choice.

She met Valen's gaze, her voice steady.

"I'm not running anymore."

Valen studied her, then nodded.

"Good."