Chapter 20: The Road of No Return

The cold wind carried the scent of damp earth and burning wood as Eliam, Seraphine, and Valen moved through the ruined outskirts of the city. Behind them, the remnants of the Inquisition's pursuit still smoldered, but they had no time to look back. Every step forward was another step into uncertainty.

Seraphine kept her hood low, her fingers twitching with residual energy from her last battle. The markings on her arm had not faded; if anything, they pulsed stronger, as if the Hollow One's influence was growing. She didn't know whether to fear it or embrace it.

Eliam walked beside her, his sword still stained from their escape. His thoughts were heavy, weighed down by what they had learned about Seraphine, about the gods, and about the power that now hunted them. He had seen fear before, but never in Seraphine's eyes. That worried him the most.

Valen led the way, his usual smirk absent. His movements were calculated, his sharp gaze scanning every shadow. "We need to move faster," he muttered. "The Inquisition won't stop just because we slipped through their fingers. They'll regroup. And when they do, they'll send something worse."

Seraphine sighed. "How much worse are we talking?"

Valen's jaw tightened. "Ever heard of a Hallowborn?"

Eliam frowned. "I thought they were just myths."

"They're real," Valen said grimly. "And the Inquisition has been using them for years."

Seraphine exchanged a look with Eliam. "Explain."

Valen stopped, turning to face them. "Hallowborns aren't just assassins. They're monsters. People taken by the Inquisition, broken, reshaped, and fused with divine energy to become something… unnatural. They don't think. They don't feel. They only hunt."

Eliam's grip on his sword tightened. "And they've sent one after us?"

Valen nodded. "Not just any. If we're lucky, it'll be a low-tier Hallowborn just enhanced speed and strength." His eyes darkened. "If we're unlucky… it'll be one of the Originals."

Seraphine exhaled sharply. "Then we don't have time to waste."

They picked up their pace, pushing deeper into the wilderness that stretched beyond the city. The terrain grew harsher thick forests, uneven ground, and a silence that set Seraphine's nerves on edge. Something about this place felt… wrong.

As if something was watching them.

The First Trial

Night fell by the time they reached an ancient ruin, half-buried in vines and moss. It wasn't on any map, which made it the perfect place to rest. But the moment they stepped inside, Seraphine felt it.

The air was too still.

The whispers in her mind grew louder.

You are not alone.

Eliam drew his sword, Valen unsheathed his daggers, and Seraphine let her magic hum beneath her skin. The markings on her arm pulsed, reacting to something unseen.

Then, the shadows moved.

From the darkness, figures emerged cloaked in black, faces hidden behind metal masks etched with divine runes. Their presence made the air thick with unnatural energy.

Valen cursed under his breath. "Hallowed Shades."

Eliam barely had time to process before they attacked.

The Shades moved like wraiths silent, precise, inhuman. Eliam barely managed to block the first strike, his blade clashing against something that felt like metal and bone. Valen dodged low, spinning behind one of them and slicing through its ribs, but it barely flinched.

Seraphine stepped back, energy crackling at her fingertips. The markings on her arm glowed as the Hollow One's power surged through her veins. She hesitated for only a moment.

Then she let go.

The world around her twisted as she moved faster than before, her senses sharpening, her vision darkening at the edges. She lashed out, shadows wrapping around her arm like tendrils as she struck the nearest Shade. The impact sent it flying.

She felt the power.

She heard the whispers.

More.

Eliam cut through another attacker, barely catching his breath before another came at him. "Seraphine!" he called, glancing at her.

She wasn't the same.

Her eyes glowed faintly, the energy around her almost suffocating. Her movements were too smooth, too unnatural.

For a split second, he wondered if she was still entirely herself.

But there was no time to hesitate.

They fought relentless, brutal, each of them pushing beyond their limits. The battle was over in minutes, but it left them shaken. The Shades faded into nothingness, their bodies dissolving into wisps of dark energy.

Eliam lowered his sword, panting. "We need to leave. Now."

Seraphine's hands were still trembling, the markings on her skin pulsing erratically. She clenched her fists, forcing herself to breathe.

Valen wiped the blood from his dagger. "That wasn't an accident. Someone sent them."

Eliam nodded. "And if Valen's right about the Hallowborn…" He looked at Seraphine. "We're not ready."

Seraphine's gaze hardened. "Then we need to be."

She turned toward the deeper ruins, where the air still crackled with unseen energy. Whatever awaited them ahead, it would be worse than anything they had faced before.

But there was no turning back now.

This was the path they had chosen.

And they would walk it to the end.