Chapter 15: The Child in the Coffin
(A slow-burn chapter steeped in eerie atmosphere, moral ambiguity, and revelations that ripple across future arcs)
The Cryo-Coffin's Secret
The chamber hummed with the resonance of a thousand fossilized Idol cores embedded in the walls, their faint blue light pooling around the obsidian coffin. Frost curled off the glass like breath, obscuring the figure inside. Kente's Idol burned hotter with every step, its voice a frantic whisper:
Idol:
"Don't… don't let her see me!"
Miss Wolo's lava torch cast jagged shadows as she leaned closer. "This isn't Asarti design. The craftsmanship… it's human. From the Purge era."
Tamara squinted. "So some idiot locked themselves in a fancy icebox 5,000 years ago? Must've been a hell of a party."
Zainab traced the coffin's runes, her voice trembling. "The inscriptions… they're warnings. 'Beware the sleeper who dreams of godhood.'"
The frost melted. A child's hand pressed against the glass.
The Sleeper Awakens
The coffin hissed open. Cold vapor spilled across the floor, revealing a girl no older than twelve. Her skin was porcelain-pale, hair silver as moonlight, and three eyes—two normal, one vertical slit of gold—blinked open. She stared at Kente, then smiled.
Girl (voice echoing, ancient and childlike):
"You… you smell like her. Like Mother."
Kente froze. His Idol's eye seared his forehead, its voice screaming:
"Run! RUN!"
Miss Wolo (grabbing Kente's arm):
"Don't. Move."
The girl tilted her head, gold eye narrowing. "But you're not her. You're… broken. Like me."
The Forgotten Vessel
She stepped forward, bare feet leaving frostprints. The fossilized Idol cores dimmed in her presence.
Zainab (backing away):
"What… what is she?"
Girl (giggling):
"I am Nia. Mother's first vessel. She put me here to… hibernate. But the bad men came. The ones with fire and knives."
Sophia's goat pupils dilated. "The Purge. They tried to burn her."
Nia's gold eye glowed. The chamber trembled. "They hurt me. So I slept. And dreamed… of Mother."
Kente's Idol surged. A vision flooded his mind:
Umvelina, 5,000 years younger, cradling Nia as the girl coughed black blood. "You are my masterpiece, little one. The bridge between worlds."
Nia screaming as her third eye split open. "It hurts, Mother! Make it STOP!"
Umvelina's cold reply: "Pain is the price of divinity."
The Corruption Beneath
Nia's smile faded. She pressed a hand to Kente's chest, her touch icy. "Your Idol… it's hers. But it doesn't obey. Why?"
Kente (swatting her hand away):
"It's not hers. It's mine."
Nia's gold eye flashed. The chamber plunged into darkness. When the light returned, the walls bled—black ooze seeped from the Idol cores, pooling into humanoid shapes.
Nia (voice trembling):
"They're here. The hungry ones. They don't like visitors."
The ooze solidified into Hollowguard: skeletal warriors clad in corroded armor, their eye sockets burning with corrupted juju. They moved silently, weapons rusted but sharp.
Miss Wolo (lava swirling):
"Defensive formation! Protect Zainab!"
Timi's lightning scars flickered uselessly. "No storm here. I'm neutered."
Tamara (ducking a scythe):
"Great time to figure that out, Sparky!"
Kente's barrier deflected a strike, but the Hollowguard reformed instantly. Nia watched, fascinated.
Nia: "They're drawn to you. Your Idol… it's delicious."
The Idol's Bargain
Cornered, Kente's palm-eye bled. The Idol's voice roared:
"Let me free! I can save them!"
Kente (teeth gritted):
"No! Last time, you nearly tore me apart!"
Idol:
"You'll die otherwise! Let me… HELP!"
Nia giggled, her gold eye reflecting the chaos. "Mother said that too. Liar."
Reluctantly, Kente relented. The Idol's energy exploded—a shockwave of cerulean light vaporizing the Hollowguard. But the victory was brief. Kente collapsed, blood streaming from his nose.
Miss Wolo (hauling him up):
"Fool. You're not ready to wield it."
Kente (grinning weakly):
"Worked, didn't it?"
WanLaden's Interest – A Game of Shadows
From a hidden alcove, WanLaden observed, his spacetime rift shimmering. Adam Watchman materialized beside him, goggles analyzing the Idol's outburst.
Adam: "Energy output exceeds prior calculations. Proposal: Extract the Idol before it destabilizes."
WanLaden (sipping from his flask):
"Patience, Adam. Let the boy dance on her strings a little longer. His suffering… refines him."
Adam: "Illogical. Sentiment clouds efficiency."
WanLaden (smirking):
"Sentiment is what makes him human. And humanity… is what will destroy her."
Nia's Warning – A Thread to the Past
As the group fled the vault, Nia clung to Kente, her gold eye dimming.
Nia: "Mother's coming. She's angry. Angry at you."
Kente: "Why?"
Nia (touching his Idol's eye):
"Because yours is alive. Hers… is empty. She'll want to take it. To make herself… whole."
Miss Wolo scowled. "We need to hide her. The Priestess has spies everywhere."
Nia (suddenly fearful):
"No! Don't let them put me back in the dark! Please!"
The Road Ahead – Whispers and Wounds
Camped at the Steppes' edge, Kente sat apart, cleaning blood from his face. Tamara tossed him a rag.
Tamara: "You look like hell."
Kente: "Feel like it too."
Tamara (quietly):
"That thing inside you… it's eating you alive, isn't it?"
Kente: "Yeah. But right now… it's all we've got."
Nia slept fitfully nearby, murmuring in a dead language. Sophia watched her, goat pupils unblinking.
Sophia: "She's not human. Not anymore. Whatever Umvelina did to her… it's in you now too.