Chapter 7: The Hollow Ones

Lena's mind raced as she followed the stranger through the labyrinthine tunnels beneath Ashenreach. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay, the stone walls slick with moisture. Every step she took seemed to echo through the vast underground chambers, the sound reverberating in her bones. The stranger led the way, moving with an eerie calm, as though he knew these dark paths as well as his own breath.

Despite herself, Lena couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. The oppressive silence of the tunnels was broken only by the occasional drip of water, but there was something else—a subtle hum in the air, like the whisper of ancient forces stirring beneath the surface.

The stranger turned to her, his dark eyes gleaming with an intensity that made her uneasy.

"We are not alone down here," he said, his voice low, almost a growl. "The Hollow Ones are never far."

Lena's heart skipped a beat. The Hollow Ones. She had heard the whispers, the stories from her father's books—tales of beings that dwelled beneath Ashenreach, creatures born from the very essence of the Hollow Sky. They were said to be ancient, twisted things, neither fully alive nor fully dead, caught in a state between worlds. The stories had always seemed like nothing more than folklore, but the stranger's words sent a chill down her spine.

"What are the Hollow Ones?" Lena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger's lips curled into a faint smile, though there was no warmth in it. "They are the children of the Hollow Sky. The first to awaken. They are the forerunners of the coming darkness, the heralds of the end. And they have been waiting for you."

Lena's stomach twisted at his words. "Waiting for me?" she echoed, incredulous. "How could they know about me?"

The stranger's expression darkened, and for the first time, there was a trace of something like sorrow in his eyes. "Because you opened the gate, Lena. You are the key. You summoned them."

The words hit her like a physical blow, and for a moment, she felt as though the floor beneath her might give way. She had thought that by coming here, she could stop whatever was happening, that by confronting the Hollow Sky, she might find a way to stop its rise. But now, it seemed as if she had only hastened its arrival.

They continued deeper into the tunnels, the walls narrowing as they pressed forward, the air growing heavier with each step. The flickering light of the stranger's lantern cast long, wavering shadows, which seemed to stretch and twist as though they were alive.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet trembled. A low, guttural sound echoed through the stone, like the groan of some ancient creature waking from a long slumber. The stranger's face hardened, and he motioned for Lena to follow him more closely.

"We're getting close," he muttered, his tone grave.

Lena's heart hammered in her chest as they rounded a bend in the tunnel and came into a vast, open chamber. The space was enormous, the ceiling disappearing into the blackness above. In the center of the chamber was a pool of water, its surface eerily still. But it wasn't the pool that caught Lena's attention—it was the figures standing at the edges of the water.

The Hollow Ones.

Lena froze, her breath catching in her throat. The creatures stood motionless, their gaunt, emaciated bodies twisted and malformed, as if they had once been human but had been corrupted, twisted by the power of the Hollow Sky. Their skin was pale, almost translucent, their eyes wide and hollow, empty voids that seemed to suck in all light around them. Long, bony hands hung limply at their sides, and their bodies were draped in tattered remnants of clothing, as though they had been waiting here for centuries.

The creatures were silent, unmoving, but Lena could feel their presence, like a weight pressing down on her chest. It was as if they were staring directly into her soul, their empty eyes piercing through her very being.

"Are they… alive?" Lena whispered, her voice trembling.

The stranger gave a dark laugh, but it was devoid of humor. "They are neither fully alive nor fully dead. They are something else. They are the Hollow Ones—fragments of the Hollow Sky, bound to its will."

Lena's gaze flicked from one creature to the next, and she couldn't help but feel a sickening sense of dread wash over her. These were the heralds of the end, the first wave of the coming darkness. And they had been waiting for her.

A low growl rumbled from one of the Hollow Ones, and its head slowly turned toward Lena. Its eyes, deep and hollow, locked onto hers. For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The creature's mouth opened slightly, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth. It took a slow step forward, its movements jerky and unnatural, like a puppet on fraying strings.

Lena took a step back, her breath coming in short gasps. She wanted to run, to escape from the chamber, but something held her in place. She could feel the pull of the Hollow Ones, a subtle, insidious force that seemed to latch onto her very soul. She couldn't move, couldn't look away.

"Do not be afraid," the stranger said, his voice cutting through the tension. "They will not harm you. Not yet."

Lena turned to him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean, 'not yet'?"

The stranger's expression was unreadable. "They are bound to the Hollow Sky. They are waiting for it to awaken fully, for the stars to fall. When that happens, they will become something far worse."

Lena's mind raced, the weight of his words sinking in. These creatures were only the beginning. If the Hollow Sky truly awoke, if it unleashed its full power, these twisted beings would become something far more terrifying. She had seen what the Hollow Ones were capable of—their very presence was a harbinger of death, a sign of the end of the world.

"What do you want from me?" Lena asked, her voice hoarse. "Why bring me here?"

The stranger's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking onto hers. "You are the key, Lena. You summoned them. You must undo the damage you've done."

Lena shook her head, her mind reeling. "How? How can I undo it? I don't even know how I did it in the first place."

The stranger's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "The Hollow Sky cannot be stopped by force. It cannot be defeated by conventional means. But you can still change the outcome. You can still seal the gate before it is too late."

The Hollow Ones began to stir, their bodies twitching as if they were waking from a deep slumber. The air around them thickened, charged with an unnatural energy. Lena's heart raced as the creatures slowly began to move toward her, their hollow eyes fixated on her, as if drawn to her very essence.

"What are they doing?" Lena asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"They are awakening," the stranger said softly. "And they will follow you. They always follow the one who opens the gate. But you can still stop them."

Lena swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath. There was no more time for hesitation. She had to act. She had to find a way to close the gate and stop the Hollow Sky from rising. But with the Hollow Ones closing in, and the weight of the stranger's cryptic warning pressing on her, she knew that whatever path she chose next would be fraught with danger.

The Hollow Ones were awake, and they were coming for her.