Chapter12: The Hollow King's Bargain

Part 1: Into the City of Shadows

The ruins of Veydris stretched before Sylvaen like a silent graveyard.

Once, it had been a grand city of the Skyborne Empire, its towers rising toward the heavens, gleaming with light. Now, the city lay in darkness—its walls cracked, its streets broken, its people long gone.

Yet something still lived here.

Shadows stirred beneath the ruined spires. Strange lights flickered behind shattered windows. And the air—thick with an energy Sylvaen couldn't quite name—whispered of things long forgotten.

Kaelen exhaled beside her, his storm-gray eyes scanning the ruins. "So," he murmured, "do we knock?"

Sylvaen almost smirked. Almost.

She could feel it—the presence of the Hollow Chorus.

They were watching.

Waiting.

And then—

A voice.

Low, sharp, like the edge of a blade.

"You should not have come here."

Sylvaen turned—just in time to see the shadows shift. Figures stepped forward, their armor dark, their faces hidden behind veiled masks. Their eyes—silver and haunted—gleamed beneath their hoods.

The Hollow Chorus.

And leading them—

Talon.

Her breath caught.

He stood taller than she remembered, his once-bright silver armor replaced with dark obsidian plating. His hair, once wind-tossed and golden, was streaked with shadow, as though night itself had claimed him.

But it was his eyes that stole her breath.

Not empty.

Not lost.

But burning with something deeper—a fire she had never seen before.

"Sylvaen," Talon said, his voice quiet. "You shouldn't have come."

She swallowed hard. "I had to."

For a moment, he just studied her, unreadable.

Then—he turned away.

"Take them," he said.

And the shadows swallowed her whole.

Part 2: The Hollow King's Bargain

Sylvaen wasn't sure how long she had been walking.

The Hollow Chorus warriors led her and Kaelen through the ruins of Veydris, their footsteps silent as ghosts.

Finally, they reached a great temple—or what remained of it.

Once, this had been a place of light, dedicated to the Skyborne. Now, it had been twisted. The walls were cracked, lined with strange runes that pulsed with an eerie glow. And at the center of the great hall…

A throne.

Made not of stone, nor metal.

But shadows.

And seated upon it—

The Hollow King.

Sylvaen had heard whispers of him before. A being neither fully alive nor dead, a warrior who had once fought for the Skyborne, only to be betrayed.

He did not rise as they approached. His form was shrouded in a dark cloak, his face hidden behind a silver mask. But his voice—ancient and knowing—echoed through the chamber.

"The lost daughter of Elarion," the Hollow King murmured. "How… interesting."

Sylvaen lifted her chin. "I came for answers."

The Hollow King tilted his head. "And what makes you think you are ready for the truth?"

She clenched her fists. "Because the Elders lied to me. They lied about Talon. They lied about the war. And I want to know why."

Silence.

Then—a chuckle.

Low. Deep.

Almost amused.

The Hollow King leaned forward. "Very well," he said. "Let us see if you are ready."

And the shadows surged toward her.

Part 3: The Trial of the Hollow

Pain.

It ripped through her like fire, like ice, like something far worse.

Memories not her own rushed through her mind—a past she had never lived, a war she had never fought.

She saw the Skyborne before they were rulers, before the Elders built their empire. She saw how they had been like her—children of the stars, wielders of the light.

But then—

Betrayal.

A war.

And the birth of the Hollow Chorus.

Not monsters. Not invaders.

But exiles.

The Skyborne had cast them out, sealing them away in the Hollowlands, afraid of the power they carried.

Talon's voice echoed through her mind.

"They aren't the villains you think they are."

Sylvaen's breath came in ragged gasps as the visions faded. Her knees hit the ground, her whole body trembling.

The Hollow King watched.

"You understand now, don't you?" he said softly.

Sylvaen didn't answer.

She couldn't.

Because everything she had ever believed was a lie.

Part 4: A Choice in the Dark

Talon was waiting for her when she emerged from the trial.

She met his gaze, her chest tight with emotion. "Why didn't you tell me?"

His expression softened. "Would you have believed me?"

Sylvaen exhaled. She didn't know.

The Hollow King stepped forward. "Now, child of the Skyborne, I offer you a choice."

She looked up.

"Join us," he said, "and we will break the Skyborne's lies. We will burn their empire to the ground and forge something new."

Sylvaen's heart pounded.

She had spent her whole life fighting the Hollow Chorus. She had thought them monsters.

Now, she wasn't sure.

Kaelen shifted beside her. "Sylvaen…" His voice was low, uncertain.

She looked at him.

At Talon.

At the Hollow King.

And she knew—

Whatever choice she made would change everything.

Forever.

To Be Continued…

This is Chapter 12, Part 1-4 (about 3000 words). The next sections will include:

Sylvaen's final decision—will she join the Hollow Chorus or remain loyal to the Skyborne?

**Ka