The price of escape

Morning arrived quietly, the weight of the approaching battle settling over the stronghold like a thick fog. No one spoke much as they gathered in the common hall, sharing a final meal before setting out. It wasn't the kind of breakfast meant for comfort or conversation—just fuel, taken in tense silence.

Eris chewed slowly, barely tasting the food. Across from her, Orlen had already finished, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he simply pushed his plate aside and stood.

"We leave when everyone's ready."

No one argued. There was nothing left to discuss. One by one, they finished eating, gathered their things, and made their way into the forest.

The journey was silent, each footstep an unspoken promise. They reached the ruins an hour later. The landscape shifted the closer they got—cracked stone giving way to smooth, shimmering surfaces, as if the Hollow Realm itself was reluctant to let them go.

A cavern entrance loomed before them, its archway lined with fractured runes pulsing with a faint, erratic glow.

Eris exchanged a glance with Aven. There had been no such entrance the last time they were here. Neither of them mentioned it. The battle will still proceed anyways.

Orlen stepped forward first, pressing a hand against the stone. The moment he did, a deep thrum resonated through the air. The runes brightened, and a path opened.

They went in.

The chamber hummed with unnatural energy.

Unlike the crumbling ruins they had left behind, this place was alive. Veins of glowing light pulsed along the walls, shifting as if they had a heartbeat of their own. At the center, embedded in a fractured pedestal, lay the crystal cove—their key to escape.

And standing between them and their goal—

Two Dusk Maws prowled the chamber, their forms fluid and shifting, like liquid darkness given shape. No eyes, no true features—just an overwhelming sense of hunger.

Orlen moved first, stepping forward with a wave of fire. Blue-white flames roared to life, forcing the creatures back, searing the space between them. Eris reacted quickly, weaving barriers of light to trap them, while Aven reinforced the constructs with threads, stabilizing them.

Ash distorted the creatures' movements, slowing them just enough to keep them contained. Nia's magic pulsed outward, weaving a calming force over the group to keep fear from taking hold, while Leon cast arcs of lightning along the edges of the barriers, reinforcing their prison.

For a moment, it worked.

Then the Dusk Maws adapted.

One vanished into the ceiling, reappearing behind Orlen. He dodged, rolling to the floor just in time. The second flickered and lunged—too fast, too sudden—straight for Leon.

Leon raised his hands, lightning crackling between his fingers. The moment his magic struck, the Dusk Maw absorbed it. Its body twisted, warping, growing stronger.

Panic flashed across Leon's face. He stumbled back, trying to retreat, but dark tendrils lashed out, wrapping around him.

Electricity surged through his body—his own power, turned against him.

For a second, his outline flickered, as if the world was rejecting his existence.

Then he was gone.

Not even ashes remained.

And the Dusk Maw seemed stronger.

Silence fell, horror sinking in. Nia quickly cast her magic again, forcing calm into their minds before panic could take hold.

Then Orlen moved.

He lunged at the nearest Dusk Maw, his flames burning hotter, fueled by fury. The others followed.

The battlefield was unraveling. The Dusk Maws adapted too quickly, their bodies twisting around every attack.

Eris stared at the chaos, her mind racing. She needed a way to trap them.

A flicker of memory surfaced—

She was five, curled up on the floor, tracing endless lines on parchment. Celeste sat beside her, laughing.

"You're always making puzzles."

Their nanny watched, amused.

"Her Highness never stops drawing them. She likes designing constructs a lot. See this labyrinth?"

A finger tapped one of her designs—a spiraling maze of shifting paths.

"Her labyrinth isn't just walls," their nanny had said. "It's the way light and shadow play inside it. A path that changes the moment you think you've solved it."

It was instinct.

Her hands moved before she could second-guess herself, shaping the battlefield into a maze of shifting barriers. Walls of light wove together, reflecting Orlen's fire in infinite directions, distorting the creatures' perception.

The Dusk Maws froze, momentarily disoriented, their senses thrown into chaos.

Aven struck first, her threads lashing around one, binding it in place. Orlen followed, unleashing another wave of fire. The creature screeched as its form collapsed into embers.

One down.

The second, enraged, lunged again—but Ash slowed its movement. Nia struck at its mind, unraveling its awareness.

Eris drove a blade of pure light through its core.

The Dusk Maw shuddered. Then it was gone.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then the exhaustion hit.

Cinder moved first. She knelt beside the injured, hands glowing with warm, golden light. Burns faded, wounds closed, and strength returned to those barely standing. Even those untouched by physical injuries—Aven, Eris, Nia—felt the tension ease as the weight of the fight lessened.

"You should rest," Cinder murmured, her voice soft but firm.

Eris wanted to. But there was no time.

The crystal cove awaited them.

They approached cautiously, but nothing happened when they tried to insert the crystal. Orlen scowled.

"I knew it wouldn't be that easy."

Nia stepped forward, eyes narrowing as she studied it.

"It requires a sacrifice."

Eris tensed. "Blood?"

Orlen shook his head. "No. Memories. Remember the loom where the threads are stored and fed?That's where we got the crystal. Memories are a critical part of this realm. It should work."

Silence settled over them.

One by one, they stepped forward.

Eris pressed her hand to the crystal first. A moment from childhood—a warm summer day with Celeste, laughter echoing in the air—blurred, slipped from her grasp.

Aven followed, surrendering the memory of her first weaving lesson. The knowledge remained, but the moment itself was gone.

Ash let go of a stargazing night with someone he had once loved. The feeling lingered, but the stars had vanished.

Orlen erased the reason he had first pursued magic. His skill remained, but the purpose behind it felt hollow.

Nia surrendered a whispered promise—one she could no longer recall.

Cinder sacrificed her memory of the first person she had ever healed.

Their sacrifices wove together.

The crystal pulsed.

Then it slid perfectly into its cove.

The temple trembled. A portal shimmered into existence, casting a doorway of light before them.

Without hesitation, they stepped through.

Eris took one last glance at Duskwatch Hollow.

All she saw was a void where the village once stood. Everything was fading.

Then they emerged in a small city.

Towering structures stretched into the sky, narrow pathways winding through the streets. The air was cool, neither day nor night. Above them, the sky swirled in endless twilight.

People moved through the streets—survivors, newcomers, and figures too polished to be entirely human.

A chime echoed in Eris's mind.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] HOLLOW TRIAL COMPLETED. SURVIVORS: 6/13 REWARDS BEING CALCULATED...

She exhaled, staring at the city around them.

Orlen stepped forward, scanning their surroundings.

"We're in the Hub."

They had escaped at last.