The Breaker of Chains

The masked man's words still lingered in Jonas's ears as he tightened his grip on his bow. A choice had to be made—but it would not be the one they expected.

Veyne shifted at his side, her dagger gleaming in the low firelight. Daric, still wounded but resolute, stood at his other flank. The people of the Hollow settlement watched them, waiting, the flickering flames casting their faces in wavering shadows. There was no fear in their eyes, only weary submission to the Pact that had kept them alive.

Jonas broke the silence. "We're not staying."

The masked man let out a long breath, neither angered nor surprised. "Then you will die."

Daric scoffed. "You say that like it isn't already guaranteed if we play along."

"The Hollow does not give second chances."

Jonas glanced toward the stone gate, where the ancient carvings pulsed an ominous red. Whatever lay beyond that sealed entrance, it was alive. It was aware. And it wanted more.

A low, reverberating growl echoed through the tunnels again, closer than before. The masked man did not react. The others did. They stiffened, glancing toward the shadows stretching beyond the firelight.

Jonas spoke quickly. "How many have you given to it?"

The masked man tilted his head. "As many as it has required."

"No," Jonas snapped. "How many?"

A long pause. Then, "Hundreds."

Veyne sucked in a sharp breath. "And you never thought to fight back?"

"The Pact is not for us to break," the masked man said evenly.

Daric barked a bitter laugh. "That's coward's talk."

The masked man regarded him without emotion. "It is survival's talk."

Another growl. Closer now. Too close.

Jonas shifted, muscles tensed. "If we don't leave now, we won't leave at all."

The masked man raised a single hand. The torches lining the walls suddenly dimmed.

Jonas' breath caught. He hadn't seen anyone move—no one had touched the fires—yet the light had nearly died. Something unseen had responded to the masked man's will.

Veyne stiffened. "What was that?"

The masked man lowered his hand. "The Hollow does not take kindly to defiance."

Jonas glanced at the others. Their faces were set. There was no turning back.

He exhaled. Then we'll just have to break it.

Before the masked man could react, Jonas moved. He drew an arrow, notched it, and let it loose all in a single fluid motion. The masked man twisted aside just in time—the arrow embedded into the stone behind him. But that wasn't Jonas's target.

It was the gate.

The arrow struck the pulsing red carvings. A shockwave rippled through the chamber. The air cracked.

And then, the gate began to tremble.

Screams erupted from the gathered survivors. The masked man lunged for Jonas, but Veyne was already moving, dagger flashing. She intercepted him, knocking him back before he could reach Jonas.

The tremors intensified. The carvings on the stone burned brighter, their glow spilling out in fractured veins along the cavern floor. The air became thick—too thick—as if something enormous was pressing against the walls of reality itself.

Daric stumbled back. "Jonas, what did you do?!"

Jonas didn't answer. He was staring at the gate.

It was opening.

The grinding of ancient stone filled the chamber, drowning out the screams, drowning out even the masked man's shouts. Dust cascaded from the ceiling as the great doors, untouched for centuries, parted inch by inch.

Beyond the threshold was nothing.

Not darkness. Not shadow. Not even void.

Just absence.

And then, within that absence, something moved.

Jonas's stomach turned. His hands went numb. A presence—vast, unfathomable, ancient—pressed against his mind. It saw him. It saw them all.

A voice, not of sound but of thought, slithered through his skull:

"Free… at last…"

The cavern exploded into chaos.

The settlement's people ran. The masked man fell to his knees, clutching his head, as if the voice had struck him physically. Veyne grabbed Jonas's arm, dragging him backward.

"Move!" she shouted.

Daric was already ahead of them, scrambling for the tunnels. The masked man let out a strangled cry, but whatever loyalty Jonas might have felt to him was gone.

They had to run. Now.

They bolted through the collapsing cavern as the presence behind them unfurled. The air screamed. The walls cracked. The firelight was swallowed whole.

Jonas didn't look back.

They ran until their lungs burned, until their legs nearly gave out. Only when they were far enough—only when the horrible silence settled behind them—did they stop.

They turned back. The way was shut. The tunnels behind them had caved in.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Daric exhaled. "Tell me that was worth it."

Jonas, still catching his breath, looked back toward where the gate had been.

He wasn't sure.

But the Pact was broken.

And something had woken up.