Chapter Seven

Solene's legs burned as she sprinted through the quiet streets the streets were deserted meaning the place where she was was far from the town, her breath ragged, her body screaming in pain. The air was thick with smoke and the stench of charred flesh, but she had no time to dwell on it. Behind her, the heavy boots of the guards pounded against the stone roads. Shouts echoed through the alleys, orders being barked as they hunted her down.

Her vision blurred, but she forced herself to move faster. The city was unfamiliar twisting streets, towering buildings, and narrow alleyways. 

A sharp pain tore through her ribs as she stumbled over loose cobblestone, her knees slamming into the ground. She barely had time to breathe before a blast of ene rgy struck the ground beside her, sending dust and debris flying. She coughed, scrambling to her feet, the heat from the attack warming her back. The guards were getting closer.

She twisted away and darted down a side street. She couldn't keep running forever. Her body was failing her. The memory of the arena, of the flames bursting from her mouth, of the glowing sigil on her back it all flooded her mind. What had happened to her? What had she become?

Up ahead, the path split in two. She veered left, nearly crashing into a stack of crates. She used the boxes to push heerself foward. Her lungs burned. Her vision darkened at the edges. But she could not stop. Not yet.

The city's bells rang loudly in warning, announcing her escape to the entire capital. More guards would be coming. She needed to get out disappear before they surrounded her.

In the grand halls of the palace, two elders strode with urgency, their robes flowing behind them as they approached the king's chamber. Elder Mordain Havarr, his face set in a deep scowl, walked with purpose, his heavy steps echoing through the corridor. Beside him, Elder Sylvain Maelis moved with a calmer but no less urgent demeanor, his sharp eyes betraying his concern.

King Malrik Draven sat upon his throne, his golden crown catching the candlelight. He watched the elders approach, already sensing the weight of their news. The arena had been a spectacle, but something had happened. Something beyond entertainment.

Mordain was the first to speak. "Your Majesty, the Hollow girl is a danger to the kingdom! You have heard it yourself! She is unnatural an abomination that should not exist." His voice was filled with conviction, his hands tightening into fists. "She must be hunted down and destroyed before she brings ruin upon us."

Sylvain frowned, stepping forward. "Your Majesty, we do not yet understand what she is. To act in fear and haste would be a mistake." He glanced at Mordain before continuing, his voice measured. "The sigil on her back was unlike anything we have seen. It may hold answers, not just danger."

Mordain scoffed. "Answers? She slaughtered beasts with a power no Hollow should possess. She survived where no one else has. You call that something to investigate? I call it a threat."

Sylvaine's jaw clenched. "And if we are wrong? If she is something more? Should we not at least seek to understand before we condemn?"

The room fell silent as both elders turned to the king, their opposing arguments hanging in the air. King Malrik Draven, deep in thought. His gaze was unreadable, his mind weighing the fate of the girl who had just thrown the kingdom into uncertainty.

The decision had to be made.

Mordain was the first to speak again , his voice firm and filled with urgency. "Your Majesty, as i was saying. A Hollow has awakened in the most unnatural way. What I witnessed in the arena was beyond comprehension. She is a danger, a threat to everything we stand for! This must not be ignored."

Elder Sylvain stepped forward, his calm demeanor unwavering. "Your Majesty, while what transpired was indeed unexpected, it would be unwise to make hasty conclusions. This girl Solene may not be the enemy we assume her to be. She could be something else entirely."

Mordain scoffed, turning sharply to face Sylvain. "Something else? Are you blind? Did you not see the way she burned those creatures? The way she survived what no Hollow ever could? This is no accident. She is an abomination, a curse walking among us. We must capture her before she brings ruin to our lands."

"And if we are wrong?" Sylvain countered, his voice steady. "If she is more than just a Hollow? If she holds answers we have long sought? Should we not seek to understand before we destroy?"

King Malrik raised a hand, silencing the brewing argument. His expression darkened as he considered their words. "Enough. This matter is too important to decide so hastily. Summon the rest of the Elders. This will be discussed in full."

Moments later, the other three Elders, Zephiron Rael, Cassius Veldane, and Ithros Velkaar entered the chamber. They took their seats around the circular stone table, their eyes filled with intrigue and concern.

Elder Cassius Veldane leaned forward, his lips curling into a smirk. "Your Majesty, why waste time debating? This girl has shown power beyond any Hollow before her. If we capture her, we can use her abilities to our advantage. Think of the strength she could provide our kingdom!"

Zephiron Rael shook his head. "You would enslave a girl simply because she is different? Have we not seen where such cruelty leads? The people already despise Hollows. If we use her as a tool, we become no better"

"A tool?" Cassius scoffed. "She is not a girl she is a weapon, whether she knows it or not. If we do not wield her power, someone else will. Do you not see the danger in letting her roam free?"

Ithros Velkaar, who had remained silent, finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the argument. "We do not even know what she is. If we are to make any decision, we must first uncover the truth. Fear and greed cannot dictate our actions."

King Malrik exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping against the armrest of his throne. "It seems we are divided," he said, his voice carrying the weight of his authority. "But one thing is clear Solene must be found. Whether she is to be destroyed, controlled, or understood, we will not decide until we have her in our grasp."

The chamber fell into silence, each Elder lost in their own thoughts. The hunt for Solene had begun.

The night air crackled with tension as Solene ran through the streets, her breath ragged and her body aching from exhaustion. The echoes of armored footsteps thundered behind her. Guards and sorcerers, closing in fast. The city was no longer a maze of escape; it was a battlefield, and she was the hunted.

"There she is! Don't let her get away!" a voice bellowed.

A sorcerer raised his hand, casting a spell. Chains of glowing light shot toward her, aiming to bind her in place. But as the energy wrapped around her, something unexpected happened. A searing pain shot through her body, her mind flooding with visions

A memory not her own.

A young boy, kneeling in a place, bound by the same chains. His soulmark was dull, his face twisted in agony as the magic carved into his flesh. The chains burned through him, breaking him down, his screams filling the air until

Solene gasped, eyes wide with horror as she felt the same pain, but something else stirred within her. The chains that bound her melted into nothingness. The same power that just tormented another now pulsed through her veins.

The sorcerer recoiled in shock. "Impossible!"

Solene's fury ignited like an unrelenting storm. Another guard lunged at her, his hand glowing with energy, with a force ready to strike. As his palm made contact, the power surged into her

Another vision. Another torment.

A soldier, thrown into the abyss of pain as fire consumed his body. His cries for mercy were ignored, his soulmark glowing.

Solene's eyes burned with rage. The moment she exhaled, a huge force erupted from her hands, and with the same flames that had also once destroyed him. The fire engulfed the nearest guards, their screams swallowed by the roaring inferno. Solene was angry. She screamed and glowing energy from her mouth blasted the streets, with the guards destroying the streets. 

More sorcerers stepped forward, unleashing their abilities one summoned ice, another sent spears of darkness. Solene relived their pain in an instant, their suffering threading through her being, becoming hers. But she did not break.

She evolved.

Relieving the manifestation of the sorcerer with the powers of ice, her body began to freeze and her bones hardened, the pain unbearable. she fell to the ground and the sorcerers thought they had their chance. 

The ice shattered before it could reach her, her skin untouched by its deadly chill. Shadows tried to pierce her, but they recoiled at the last moment, bending to her will. Every attack hurled at her only made her stronger. The pain they had endured became hers to wield.

Her rage boiled over. She lifted her hands, and with a scream, every power she had absorbed twisted together into something monstrous. A wave of fire, ice, and darkness exploded outward, throwing her enemies back.

One by one, they fell.

She stood amidst the chaos, the city bathed in destruction. The once-mighty warriors who had come to capture her now lay broken, some unconscious, others writhing in agony.

She was no longer just a Hollow.

She was something far better or worse. 

And the kingdom would soon know it.