Chapter 3 – The Hollow Crown

**The Essence Trials**

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**[Neutral Zone 9 – Abandoned Clinic, 3:12 PM]**

Jun woke up choking on the taste of rust and blood. He coughed violently, rolling over onto a half-broken cot. The ceiling above him was cracked and leaking. Dust floated like ghosts in the stale light.

"Where… am I?"

"You're lucky to be alive," a calm voice answered from the corner.

Jun sat up fast, pain shooting through his ribs. He winced and turned.

A tall man stood in the shadows. Long, dark coat. Glowing tattoos curled around his neck and fingertips like vines of light. His eyes were hazel—almost warm—but filled with something unreadable.

Jun squinted. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sol. You can call me… your interruption."

"What does that even mean?"

Sol smiled faintly and stepped into the dim light.

"I stopped her. Elaine. She was seconds from cutting through your spine."

"You saved me?"

"Technically. But mostly I didn't want the Pure Order to claim you first. That would've made things… messy."

Jun eyed him warily. "So you're not Pure. You Evil?"

Sol chuckled. "If I were, we wouldn't be talking right now."

Jun clenched his jaw. "Then what *are* you?"

"I'm with the Balance."

Jun frowned. "The what?"

Sol folded his arms. "Most people think there are three factions: Pure, Evil, and Neutral. But Neutral is a lie. A mask. The real fourth faction works behind the veil. We're the ones who stop the world from tearing itself apart. We don't follow laws. We don't spread chaos. We enforce balance."

Jun sat back slowly. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"You're unstable," Sol said, pointing to Jun's chest. "That relic chose you, and it didn't just fuse—it rewrote your Essence. You're not Neutral anymore. You're something else. Something that could tip the scales."

Jun stared at his hand. The cube was dormant, but his veins still glowed faintly violet.

"So what do you want from me?"

"We want you alive," Sol said. "But others won't be so kind."

---

**[Elsewhere – Pure Capitol, Observation Vault]**

Elaine knelt in front of the central mirror array, breathing slowly as a stream of blood trickled from her lip.

Ceylan stood behind her, unmoving.

"You hesitated," he said.

Elaine nodded. "He was… resisting the relic, not submitting to it. That's never happened."

"And that made you pity him?"

"No. It made me curious."

Ceylan's voice dropped. "Curiosity is a corruption of focus. Your mission remains unchanged."

Elaine's fingers curled around her blade hilt.

"I'll end it. I just need more data."

Ceylan turned. "One more failure, and the Purity Council will replace you. There are others."

Her jaw tightened, but she said nothing.

---

**[Neutral Zone – Underground]**

Jun followed Sol through a narrow passage. Lights flickered. The deeper they went, the colder it got.

"You said I was a threat. Why not kill me now?" Jun asked.

"Because you're a *living answer*," Sol replied. "A proof that Essence can evolve. Maybe even break its boundaries."

Jun paused. "Break? You mean… like combine the types?"

Sol looked at him. "Exactly."

Jun stopped walking. "Wait. That's not possible. Everyone's Essence aligns to one—maybe two under stress. Nobody *mixes* them."

"Until now," Sol said. "You've touched Pure and Evil power—and not died. That's the mark of a Crownless."

Jun blinked. "A what?"

Sol turned fully to him. "A myth. A trial-child born without inherited allegiance. You shouldn't exist."

"But I do."

Sol smiled faintly. "That's why the Trials have begun."

"What are the Trials?"

Sol's voice dropped. "Essence Trials were supposed to be extinct. A forbidden system where candidates clash, guided by ancient rules, to earn access to something greater than Dominion."

Jun whispered, "The Hollow Crown."

Sol nodded. "Power without allegiance. Freedom from Order. Freedom from Corruption. That crown can shape nations—or shatter them."

Jun stepped back. "Why me?"

Sol studied him for a long moment.

"Because the last person who touched the Hollow Crown… was your brother."

Jun froze.

"I don't have a brother."

"Yes," Sol said, voice now heavy, "You do. Or did. He disappeared when you were six. They wiped your memory. Hid the truth."

Jun's breathing hitched. A memory flickered—faint, like a dream. A boy with wild black hair. Laughing. Then screaming.

"I…" Jun stepped away. "No. That's not real."

"It is," Sol said gently. "And he might still be alive. If you want answers, you'll have to survive the Trials."

---

**[Scene Shift – The Unknown Entity, Watching]**

Chains stirred in the dark. A voice spoke into the wind.

"So the Crown calls again. But this time, the boy has a name I know."

Shadows cracked open like stone. And from the black, a massive figure began to rise.

> "Let them come. Let the Balance, the Pure, the Evil—all of them. The Crown is mine. It always was."

Lightning flashed across a ruined skyline.

> "And I will bury the world in silence."