Chapter 4 : The Sleeper In Hollow Deep.

Chapter 4

The woods had gone quiet behind her.

But far away from Lily's steps and thickening stillness of the trees,an old voice picked up from where it has paused,like a memory pressing back into the world.

You remember the witch born under the eclipse — the one whose blood shattered the veil?" Sylenya's voice was low, almost a whisper. She let the memory hang between them for a moment. "That moment wasn't just a tragedy. It was the spark that disturbed something far older. Something sleeping beneath all our stories.

Kaelen's gaze sharpened as she continued. "He is called many names — the First Thirst, the Father Without a Name, the Crimson Shadow, even The Sleeper. But all speak of the same ancient force."

She exhaled slowly.

Long ago, before our bloodlines were formed, he existed."He wasn't the first vampire, no. He created them. Before any of us walked the night, before the oldest covens were born, there was only him — a being forged from hunger and dark magic, neither fully god nor monster.

Her voice hardened.

He drank from the world itself, a thirst so vast it shattered the balance. Legend says he was once mortal, desperate for immortality through forbidden rites. But what he became… was beyond what the world was meant to hold.

She glanced away. He's bound in a prison between worlds — a place called Hollow Deep — where time freezes and shadows coil like serpents."

We were not always bound by ritual or fate. But everything changed because the witch born under the eclipse was no ordinary witch — she carried power older than even his prison."Her blood spilled broke the veil and cracked the seal that held the First Thirst prisoner." The balance shattered. The First Thirst stirred—his hunger reaching toward the world once more."

"That moment birthed the need for the binding ritual: to keep him asleep, to hold the darkness at bay."

A heavy silence settled in the room, thicker than the shadows curling in the corners.

It was Cameron who spoke first, voice sharp with disbelief. "You're saying… all of this—every ritual, every pairing, every oath we've ever sworn—it's not about tradition. It's about keeping some ancient monster asleep?"

His laugh was humorless, edged with tension. "That's madness."

Elira didn't speak right away. Her fingers gripped the edge of her chair, knuckles pale. "I remember the stories," she murmured. "The Sleeper in Hollow Deep… I thought they were just that—stories." She looked up, eyes flicking to Sylenya. "But if they were true… why wasn't this told to all of us from the start?"

Theron leaned forward, his voice quieter, thoughtful. "Because belief fades when it's passed through too many mouth. Fear does not." He looked between them. "They didn't need us to understand it. Just obey it."

Kaelen's scoff broke the moment. "This is ridiculous."

All eyes turned to him.

"You expect us to believe some myth is what we've been bound to for centuries?" His voice held a razor's edge. "An ancient hunger sleeping in a pit somewhere—waiting for a lullaby of blood and vows? That's what keeps the world from ending?"

Sylenya said nothing.

Kaelen's jaw clenched. "No. This is just another manipulation. Another story to scare us into line."

Then, came a voice that hadn't spoken yet.

"You think we tell that story because it scares you?" Kristof stepped into view, his presence stilling the room. "We tell it because it's true."

He looked at Kaelen, gaze heavy with memory.

"You want to know what happened to the vampire who refused the ritual?"

Kristof stepped further into the room, voice low, almost reverent.

"He thought as you do. That it was superstition. That he could love on his own terms, make his own bonds, answer to no one. He refused the calling." "And on the next Moon,the veil fractured.

To be continued...