Whispers from the Hollow

Chapter 28: Whispers from the Hollow

The Hollow of Ash was not on any map. It was not a place one stumbled upon—it revealed itself to those marked by fate. And as Selene and Kael walked deeper into the ancient woods beyond the sanctum, the landscape changed.

The trees thinned, but their trunks grew blackened and twisted. Ash blanketed the ground in thick, muffling layers, swallowing the sound of their footsteps. The air grew colder, not with winter's bite but with the chill of long-forgotten sorrow. Even the birds had fallen silent. Only the sound of their breaths, and the pulse of the bond between them, remained.

Selene reached for Kael's hand. Her fingers were trembling. Whether from fear or the lingering pressure of the goddess's magic, she wasn't sure. The weight of her pendant against her chest felt heavier with every step, as though it sensed what was ahead.

Kael tightened his grip. "We're close."

She nodded. "I feel it too. Something… old. And angry."

A whisper carried on the wind, indistinct but female.

"She waits… she watches… she remembers…"

They stopped at the edge of a massive clearing. In its center stood a lone, dead tree—ashen gray, massive and leafless, its bark scorched and peeling. Around its roots circled a ritual ring carved into the stone, ancient and worn.

"This is it," Selene said, stepping into the circle. The moment her foot touched the carved line, the air shifted. It grew denser, like walking into a memory soaked in grief.

A low hum vibrated beneath the ground, rising in intensity until it trembled through their bones. Kael's fur stood on end as he shifted defensively, his silver eyes glowing in the dim light.

A pulse of shadow flared around the base of the tree, and then—she emerged.

The woman in black.

Tall and statuesque, wrapped in shadowy silk that fluttered as if caught in a wind that did not exist. Her face was veiled in smoke, but her eyes shone through like twin stars—violet and full of disdain.

"Selene of the Flame," the woman said, voice echoing through the clearing.

Kael growled. "Show yourself."

"Kael of the Moon," she replied smoothly. "Still guarding the inevitable, I see."

"Who are you?" Selene asked, summoning her flame.

"I am the Hollow Queen," the woman answered. "The first cursed. The first forsaken. The Moon Goddess cast me aside when I refused to bind my power to her will. Now, I serve balance through destruction."

Selene stepped forward, her flame lighting with defiance. "You've been corrupting the sacred places. Turning guardians. You nearly destroyed Kael."

The queen tilted her head. "Because he threatens the silence we've built. Your bond breathes life into a prophecy we buried long ago."

Kael bared his fangs. "Then dig it up. We're here to restore what was lost."

The Hollow Queen raised a hand. Shadows slithered from the tree, rising as wraiths—warped figures of wolves and witches, bound in pain. Their eyes glowed with void. The air turned suffocating as dozens, maybe hundreds, encircled them.

Selene's heart pounded. "They're the lost souls."

"The cursed," the queen confirmed. "Your ancestors. Your future, if you fail."

Kael stepped in front of her. "We won't fail."

Then chaos erupted.

The wraiths charged. Kael shifted instantly, hurling himself at the first attacker, his claws raking through its hollow form. Selene spun, hurling fire in sweeping arcs, burning away the shadowy apparitions. But they were endless. Each fallen wraith was replaced by two more.

The Hollow Queen stood still, watching, her presence feeding the shadows.

Selene's flame dimmed with exhaustion. Kael bled from dozens of small cuts, his breathing ragged.

"We can't keep this up," he growled, panting.

Selene closed her eyes. She thought of the goddess, of the vision, of the pedestal's fire. And then she felt it—that silver-crimson light, deep inside. Something ancient, wild, and hers.

"Kael," she whispered. "Stand with me."

He came to her side without hesitation. His hand found hers, and the connection between them flared to life.

She pressed her palm to his chest, her pendant between them. "We burn together."

The bond between them erupted.

Fire and moonlight surged outward, washing across the battlefield in a wave. The wraiths screamed as they burned into mist. The Hollow Queen hissed and staggered back, her veil flaring with smoke.

The ancient tree cracked, great chunks of bark splintering off, revealing glowing runes underneath that pulsed with ancient pain.

Selene and Kael stepped forward together. "This is the beginning of the end," Selene said.

The queen snarled. "You cannot undo what time has written."

Kael's voice was low but steady. "Then we'll write over it."

The Hollow Queen vanished in smoke—but not before leaving one final whisper in Selene's ear.

"He will break… or you will burn."

The ash settled. The clearing grew quiet.

Selene touched her pendant, its light still strong. Kael placed his hand over hers.

"She's afraid," he said.

Selene nodded. "Good. She should be."

But as they turned away from the tree, a single ember flared at its base—unnoticed—and nestled into the ash.

Something still lived.