Season 1 – THE CURSED SUMMON
Episode 2: Hollow Prayer
The arena was built from the bones of traitors.
Ren stood on cracked marble painted in dried blood, beneath torchlight that flickered like the last breath of a dying god. The air stank of mold and rotting flesh. Screams echoed above, where dozens of Hollow prisoners cheered, laughed, or cried. A half-broken coliseum—half cage, half church.
The gate slammed shut behind him.
"You walk or you die," barked a voice from above. "Fight or you're food."
Ren's mouth was dry. His hands trembled. He had no sword. No armor. Just chains on his wrists and a fading bruise where he'd been kicked hours ago.
Across the arena, the gate rose again.
A girl was thrown in.
She hit the ground hard, coughing blood. Long silver hair streaked with grime. Torn tunic. Her eyes opened slowly—steel gray and full of hate. She was younger than him. Maybe sixteen.
Another gate opened.
And the Maggot crawled out.
Its limbs were too long. Skin pale and raw, peeled in patches. A crown of nails dug into its skull. It walked like a man trying to remember how, each step a twitch of agony. Its mouth hung open, but it had no tongue. Instead, black smoke poured from its throat like cursed steam.
The crowd above howled with joy.
Ren backed away slowly.
"What the fuck is that thing…"
The priest's voice echoed from the cell above, soft and cruel.
"That's a Warden's experiment. Born from divine corpses. You wanted purpose? Survive. That's your prayer."
The Maggot moved.
Fast.
Inhumanly fast.
It lunged, and Ren barely rolled aside as claws scraped across the stone, leaving sparks. The girl staggered up, coughing blood, and threw a rock—useless, but it got the Maggot's attention. It turned to her with a twitch of its broken head.
Ren's breath caught.
He ran.
Not to escape.
To her.
The Maggot's claw swung down as she screamed, but Ren tackled her out of the way just in time. They hit the ground hard. Pain exploded through his ribs.
"You trying to die?!" Ren snapped.
"You should've let it kill me," she hissed. "I don't owe you anything."
The Maggot turned again.
No words now.
Only instincts.
Ren grabbed a broken spear from the ground—rusted, half-shattered, but better than nothing. He held it like a bat and braced himself.
"Come on," he whispered.
The Maggot charged.
Ren stepped in.
And swung.
Steel met flesh—but barely. The spearhead scraped the creature's shoulder. It screeched, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him into the air.
He kicked, clawed, screamed.
The girl stood, grabbed the spear, and stabbed it into the Maggot's eye.
Black steam erupted.
The creature shrieked and dropped Ren, clawing at its face. It turned, grabbed the girl by the hair—and she screamed as its claws plunged into her stomach.
"No—!" Ren roared.
He picked up a loose chain, wrapped it around his fists, and ran.
He leapt onto the Maggot's back and slammed the chain around its throat, pulling tight.
It flailed.
Spun.
Crashing into the arena walls.
Ren held on.
"DIE—DAMN YOU—!"
The Maggot reared back—and slammed him into the wall.
His vision blurred.
But he held on.
Blood streamed from his temple. Bones cracked in his ribs. The Maggot screamed one last time—and fell.
Ren collapsed beside it.
Breathing ragged.
Blood dripping.
Victory—barely.
The crowd above was silent.
Then one person clapped.
Then another.
Then a chorus of applause erupted, mixed with laughter and howls.
The gate opened again.
Knights entered.
They grabbed the girl, unconscious and bleeding.
They grabbed Ren too, but more gently now.
He didn't understand.
Until he saw the priest waiting at the cell entrance, smiling.
"You lived," he said. "Congratulations."
Ren spat blood. "She needs help."
The priest nodded. "She'll live. Just like you. Barely."
---
Later, the girl lay in a corner, bandaged roughly. She didn't wake. Ren sat beside her, nursing a bruised lung and cracked ribs. The Hollow was quieter now. Only a few screams echoed.
"You fought well," the priest said, sitting nearby. "You hesitated. But you killed."
Ren didn't respond.
"Do you want power?"
"Why?" Ren rasped. "So I can be your entertainment?"
The priest laughed. "No. So you can rewrite the prophecy. So you can climb out of the Hollow… and burn the golden world above."
Ren stared at him.
"…Is that even possible?"
The priest leaned close.
"It is. But only if you learn the truth."
Ren's fists clenched. "Then start talking."
The priest's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The gods lied."
---
"They tell the world that only thirteen can be summoned at a time. That each summoned is chosen by the gods and granted divine skills to save the continent from the Abyss."
Ren nodded. "That's what they told us. Akio too."
The priest's grin sharpened. "But that's not true."
"They choose the divine candidates. But only after killing dozens of others. They summon hundreds—then throw away those who don't shine. Defective ones. Like you. Like me."
Ren's heart froze. "What…?"
"You were never supposed to succeed. You were bait. A filter."
A scream ripped from Ren's throat, raw and bitter.
"So they used us. Like trash. Like meat—!"
"Yes."
Ren trembled.
The rage inside him boiled into something colder. Sharper.
"I'll kill them."
The priest nodded. "Good. Then listen closely."
He reached into his cloak and pulled out a scroll sealed with black wax.
"This is a map. Hidden routes. Ruins below the Hollow. Places where the gods first bled. If you want strength, you'll start there."
Ren took the scroll.
"…What's the cost?"
The priest's grin widened.
"Everything."
---
Hours passed.
The girl woke up.
She groaned, tried to sit, and nearly passed out again. Ren helped her sit against the wall.
"…You're still alive," she muttered.
"Barely."
She looked at him with quiet defiance. "Don't expect me to thank you."
"I don't. I just didn't want to watch another person die today."
Silence.
"…What's your name?" Ren asked.
"…Lyra."
He blinked. "Lyra?"
She flinched. "Yeah. What of it?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Just… you're the first person down here who told me anything real."
Lyra stared at him a while longer, then turned away. "Don't get used to it. We're all going to die anyway."
Ren looked down at the scroll.
"No," he said. "Not me."
He stood.
And walked toward the deeper tunnels of the Hollow.
---
Above ground, in the Holy Cathedral, Akio stood in golden robes.
His eyes were cold.
His divine sword shone with holy symbols.
He watched the High Bishop kneel before a cracked mirror made of divine crystal.
"He still lives," the Bishop whispered.
Akio frowned. "…Ren?"
"Yes. The Wrong One survived the Hollow Trial."
Akio turned away.
"…Then I'll finish it myself."