Ren emerged from the root bridge like a breath rising through still water, stepping back into the dim forest above the Verdant Core. The canopy had darkened unnaturally, despite it being midday. Shadows twisted across the underbrush, and the usual harmony of the Hollow was replaced with an eerie silence.
Kael unsheathed his blade fully now, eyes scanning the treetops. "Something's wrong. The trees—they're afraid."
Even Moss refused to chatter, eyes locked forward. Its fur bristled as it sank deeper into Ren's hood.
System Notification
External Entity Proximity: 840 meters
Classification: Aberrant – Not Registered in Standard Bestiary
Threat Level: ???
Recommendation: Engage with Extreme Caution
Ren's gaze narrowed. The Hollow was more than a forest now—it was an extension of him. And through the Root Domain, he could feel it: the twisting, chaotic pulse of an outsider forcing its way inside.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Root Domain: Pulse Activation
Scanning Vegetal Network…
Entity Location Confirmed – West Quadrant, Breach Point: Fallen Grove
When he opened his eyes, he was already moving.
"Fallen Grove," Ren muttered. "That's where it's coming from."
Kael kept pace beside him, boots silent over the moss. "What kind of thing messes with an entire forest like this?"
Ren didn't answer. Not because he didn't want to—but because the Hollow was whispering warnings too quickly for him to parse. The trees moaned. The roots trembled. Something was not just intruding, it was corrupting.
They arrived at Fallen Grove moments later.
The once-vibrant clearing was now twisted. Blackened bark. Dead leaves. And at its center stood the Aberrant.
It didn't look like any monster Ren had ever seen.
It was humanoid in shape, but only barely. Its limbs were too long, too thin, as if stretched past what flesh could handle. Its face was a swirling mask of bark and bone, and where eyes should be, only voids existed. Vines grew out of its spine, but they writhed like tentacles, tearing into the trees and draining them of life.
Analyzing Entity…
Corruption Type: External – Not Native to Worldline
Possibility: Dimensional Leak or Summoning Artifact Residue
Status: Unknown Agenda
Ren took a breath and stepped forward.
Activating Skill: Verdant Pulse
Target Mode: Decay Disruption
A wave of green light surged from his palm, weaving through the ground toward the creature. Wherever it passed, twisted roots straightened, and blackened moss regained color.
The creature's head turned sharply, sensing him.
Then it screamed.
It wasn't a sound meant for ears—it hit the mind, a shriek that made the world tilt sideways.
Kael stumbled. Even Ren staggered. But something inside him, something tied to the Core, pushed back.
"You don't belong here," Ren said, voice steadying.
The Aberrant lunged.
Its movement blurred, not with speed, but with broken logic—one frame it stood, the next it hovered mid-air, then it was beside them.
Ren's instincts flared.
Inventory Accessed
Retrieving: Hollow Fang – Tier 2 Relic
Effect: Bonus damage to unnatural invaders, +15% reaction speed
He caught the blade mid-air as it formed in his grip, parrying the creature's strike. Sparks burst as wood met corrupted flesh. The sword hummed with Hollow energy.
Kael flanked left, slashing with precision, but the creature's body twisted unnaturally, reforming around the blade. It turned on Kael, a tendril whipping out.
"Down!" Ren shouted.
He leapt forward, Rootbinding mid-air.
Skill Activated: Symbiotic Thread
Effect: Divert momentum using nearby flora
Vines surged from the ground, grabbing Ren mid-leap and swinging him around the monster. As he landed behind it, his blade sank into the creature's back.
It shrieked again, this time not in defiance—but in pain.
Weakness Confirmed: Core is vulnerable during regeneration
Expose Core to destabilize entity
Ren focused. The system flashed another prompt:
Unlocking Domain Technique
Skill: Rootcall – Bind all flora within 30m radius to user intent
He slammed his hand into the earth.
Roots exploded upward in every direction, wrapping around the creature, pulling, twisting, locking its limbs in place.
The thing thrashed, but for once, it could not slip through logic.
Kael grinned. "Now!"
Together, they struck.
Ren's blade went through the chest.
Kael's dagger found the neck.
The Aberrant shrieked once more—this time it echoed across the entire Hollow, shaking trees and soul alike.
And then, silence.
The creature dissolved into black dust, disintegrating like ash. No blood. No body. Just emptiness left behind.
System Notification: Unknown Entity Eliminated
Core Feedback: Threat Contained
Hollow Morale Stabilizing
New Entry Created: Aberrant - Class: Nullborn
Data Insufficient – Further Encounters Required
Ren dropped to one knee, panting. The root bridge behind him glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with his heart.
Kael exhaled hard. "What the hell was that thing?"
"I don't know," Ren admitted, standing slowly. "But it wasn't part of this world."
He looked up toward the treetops, toward the sky beyond. The Hollow had been breached—and if this thing found its way here, others might follow.
His grip on the Hollow Fang tightened.
This wasn't just about surviving anymore.
Now, it was about defending something sacred.