Chapter 967 — The First Spark of a Coalition
The Hollow had known silence before — the cold kind, born of fear and exhaustion — but this silence was different. It carried weight, expectation. Like the still air before a storm of change.
Kael stood in his private study, papers spread across the table. Maps, trade manifests, and coded reports from their allies in Greystone and Ironside. The faint blue light of the spirit crystal hummed nearby, and Eris stood beside it, her form outlined by the glow.
Her voice was quiet but steady. "You've been awake since dawn."
Kael didn't look up. "I've been thinking."
"That much is obvious," she replied, tilting her head. "But your pulse is higher than usual. Your mind is focused. This is not the same kind of restlessness I've seen from you before."
Kael gave a small, dry laugh. "You've been watching me that closely?"
Eris blinked, unbothered by the teasing tone. "Observation helps me understand emotion. Yours are… complex."
He smirked faintly but said nothing. Instead, he set a quill to the parchment and began sketching — lines connecting the kingdoms, trade routes, outposts, and safe corridors that had once been hidden from the surface world.
"The Hollow has allies now," he said after a long silence. "We've fought beside them, traded with them, rebuilt with them. But what we don't have… is unity."
Eris stepped closer, peering down at the parchment. "Unity requires trust. Trust requires purpose. Do you believe they have one?"
Kael leaned on the table, his voice low. "No. But maybe I can give them one."
He circled each kingdom's name — Thalren, Ironside, Greystone, and The Hollow.
"Each of them has suffered in their own way because of the Church. We've seen what happens when one nation fights alone — it always leads to blood and ruin. But if we shared our knowledge, our strength, our defenses…"
He stopped, the thought solidifying as it left his mouth.
"…we could create something new. Something greater than any single kingdom."
Eris watched him closely. "An alliance?"
Kael shook his head. "Not an alliance. Alliances fade when wars end. What I'm thinking of—" He paused, tapping his finger against the map. "—is permanence. A coalition. A body of rulers, scholars, and leaders who work together not because they must, but because they choose to."
He exhaled, and for the first time in a long while, a spark of purpose lit behind his eyes.
"The Kings Coalition," he said quietly. "A council of equals. Sharing information, trade, technology… and defense, if it comes to it."
Eris tilted her head, analyzing the name as though testing its weight. "You would bring them together under one banner."
"No," Kael corrected softly. "Under one purpose. Peace."
By midday, word had already begun to spread through the Hollow — Kael was calling another summit of nations.
The last time he had done so, the world had braced for war. This time, whispers carried a different tone — cautious hope.
Lyria found him later that afternoon, standing on one of the overlook balconies that stretched over the main caverns. The view below was alive — builders, traders, scholars, soldiers — all moving with a rhythm of quiet strength.
"You're planning something big again," she said, coming to stand beside him.
Kael smiled faintly. "You can tell?"
"You're glowing," she teased. "The same way you did before the strike on the Church's fortress."
He chuckled under his breath. "Hopefully, this one involves less blood."
She turned to face him, crossing her arms. "So, what is it?"
Kael hesitated, then looked back out over the Hollow. "A Coalition. A permanent one. The Hollow, Thalren, Ironside, and Greystone — maybe even more if they'll listen. A network of kings, queens, and leaders who share everything that keeps our people alive."
Lyria's expression softened, pride and caution mingling in her eyes. "That's… ambitious. But if anyone could make the world listen, it would be you."
Kael smiled, though his eyes were distant. "I don't want them to listen to me. I want them to listen to each other."
He paused, his tone darkening slightly. "The Church showed us what unity born of fear looks like. I want to show them what unity born of trust can do."
Lyria rested a hand on his arm. "Then do it. You've earned this peace — make it mean something."
That night, Eris found herself wandering the Hollow's corridors alone. Her movements were graceful but unsteady — she still hadn't fully mastered her physical form.
As she walked, she passed groups of people talking about Kael's plan, about hope and cooperation. Some even mentioned her by name, calling her the Spirit of the Hollow.
She didn't understand why that title made her chest ache.
When she reached Kael's study, she lingered in the doorway, watching him write.
"Eris," he said without turning. "You can come in."
She stepped closer, curious. "You knew I was there?"
"You're quiet," Kael said, a small smile touching his lips, "but not that quiet."
She came to stand beside him again, eyes on the parchment filled with names and notes. "You've chosen a difficult path."
"Maybe," he said, "but it's the only one that feels right."
Eris nodded, then hesitated. "Kael… do you think peace can last?"
He looked up at her, meeting her silver eyes — eyes that still carried a faint shimmer of chaos energy deep within.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But if we don't try, then all we've fought for means nothing."
Eris studied him, her expression unreadable. "That's… illogical."
Kael chuckled. "Maybe. But sometimes the best things in life are."
She tilted her head, thinking. Then softly — almost to herself — she whispered, "I think I'm beginning to understand why humans cling to hope. It's… heavy, but it's warm."
Kael smiled at that. "You're learning fast."
Her gaze lingered on him longer than usual, her voice quieter now. "It's because I watch you."
Before Kael could respond, Eris turned and left the room, leaving him with a warmth in his chest that he didn't quite know what to do with.
By the week's end, messages were already being sent across the kingdoms. Invitations, written in Kael's hand, marked with the Hollow's seal — the twin flame and hammer.
For the first time in recorded history, four nations would come together not for battle, but for a dream.
And in the quiet of her chamber, Eris stood before a mirror, pressing her fingers against her chest where her heart now beat steady and real.
She whispered the word to herself, tasting it like something new and fragile.
"Hope."