The land fell away in jagged cliffs, the air thick with smoke that was not smoke but living shadow. Before them stretched the Hollow—an abyss carved into the earth, vast and fathomless, its depths glowing faintly with the light of broken chains.
No birds circled here. No wind stirred. The Hollow breathed like a sleeping beast, its mist rising and falling in rhythm, carrying whispers that clawed at the mind.
Flame… Blade… You have come at last.
Isolde staggered, clutching her chest as the mark on her hand seared. The Crown of Dawn beneath her cloak pulsed, its light answering the darkness below. She heard voices not just in her mind, but in her very blood.
Break the chains. Free us. Free me.
Kael caught her as she faltered, his grip firm, his eyes sharp. "Stay with me. Don't listen."
Her breath shook. "I can't shut him out anymore, Kael. He's everywhere. He's inside me."
The Keepers formed a wary circle at the cliff's edge. Their runes dimmed here, their chants faltered, as though the Hollow smothered every spark of power. Even Lady Elira's face was pale, her voice grim. "This is where the first war ended. And where it will begin again."
---
They descended carefully into the rim, the ground splitting into black stone ridges that spiraled downward. The deeper they went, the louder the whispers grew, until they no longer needed to speak to hear the Shadow King's voice.
Prince Kael… you bear the blade that bound me. Do you know how many it killed before it reached my chains? How many of your bloodline drowned in shadow, thinking themselves saviors? You will join them soon.
Kael gritted his teeth, his knuckles white on the Moonsilver Sword. He forced each step steady, his voice low to Isolde. "He wants us to falter. That's all. Nothing more."
But Isolde's whispers were different.
Child of flame… You are mine. Even now, the crown binds you to me. Every breath, every spark, every oath—they are not yours. They are mine.
Her knees buckled. Kael dropped beside her, pulling her close, whispering fiercely. "He doesn't own you. He never will."
Tears burned her eyes as she clutched the crown to her chest. "Then why does it feel like he already does?"
---
That night, they made camp on a ledge halfway down the Hollow. Fires burned, but their light seemed feeble, smothered by the mist. No one slept easily. Some of the Keepers muttered prayers; others sat in silence, their eyes hollow with dread.
Kael kept watch beside Isolde, the crown between them. Its glow cast their shadows long against the stone.
"You're trembling," he murmured.
Her eyes met his, wide with fear. "Kael… what if this ends with me wearing his crown instead of this one?"
His answer was steady, fierce. "Then I'll break every chain in this cursed Hollow before I let that happen."
The crown pulsed, almost as if mocking him.
And in the depths below, the sound of snapping metal echoed through the abyss.
Another chain had broken.
The Shadow King stirred.