The hollow ones

Ellie's body trembled, her breathing ragged. Her mark still glowed, pulsing with an energy that wasn't just Hollow corruption—it was something else entirely.

Something ancient.

Something alive.

The Sentinel lay in ruins, its shattered form embedded in the far wall. Cracks of white fire flickered across its body, but Ellie knew—it wasn't gone.

Sam sat up, his face pale. "Ellie… what did you just do?"

Ellie stared at her hand, still tingling with power. "I don't know."

Malcolm's gaze was sharp, scanning her mark. "That wasn't the Hollow's energy."

"No," Ellie muttered. "It wasn't."

Before she could say more, the Sentinel moved.

The air rippled as it rose, its shattered mask knitting itself back together, its body reforming.

Sam swore under his breath. "You've gotta be kidding me."

The Sentinel's eyes flared.

"Unstable anomaly detected. Reassessing threat level."

The fortress shook violently. Symbols lit up along the walls, ancient mechanisms awakening as if responding to the Sentinel's command.

Ellie gritted her teeth. "It's not stopping."

Malcolm moved into a defensive stance. "Then we end this now."

The Sentinel lunged.

Faster than before.

Malcolm dove aside, barely avoiding the creature's burning strike. The force of the attack cracked the floor, sending shockwaves through the chamber.

Sam fired his gun—but the bullets passed through the Sentinel like smoke.

Ellie knew what she had to do.

She had to use the power again.

Her mark flared, instinct taking over.

She raised her hands, and the air warped around her.

The moment the Sentinel struck—she caught its attack.

A blast of white fire and shadow erupted between them, but this time, Ellie didn't falter.

She absorbed it.

The energy flooded into her veins, the raw power of the Sentinel flowing through her mark instead of against it.

The Sentinel froze.

"Correction. Subject is not an intruder. Subject is… incompatible."

For the first time, there was something in its voice—hesitation.

Ellie gritted her teeth. She could feel it now.

She wasn't just chosen by the Hollow.

She was part of something bigger.

Something the Sentinel feared.

She clenched her fists, and the absorbed energy lashed outward.

The Sentinel had no time to react.

Ellie's power erupted, sending the creature crashing through the fortress wall, disintegrating into flickering embers.

A deep silence fell.

Sam let out a breath. "Holy hell."

Malcolm lowered his knife, eyes still fixed on Ellie.

Ellie swallowed hard. "I think… I think I just killed it."

But Malcolm shook his head. "No. You did something worse."

Ellie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Malcolm exhaled, pointing to the symbols on the walls.

They were still glowing.

If the Sentinel was truly dead, the fortress should have gone silent.

Instead, the air grew heavier.

Then—

A deep, thundering sound rumbled from below.

Something else was waking up.

Ellie's stomach dropped.

The Sentinel wasn't the real guardian of this place.

It was just the first line of defense.

And now—she had triggered something far worse.

Beneath the Fortress

A deep, thundering vibration shook the entire fortress. Dust rained down from the ceiling, and the glowing symbols along the walls intensified—no longer just flickering, but flaring to life.

Ellie's pulse pounded.

Sam stumbled back. "Tell me that's just an earthquake."

Malcolm's expression was grim. "It's not."

The floor cracked.

A surge of black energy erupted from beneath, spiraling into the air like a storm made of shadows and fire. The fortress groaned, its very foundation trembling as something massive stirred below.

Ellie could feel it now.

A presence.

Old. Beyond ancient.

And it had just woken up.

Malcolm grabbed her arm. "We have to move. Now."

Before Ellie could respond—

The ground collapsed beneath them.

Falling Into Darkness

Ellie barely had time to scream before she was free-falling into the abyss below.

The world became a blur of shadows and twisting energy. The force of the fall ripped the air from her lungs, her body weightless as the fortress above grew distant.

Then—impact.

Ellie crashed onto cold stone, pain jolting through her limbs. She groaned, rolling onto her side, struggling to push herself up.

Sam hit the ground nearby with a sharp grunt. "Ow. Ow. Definitely not a dream."

Malcolm landed in a crouch, his instincts keeping him ready. He scanned their surroundings, eyes sharp. "Where… are we?"

Ellie forced herself to stand.

They had fallen into a massive underground chamber, stretching farther than her eyes could see. Towering stone pillars lined the walls, covered in the same glowing symbols—but these were different.

Older. More complete.

And at the very center of the chamber—

A colossal structure loomed.

A black monolith, its surface covered in shifting veins of silver and gold, pulsing like a living thing.

It was humming.

Sam shivered. "This place feels… wrong."

Ellie's mark burned hotter than ever.

Malcolm stepped forward cautiously. "That thing in the center… it's the source."

"The source of what?" Sam asked.

Malcolm's eyes narrowed. "Everything."

Ellie knew he was right.

The Hollow. The corruption. The strange power inside her. It all led back to this.

Her chest tightened.

She was meant to find this place.

But before she could take another step—

The monolith stirred.

A deep voice rumbled through the chamber, vibrating in their bones.

"You have come far… but you do not understand what you seek."

The voice was ancient, filled with power so immense it nearly crushed Ellie's mind.

Then—

From the monolith's surface, something emerged.

A figure, tall and cloaked in darkness. Its form was shifting, like it was both solid and made of pure void. Two burning eyes stared down at them.

Ellie's breath caught in her throat.

Sam whispered, "Oh, that's bad. That's really bad."

Malcolm clenched his fists. "Who are you?"

The entity tilted its head.

"I am the First Hollow."

The words sent a chill down Ellie's spine.

The First Hollow.

The origin of it all.

Ellie's mark flared violently, and a single thought echoed in her mind.

"You are not ready."

Then—

The entity raised its hand.

And the entire chamber erupted into chaos.

Trial by Shadows

The chamber shook violently as the First Hollow lifted its hand, tendrils of darkness snapping through the air like whips. The sheer pressure of its presence sent Ellie to her knees, her mark blazing with heat.

"You are not ready."

The words weren't just spoken—they echoed inside her mind, each syllable heavy with power.

Sam groaned, struggling to push himself up. "Yeah? Well, I don't think any of us signed up for this damn test!"

Malcolm didn't waste time. He grabbed Ellie's arm, his eyes burning with urgency. "Move!"

But before they could react—

The First Hollow struck.

A blast of energy exploded outward, a shockwave of pure void. Ellie barely managed to throw up a shield of light, her instincts guiding her as the force slammed into them.

The impact sent them flying.

Ellie crashed against a stone pillar, the breath ripped from her lungs. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, everything was soundless.

Then—footsteps.

The First Hollow approached, its form shifting like a shadow trapped between realities.

"You carry a fragment of my power, yet you do not understand it."

Ellie gritted her teeth, forcing herself to her feet. Her mark burned hotter, pulsing with energy.

She didn't know what she was doing.

She only knew that if she didn't fight, they were already dead.

She extended her hand—

And her power answered.

A wave of light erupted from her palm, clashing against the First Hollow's darkness. The force of their collision rippled through the chamber, sending cracks splintering across the stone.

The First Hollow did not move.

It simply absorbed the attack.

"Too weak."

Then, with a flick of its wrist, it unleashed its own power.

A tendril of pure void energy lashed out, slamming into Ellie's chest.

She screamed as her body convulsed, pain lancing through her very soul.

She felt the Hollow's essence trying to consume her.

To claim her.

"You are not strong enough to wield what is within you."

Ellie's vision darkened, her body going numb.

No.

She wouldn't let this thing win.

Somewhere deep inside her, something snapped.

The mark on her arm shattered outward, the black veins of Hollow corruption breaking apart to reveal something new beneath.

Not just light.

Balance.

The Hollow's darkness—and something opposite to it.

Ellie's eyes flared gold and black, her body surging with energy unlike anything she'd felt before.

And this time—

When the First Hollow struck again, she caught the attack with her bare hands.

The First Hollow paused.

Ellie clenched her fists, and the power inside her roared to life.

"Not strong enough? Let's find out."

Then she attacked.