Chereads / Veil of the Eternal Hollow / Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Veil of the Eternal Hollow

Yumir_Kaelen
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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

He opened his eyes.

A veil of mist clouded his vision, and through it, he glimpsed something—his reflection. A dried, withered figure stared back at him, its skin taut over bones, hollow and lifeless. Like the stories his parents used to tell him before bed—of cursed, hollowed souls doomed to wander forever.

It moved when he moved.

Then he realized: It was him.

Strangely, he felt calm. The grotesque image didn't disturb him. He simply accepted it.

Suddenly, a soft glow enveloped him, warm yet unsettling. Before he could process it, the light vanished, and darkness consumed him once more.

"So dark…" he whispered, his voice barely audible in the oppressive void.

Feeling around, his fingers brushed against something tied tightly to his waist—a gourd. Its surface was smooth but ancient, emanating a faint, inexplicable energy. Thirst clawed at his throat as he gazed at it, but something deep inside told him to resist. This gourd was important—perhaps more important than he could yet understand.

He wandered aimlessly, the oppressive darkness closing in around him. Hours, or maybe days, passed—time seemed meaningless here. Then, out of the void, he saw her: a very old woman, frail and hunched, sitting on the ground. Her skin was as pale as ash, her breaths shallow and wheezing. She looked sick—near death, even.

Pity welled up inside him. Without thinking, he untied the gourd and handed it to her.

The woman's eyes fluttered open, her frail hands trembling as she took it. For a moment, she looked almost grateful. Then, her lips twisted into a maniacal smile.

"You shouldn't be here," she rasped, her voice dry and cracking. "This world is a punishment. Only the cursed are sent here."

Her laughter filled the air, sharp and chilling, before abruptly ceasing. She fixed him with a piercing gaze, her expression now deadly serious.

"The gourd is cursed," she said, her voice low and deliberate. "But it is also a blessing. It will forever bind itself to whoever drinks from it." She paused, her gaze boring into him. "I will give you this instead."

From thin air, she pulled an object—a book, ancient and tattered, its cover marked with strange symbols.

"What is this?" he asked, his voice uncertain.

"A guide," she replied simply, pressing the book into his hands.

Before he could say another word, the old woman vanished, as if she had never been there.

He stared at the book, its weight heavy in his hands, both physically and metaphorically. Opening it, he found not words but a single, crude sketch: a tree, its bare branches stretching into the void, and beside it, a rock with a crater at its base. Below the sketch, scrawled in uneven handwriting, were three words:

"Dig beneath it."