The dark weight of the Maw clung to Lena long after she had left its cavernous depths. The air in Ashenreach felt heavy, thick with the echoes of the Keepers' warnings and the ominous pull of the Maw itself. She stumbled through the winding tunnels, her mind reeling from the revelations she had faced. It was as if the very ground beneath her feet trembled with the knowledge that she could not escape it.
She had felt the Maw's hunger, tasted its promise of oblivion. It was a force beyond her understanding, a power so ancient and vast that it seemed to stretch across time itself. But it was not just the Maw that haunted her now. It was the dreams—the strange, twisted visions that had begun to plague her since she first stepped into the heart of Ashenreach.
The dreams were becoming more frequent. And more real.
That night, when Lena finally laid her head down in the small chamber she had claimed as her own, exhaustion took her quickly. The darkness of sleep swallowed her whole, but as soon as she closed her eyes, the dreams began.
---
In the dream, Lena stood at the edge of an endless chasm, the wind howling around her as though the very air itself was alive. The ground beneath her feet was brittle, crumbling away as she stepped forward, each movement careful, deliberate. Below her, the chasm seemed to stretch into infinity, its bottom obscured by a swirling black mist. A heavy, oppressive force hung in the air, a sense of something vast and ancient pressing down upon her.
And then, she saw it.
The sky above her was not the sky she knew. It was a vast expanse of swirling darkness, streaked with jagged, glowing lines like the veins of some great, cosmic beast. In the center of it all, a singular point pulsed—a heart of blackness, pulsing with a rhythm so deep it echoed in her bones.
The Hollow Sky.
Lena's heart raced as she felt the pull of the dark heart above her, the center of the sky's endless hunger. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Something about the pull was inescapable, as if it was reaching out to her, calling her name, whispering promises of knowledge, of power, of release.
"You are the one," a voice rumbled from all directions. "You are the key. Come to us. Come into the dark."
Lena's legs trembled beneath her as she stood on the edge of the chasm, unsure whether to leap into the abyss or to turn away. But no matter how hard she tried to resist, she felt herself stepping forward, compelled by the pull of the Hollow Sky. The darkness beckoned her, its whispering promises growing louder, more insistent.
Suddenly, the wind shifted, and the chasm below her seemed to surge upward, its mist swirling with a life of its own. It rose toward her, like the breath of some great beast, its edges crackling with energy. The air felt charged, crackling with power, as though the very fabric of reality was beginning to tear at the seams.
Lena's breath quickened, panic rising in her chest as she reached out instinctively, grabbing hold of a jagged rock at the edge of the chasm to steady herself. Her hand burned where it touched the stone, as though the rock itself was infused with the Hollow Sky's power. It was as if the chasm were alive—watching her, waiting for her to fall.
And then, through the swirling mist, she saw them.
Figures emerged from the fog, their forms tall and dark, shrouded in tattered robes that seemed to flutter despite the absence of wind. Their faces were hidden, but their eyes glowed—an eerie, unnatural light that cut through the darkness like twin stars. The Hollow Ones.
They moved toward her with unnatural grace, their footsteps silent, their presence overwhelming. Lena tried to retreat, to pull away, but the chasm had already begun to pull her in, its edges now crumbling away as the ground beneath her feet disintegrated.
"You will join us," one of the Hollow Ones whispered, its voice a thousand voices all at once. "You will become one with the Hollow Sky."
Lena's heart thundered in her chest as the Hollow Ones reached for her, their long, skeletal fingers brushing her skin, sending waves of cold through her body. She could feel the coldness of the sky inside them, the emptiness that stretched out beyond the stars. Their touch was like the cold fingers of death, pulling her toward the Maw.
But before they could take her, a great light exploded from within the chasm, blinding her. The force of it pushed the Hollow Ones back, sending them reeling as the very air seemed to crackle with energy. Lena stumbled back, her heart racing, her eyes wide in shock as the light grew brighter, swallowing the Hollow Ones whole.
From the light, a shape began to emerge. A figure, draped in light so brilliant it seemed to pierce the darkness, stepped forward. It was human, but not. Its features were strange, otherworldly, and its eyes—its eyes glowed with an intensity that made Lena's soul quiver.
"You are not alone, child," the figure said, its voice like a melody carried on the wind. "The Hollow Sky may call, but you are not its servant. Not yet."
The figure reached out to her, its hand glowing with a light so pure it seemed to burn through the darkness. "The choice is yours, Lena. You must face the Hollow Sky, or it will consume you."
Lena reached out to take the figure's hand, but as her fingers touched the light, a blinding pain coursed through her body, searing her flesh, pulling her into the light. She screamed, but the light consumed her, pulling her deeper and deeper, until there was nothing but the endless, oppressive dark of the Hollow Sky.
---
Lena woke with a start, her body drenched in cold sweat. The room around her was still, silent, the flickering lantern casting long shadows on the walls. Her heart raced, and her breath came in ragged gasps as she tried to make sense of the nightmare.
The dream felt so real—too real.
She could still feel the cold of the Hollow Ones' touch, the weight of the darkness pressing against her chest. The strange figure, bathed in light—who had it been? Was it an ally, or another deception?
As she sat up, her mind raced with questions. What was the choice? the figure had said. What was it trying to tell her? And why had the Hollow Sky called to her so strongly?
Lena didn't know the answers, but one thing was clear. The dreams were no accident. They were visions, warnings—signs from the Hollow Sky itself. It was trying to claim her. But it wasn't just the Hollow Ones she had to fear. The Maw was far deeper than she had understood.
And the light—the figure in the dream—it was trying to reach her. To pull her away from the darkness.
But was it too late?