The moment Kaelen, Seraphina, and Dorian stepped past the crumbling archway into Black Hollow, the air thickened. It was as if the very atmosphere resisted their presence, wrapping around them like unseen fingers. The ruins stretched before them twisted corridors of collapsed stone, hollow towers leaning against the moonlit sky, and the remnants of long-forgotten halls swallowed by creeping ivy.
A shiver ran down Seraphina's spine. "This place reeks of death."
Dorian kept his dagger close, his eyes flickering across the ruins. "They say Black Hollow was once a stronghold of the old magi clans, but something terrible happened here. No one knows what."
Kaelen barely heard them. His Crimson Power stirred within him, reacting to the Hollow like a beast sensing another predator. The whispers from the valley had not faded. If anything, they had grown louder.
Then, the first shadow moved.
It was barely visible at first just a shifting darkness near the ruins. But then, it took form. A hunched, twisted figure with hollow eyes and elongated fingers. It stepped forward in jerking, unnatural motions.
Seraphina cursed under her breath. "A wraith."
Dorian tightened his grip on his weapon. "More than one."
Kaelen turned his head. Dozens of them emerged from the ruins, their spectral bodies flickering like dying embers. Their whispering voices clawed at his mind.
You don't belong here…
You carry the Crimson Curse…
Leave… or be devoured…
Kaelen's pulse quickened. His father's journal had hinted at something unnatural guarding Black Hollow, but he hadn't expected this.
One of the wraiths lunged. Fast. Too fast.
Kaelen reacted purely on instinct, his hand shooting forward. Crimson energy erupted from his palm in a violent arc, striking the creature midair. The wraith shrieked as it disintegrated into nothingness, but the others did not hesitate.
"Move!" Seraphina shouted, conjuring a barrier of blue flames to keep the creatures at bay. "We need to find the scholar and get out of here before we're overwhelmed!"
Dorian slashed at a wraith, his dagger coated in enchanted silver. "If he's even still alive!"
Kaelen's mind raced. The voices. The energy. The Hollow itself. It wasn't just haunted it was alive.
"Then let's not waste time," Kaelen growled. His eyes burned with crimson light as he pushed forward. "Stay close. We're getting our answers, even if we have to rip them from the dead."
The ruins howled in response, and the wraiths surged forward.
To Be Continued…