It began with silence.
A silence too perfect to be natural.
The rivers stopped murmuring. The wind halted. Even the Infernal birds, usually raucous and shrieking, perched still as statues. In that silence, Celeste felt the world holding its breath. And then—the lullaby returned.
Soft. Haunting. Almost beautiful. It spoke no words, only melody. But each note dripped with sorrow, fear, and a promise of unmaking.
Kael gripped the edge of the obsidian window frame as the melody slithered through the realm. “It’s reaching into minds now. That’s how the Hollow speaks.”
Celeste closed her eyes. She could feel it too—not just the song, but the tendrils behind it. Ancient. Curious. Cruel.
“It’s not just a force,” she whispered. “It’s alive.”
---
Fractures in the Flame
Word spread of the lullaby. Mortals began to dream in symbols—spirals, dark moons, the number seven bleeding black. Demons started waking in trance, drawn to caverns, abandoned wells, forgotten ruins. Something was summoning them. And some… never returned.
Even within the Council of Flames, division returned.
Vakthros paced furiously. “I warned you. The Hollow was never part of the prophecy. We should be preparing to defend the Infernal Throne, not chasing lullabies in the dark!”
Nyra snapped back, “And wait for the Hollow to devour us in our sleep? Cowardice has no place here!”
Celeste stood between them, flame-heart pulsing. “No more division. Either we stand together… or the Hollow wins.”
Her flame surged—and for the first time, it sang. A counter-melody. Pure, clear, defiant. It silenced the room.
Astraea nodded. “The Hollow sings destruction. But you… you sing creation. We must amplify that light.”
---
The Lightbound Ritual
Within the celestial ruins, the group discovered a hidden ritual—an ancient rite to awaken the Lightbound Flame, an opposing force to the Hollow. But it came with a cost. One bearer. One sacrifice.
Celeste volunteered without hesitation.
“No,” Kael growled. “You’ve given enough. I’ll do it.”
“You’re not the Flamebearer,” Astraea said. “Only Celeste’s soul can carry this burden. But it doesn’t mean she must carry it alone.”
Kael knelt before her. “Then I bind myself to you. Not as prince, not as warrior. As your shield.”
Celeste looked into his eyes. “Then I bind myself to you. As flame to shadow. As hope to fear.”
Their vows ignited the runes. A sphere of white fire surrounded them. And for a moment, even the Hollow Star blinked.
---
The Sleeper Awakens
That night, as Celeste rested, something breached the seal of her dream.
She was in a void.
Not darkness, but absence.
A figure emerged—tall, cloaked in nothing, faceless yet watching.
“You are the spark. I am the end. When you burn, I begin.”
Celeste stood her ground. “I won’t let you win.”
The figure leaned closer. “You already did. The moment you lit the flame, you lit the fuse.”
She awoke with a scream—and the sky was bleeding starlight.
The Hollow had awakened.
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