Chapter 4: The Hollowed Path

The world darkened as they moved deeper into the Veilwood. What had started as a quiet, somber trek now felt more like an intrusion. The trees had grown taller and sharper, their branches bare and black as bone. No birds. No breeze. Not even the distant rustle of life.

“I feel like this place is holding its breath,” Aeryn murmured.

Kael nodded without turning. “That’s because it is.”

That didn’t make him feel better.

Aeryn tugged his cloak tighter as the air cooled, thickening with mist. The fog clung to his skin and settled in his lungs like invisible fingers, and each step he took felt heavier than the last. It wasn’t just exhaustion—it was something else. Like the ground itself wanted him to stay. Or fall.

“Where exactly are we going?”

Kael’s voice was quiet. “Through the Hollowed Path. The fastest route to the ruins near Deln’s Hollow.”

Aeryn frowned. “And what’s so great about the ruins?”

Kael hesitated, then finally said, “Answers.”

Before Aeryn could ask more, a low creak sounded behind them.

He turned, but saw only fog.

The weight in his chest returned.

---

The Hollowed Path was a scar in the forest. Trees didn’t grow here—not properly. The ones that tried were twisted things, knotted and gray, their bark split by veins of blue light that pulsed like they were alive. The earth beneath their feet cracked and hummed faintly, as if it were remembering something painful.

And then Aeryn heard it.

Not a sound, exactly—more like a pressure. A note so deep it bypassed his ears and settled straight into his bones. It was rhythmic, steady. A distant heartbeat.

“What is that?” he asked.

Kael didn’t respond.

That was answer enough.

Aeryn slowed. He kept glancing behind them. There was nothing but fog, yet something itched at the edge of his senses.

“Don’t look back,” Kael said suddenly.

“Why?”

“Because if you see it,” Kael said grimly, “it sees you.”

Aeryn tried very hard not to look.

---

They came to a clearing surrounded by broken stones, moss-covered statues of long-forgotten guardians, and half-buried ruins. A slab lay in the center, cracked but carved with the same strange sigil he’d seen in the Watchpoint—the circle with the lightning bolt and stars.

“Wait here,” Kael said.

Aeryn stepped closer, ignoring the warning. “It’s the same mark from before. What does it mean?”

Kael gave him a long look. “You used to know.”

Aeryn’s breath caught. “You mean he knew. The one I used to be.”

Kael didn’t respond.

Suddenly, a shadow darted across the mist behind them. A cold rush of wind followed, unnatural and sharp.

Kael drew his blade. “Too late.”

It burst from the mist—tall, skeletal, its mouth stretched into an empty grin. Hollow black eyes glowed faintly, and from its chest, Aeryn could see something pulsing—like a broken soul trapped in crystal.

Kael moved fast, blade meeting claw.

The creature shrieked, a sound like metal against bone, and drove its arm down toward Kael. Sparks flew as sword and claw met again, but the Hollowed was relentless.

Aeryn froze. The old panic returned—hot and helpless.

Kael was strong, but the Hollowed moved like it knew death. It didn’t stumble. Didn’t bleed. It only advanced.

Then Kael slipped.

The Hollowed’s hand tore across his shoulder, and he fell hard onto the stones.

“Kael!” Aeryn cried out.

Without thinking, he ran forward, throwing himself between Kael and the creature.

The Hollowed hissed and lunged.

And then—

Time fractured.

Aeryn’s vision filled with white.

A sigil burned in the air above him, just like in his dream. The one Kael had kissed him beneath. The moment froze—he could feel something reaching through him. Not a weapon. Not a shield. A memory.

Light surged from his hand.

This time, it wasn’t a flash—it was a wave. A slow ripple of silver fire, like moonlight dragged into reality. The Hollowed howled as it was engulfed. The blue lines across its body cracked, shattered, and dissolved into dust.

Then silence.

---

Kael was staring at him, bleeding, stunned.

“You did it again,” Kael whispered. “You called the Light.”

Aeryn’s heart thundered. “I didn’t mean to. It just… happened.”

Kael looked at him with a strange, unreadable expression. “That kind of power doesn’t just happen.”

Aeryn helped him sit up. “Well, it did. And now you’re hurt because I wasn’t fast enough.”

“You stood between me and death,” Kael said quietly. “That’s more than most.”

Aeryn met his eyes. There was something in Kael’s voice—softness mixed with sorrow. Like he was remembering someone else. Someone long gone.

“…Was I always like this?” Aeryn asked. “Before?”

Kael looked down. “You were reckless. Brave. Always first to draw your blade or your heart.”

“And we were…” He hesitated. “Lovers?”

A beat of silence.

Kael nodded once. “Yes.”

Aeryn’s stomach twisted. Not in a bad way. It was more like a compass needle spinning toward something forgotten. Something that still mattered.

“I think I’m starting to remember,” Aeryn whispered.

Kael looked up sharply. “What?”

“Not everything. Just feelings. Like... knowing what it meant to stand next to you. Like it’s right.”

Kael’s eyes were softer now. “Then maybe you haven’t been completely lost.”

---

They made a weak fire beneath one of the half-ruined archways. Aeryn wrapped Kael’s shoulder with a strip of cloth torn from his own shirt. The wound still bled, but the flow was slowing.

Kael winced as Aeryn tied the knot. “You don’t have to play healer.”

Aeryn frowned. “I’m not letting you bleed out just because I didn’t graduate from fantasy med school.”

A chuckle escaped Kael despite himself.

Aeryn relaxed. Just a little.

“Why are the Hollowed after me?” he asked after a moment.

Kael looked into the fire. “Because you’re not supposed to exist.”

“That’s not very comforting.”

“It’s the truth. Someone like you—someone who died, left the cycle, and still returned—breaks the laws this world depends on.”

“So I’m a mistake?”

Kael met his gaze. “No. You’re a miracle. But miracles are dangerous.”

The fire cracked between them.

Aeryn whispered, “Would you kill me if I turned out to be a threat?”