29. Hollow Eyes
Hollow Eyes
SYORAN
Earth fractured, tumbling into the never-ending chasm. No collision followed, no echo of crushed rock rising from the bottomless pit, and when the flash of gold erupted from the growing hole, there was nothing that could have prepared us for the detonation of dark magic that followed.
Spilling from the cavern, energy whipped outward. Unlike what we experienced in Serevalen, its wrath did not come only in the form of detonation but in the form of feeling.
My breath evaporated, knees buckling as the impact crashed through my mind and soul alike.
It was a wave of ancient malice, one that carried the taste of grave soil and forgotten sins.
Pouring into my thoughts like black water, whispers I could not understand slipped through my subconscious like a battering ram.
They drew forth a sense of knowingness while also birthing a deep-seated fear, clawing at the edges of my sanity and speaking in languages older than kingdoms.
Fumbling to sift reality from fiction, the physical blow followed. Every muscle seized as an invisible force hammered into my body and hurled me backward across the shattered earth.
Back slamming into cracked cobblestone, the air I already lacked vanished entirely.
I grunted, ears ringing with a mix of chaos and anguish as I struggled to roll onto my side.
Blinking through stars, the attributes of Hollowmere came back into view, but the overall sight awakened a newfound sense of horror—one that suggested the Others had already fused their plane with ours.
Faces emerged within the fog blanketing the village, their mouths open in silent screams. Expressions twisted with affliction and terror, their features shifted from human to uncanny.
With their transition, what had been stillness gave way to building groans, forming a haunting symphony of men, women, and otherworldly bellows.
The terrain responded to their cries, and the mountains trembled in the wake of the melding of realms, fearing the onslaught of whatever the portal was seconds away from releasing.
A distant voice tore through my trepidation-infused daze. “Syoran…!”
Ribs throbbing as I sucked in a breath, I drew my attention from the impending doom to find Kael sprinting toward me.
His honeyed locks were disheveled by the chaos that had unfolded, the chilled air combing through them as he approached. Eyes wide with alarm, he dropped to his knees beside me, settling his hand on my shoulder. “By the gods. Are you okay?”
Admiring the concern in his seafoam-blue irises, I ignored the pulsing throb radiating up my side. “Yeah… I’m alright.”
“We need to get moving. Let me help you up—”
Unable to extend his offer, he was ripped from my side with a harshness that immediately had me forcing myself to a seated position. Palm flattening against the uneven street, I leveled my gaze on what was responsible for his sudden absence.
Hollow eyes greeted me, the faceless creature craning its head to the side as its long, stringy hair slid over its right shoulder.
Hunched on all fours, its extended extremities cracked with its prowl, its two-jointed elbows popping with the movement.
Easily posted at a towering ten feet, its protruding spine twitched beneath its taut pale skin.
With its other bones just as decipherable, its ribs rattled with a gurgled inhale as its decaying hand closed around Kael’s throat.
The former prince thrashed in the creature's hold as it hoisted him into the air. Fingers stretching for the dagger on his waist, Kael tried but failed to secure it, the monstrosity deciphering his shift.
A snarl rumbled from its throat as if in warning before it squeezed even tighter, a rasped cry falling from the man who had been by me just seconds prior.
My wrath spiked in response to his anguish, and as if capable of sensing it, the creature’s attention fell on me.
Cartilage popping, its body twitched in excitement, seemingly satiated by my ire.
“Hey, ugly!” The shout came without warning, undoubtedly belonging to the captain I’d been arguing with moments ago.
Intelligent enough to understand the implications of his utterance, the corpse-like being comprised of nightmares spun toward Alastair. With its back to me, I acted without question or pause, retrieving my sword from its scabbard.
My actions became timed with the other pirate as he flung a blade with such execution that it became evident how effortlessly he had butchered the men who still lay at our feet.
Sharpened steel pierced the humanoid entity, burrowing into the center of its head until only the hilt remained.
And as it reared back on its hind legs with a shriek, I charged.
Feet became inches, and with my sword angled perpendicular to my body, I slashed its unforgiving tip through the creature’s Achilles.
With its lower leg no longer reliable, its knee folded before crashing into the cobblestone with enough force to crack it.
Its hand followed, slapping against the street once more to center its faltering balance.
An indescribable growl caused its ribcage to shake as it craned its head down to look at me, and with a smile, I carved through its other ankle.
Unable to prevent its collapse without its other arm, it elected to release Kael, sending him plummeting over twenty feet to the earth below.
Watching his fall, my reflexes honed in on getting there in time to prevent his demise, and I dropped my preferred weapon without question.
Its sharp chime against the street only registered once, becoming an afterthought as I sprinted to his rescue.
The percussive rhythm of my footsteps gave way to my determination as I closed the gap just in time for Kael’s body to slam into mine.
Arms closing around him, the force of the collision sent us tumbling.
Using my frame as a shield, I took the brunt of the fall, one hand settling against the back of his head to ensure he remained unharmed.
Adrenaline numbed the areas where skin had been rubbed raw; my focus honed in on the man cradled to my chest. “Are you okay?”
“Y-Yeah…” Peering up at me, Kael swallowed, a dark ring already forming around his throat from where the creature had grabbed him. “But I… I saw something…”
“What do you mean?” I questioned, peering up at the monstrosity as its focus shifted to Alastair.
His brows furrowed, as if trying to piece together whatever he was referencing. “N-Not here. In… In my mind’s eye.”
Unable to stop myself, I brushed a few strands of hair from his forehead. “What did you see, Kael?”
“A-A… man…” Throat bobbing again, he winced with the motion, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to pull my attention from him to search for Parran. “He… He had rainbow eyes and white… white hair… but felt… familiar?”
As if sensing my concern, the Fae healer jogged over to us, quickly dropping to kneel beside me. Hand settling on my shoulder, a swelling warmth pulsed through my frame before they removed it. Turning to Kael, they repeated the action, relief quick to replenish his features.
“By the grace of the gods, could the two of you, for once, stop trying to get each other killed? While I am quite fond of you, I do rather prefer you intact than nestled in the infirmary cot. It—”
“Parran!” Alastair snapped, the sharpness in his tone indicative of demand. “We need to move, now.”
“Right,” Parran huffed, pushing themselves to stand. They extended their hands to us, and we took them without question.
Turning my arm, I scanned over the area of flesh that should’ve undoubtedly been missing as a result of taking on the majority of the impact to cushion Kael’s fall.
Instead, my skin remained untouched, with no signs or hints of its layers being stripped by the harshness of the stoned streets.
Not even a scar lingered, which left me questioning just how much of their abilities Parran had used to bring us back to health.
If the nuances of the prophecy bound them, how much was too much when it came to channeling their power? Would they experience side effects like Kael had when he tapped into the reserves he didn’t even know he had? What of—?
“Kao!”
I blinked twice, not having realized we had crossed the distance to meet Alastair, Leilani, Sapphira, and Ignis. Slipping from my thoughts and back into reality, I found the familiar pulse of gold, Alastair’s irises rippling with otherworldly intensity.
“Your reserved nature has shattered. Should I be concerned?”
Annoyance followed his question, my glower narrowing as I made my lack of amusement clear. “Really? That’s your concern?”
“No, but it seems”—he patted my shoulder twice, the strikes intentional reminders of our burning opposition—“it was enough to draw you from wherever your mind had wandered. Happy to have you consciously present again.”
I shrugged off his touch. “Yeah, whatever.”
Leaning forward, his mouth fell inches from my ear. “You know, I find it rather—”
“Ace!” Leilani shouted, the single-syllable nickname enough to cease his pestering.
He fell back into my line of sight, offering me nothing more than an amused grin before he turned toward the woman who held his heart. “Yes, little fang?”
With his presence no longer blocking my view, I caught sight of the slain creature.
Or what was left of it. Limbs discarded and chopped into pieces varying in length, its torso was nowhere to be found.
Observing the smudge of inky black on the slightly dimmed portal, it became evident that it had either somehow made its way back to its home or been shoved into the yellow chasm by those responsible for its dismemberment.
Lips parting to ask whether they were stupid enough to let it out of their sight or stupid enough to toss it back into the spiraling chasm responsible for birthing it, I was cut off by Leilani’s utterance.
“This isn’t the only portal the Others opened. There are four more, but that’s not all…”
“What?” The query came from Kael, who stood just a few feet away from me. “What the fuck is that ominous statement supposed to mean?”
When no answer came, I moved from where I stood. Approaching Leilani, my eyes lifted to where hers remained transfixed. The harbor welcomed me with familiarity, but the sight it contained was one I never envisioned I’d have the privilege of witnessing—Ellira’s army.
Rohen had called for aid, and they’d answered.