CHAPTER FOUR
THE BOY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
They ran.
Behind them, shadow creatures poured through the doors.
Darian led them through a maze of glowing pathways.
Elara held Kael's hand.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere safe."
"Does such a place exist here?"
Darian glanced at her.
"Not anymore."
They reached an enormous castle suspended above the clouds.
Inside, strange symbols covered the walls.
Darian locked the doors.
For the first time, everyone could breathe.
Kael turned toward him.
"You know more than you're telling us."
Darian smiled.
"I know everything about this realm."
"Then tell us what the Hollow is."
Darian's smile disappeared.
"The Hollow is what remains when emotion is completely destroyed."
Elara froze.
"So it's connected to Veyra?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Darian looked at her.
"Your world was the experiment."
Elara felt sick.
"What experiment?"
Darian opened an ancient book.
"The people who created the Serenity Process wanted to discover whether humanity could survive without emotion."
Kael stared at the pages.
"They used Veyra."
Elara whispered,
"All those people..."
"Were test subjects."
Her hands began shaking.
"And my family?"
Darian didn't answer.
Elara stepped closer.
"My family knew."
Darian finally looked at her.
"Your mother knew."
Elara's heart broke.
"My mother?"
"She was one of the original Guardians."
Elara felt tears forming.
"Then why did she leave me?"
Darian answered softly,
"Because she was trying to save you."
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