> "Not all who are claimed are lost. And not all who are called, are willing to answer. The heart battles its own dark echo."
> — Selene's Hidden Lore, Unveiled
>
A chilling, ancient voice echoed from the depths of the Throne Below, calling directly to Selene: "Welcome... my child... the true Path of the Hollow awaits... Your purpose... begins..." Selene gasped, her body stiffening. Her eyes, wide with sudden, profound recognition and a terrifying, dawning understanding, stared into the gloom. Ash felt her Path of the Hollow roar to life, not as a controlled power, but as an uncontrollable surge, pulling her deeper, drawing her towards the monstrous heart of the living island of Death and Void. She was being claimed, not by force, but by a terrifying, inherent connection.
"Selene!" Ash yelled, lunging forward. The spectral Souls of Negation surged around her, their hollow forms reaching, trying to draw her into the abyss. Ash grabbed her arm, pulling with all his might, but her body felt strangely light, yet impossibly heavy, as if she were already partially disconnected from this world.
"She is being drawn into the Void's Embrace!" Master Elara shrieked, his voice filled with terror. "The Throne Below is a living prison for the Shard of Death and Void! It seeks to claim her, to make her its new regent!"
Kael, grim-faced, moved with swift resolve. He slammed his armored shoulder into Selene, trying to break the invisible pull. His Path of Frost, deeply attuned to concepts of Order and Preservation, seemed to create a momentary resistance against the void's unmaking pull, grounding her somewhat. "Fight it, Selene! Your will is your own!"
Ash knew physical force alone wouldn't work. This was a battle for Selene's very essence. He clutched the Core of Binding, focusing its formidable Will. He channeled his Shard of Harmony and Chaos, pouring a fierce, unwavering wave of Harmony directly into Selene's spirit. He wasn't fighting the void; he was anchoring her to existence, affirming her life and her unique balance. He used his Chaos not to destroy, but to disrupt the specific lines of influence that the Throne Below was using to pull her.
Selene's body shuddered violently. Her eyes squeezed shut, and a single tear, dark as shadow, tracked a path down her cheek. Ash felt her inner struggle: a profound yearning to surrender to the ultimate peace of the void, battling against a fierce, desperate desire to remain connected to Ash and their shared quest. He felt a fleeting glimpse of her past—a hidden community, a forbidden ritual involving shadow and negation, a desperate escape, and a chilling promise made to something ancient. This was the source of her "exiled cultist" past. She had sought to master the void, but the void had nearly claimed her.
"Deny your true nature, child... Deny the ultimate peace..." the ancient voice of the Throne Below resonated, its power intensifying, trying to consume Selene's remaining resistance.
"No!" Ash roared, pushing back with all his might. He would not let her be taken.
With a final, desperate surge of Ash's Harmony and Kael's grounding Order, combined with Selene's own fierce, internal battle, the immense pull of the Throne Below recoiled. Selene gasped, her body going limp, but she was no longer being pulled. The spectral Souls of Negation around them shimmered, their reach faltering, dissipating back into the mist. The oppressive influence of the Throne Below lessened, though its pervasive chill remained.
Ash pulled Selene back, guiding her to slump against a decaying bone-structure on the Throne Below's surface. She was utterly exhausted, but alive, her will intact. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, filled with a newfound, terrifying understanding of her own latent power.
"The Throne Below... it is ruled by an entity known as the Soul Weaver," Selene whispered, her voice hoarse, her words filled with a chilling clarity. "Not the guild in Netherbridge, but the true master of the Path of the Hollow. He was a Scion who fell, consumed by the Shard of Death and Void. He tried to become ultimate Negation, to unmake all sorrow. But he became a prison himself. And he sought to make me... his heir." She shuddered, pressing a hand to her head. "His memories... they tried to consume me. His purpose... to bind all suffering by making it nothing."
Lyra and Elara rushed to them, their faces etched with concern. "What happened?" Lyra asked.
"Selene confronted the very essence of her Path," Ash explained, his voice strained. "And resisted its ultimate temptation." He looked at Selene, a new depth of understanding and respect in his eyes. Her own dark purpose was now clearer, tragically linked to this horrific place.
They were deep within the Throne Below now. The air was heavy, silent, and filled with the overwhelming presence of Death and Void. Ash felt the powerful, chilling hum of the Shard of Death and Void emanating from the core of the living island itself, sensing its profound indifference to life. They had saved Selene, but in doing so, they had landed directly in the domain of her Path's corrupted master. And somewhere far across the Drowned East, Captain Valerius would be feeling the energy surge from this confrontation, his Will drawing him ever closer.