Dawn broke over the forest like a dying ember — dim, cold, and colorless.
Kael walked beneath the canopy, his cloak torn and heavy with rain. Every step echoed faintly in the silence, each heartbeat whispering the same word that haunted his dreams.
"Feed…"
He ignored it.
The girl's terrified eyes from the night before lingered in his mind. He hadn't meant to scare her, but mercy was a luxury he could no longer afford.
In this world, kindness got you buried.
A faint shimmer flickered in the air before him — a notification he hadn't summoned.
[Synchronization Reached: 25%]
New Function Unlocked: The Hollow Gate
— The Host may now commune with the Entity.
Kael stopped.
The sigil on his chest flared, and suddenly the forest fell away.
He stood in darkness — absolute and endless. The air was cold enough to burn. Beneath his feet, black water reflected nothing, not even his own face.
Then, the water rippled.
From the ripples rose a figure — tall, shrouded in smoke and bone. Its eyes glowed white, like dying stars, and its voice crawled across his mind like ice.
"You called, little vessel."
Kael's hand went to his sword. "I didn't call for you."
The figure smiled — or something close to it. Its mouth was a jagged cut across its face, endless and shifting.
"And yet, you answered. You bear my mark. You breathe because of me."
Kael stepped closer, his voice steady despite the cold fear pressing against his ribs.
"What are you?"
"A shadow of what was. A hunger that outlived its god."
"You, Kael Ardent, are the path I walk to be whole again."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Then I'm nothing but a vessel to you."
"For now."
The darkness behind the figure stirred — shapes moving, whispering, begging. Countless voices murmured from the void, their words indistinguishable, but their pain palpable.
Kael clenched his fists. "You want to feed? Fine. But you'll do it on my command. You'll obey me."
The entity tilted its head, amused.
"You believe you command the storm because you stand in the rain?"
Kael's voice sharpened. "If you wanted a puppet, you should've chosen someone weaker."
For a long moment, the creature was silent. Then, it laughed — low and hollow.
"Very well. Let us see how long your defiance lasts."
The darkness collapsed inward. Pain exploded through Kael's chest, ripping him back into the world. He fell to his knees in the forest, gasping for breath, steam rising from his body. The sigil burned — darker, deeper, as if the curse had carved itself further into his flesh.
Then came the whisper again — softer now, almost tender.
"Feed wisely, Kael. For every life you take… a piece of me becomes you."
Kael stood, his body trembling but his resolve unbroken.
He glanced toward the distant mountains, where the banners of the northern lords were said to rise — the men who had ordered Eredale's massacre.
"If that's the price," he murmured, "then I'll pay it in blood."
The wind stirred the ashes at his feet.
And far away, in the hollow dark, something smiled.