The snow fell quietly again over Frostspire, covering the battlefield as if trying to bury the memory of war. But the peace was thin—like ice stretched too far.
Isabella stood inside the war council hall, now repurposed into a neutral chamber of alliance. Around her were leaders of once-warring factions, now seated at the same table, their armor traded for cautious expressions.
"I'm not asking for surrender," Isabella said firmly. "Only unity. Just long enough to prepare for what may come next."
A general from the Western Range leaned forward. "You've dismantled the Crownroot. The tyrants are gone. What threat remains?"
Isabella exchanged a look with Shade, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"We thought Voss was the storm," Shade said, voice flat. "But he was just the thunder before the rain."
The room went quiet.
Then Elias entered, flanked by Cassia. His face was grim. He held a small device—the kind used only when relaying findings too dangerous for open communication.
"It's begun," Elias said. "We found traces of movement beneath the ruins."
Cassia placed her hand on the table. "The Hollow Vault has cracked open."
---
Elsewhere – Inside the Hollow
Beneath the ruined chamber of the Crownroot, the Hollow King stirred.
The stasis fluid drained away. Symbols etched into the glass capsule glowed brighter, bleeding crimson light as they faded. The ancient seal shattered with a hiss.
And the being within opened their eyes.
No longer suspended, no longer dreaming.
Their voice was a whisper that echoed like thunder:
> "The children chose mercy. I choose what comes after."
They stepped barefoot onto the cold stone floor, unshaken, unfeeling. Their skin bore no scars. Their face no age. They were not born—they were designed.
Not by Voss.
But by those who came before him.
A perfect heir.
Not of blood… but of purpose.
---
Back at Frostspire
Shade walked the highest tower alone, eyes on the far horizon where the sky bent strangely—a shimmer in the distance that hadn't been there before.
Isabella joined her, quiet.
"You sense it, too?" she asked.
"Yes," Shade whispered. "Like a shadow rising where light should be."
They stood together.
Daughters of the storm. Breakers of thrones.
And far beneath the world they'd just begun to heal…
Something darker had just drawn its first breath.
---