The wind howled through the trees as Chizzy descended the narrow path behind the ash tree, where roots had split open to reveal stone steps. She moved cautiously, lantern in one hand, the black book cradled in the other. The passage led into the earth, carved centuries ago, its walls lined with ancient etchings worn down by time.
Each step she took echoed, as if the cave remembered every footfall. The book pulsed softly, its leather cover warm, responding to her presence like a creature of instinct.
The deeper she went, the colder it grew. The scent of damp moss and something older iron and rot wrapped around her like a shroud. The stairs opened into a wide chamber. Stalactites hung like the teeth of a slumbering beast, and in the center stood an altar of black stone.
Chizzy approached, her breath quickening. Symbols carved into the altar matched those in the book. She brushed her fingers along one, and the entire structure began to hum. Light bled from the stone, illuminating the space in a violet glow.
As if summoned, the Watcher stepped from the shadows beyond the altar. No footsteps, no sound—only his eyes, glowing faintly beneath his hood.
"You found it," he said.
"I followed the bloodline," she replied. "The book… the Hollow… it's all real."
He nodded. "You've awakened what was meant to sleep until you chose otherwise."
"What am I supposed to do with it?" she asked, gesturing to the altar. "What is this place?"
"The Hollow is not just a door. It is memory. Power. And prison." He walked closer, his voice low. "Long ago, your ancestor sealed a great darkness here, sacrificing her own freedom to keep the village safe. But the seal weakens every generation. Until you."
Chizzy's heart raced. "And now it's on me to decide?"
"You are the first to carry both the blood and the will." He stepped aside, revealing a blade resting on the altar silver, twisted, ancient. "This is the Blade of Oath. If you take it, you vow to protect the world from what lies beneath, at any cost."
She stared at the blade. Its hilt shimmered, etched with her family's crest an ash tree split by lightning.
"If I don't take it?" she asked quietly.
"The seal will break. The Hollow will open. And this village will drown in what was buried."
Silence filled the chamber. Her hand hovered over the blade, trembling.
"I didn't ask for any of this," she whispered.
"No one ever does," the Watcher said.
But still, her hand closed around the blade.