Chapter 19: Roots of the Hollow
The Verdant Warden's roar shook the trees, sending flocks of black-feathered birds scattering into the skyless canopy. Elias ran, lungs burning, the forest twisting beneath his feet.
Every path looped back on itself. Every turn spat him into the same clearing, the same crooked oak, the same hollow log.
> [Survive Condition Progress: 47%.]
Status: Fatigue rising.]
The system's messages flickered across his vision, but each one was harder to focus on. His body screamed with exhaustion, his blade felt like lead, and the tether pulled tighter with every step. His bound warriors lagged further behind, their ember flames dim, swallowed by the Hollow's roots.
The ground trembled. The Warden burst through the trees, swinging its massive arm. Elias ducked, but the blow caught him in the shoulder, flinging him into a wall of bark. His vision exploded with white sparks.
The Hollow whispered.
Lie down. Rest. You cannot win.
Shapes slid from the shadows. His father this time — gaunt, weary, the man who had once taught him to hold a blade. "Enough, Elias. You've carried this burden too far. Lay it down. Come home."
Tears stung his eyes despite himself. He coughed blood, fingers trembling against the soil.
> [Illusion Detected.]
Willpower Check — Failure Imminent.]
The vines writhed up his arms, across his throat, dragging him to the ground. His blade slipped from his grasp. The Warden loomed above him, jaws opening wide, a furnace of embers within.
The girl's voice cut through the haze, sharp as broken glass. "Is this how you fall? To shadows wearing familiar faces? Fight, Elias. Or you will never see another dawn."
Something inside him snapped. A scream tore from his throat, raw and defiant. His hand clawed for the blade, forcing his muscles to obey, forcing his mind to burn through the illusion.
"You're not him!"
The vines recoiled in a violent shudder, bursting into black ash. The image of his father dissolved into mist.
The system pulsed.
> [Willpower +2.]
Hidden Trait Activated: Defiance.]
Effect: Illusion resistances strengthened when near death.]
The Warden's massive hand crashed down. Elias rolled desperately, the ground splitting as the blow missed him by inches.
He staggered upright, blade raised. His body trembled, blood poured from his shoulder, but his eyes blazed.
The Hollow had tried to bury him in memories. And he had clawed his way free.
The Warden roared again, its ember eyes narrowing. This time, it moved slower — as though it, too, had recognized his defiance.
The system chimed, cold and merciless.
> [Survive Condition Progress: 61%.]
Warning: The Warden is adapting.]
Elias spat blood into the dirt, raising his blade higher. "Then so will I."
And for the first time since stepping into the Hollow, he advanced.