When the wormhole closed, silence fell across the chamber.
Sané stood there, covered in ichor and shadow, his breathing slow, his body was trembling—but not from fear tho....but from power. Something in him had changed.
111 staggered forward, flames still simmering on his skin. 123 followed, her bone wings dripping crimson before folding back into her spine with a sickening snap.
They stood before twelve...
Twelve observed them for a while before saying "You have done well. The beasts that lived in that wormhole were among the Maker's oldest curses tho deranged… but you've slaughtered every one of them."
She motioned for the gates to open.
The three followed her out, stepping through the metallic corridors of the base. The others—the surviving Hollowborn—watched in silence. Some with awe while some with envy.
The air was heavy with whispers.....as they say to each other
"They survived?"
"Three of them?"
"No one ever comes back from a wild wormhole…"
Sané ignored them. His crimson eyes stared straight ahead, his expression unreadable beneath his mask. Inside him, though, something strange stirred. A faint echo of pride—and fear. Fear of what he was becoming.
They were led into the Hall of Ashes. The great cavern that pulsed with a faint red light, its walls were carved with ancient runes that told the story of the Hollowborn's creation—children twisted by the Maker's curse, given shape and purpose by the Masked Ones.
Ten stood upon a raised platform, flanked by Eleven and Twelve. In her hands, she held three blood-colored vials.
"You entered the wormhole as shadows," she said. "Now you rise as blood"
One by one, they stepped forward.
111 received his vial first. It shimmered with crimson veins, shaped like flame. He bowed his head as he receives his reward.
123 came next. Her vial was black...but it was burning hot.
Then it was Sané's turn.
When Ten brought out his vial, the hall went silent. Unlike the others, his was darker—black with streaks of deep red like veins.
"This vials are potions" Ten said, "it would fasten the process of assimilation with your vestiges."
A surge of power spread through him.....as he held it. His chains flickered into existence for a heartbeat before fading again.
111 placed a hand on his shoulder.... saying "Guess we're the elite now," he murmured, grinning behind his mask.
123 gave a short nod, her voice low as she says... "Don't get soft. The next trials won't be as merciful."
Sané didn't answer. But deep inside, he knew she was right. There was no mercy here. Only survival—and ascension through blood.
---
Back to the world outside the wormholes.
While the families await response from the scouts they had sent out....another sinister force stirs.
The Malevolent Deities
Deep within the fractured spires of Varloss City, another gathering took place—one far older and infinitely darker.
In a ruined cathedral surrounded by blackened statues, a circle of ten figures stood around a burning sigil etched into the marble floor.
They were known only as The Damned Ones.
Once, they were the pride of the Five Great Families—the most gifted Hellforged Experts of their generation. Now, they were monsters.
And at the head of the circle stood their leader: Don Skull.
He was tall and skeletal, his face hidden beneath a mask made of bone and silver, carved into a permanent grin. The air around him shimmered faintly, as though reality itself bent to avoid him.
"The Hollowborn are stirring again," Don Skull said, his voice was like metal dragged across stone. "The Maker's beasts have begun hunting children once more. That means the Masked Ones are growing bolder."
One of the figures stepped forward...it was a woman cloaked in gray flame....as she says..."Then it's time we harvest from them again. We're running low on subjects for the Catalyst Serum.....and it seems like they've gotten the attention of the families"
Don Skull's grin widened.
"Yes. The Cultivation Extract Project must not fail. The serum needs Hollowborn essence to bind properly. Their Vestiges are… compatible. The goal remains the same: force the evolution. Make the Hollowborn cultivators by will, not birth."
The others murmured in approval.
The Damned Ones each bore different marks of sin—reminders of the atrocities that had earned them exile.
The Ten Damned Ones....name given to them by the Five great families
The first ofcourse was Don Skull – Leader of the Malevolent Deities.
Once of the Skull Family, famed for soul-forging.
His crime was that.....he created sentient weapons that devoured their wielders' minds, unleashing a plague of madness in the southern provinces....and because of these he was exiled...for the Skull family tho evil, still pride themselves as a righteous sect....or so they thought.
The second on the list of the Damned ones...is Lady Vorna Fray the Butcheress – Hellforged flesh-sculptor.
She conducted vivisection experiments on living cultivators to "reshape perfection." and because of this ungodly obsession with perfection....thousands died screaming in her labs.
In other not to tarnish the Fray' Family's reputation....she was exiled.
And the third on the list is...Bull Falcon – Master of cursed metallurgy.
Once of House Falcon.
His Crime - he forged armor from human souls, trapping them eternally....sigh...even after death , he refuses to let the soul of the dead rest. Infact each piece still whispers at night.
Due to this....he was casted out of the Falcon family.
And on the 4th list we have Eyris Skull – Sorcerer of sound.
He created the "Screaming Towers," instruments that harvested pain to amplify spells. And because of its use...entire villages went mad from the echo....the instrument caused... despite knowing this....he continued to use it power.
He was exiled....while the Screaming Tower....became a forbidden weapon.
The fifth on the list....is Mon Fray – Spirit Binder.
Once the pride of House Fray.
His crime was that, he attempted to fuse the cultivation of different Wyrmscourge experts into his body.....a forbidden act. The experiment succeeded—for one hour—before imploding.....he eventually went mad....and massacred millions.
The sixth on the list....is Sera Vermin the Hollow Bride – Necromancer of the Veins.
Her Crime: Drained her entire city's blood to resurrect her dead husband. Tho he awoke… wrong.
On the seventh list....we have Tarr Skull – Scribe of Forbidden Marks.
He was from the Zenir Court.....a court for the advanced Skull family cultivators.
His crime.... unknown.
The Skull family refuses to disclose his deeds....but he was exiled.
Eight on the list is Jaxen Vermin – Beastmancer.
He Created hybrid abominations using Hollowborn and beast blood. Most escaped. Few survived.....which led to widespread chaos that plagued the realm for a long time....before they were eventually killed.
Kain Falcon - Eater of Words....was the next on the list.
His Crime: he devoured entire libraries of sacred texts, absorbing their knowledge and erasing them from existence..... depriving the families from sought out knowledge.
He was detained for a long time...but he eventually escaped.
While the last on the list of the Damned ones is Zod– Alchemist of Oblivion.
From The Maverick Family.
He colluded with the "House of Pleasure" a sinister and evil force who intended to rule the Masta realm.... through a poison called the Devil's lure.....it controls the minds of the poisoned one..... making them subtle to anything the one who poisoned them wants.
In the end they almost succeeded but due to the House of Maverick intervention....the plan was twarted.... though the damage had been done....thousands who took the drugs had to be put down....even talented and powerful cultivators.
This in a way...crippled the families.
---
They were called The Damned Ones because even the Five Families refused to speak their names aloud.
But together, they formed the Malevolent Deities—a secret organization obsessed with one purpose: transcending the limits of cultivation through horror and science.
They believed the Hollowborn were keys, not curses.
If they could survive the Maker's corruption, they could perhaps survive forced cultivation—a process that had driven countless test subjects insane.
And this project was named "The Serum Project"
Don Skull approached a massive glass cylinder at the center of the hall. Inside it floated the body of a child—half Hollowborn, half something else. Tubes snaked into its chest, pumping dark fluid.
"Prototype 12A," he murmured. "The serum still rejects the host. We need purer essence. The Maker's beasts are no longer enough."
He turned to his council.
"Bring me live Hollowborn from the Masked Ones' nests. The younger, the better. The closer to transformation, the stronger their essence."
Lady Vorna grinned, her lips stitched together with golden wire...."And if the Masked Ones interfere?"
"Then," Don Skull said softly, "we remind them that even masks can crack."
The others chuckled darkly.
The flames in the cathedral flickered crimson, reflecting off the skulls nailed along the altar.
In the shadows, Zod muttered, "They call us monsters."
"We are not monsters," Don Skull replied. "We are makers."
He looked up at the ceiling, where a giant symbol of the Hollowborn was carved in black.
"And soon, we will make gods."
---
Back in the Hollowborn Base
Sané sat alone in his small abode, his mask beside him. His muscles still ached from the battle, but his mind was sharp....infact they were too sharp. Every moment replayed in his head, every kill, every scream.
He closed his eyes. The shadows moved on their own, dancing on the walls.
He thought of the pit.
He thought of the blood.
He thought of the girl—118—whose last word was please.
His heart didn't hurt anymore. And that fact scared him.
111's laughter echoed from the corridor. 123's voice was a whisper, speaking with Twelve about the next training phase.
While Sané leaned back against the cold stone and stared into the dark.
He didn't know that far beyond the walls of their base, in the shattered ruins of the world above, ten damned "gods" were preparing to make him and his companions their next experiment.
The shadows whispered around him, soft and almost… protective.
We are not done yet, they seemed to say.
Sané opened his crimson eyes....as he muttered "Neither am I."
---
TO BE CONTINUED...