The corridor beyond the chamber was dark, cold, and carved from stone so old it seemed to breathe.
Owain tightened his grip on Kanah's hand.
"You stay with me," he murmured.
Not a command.
A plea.
A promise.
Kanah nodded, chest still trembling from the aftermath of the bite.
"I'm not letting go."
Ilai moved ahead of them, limping but determined.
"Lord Veylor's alarm wards will trigger soon," she whispered. "He'll try to seal the exits."
Owain growled, "Let him try."
Ilai's voice cracked with urgency.
"No. You don't understand. He controls this fortress like a body—its walls, its doors, its traps. Once he sets the seals, no beast gets out alive."
Owain bared his teeth.
"Then we run before he gets the chance."
Kanah steadied herself with a breath—
the first breath in hours not choked by pain.
Her hunger was quiet now.
Not gone.
But curled inside her like a sleeping creature.
She could think again.
Move again.
Feel again.
And what she felt first—
always—
was Owain's presence.
Sharp.
Warm.
Fiercely alive.
She squeezed his hand.
"I'm ready."
Owain looked at her like she was the only thing anchoring him to sanity.
"Stay behind me. If anything moves, you let me kill it."
Kanah almost laughed.
Almost.
Because the hunger in her chest—
that dark-spark instinct—
whispered something else entirely.
Let me.
But she swallowed it down and ran.
THE FORTRESS WAKES
Alarms ignited like fireflies in the stone.
Crimson glyphs burned across the walls.
Ilai hissed, "He knows you bit her."
Owain snarled, "He can come face me himself."
Kanah's pulse jumped.
"Wait—Owain—"
The ground vibrated beneath their feet.
Not footsteps.
More like—
heartbeat.
Ilai cursed.
"He's merging with the fortress. He's overriding the walls—he's going to trap us between the lower gates!"
Owain pulled Kanah close.
"Tell me the fastest path out."
Ilai's eyes darted along the corridor.
"There's only one. The East Spine. But—"
"Then we go."
"OWAIN—WAIT—"
Ilai's voice broke.
"The East Spine is full of Hollows."
He didn't slow.
"What are Hollows?"
Kanah shivered.
She'd heard the word once.
From the women kept in the lower cells.
Hollow beasts.
Beasts whose mana had been eaten out of them by Devourers.
Creatures with bodies but no soul-fire, no instincts, only hunger and obedience.
Ilai swallowed, eyes dark.
"They are what your father creates when he extracts too much resonance."
Owain's jaw clenched.
"So he's breeding monsters."
"No," Ilai whispered. "He's emptying monsters."
Kanah's stomach churned.
"What will they do when they see us?"
Ilai didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
Because the corridor ahead suddenly filled with movement.
Silent.
Shadowed.
Twisting like broken limbs gathering strength.
Kanah grabbed Owain's arm.
"Owain—"
Dozens of Hollow beasts crawled from the darkness—
wolf shapes with sunken chests, birdlike limbs, feline jaws that clicked open with no breath behind them.
No eyes.
No heartbeat.
No soul.
Just hunger.
THE FIRST TEST OF KANAH'S NEW INSTINCTS
Owain pushed Kanah behind him immediately.
"Stay back."
But something in Kanah rebelled at the command.
Not because she wanted to disobey him—
but because some deep instinct inside her recognized the Hollows.
They were empty.
Missing what she now had too much of.
Ilai whispered,
"They're drawn to resonance…
They'll sense hers first."
Owain swore under his breath.
Kanah's heart kicked.
"They're coming for me?"
As if answering—
The Hollows all snapped their heads toward her at once.
Owain stepped forward, claws extending.
"Over my dead body."
But Kanah felt the hunger stir again—
not wild, not devouring—
focused.
Targeted.
Sharp like she suddenly understood how Hollows worked.
How they moved.
What they lacked.
Instinct.
Devourer instinct.
Kanah's body moved before her mind caught up.
She stepped beside Owain.
"Kana—?" he hissed, grabbing her wrist.
She didn't pull away.
"Let me try something."
Owain snarled, "ABSOLUTELY NOT."
Ilai stared at Kanah with wide, terrified eyes.
"No—no, little star—don't—your father influenced them—if you use hunger, you risk—"
"I'm not using hunger," Kanah whispered. "I'm using… resonance."
Owain's grip tightened.
"Kana—"
But the Hollows were already leaping.
Owain shoved Kanah behind him—
But Kanah broke free and stepped forward.
And then—
She inhaled.
Deep.
Controlled.
A breath that hurt.
A breath that felt like her bones were lighting from the inside.
Black-gold light flickered under her skin.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
The Hollows froze mid-stride.
Owain's breath hitched.
Ilai covered her mouth.
Kanah's voice came out softer than a whisper, but somehow echoed through the corridor:
"Stop."
The Hollows shuddered.
Trembled.
And lowered themselves to the ground.
Owain stared at her.
"Kana… what did you just—?"
Kanah swallowed, trembling.
"I didn't command them. I… neutralized them. It's not hunger. It's resonance."
Ilai whispered, awed and terrified:
"You stabilized them."
Kanah blinked hard.
"Is that… possible?"
"No Devourer has ever done that. Ever."
Owain stepped closer, voice low.
"Kana. Are you okay?"
She nodded shakily.
"I'm—tired. But okay."
Owain brushed a thumb over her cheek, grounding her.
"Never do that alone again."
"I won't."
The Hollows remained motionless, breathing slow, empty bodies temporarily calmed by her presence.
Owain took her hand again.
This time, she didn't tremble.
He squeezed gently.
"You're incredible."
Kanah managed a small smile.
"So are you."
Ilai cleared her throat—loudly.
"Hate to interrupt the mating vibes, but if we don't move now, we die."
Owain lifted Kanah into his arms without warning.
She yelped softly.
"Owain—!"
"You pushed yourself," he grunted. "I'm carrying you."
She curled instinctively into his chest, heart racing.
He smelled like heat.
And home.
And blood.
He smelled like the safest place she'd ever known.
"Okay," she whispered. "Just… don't drop me."
His voice softened.
"Never."
They ran.
THE EAST SPINE
The doorway to the East Spine shook as a powerful force slammed into it from the other side.
Owain skidded to a stop.
"What the hell—"
Ilai cursed.
"He's here."
Kanah's blood chilled.
Her father.
A shadow seeped through the cracks of the door, crawling up the walls like ink.
Her father's voice emerged from the darkness:
"Running already? How disappointing."
Owain lowered Kanah to her feet gently.
"Kana, stay behind me."
She didn't argue.
Her father's shadow stepped fully into view.
Elegant.
Calm.
Predatory.
Kanah's father smiled faintly.
"You stabilized the Hollows. Unexpected."
Owain growled, stepping forward.
"Touch her and you die."
Her father ignored him.
"Kanah. Did you feel it?"
She clenched her fists.
"Feel what?"
"The resonance bond."
Owain stiffened.
Kanah's stomach twisted.
"No—"
Her father's tone sharpened.
"When you bit him."
Owain's breath caught.
Kanah's heart hammered.
Her father's eyes glowed black-gold.
"You unlocked something. And I know exactly what it is."
He extended a hand toward them—
And the fortress walls shattered outward.
The force threw all three of them backward.
Owain crashed into a stone pillar, the impact knocking the air from his lungs.
Ilai hit the wall with a cry.
Kanah slammed into the ground, vision spinning—
and her father's shadow towered over her.
"Your awakening has officially begun."
He reached for her face.
Owain roared.
Kanah screamed.
And the entire fortress shook.