The Hollowstar lay in Elara's trembling hands, pulsing like a dying ember struggling to breathe. The red glow flickered weakly, as if the relic itself was fighting to stay alive. The moment Kael stepped beside her, the air thickened—heavy with magic, fear, and something neither of them could name.
"Elara," Kael murmured, his voice rough, "slow your breathing. If the Hollowstar senses panic, it will resist you."
She swallowed hard and nodded, though her heartbeat raced like a drum.
"I'm trying. But it—it feels like something inside it is calling me."
His eyes snapped toward her. "Calling you?"
Elara nodded again, this time more unsure. "Yes. It feels… familiar. Like a memory I never lived."
Kael stiffened. That wasn't normal. Not for any healer, or any human.
"Elara, listen carefully." He stepped close, cupping her shoulders with cool hands. "The Hollowstar chooses who it reveals itself to. If it's calling to you, it means you are connected to something much older than we thought."
Her eyes widened. "Older than the Healer bloodline?"
"Much older," he whispered.
A sharp wind slashed across the Hollow Woods then, carrying with it a shrieking whisper—one that made the trees bend and the ground tremble. The Hollowstar burst with red light, shooting a beam into the dark sky.
Elara stumbled backward, nearly dropping the relic.
Kael caught her instantly.
"Hold on to it! Don't let it leave your hands!"
The glow brightened—blinding, burning, wild.
Then the world around them changed.
A Vision Not Meant for Mortal Eyes
Elara gasped as the forest dissolved. In its place, a vast expanse of darkness stretched before her—endless, swirling, shifting like smoke. In the center stood a woman… or something shaped like one.
Her body was carved of light and shadow, her hair long and flowing like mist, her eyes glowing with ancient sorrow.
"Elara of the Healer blood," the figure spoke, her voice echoing through the void. "Child of the lost lineage. You are the last key."
Elara trembled. "Who—who are you?"
"I am the First Healer. The mother of all magic that mends." She raised a hand and the Hollowstar floated upward, circling Elara with gentle fire. "And the one whose sacrifice birthed the Hollowstar you wield."
Elara's mouth parted. "You… created it?"
"No," the woman corrected gently. "I severed my heart to forge it."
Elara felt the world tilt.
Her heart?
Her actual heart?
The First Healer stepped closer, her glow warm and sorrowful.
"The Hollowstar is not simply a relic. It is a prison. A seal. A final lock against the monster whose blood runs with ruin."
Elara's breath hitched. "The monster… Kael?"
The woman nodded slowly. "Kael Varran… the Cursed Immortal… the last Hollowborn."
Elara felt her knees weaken.
She had known Kael was cursed.
She had known his immortality was unnatural.
But she didn't know this.
The First Healer's voice softened.
"Kael Varran was never meant to exist. He was born from a broken enchantment, a flaw in magic's design. I sealed him away centuries ago—but the seal is fading. And now you, Elara, are the only one capable of renewing it."
Elara's throat tightened painfully.
"R–renewing it? Seal Kael away again? But he isn't a monster—"
"Not yet," the figure whispered. "But the curse will consume him. The hollow hunger will rise. When it does… he will destroy everything."
Elara shook violently. Tears blurred her vision.
"No. You're wrong. Kael saved me. He protects me. He—he cares."
"Love," the woman said gently, "does not undo destiny. And his destiny is destruction."
Elara fell silent.
The Hollowstar descended into her shaking palms again. Its light dimmed, as if exhausted by the revelation.
Then the First Healer's final words echoed:
"You must choose soon, Elara. Save the world… or save Kael."
The vision shattered.
Back in the Real World
Elara collapsed forward, gasping. Kael caught her before she hit the ground, his hands gripping her tightly.
"Elara! What happened? Speak to me!"
She pushed weakly at his chest, her breath uneven.
"I… I saw her."
"Saw who?" he demanded.
"The First Healer."
Kael froze.
Elara's eyes—wide, wet, terrified—lifted to his.
"She told me the truth, Kael… about the Hollowstar. About your curse. About what you will become."
His face drained of all color.
"Elara—"
"She said I'm the only one who can stop it," she whispered. "That I must choose whether to save the world… or save you."
Silence.
Cold, heavy, suffocating.
Kael stepped back, releasing her. His expression darkened—not angry, but resigned, as if a truth he had outrun for centuries had finally caught him.
"Elara," he said quietly, "listen to me—"
"No," she said softly, her voice trembling. "You listen. I want the truth… not what you've been feeding me piece by piece. The whole truth. Now."
Kael's jaw clenched. Pain flickered through his eyes.
"I can't give you the truth," he whispered. "Because once you know it… you'll never look at me the same."
Her voice cracked.
"Kael, please."
He closed his eyes—not giving her silence, but surrender.
The wind shifted.
The Hollowstar flickered again.
And Kael opened his eyes, revealing a darkness inside them she had never seen before.
"Elara… the monster she spoke of… is already