The hollow was endless.
No ground, no sky, no breath of air to tell Lin where he stood. Yet he felt weight beneath his feet, pressure against his chest, and the echo of something vast watching him. Every time his heart tried to beat, a deeper one drowned it out.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The marrow's heartbeat.
Lin's knees buckled, but he forced himself upright. His fists trembled at his sides, nails digging into his palms until blood slicked his skin. The silence pressed against him harder than chains ever had.
Then the dark stirred.
The silhouette loomed, the figure on the throne. Bigger than mountains, bigger than time itself. Its voice was not sound—it was marrow inside marrow, speaking through his bones.
"You are mine."
Lin's teeth ground together. "No. I'm not. I've fought every step to stay myself."
