The Hollow trembled like a dying beast. Its walls of corrupted stone cracked apart, bleeding streaks of black flame that hissed into the void. The operatives staggered back, struggling to keep their footing as the world itself seemed to shudder beneath their boots.
Sid was on his knees, his breath ragged, his chest burning as though something inside him was being pried apart with invisible claws.
Then—
A voice echoed through the Hollow. Smooth, unhurried, and sharp enough to cut through bone.
"At last… the vessel wavers."
From the shadows, Velgrin emerged. His form was tall, draped in a robe stitched with markings that pulsed like veins of molten iron. His face remained hidden beneath a mask without a mouth, yet every word resounded as if whispered directly into the soul.
Lucien raised his hand, summoning a shield of glass-like time fragments.
"Velgrin. You dare step into this realm?"
Velgrin ignored him. His hollowed gaze fixed only on Sid.
"Ravh'Zereth stirs within you. I need not defeat you, child. I need only… separate you."
Sid's head snapped up, his teeth clenched. "Separate…?"
Velgrin lifted one finger. At the gesture, the Hollow rippled, and from Sid's own shadow rose figures.
One after another, silhouettes took shape—each bearing Sid's face.
The first was a boy trembling, clutching his arms, whispering:
"I can't do this… I never wanted this."
The second sneered, eyes glowing red, demonflame leaking from his mouth.
"I am not Sid. I am the fire that will consume gods."
The third… was silent. His form flickered with light, almost divine, his eyes calm but distant—watching Sid with something like judgment.
Sid's breath caught in his throat. His chest felt as though it were tearing down the middle.
"What… what is this!?"
Velgrin's voice was patient, almost tender.
"The Splitting Truth. Your soul is not whole, Arkwood. It never was. One part human, one part demon, one part god… and none willing to yield. My Ascension requires only that I draw these fragments apart until you shatter."
The demonflame around Sid surged wildly, lashing out like chains trying to break free. Reinhardt cursed and slammed his blade into the ground, forcing his rebellious core to shield them from the backlash. Kael's stormlight flickered against the unstable fire, sparks hissing in the charged air.
"Sid! Fight it—don't let him pull you apart!" Lucien's voice strained as his shield warped against the weight of Velgrin's will.
But Sid couldn't move. His body was a battlefield.
The weak boy's voice echoed: "You'll never be strong enough."
The demon's laughter followed: "Give in, and burn them all."
The silent figure's gaze pierced him: "If you fall… the world falls with you."
Sid clutched his head, screaming, as if his skull would split. Black fire erupted from his back, forming wings of flame that tore holes in the Hollow's walls. Reality itself cracked, the air fracturing like glass.
Velgrin stepped closer, the fragments of Sid circling him like prey.
"Yes… break, child. Let Ravh'Zereth claim the shell while I claim the flame. In this moment, your truth is mine."
Nox's voice thundered through the Hollow, amplified by desperation.
"SID! Listen to me! If you yield, the Seal will shatter—your soul will not survive!"
But Sid couldn't hear him. Not fully. The voices inside were too loud, clawing at every corner of his mind.
One part begged.
One part raged.
One part judged.
And all of them pulled him apart.
The Hollow roared, collapsing in on itself. Velgrin spread his arms as if welcoming the end.
"The Splitting has begun."
Nox's final shout tore through the chaos, raw and commanding:
"The Seal is breaking—!"
The world around Sid fractured like a mirror struck by a hammer. And in the shards of collapsing light, Sid saw himself—split into pieces, burning, drowning, rising—until there was nothing left but flame.