Entry One: The Warning Comes Too Late
The Hollow didn't wait for dawn.
It came in the blackest part of the night.
I woke to the sound of the eastern bells—three sharp strikes, then two more, then the long, rolling note that meant only one thing: breach.
By the time I shoved on my boots and grabbed my cloak, the corridors were chaos. Students rushed past in half-fastened uniforms, weapons clutched tight. The air was thick with the copper tang of magic, raw and unshaped, spilling from panicked hands.
Kael was waiting at the stairwell, hair tousled, eyes blazing like lit coals.
"They're inside the outer ward," he said.
"How many?"
"Too many."
We didn't run—we moved with purpose, keeping our pace steady, because panic was exactly what the Bone Creatures wanted.
Entry Two: The Letter Fragment
Before we reached the main hall, I felt the crumpled parchment in my pocket. My sister's last letter, the words still burned into my mind:
And Elara… be careful who you trust.
I didn't have time to think about it now. But the warning clung to me, whispering in the back of my head as we pushed through the double doors into the open courtyard.
Entry Three: The Breach
The eastern wall was no longer whole.
A jagged hole gaped in the stone where something—someone—had shattered it from within.
The Bone Creatures poured through the gap like water through a burst dam. They were faster than I remembered, moving in bursts of unnatural speed, limbs snapping into wrong angles before straightening again.
Professor Valen stood at the breach, both hands raised, a cyclone of wind and stone swirling around him. Lightning cracked overhead—someone else's magic—splitting the night.
"Form lines!" he shouted. "Push them back into the Hollow!"
Kael grabbed my wrist. "We stay together."
Entry Four: First Blood
The first creature came at us in a blur. It was taller than any human, its spine bent in a sharp arch, ribs pushing against thin skin like knives. Its eyes locked on mine, and I felt my shadows recoil—not from fear, but from recognition, as though this thing was born of the same darkness I carried.
Kael stepped forward, flames bursting in a wide arc. The heat made the creature shriek, the sound high and layered, as though more than one voice screamed through its throat. I sent my shadows low, tangling its legs, and Kael's fire roared up its body.
It didn't fall.
It kept coming, charred flesh peeling back to reveal unbroken bone beneath.
We had to hit harder.
Entry Five: The Bond Unleashed
The bond between us wasn't something we could hide in battle—it surged to life, pulling our magic into one rhythm. His fire wrapped around my shadows, coating them in heat until they burned black-gold.
When we struck together, it was different. My shadows pierced deep into the creature's chest, and Kael's flames followed, igniting it from the inside. This time, it crumpled, the light dying from its eyes.
But there were more—dozens more—climbing through the breach.
Entry Six: The Betrayal
In the chaos, a sharp crack split the air—not from a Bone Creature, but from inside the courtyard.
A section of the inner gate swung open.
Someone had unbarred it.
Through the opening, three more Bone Creatures slipped in. They didn't look around—they moved straight toward the training barracks, where the youngest students were sheltered.
I didn't think, I just moved. Kael followed without question.
Entry Seven: Racing the Dark
We tore across the courtyard, dodging streaks of ice and fire, leaping over the fallen. My shadows stretched out ahead of me like hunting hounds, snaring the first creature before it could reach the barracks door. Kael's flames incinerated it mid-snarl.
The second one reached the steps. Its clawed hand was on the latch when Kael's fireball hit it in the back, blasting it off the porch. I drove my shadows into its skull, severing whatever passed for a mind inside that bone shell.
The third creature was gone before we could stop it. The barracks door shuddered once—then splintered.
Screams erupted from inside.
Entry Eight: The Inner Fight
Inside the barracks, it was chaos. The creature moved through the small space like a storm, sending beds flying. Young students scattered, some throwing weak bursts of magic, most just running.
I called every shadow in the room, pulling the darkness from under beds, from behind shelves, weaving it into a spear. Kael circled wide, his fire bright enough to blind.
We struck together.
The spear pinned the creature to the wall; Kael's flames burned so hot the wood behind it charred black. The thing shrieked, then went still.
When it fell, the younger students stared at us with wide eyes.
"Lock this door and don't open it," Kael ordered.
One girl's voice trembled. "Who opened the inner gate?"
I didn't answer. Because I already knew I'd seen the figure—just a glimpse—slipping away from the gate after it swung open.
And I knew the way he moved.
I'd seen it before.
Entry Nine: Aftermath
By the time the breach was sealed, the courtyard was littered with bone fragments and scorched stone. Dozens were injured. Four students were dead.
Professor Valen stood on the wall, scanning the forest. "They've retreated—for now."
Kael found me in the shadow of the northern tower. His face was grim.
"You saw who opened the gate," he said.
"I think so."
"Who?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. Not until I'm sure."
But in my mind, I saw him clearly.
Jaren.
Entry Ten: The Second Letter
That night, I finally read the rest of my sister's letter—the part I hadn't noticed before, scrawled faintly on the back.
If the Hollow comes for you, it will not come alone. It will use the hands you know, the voice you trust. Do not wait for proof.
I folded the letter slowly, my hands trembling. Because now I understood—
The breach wasn't the beginning.
It was the warning.