The void hummed.
It wasn't music. It wasn't the hymn anymore. It was something heavier, slower—like the sound of the world's own heartbeat. Each pulse bent the floating fragments of stone, dragging them closer toward the cracked cocoon at the center.
Elara pressed her palm against her chest, as though she could steady her own racing heart. Her timer seared on her wrist.
[00 Hours : 49 Minutes Remaining]
The numbers glowed cruelly. She couldn't stop looking. Every blink felt like a theft.
"Stop staring at it."
Aelric's voice broke through her panic.
She turned. He was still slumped against the shattered pillar, his corrupted arm twitching, his body little more than stitched-together ruin. Black flame flickered off his ribs like embers from a dying fire. And yet—his grin remained.
"If you keep watching it," he said, his voice hoarse, "you'll die before it hits zero."
Elara's lips trembled. "It's hard not to. Every second—it feels louder. Like it's mocking me."
Aelric chuckled, though the sound ended in a cough of blood. "Then mock it back. Flip it off. Spit on it. If death's keeping score, make sure you piss it off before you go."
Her throat tightened. Even in ruin, even with his body half-consumed, he spoke like a man who'd never once lost.
She almost envied him.
---
The void pulsed again.
The cocoon cracked wider, spilling a slow, molten light that stained the air. A shadow stirred within it—vast, shapeless, breathing.
Elara clutched the broken lantern shards against her chest. They no longer glowed, but the faint warmth lingered, like ashes that refused to die.
Her mind screamed at her to run. But there was nowhere to go.
Aelric must have seen the fear on her face, because his grin softened just slightly.
"Scared?"
Her throat locked, but she forced a whisper. "…Yes."
"Good," he said. His one good eye gleamed. "That means you're still alive. Fear's proof you've got something left to lose."
Elara bit her lip, staring at him. "And what about you? Are you scared?"
Aelric tilted his head back, his corrupted tendrils twitching. For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then—
"…Every second," he admitted, voice lower.
Her eyes widened. She'd expected a joke. Another grin. Not this.
He smirked faintly at her reaction. "What, did you think I was fearless? Fear's the only thing keeping me upright. If I wasn't terrified out of my mind, I'd have collapsed already."
Elara's chest ached. She wanted to argue, to deny it, but his honesty disarmed her.
"You're… human," she whispered.
He barked a laugh, ragged and cracked. "Don't let the corruption hear you say that. It'll take offense."
---
The void shifted again.
A wave of golden pressure rippled outward, knocking Elara to her knees. Her ears rang. Her timer seared hotter.
[00 Hours : 47 Minutes Remaining]
She clenched her teeth, gasping. "It's draining me faster."
Aelric's gaze sharpened despite the pain. "Then we make every second worth it."
She looked at him, tears stinging her eyes. "Why do you keep saying things like that? Like—like every breath is a weapon."
"Because it is," he said simply. "We don't get to waste anything. Not breath, not seconds, not fear. Every piece of us is all we've got left."
---
Elara crawled closer, her body trembling, until she was at his side. She placed her burned palms against his corrupted chest. The heat made her flinch, but she didn't pull away.
"Aelric," she whispered, "what if we don't make it?"
For once, his grin faded. His good eye softened, staring at her with something almost… tender.
"Then at least we tried loud enough that the gods themselves had to listen."
Her breath hitched. "That's not enough for me."
He raised a brow, his voice teasing despite the ruin of his body. "What do you want then?"
Elara's lips parted. The words nearly escaped—I want you. But she swallowed them back, choking on her own cowardice.
"…I want more than borrowed seconds," she said instead.
Aelric studied her for a long moment. His grin didn't return. Instead, a faint, almost tired smile touched his cracked lips.
"Then steal them," he whispered. "Steal every second you can. Even if it kills you."
---
The void groaned louder.
The cocoon's cracks spread further, light bleeding like blood. The shape inside shifted, something vast pressing against the veil. The sound of its breathing deepened, filling every corner of the Hollow.
Elara pressed herself closer to Aelric, clutching his arm tight. Her timer burned, digits dripping like liquid fire.
[00 Hours : 44 Minutes Remaining]
She shook. "It's coming. I can feel it. We don't have time."
Aelric coughed, spitting blood onto the stone. His grin flickered back to life, sharper now, almost defiant.
"Then we make time."
Elara blinked at him. "What does that even mean—"
Before she could finish, the corruption on his arm writhed, shaping itself into jagged tendrils. They slammed into the floating fragments of stone, anchoring him in place.
His voice was raw, trembling between man and monster.
"I'll hold it. I don't care what it takes."
Elara grabbed his face with her trembling hands, forcing his gaze to hers. "No—you'll lose yourself. You'll vanish."
He laughed, low and broken. "Then don't let me."
Her tears spilled freely. She pressed her forehead against his, voice shaking. "I won't. I promise. No matter what it takes—I'll drag you back."
His grin widened, blood painting his teeth. "Good. Then let's show this bastard what borrowed silence feels like."
---
The cocoon shuddered violently.
The god stirred.
And the last of their seconds began to slip away.