Ren staggered as his feet hit solid ground. The sky above bent like glass, stars curving into spirals, bleeding into themselves. He stood on the edge of a valley where the trees whispered without wind, their branches bowing as if listening to secrets.
Everywhere he looked, Celestials glowed faintly in the world itself — etched into ruins, carved across mountains, even shimmering faintly in the rivers. This world was built from oaths and betrayals.
"This place… it shouldn't exist," Ren muttered.
A figure appeared across the valley, cloaked in white with no face. Its skin glowed faintly with Celestial marks, like constellations stitched into flesh.
"Ren Nakamura," it spoke, though its mouth never moved. Its voice was many at once — male, female, child, elder. "You carry the Black Celestial. The mark of betrayal. Do you know what that means?"
Ren glared at it. "That I can't trust anyone."
The faceless figure tilted its head. "In Ebonveil, Celestials are power. True bonds create light. False bonds breed shadows. When a bond shatters… the Hollowborn awaken."
As if to answer its words, the ground shook. From the earth crawled a creature made of cracked light and black mist — a Hollowborn. Its form was twisted, like a human devoured by their own broken oath. Its chest bore a Celestial mark torn apart, leaking darkness.
Ren's Black Celestial pulsed on his arm. His blood burned.
The faceless one continued, "When others betray you, their power will not kill you. It will carve itself into your flesh. You will inherit fragments of their strength. But beware — too many betrayals, and you will become Hollowborn yourself."
Ren's jaw tightened. A curse. A weapon. Both at once.
He stepped forward, staring at the Hollowborn as it screeched. He thought of the knife that once pierced his back, the trust that had broken him. His mark burned darker.
If betrayal was his fate, then he would use betrayal itself as his blade.
The faceless figure's many voices whispered as the Hollowborn lunged:
"Welcome, Ren Nakamura, to the world that should not exist. In Ebonveil, every bond will be tested. And every star will betray you."