The moment he grabbed my wrist, it felt like something invisible cracked open inside my head.
Not pain.
Not exactly.
It was more like… something waking up.
The world around me didn't disappear—but it changed. The darkness wasn't just darkness anymore. It had layers. Movement. Depth.
And the thing at the end of the platform—
I could finally see it.
Properly.
I wish I couldn't.
It wasn't one shape. It was many, overlapping and shifting constantly, like broken reflections trying to become real. Its body stretched too far in some places, folded in others. Long, thin limbs dragged across the ground without making a sound.
And its face—
There wasn't one.
Just a hollow space where something should have been.
But I knew it was looking at me.
Not just at me… into me.
I tried to pull my hand away, but the boy's grip tightened.
"Don't break contact," he said quickly. "If you do, you won't be able to see it again."
"I don't want to see it!" I snapped, my voice shaking.
"You need to."
"Why?!"
"Because it already sees you."
That answer hit harder than I expected.
The creature moved again.
Closer.
The air grew colder with every inch it covered. My breath came out uneven, fogging slightly in front of me.
"What is that thing?" I whispered.
The boy didn't look away from it.
"It's called a Hollow," he said. "Or at least… that's the closest word we have."
"Hollow?" I repeated.
"It feeds on presence," he continued. "On attention. On people who are… marked."
My chest tightened. "Marked?"
He glanced at me briefly.
"You read the letter, didn't you?"
The symbol flashed in my mind again—the circle, the branching lines.
My wrist suddenly burned.
I gasped.
"Look," he said.
I pulled my sleeve up.
And froze.
The same symbol from the letter was there.
Carved into my skin.
Not bleeding.
Not fresh.
It looked like it had always been there… just hidden.
"What did you do to me?!" I demanded.
"I didn't do anything," he said calmly. "It was already there. I just made it visible."
"That's not possible—"
"It is now."
The Hollow let out a sound.
Not a roar.
Not a scream.
Something worse.
A low, dragging noise, like multiple whispers overlapping into something that didn't belong in human hearing.
My head started to hurt.
"Don't listen to it," the boy said sharply. "It tries to pull you in."
"How do we stop it?!" I asked.
He finally let go of my wrist.
And stepped back.
"You don't stop it," he said.
"You survive it."
Before I could respond, the Hollow lunged.
Not fast.
But sudden.
Its body stretched forward unnaturally, covering distance without moving its legs. One of its long, distorted limbs reached toward me—
And instinct took over.
I threw my hands up.
"I don't—"
The symbol on my wrist flared.
Heat surged through my arm.
And something invisible pushed outward.
The moment the creature's limb touched that space—
It recoiled violently.
The air cracked.
A sharp sound echoed across the empty platform, like glass shattering—but nothing visible broke.
I stumbled backward, breathing heavily.
"What… what was that?" I asked.
The boy smiled slightly.
"That," he said, "was your first reaction."
"I didn't do anything!"
"You did," he replied. "You just didn't understand it."
The Hollow circled now, slower, more cautious.
Like it was… thinking.
"You have a Sigil," the boy continued. "Not everyone does."
"Sigil?"
He pointed at my wrist.
"That mark. It's not random. It means you're connected to something deeper than this world."
I stared at it.
It still glowed faintly, pulsing with a soft, ember-like light.
"What does it do?" I asked.
"That depends," he said. "Each Sigil is different."
"That's not helpful."
"It's not supposed to be," he replied. "You're not meant to understand it immediately."
The Hollow moved again.
This time, faster.
Its body split slightly—like multiple shadows peeling away from each other before snapping back together.
It was learning.
Adapting.
"Okay, I don't care about learning right now," I said quickly. "Tell me how to stop it!"
The boy's expression hardened slightly.
"You don't stop a Hollow," he said. "Not alone. Not this early."
"Then why did you bring me here?!"
"I didn't bring you," he said. "The Sigil did."
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"It will," he said quietly. "If you survive."
The Hollow lunged again—
Faster this time.
I reacted without thinking.
The heat in my arm surged again, stronger.
The symbol burned brighter.
And this time—
Something changed.
Instead of pushing outward, the energy focused.
Condensed.
I felt it gather in my palm, sharp and unstable.
"Wait—" I started.
Too late.
It released.
A sudden burst of force shot forward, hitting the Hollow directly.
For a split second—
It froze.
Its form flickered violently, like a broken image struggling to stay together.
Then—
It let out that same horrible sound—
And disappeared.
Not fading.
Not dissolving.
Just—
Gone.
The platform fell silent.
Completely silent.
Even the insects were gone.
I stood there, frozen, my arm still raised.
My heart was racing so fast it hurt.
After a few seconds, I slowly lowered my hand.
"Is it… gone?" I asked quietly.
The boy didn't answer immediately.
He looked around carefully.
Then nodded.
"For now."
"For now?" I repeated.
"They don't die easily," he said. "They return. Stronger. Smarter."
I swallowed.
"That thing is coming back?"
"Yes."
"When?"
He looked at me again.
And for the first time, there was something serious in his eyes.
"Soon," he said.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
"Then I need to know everything," I said. "Now."
He studied me for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Alright," he said. "But not here."
"Why not?"
"Because this place," he said quietly, glancing at the dark tracks, "isn't empty anymore."
I followed his gaze.
For a second—
I thought I saw something move in the distance.
Another shadow.
Watching.
Waiting.
I turned back to him quickly. "Where do we go?"
He hesitated.
Then said something that made my chest tighten again.
"To the place where people like you are trained," he said.
"Where Sigils are understood."
"Where Hollows are hunted."
I took a slow breath.
"Where is that?"
He looked straight at me.
And smiled faintly.
"Not on any map you've ever seen."
To be continued…